By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I do. Same load as their white box ammo with exception to using steel cases. What does it mean when your boyfriend takes long to reply? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". One reason people give for not shooting steel case-ammo is that it damages their rifle or pistol. Price. The steel used in the cases will still be softer than the type of steel used in receivers and extractors of But for people who reload, shooting steel cased ammo may actually be more expensive. I took one car to the crusher years ago. Yet, the tapered 9 mm case enhances extraction once the chamber seal is broken. Steel cases have different expansion and contraction characteristics from brass or aluminum. I am hoping to test that on camera. The aluminum in the case will not damage your guns chamber, extractor, or ejector because they are made from steel. I just burn mine in my Rem 700. And it does not corrode, so it can be used in humid and saltwater environments without issue. No, not for any well made gun. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. It is only the jacket which is bi-metallic, NOT the case. Americas oldest Second Amendment News outlet. Use of steel or aluminum cased cartridges is not recommended and could adversely affect safe and reliable functioning. Also, make sure to keep your chamber clean. Wolf .223 55 grain ammo is one of the most popular types of steel-cased ammo that I shoot through my guns. While the steel used in the ammos casings is relatively mild, and thus not terribly hard, it is still harder than brass. I have had six show up here in the last two years saying that they had an AR that was not working right. The brass case expands inside the chamber, the steel case does not and so there is a lot of blow back. Another problem with steel cased ammo is a lot of it seems to be somewhat underpowered which can cause short stroking issues. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Communism only made one thing that works, and capitalism can make it even better. This doesn't affect reliability as long as you keep shooting steel cased ammo or clean the chamber before shooting brass cased ammo. Brass, being less hard than steel, will spring back to a smaller dimension than a steel case will after firing. At the end of the day, its up to you to decide what you think is best for your gun. In my own experience, the accuracy of steel cased ammo in my rifles really is not that much worse than lower-end brass cased ammo. Personally I don't use it in my C9 because it just doesn't feed reliably. Wolf and the like are so dirty to shoot. Ive been to some shooting ranges, and this actually bothered me quite a bit. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. Are steel cases bad However, it is much, Read More How To Inspect A Gun Before Buying?Continue, Guns have all kinds of different parts. In reality, its not the steel cartridge case thats the problem. The brass that is left behind is sold, and they dont want to trouble themselves with having to separate the steel from the brass. Experiment a little and see which type of ammo works best for your gun! The former is utterly reliable in most platforms in which it is chambered. A damaged steel target or, in this case, a backstop can also ricochet steel core rounds. list of mortuary science schools in kenya. Cast aluminum is simply a stronger form of aluminum. With a price tag well below the average cost of American-made brass-cased ammo, many American shooters on a budget gobbled up the ammo in droves. Using steel in the entire bullet is impossible because it would damage the barrel. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. Jim is one of the elite editors for AmmoLand.com, who in addition to his mastery of prose, can wield a camera with expert finesse. Some guns have steel casings because steel holds up better than brass. Then, the prices skyrocketed. Theres nothing wrong with Russian steel-cased ammo, other than it smells like somebody has thrown a cat on a trash fire. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Better not tell the hundreds of AK shooters whom are shooting thousands of Steel cased 7.62X39 rounds per day, here and world wide. Whats The Problem With Shooting Steel-Cased Ammo At The Range? The other problem with steel cased ammo is that the It does not store any personal data. Cast aluminum is perfect for this job. The old Soviet Bloc countries have manufactured and used used steel ammunition in their AK platforms since day one, the AK / SKS is somehow designed to I have a friend the reloads 223 steel cases better him than me. Steel-cored rounds have a much greater likelihood of damaging a backstop than lead FMJs do, so theyre nearly universally prohibited on indoor shooting ranges. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I have a Glock 17 that has yet to see brass cased ammunition. This is why cast aluminum is used for things like engine blocks and transmission housings. Required fields are marked *. Again, however, I am not really certain whether that is the case. A new and innovative take on an AR-15 compatible rifle. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. While I dont generally recommend steel cased ammo, its not going to hurt your rifle in limited amounts. This anonymous data helps us to better understand users' needs and customize the website accordingly. I'll "stick" to brass hulls in my firearms. The 556 has little taper. The bullet traps are not designed to handle steel bullets. In a world where all ammo is accurately loaded, finely-tuned gas systems are ideal, the gun has less felt recoil, lasts longer, and requires less cleaning. There is literally no danger to your firearms steel parts when using aluminum cased ammo. So if you are going to use steel cased ammo I recommend breaking the rifle in with decent brass cased ammo first. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Also, some of the steel cased ammo is now polymer coated. The Best Firearm and Firearm Accessory Reviews. Funny how you didnt mention the elephant in the room RELOADING. This is not actually due to the steel case, but the Bi-metal steel jacket of the bullet that most steel-cased rounds have. The steel case doesn't seal as well so you will get more carbon fouling in the gun. Steel cartridge case use in handguns (as well as long guns) has been the source of controversy since their inception. Ive met many talented shooters with disabilities. This is apparent in higher-pressure cartridges.An example would be in comparing 7.62x39 mm and 5.56 NATO. Many people think its dirtier because the steel case isnt as forgiving as brass and so more spent carbon theoretically gets deposited into the chamber. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm, http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/. In semi-automatic firearms, this affects the timing of the cycle of operation, particularly in the extraction phase. Steel cased ammo is said to be less expensive and brass cased ammunition more reliable. Should be fine for plinking and I can't see how it would hurt a quality firearm. WebSteel cased ammo is safe to use in modern firearms because the steel used in the case is very soft. He also likes to take his kids shooting as often as possible. Does steel cased ammo damage your gun? Generally speaking, its not gonna hurt it. Modern production steel-cased ammo is not corrosive, even when Berdan primed and it will not destroy your extractor. One difference between steel-cased rifle and pistol ammo is the working chamber pressure. This can, however, be compensated with coating, but some worry that this coating could build up in your firearm and create long-term issues. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. The benefits in favor of steel-cased ammo are mostly economic, making it cheaper to shoot than conventional brass offerings. The gun spits the cartridge out after every fire as it goes through the cycle of re-chambering another round. Bulk purchases of non-standard ammunition support a wide variety of U.S. military assistance programs, as well. So, should you shoot steel cased ammo through your rifle or pistol? Its more trouble than its worthalthough it is possible, especially with boxer-primed cases.In answer to your question specific to the Winchester USA-Forged WIN9S ammunition, I decided to do an informal test against the Winchesters Q4172, a similar 115-grain brass-cased load. The other problem with steel cased ammo is that the cases dont expand the same way that brass cases do. Well, there are a couple of good reasons. You save a few dollars, but usually give up good accuracy. I f the chamber is on the larger side of the spec it isnt usually an issue. Why Should You Practice Dry Fire Shooting Drills At Home? No reason for outdoor firing ranges, especially if youre going to police your own brass. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. In fact that's all they use in the Comblock countries. And always follow the manufacturers instructions for cleaning and maintenance. Envision the contact surfaces with the chamber as the cartridge case is being extracted. You can reload them. Steel rounds can even cause damage to targets, rail lines and cables. I'd buy a little and try it out. This is partly due to the design of the tapered case, which enhances extraction regardless of case-material composition. I still have some brass Berdan primed ammo for my 1918 Enfield, but I also found that IVI makes MilSpec brass for it and it is made for Boxer primers. generally not that bad, depending on what the coating is, you may have to clean the chamber more after shooting. The main drawback is that you can Brass ammo is generally considered to be better than steel-cased ammo because it creates a better chamber seal than steel. This makes a very strong piece of metal. KyJim, you are correct of course. In today's episode of "I Carry," we have a Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 Metal pistol with a Holosun EPS Red2 red-dot sight carried in a KSG Armory Lexington IWB holster. However, some shooters believe that the softer metal can cause more wear and tear on your guns barrel and chamber. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Shoots really good in all my glocks, burns fairly clean, same as WWB does and at $28 for 150 rounds, i`ll buy/shoot it anytime. Steel casings are therefore coated with a lubricant. This is because Berdan primers dont contain an anvil. With the ammo supply issue nowadays, steel-cased ammo is significantly cheaper than brass-cased, sometimes less than half the price. I have also found some deviations is accuracy with different brands of ammo. They have a nice feature that tells you what range the shipping is(low,medium,high). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and how well your particular firearm handles different types of ammunition. Finally, cast aluminum can be recycled over and over again without losing any of its strength or quality. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites. Steel cartridge case use in handguns (as well as long guns) has been the source of controversy since their inception. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Pre-Covid, steel cased .223 ammo could be found 10-50 cents less per round than brass cased ammo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bzPRtn29u0, Spotting Scope for 1000 Yards: How to Achieve Maximum Accuracy, 209 Primers for Muzzleloaders: The Best Ones for Your Gun, This div height required for enabling the sticky sidebar, 2022 Yestactical.com We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. But if you skimp on cleaning your guns, you might want to be careful if doing a lot of shooting with steel cased ammo as carbon buildup may start to cause reliability issues. Tacoma, Washington 98424 USA, 2023 Rainier Ballistics | The Journey To The Top Demands Peak Performance, What is a Bull Barrel Bull Barrel Variations and Benefits. However, a lot of folks wont use aluminum With the current supply and demand issues when it comes to ammo, steel-cased rounds can be found for less than half the price of certain brass-cased cartridges. Basically, I feel it is the same as global warming, scientists just dont fully understand or know but they getRead more . So, in addition to always picking up your brass, if they dont want to give it to you, dont ever return to that shooting range and tell your friends to stay away from that place as well. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I disagree on the viability of steel cased ammo in weapons when the mfg states otherwise. It does not store any personal data. Theres nothing about steel-cased ammo that says this has to be the case however, Hornady proved that with their competition-ready Steel Match ammo that is produced with all the quality and attention to detail that any of their other premium offerings are made with. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. 1 Why is steel case ammo bad for your gun? It is pretty dirty & tends to leave some lacquer when the gun heats up. Its a bolt gun and doesnt care. There are two reasons ranges sometimes ban steel-cased ammo: Steel jackets cause more wear and tear on backstops than copper ones, even though they do not damage backstops to the same extent as steel core rounds. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". If used exclusively however it will reduce the barrel life by about 4,000-5,000 rounds. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". A shell contains a firing primer and gunpowder. Most of the curved section of the bullet has a Secant (VLD-style) ogive for low drag. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Bottom line: most modern firearms will have no issues whatsoever running with steel-cased ammo, but I would still recommend thorough lubrication and regular cleaning. Another often overlooked advantage is the spent cartridge cases can be policed up with a magnet. I have never seen anyone check ammo with a magnet, so I have no idea if this is true. Unlock the Benefits of Knowing Your Winchester Serial Number, Complete Buyers Guide to the Sig Sauer P228. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net to collect statistical data such as the number of visits, average time spent on site, and what pages have been loaded, for targeted advertising. Some shooters believe that aluminum cased ammo can cause damage to your firearm. It is common for indoor ranges to have the same rules, but I dont always assume that is the case. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association. A lot of people think that going to the range is the only way you can practice, but dry fire practice can be extremely efficient. It is not possible to reload steel cases. Its a small price to pay for the substantial savings steel ammunition provides over brass cased ammunition. This build up can cause stuck cases. To test if a bullet is ferrous, some ranges hold a magnet to it. Not only Steel-cased ammo may also be associated with an increased fire risk because it tends to cause more sparks than bullets without steel cases. Foreign manufacturers often use powders that are dirty and contribute to the chamber fouling.Steel cases have different expansion and contraction characteristics from brass or aluminum. Sometimes these cases will stick so severely that it is difficult to remove them even with a cleaning rod. By comparison one was as accurate as the other in group size. ), How to Safely Install Your Gun Safe on a Tile Surface, Why Keeping Your Gun Safe in a Shed is a Smart Idea. And, just like with any ammo, bullet weight and twist rate are also big factors when it comes to accuracy. Some people believe that the aluminum casings can cause damage to your firearm, while others claim that there is no difference between aluminum and brass cased ammo. Mac, This may be true in some cases, but it depends on the make and model of your firearm. Cutting open the bullet and inspecting its composition is the only way to tell the difference. No commercially available handgun rounds have the steel core as they would qualify as illegal armor piercing ammo under federal law. 20 years ago we would read an article about how bad eggs were for cholesterol and now we read that they are not that bad and it is ok to eat two a day but dont eat the bacon. Steel with the same weight and shot size contains more pellets than lead, making loads that contain more shot than necessary. Then, Winchester jumped into the steel-cased market. - AllOutdoor.com During World War 1, countries such as Germany experienced a shortage of brass as a raw material and looked to using steel cased ammo as an alternative. While I dont generally recommend steel cased ammo, its not going to hurt your rifle in limited amounts. Also, some of the steel cased ammo is now polymer coated. This in turn means more force is exerted on your firearms extractor which can lead to premature breakages if the gun wasnt designed for the rounds in the first place. Small amounts of propellant gasses are able to get between the case and chamber and foul the chamber walls. The taper aids extraction considerably. A tapered case fares much better during extraction, since once the seal is broken and the case moves even the slightest amount to the rear, friction between the case and the chamber is appreciably attenuated. Some Glocks will indeed eat anything, others not quite. In this article,, Read More What is a Bull Barrel Bull Barrel Variations and BenefitsContinue. Another often overlooked advantage is the spent cartridge cases can be policed up with a magnet. Cartridges or shells of ammo are referred to as casings, not bullets. One of them is the excellent LuckyGunner test. They either cant afford the rounds or cant find the rounds at all and whenever they can, the majority of the rounds are steel-cased. Steel cases may be more likely to get stuck in the chamber, particularly in lightly-extracting guns like the AR-15. a 12-gauge shotshell can be chambered into a 20- gauge shotgun and result in serious personal injury. Reloading would lose the benefit of this coating, as it wears off. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It does not corrode or rust, even in extreme environments, It can be recycled endlessly without losing any quality or strength. My Blog does steel cased ammo hurt your gun There are two reasons ranges sometimes ban steel-cased ammo: They do not wish to deal with these Answering: Is steel cased ammo bad for your gun? Opinions vary, but I think the prevailing wisdom is that Yes, steel cased ammunition is hard on ex All of my ARs and my Mini-14 eat up steel cased ammo with the same, or better, reliability as they do with brass-cased rounds. It is possible to get steel-cased ammunition for half the price sometimes. My best guess at the time was that it was because the rangers only wanted the brass ammo, which they could recycle; they could resell and make money off of. Because spent shells are mixed with brass ammo, a gun range may prohibit steel-cased ammo. The ferrous bi-metal jackets found on most steel-cased ammo will not damage the rifling of your AR and are perfectly safe to use on any rifle-rated backstop. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They do not wish to deal with these issues mentioned above. While brass is a copper alloy, stainless steel is an iron alloy mixed with chromium and nickel. A tapered case fares much better during extraction, since once the seal is broken and the case moves even the slightest amount to the rear, friction between the case and the chamber is appreciably attenuated. When most people think of rifle or pistol cartridges, they think of a shiny brass case with a copper jacketed bullet sitting on top. It may not have been match-grade or the cleanliest ammo, but the Soviet calibers ran perfectly in Soviet-designed firearms. With a little fouling, it is easy to see how the more-tapered 7.62x39 mm would be easier to extract than the 5.56 NATO. So shooters generally believe it leads to more jams than brass ammo. Personally I do not use steel case ammo in ARs. So, not only is it a sustainable material, but it also has a minimal impact on the environment. Non brass ammo is my JIC prepper ammo. Winchesters USA-Forged steel-cased ammo performed as well or better than comparable brass-cased ammo in my guns. The same considerations can be utilized with pistol ammunition, especially when used in semi- and full-auto firearms. These parts can generally be switched out with other parts of the same type to customize the gun to the way you want it. I've reloaded .45 ACP steel cases for years. While the ammo was kind of weak, dirty and even smelled bad, every one of the 2,700 rounds I fired through G43 worked okay and cycled my gun just fine with no malfunction of any kind. The same held true a few years later when Russian Saigas, Mosin Nagants, and SKS carbines hit the market -but not for those guns. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I used to shoot steel cased ammo through my Ruger P97 all the time, too. Steel cases are usually coated for better performance, and the differences between coatings are relatively minor. Cases made of steel cannot be reloaded, so they must be thrown away. It doesnt contract as fast as brass does, but you can shoot it in a bolt or lever gun without any problem. While I dont generally recommend steel cased ammo, its not going to hurt your rifle in limited amounts. The steel load printed a few inches higher than the brass load, most likely because it chronographed 60 fps faster. Steel case ammo will not harm any part of your firearm. WOLF Performance Ammunition is a trademark associated with Sporting Supplies International (SSI), a corporation in the United States. The steel used is a very soft mild steel vs. the very hard feed ramp and chamber. It's important to point out one of the reasons why ranges are banning steel-case Russian ammo: some of it has copper-washed steel. This means that they are less prone to fragmenting. For example, some ranges may state steel casing, but in fact, mean steel jacketed or steel core. If used exclusively however it will reduce the barrel life by Aluminum cases are less expensive to produce than brass cases, so they are often used in budget-friendly ammunition. The reason it is not easily reloadable has to do with the steel cases being harder and less malleable than brass but also due to the fact that steel-cased ammunition is Berdan primed. It needs to be strong enough to withstand a lot of stress. The depriming punch in the resizing die would be damaged in such a case. Unless you plan to reload the spent cases, Id say the steel is fine for general purposes, leaving price as the only consideration. Scopes, guns, boots and other tactical stuff in-between. Steel cases are more difficult (if not impossible) to reload. In semi-automatic firearms, this affects the timing of the cycle of operation, particularly in the extraction phase. Steel is harder on these guns than brass, so it can jam. I was told that it would tend to wear the ejector quicker because it was harder than brass. Aluminum cased ammo is great for saving money at the range, but its important to remember that not all guns are created equal. However, I keep it out of my precision ARs and I do not hunt with it. Both bores and barrels of the rifles that fired steel-cased/bimetal jacketed ammunition were basically unserviceable. The primary, and really only, benefit of shooting steel cased ammo is the price. In rifle calibres bi-metal jackets, which are common with steel cased ammo, will cause faster barrel wear, but the barrel life on a 9mm is so long you'll likely never wear it out regardless of what you shoot. For example, a steel-cased .45 ACP is essentially a straight-walled case, but the working pressures are around 20,000 psi which make extraction easier. Cast aluminum is stronger than aluminum because the casting process forces the metal to fill all the spaces in the mold. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when doing so: That said, if you do choose to use aluminum bullets, be sure to clean your gun frequently and check for any signs of wear and tear. Funny, you want to sell it and its not worth squat you want to buy it and steelRead more , If you look at a 5.56 besides a 7.62 russian round youll notice th x39 and x54 both have a taper from the base to the mouth. There is a higher risk of sparks and a fire starting with steel core rounds. But shortly thereafter, many found that the rounds werent performing as accurately, or reliably in their American firearms. Bullets with steel cases differ from bullets with steel cores. It has always worked fine for me. However, using steel casings with outdoor ranges should not be a problem. One difference between steel-cased rifle and pistol ammo is the working chamber pressure. By comparison one was as accurate as the other in group size. It can happen in many different ways, but most often, it happens when someone is cleaning a gun or showing a gun to friends, and they accidentally pull the trigger. The __qca cookie is associated with Quantcast. In fact they used to use the corrosive stuff with no ill effect. Not good if he would have been a dummy and kept pulling the trigger. I could be wrong but I wouldnt want to put something that harsh in my dies even if I could. However, steel-cased ammo has become popular in recent years primarily due to the substantial price difference between it and brass-cased ammo. Another common reason people give for not shooting steel-cased ammo is how dirty it is. Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Further, HK specifically says: All USPs are approved for use with +P and +P+ ammunition as it appliesRead more . I reload, so Ive no interest in shell casings I cant reload. The Berger Hybrid design incorporates two different shapes within the nose. Ive reloaded a few 9mm boxer primed steel cases and they work fine. bigdogbuc Banned Joined Mar 22, 2012 2,112 Posts Foreign manufacturers often use powders that are dirty and contribute to the chamber fouling. Quantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website. Because steel is cheap and readily available, and the steel required to make shell casings is bottom of the barrel recycled steel. The chamber abso I shot thousands of rounds of it in AKs SKS with out trouble. Is steel cased ammo bad for your gun? If depends on the quality of the ammunition and the quality of the firearm. Some lots of ammunition have too This grit and mess gets between the case and chamber wall and acts like sand paper. Here are two excellent articles regarding the issues with steel cased ammunition that I always recommend. I do have to do a little more cleaning after shooting them but I was going to clean them after shooting anyways. Not one mention of reloading. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The range may use a magnet to determine whether the ammunition is steel core or not. What about American guns? Its more trouble than its worthalthough it is possible, especially with boxer-primed cases. Amp up your AK with these exciting accessories. Exactly why I gave all my steel case .223 to my Brother who does not reload. I get paid cash for brass but they dont pay very good on either. Under federal law it is perfectly legal to make, sell and purchase armor-piercing ammunition as long as you have the proper licensing.