AR's and steel-cased ammo

[soberups]

I am considering getting an AR. It will be my first one and I am not familiar with them. Are there brands that have issues with steel-cased Wolf/Tula/Russian bulk ammo? I am on a budget and the ability to function with cheap ammo will be a factor in my decision making.

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[Medic!]

I have heard steel case ammo puts more load on the locking lugs of the bolt rather than expanding like brass. That grips the face of the chamber better when fired.

I have also heard ammo like 7.62x39 with it's more tapered casing. Will come clear of the chamber walls quicker with rearward movement than rounds with less taper like 5.56 ammo.
And are therefore less likely get glued in place with lacquered steel ammo.

Steel case ammo could contain corrosive powder. Or primers.
But much of it today is clean. [Just test it. Don't believe what your told or read on the box.]

It could have a projectile that attracts to a magnet and is harder on the barrels rifling?
So just like any ammo ''know your ammo''.

But dose that matter? I mean we make our choices. And we take our chances.
When and if a part breaks. Or wears out earlier. Are you willing to live with that and replace it?
Were not talking about expensive guns here. And maybe the training is more valuable to you than the gun?

I do know they make a lot of steel case ammo. So somebody must be using it!

 

[Member 34319]

Look online. There was a pretty extensive study done using 10000 rounds of steel case vs 2 brands of brass case.

In the end the steel cases caused most failures due to steel being more brittle than brass. IE the base would strip at the extractor causing a fail to extract. Then they found that steel cases do not expand in the chamber as well as brass, causing the gun to get dirtier more quickly as the gases would jet around the case inside the chamber into the receiver. Third they found that the bimetal bullets used in most steel case ammo caused premature wear to the barrels rifling.

That's all I could remember really. It is worth finding and reading though.

 

[slimmer13]

Cheaper ammo and replace the barrel sooner or spend a little more for your ammo and have it last longer while slightly more reliable.

 

[AMProducts]

The big thing when it comes to AR reliability is having a chrome lined bore and chamber, the .223/5.56 cartridge doesn't have a lot of body taper, which can make extraction more difficult. Chrome plating solves this problem as it greatly reduces friction between the chamber and the casing.

 

[Joe13]

I am considering getting an AR. It
will be my first one and I am not familiar with them. Are there brands that have issues with steel-cased Wolf/Tula/Russian bulk ammo? I am on a budget and the ability to function with cheap ammo will be a factor in my decision making.

This is only person opinion, never buy TulAmmo for anything - it's dirty as it can be and has the worst accuracy in every test I've ever seen.

That being said, your only saving maybe 5¢ per round if you buy it by the case. ($250ish vs $300ish last I looked around).

If cost is an issue for you and your set on steel ammo for cost savings (I've been there) then I would highly suggest buying an AK or SKS if your not worried about mag capacity. They eat up steel ammo and just keep running. (And have significantly less parts to break, clean and maintain - I don't think I've heard of many, or any, people with the above two rifles that keep a spare parts kit on hand to go to the range 'just in case'; I see that all the time with AR's).

A $300-400 SkS (or $500-600 AK) and a case of ammo is a good time at the range and you will get a much more satisfying 'boom' and recoil.

AR's are fun but once you get the upgrade bug, your sub $500 build will turn into a $1200 investment, or more before you know it.

 

[Medic!]

And don't forget many of the new on the market AK's don't have Chrome lined barrels.

 

[uscsoldier]

One of my ARs has well over 35,000 rounds of wolf and Tula down the barrel. Also when it comes to accuracy the only time I ever placed in the top 5 in a Practical Rifle match was with a 11.5 inch AR shooting wolf and using Iron sights.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Ill be honest, you probably wont put enough rounds through the barrel (a couple thousand) to even see a difference, Its what most of my rifles use and Ive still yet to see a drop in performance or accuracy.

 

[slimmer13]

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

 

[IronMonster]

I shoot Wolf steel case in a lot of my AR's. I know its not premium ammo and am ok with that.

I no longer buy any Tula I have had bad luck with it, it tends to be a bit lighter load and I had several guns with cycling issues with Tula that digested everything else fine. More FTF, more ejections issues and it is filthy stuff.

Wolf is about the same price and I think far better ammo.

I would guess I have shot 15,000 rds of Wolf and continue to buy more any time I see some reasonable. That should tell you all you need to know about what I think of it. Lately I have bought quite a bit of ZQI brass case stuff ( over 10K rounds in the last few years) I have been really happy with it and its not much more.

I will also say I do not shoot Wolf ammo out of my high end guns. My $600 Noveske barrels only get fed premium ammo, Then again I dont typically "plink" with my high end guns. I might go out and shoot 50 rounds through one where I burn 500 through one of the range toy rifles.

 

[Joe13]

One of my ARs has well over 35,000 rounds of wolf and Tula down the barrel. Also when it comes to accuracy the only time I ever placed in the top 5 in a Practical Rifle match was with a 11.5 inch AR shooting wolf and using Iron sights.

Yea wolf is just fine. Shot maybe 3k of it and only maybe 2 stovepipes total on a dirty gun.

 

[Member 34319]

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

Thanks for the link. I was too lazy to find it.

 

[Stomper]

Get yourself a nice cache of brass cased ammo for SHTF, and train mostly with Wolf for economy's sake. Chrome chambers/bores are your friend.