The Age OL’ tail of the brass cased versus steel!

[peteNW503]

I have been stocking up on ammo but I have been trying to stay away from most steel cased ammo Tula in particular. I run Steel cased in my Draco Nak9 which it runs fine I haven't ran into a problem. It is super cheap right now! I don't want contribute to the whole Russia/Ukraine situation but at the same time I am interested in the ammo. I know I am horrible but here is my main question would you run Tula in an AR15 platform? I have seen a few videos of squib loads occurring particularly from Tula in the AR platform. As of right now I will spend the extras few dollars and get brass but I'd like to hear from people who know the AR platform what is your experience with Tula? Stay away or stock up? Thanks!

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[bionic knees]

don't know about ar's but my mini 14 seems to like the Barnaul steel cased stuff

 

[Fieryotaku]

Yes. I have over 10k rounds of steel through various ARs. If you have a reliable ar15 it will run steel cased.

 

[UnionMillsNW]

Steel is fine. I've run thousands of rounds through my AR.
I keep brass for SHTF but have no problem running steel.

You can also check out this article

Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test

This comprehensive 40,000 round brass vs. steel cased ammo torture test examines at key indicators of ammo performance and cost in AR-15 rifles.

www.luckygunner.com

 

[Fieryotaku]

Another thing is if the accelerated wear on a barrel is a concern to you buy a SOLGW barrel. They will replace your barrel if you shoot it out.

 

[Cerberus Group]

AKs are designed for steel cased ammo...ARs are not.

Same goes for stainless steel brushes...never use anything harder or as hard on a firearm that is not designed to use it.

 

[TTSX]

If you've shot enough steel case to cause a meaningful amount of wear, you've also saved enough to replace that given part. Especially in an AR where parts are cheap and easily replaced.

I have a savage 11 in .223 that specifically enjoys Tula .223 better than most brass cases I've tried, so that's what it gets mostly. Quit overthinking and shoot it

 

[xr0ckstar]

Steel cased is harder to extract. Ar15's dont extract as hard as a AK.. also tula is softer shooting and not quite as hot a load as brass.. they are underpowered... also no as accurate and have lower muzzle velocities. I'd try some out a 100 rounds or so in your AR and compare the results to some brass before buying thousands of rounds. Your gun might like it or hate it...

 

[bionic knees]

the Barnaul stuff seemed plenty hot, damn near blew through 1/2 steel plate, cratered it big time.

 

[TTSX]

Steel cased is harder to extract. Ar15's dont extract as hard as a AK.. also tula is softer shooting and not quite as hot a load as brass.. they are underpowered... also no as accurate and have lower muzzle velocities. I'd try some out a 100 rounds or so in your AR and compare the results to some brass before buying thousands of rounds. Your gun might like it or hate it...

Bologna.

 

[Knobgoblin]

don't know about ar's but my mini 14 seems to like the Barnaul steel cased stuff

Mini 14s are the tiger shark of .556 rifles. They eat anything

 

[Cerberus Group]

Bologna.

Salami and various other types of cold cuts...

 

[bionic knees]

Mini 14s are the tiger shark of .556 rifles. They eat anything

I think rugers in general, my p89 eats anything I shove in it too.

 

[osprey]

If it is reliable and combat accurate, run it. I have run a sh!t ton of wolf military classic (barnaul) through a couple ar's in 7.62x39 without issue. Actually I did break an extractor on a kak bolt after a couple thousand rounds. So I now keep spare bolts ready to go in the grips on these builds as it is a known design compromise issue with a 7.62x39 AR's along with bolt lugs. I have since put a couple thousand more rounds through the gun (98% steel cased) after replacing the extractor and it is still running great.

 

[Aero Denezol]

One (1) stuck case and you'll never want to run steel through an AR again.

An AK, G3, or SKS... run steel no problem

 

[2ndtimer]

the Barnaul stuff seemed plenty hot, damn near blew through 1/2 steel plate, cratered it big time.

View attachment 1159390

That is because of the steel in the bullets. Very hard on steel gongs, not allowed to shoot at steel gongs at my club range. Also can cause sparks (steel on steel), never a good idea in dry eastern Washington.

 

[2ndtimer]

I have been stocking up on ammo but I have been trying to stay away from most steel cased ammo Tula in particular. I run Steel cased in my Draco Nak9 which it runs fine I haven't ran into a problem. It is super cheap right now! I don't want contribute to the whole Russia/Ukraine situation but at the same time I am interested in the ammo. I know I am horrible but here is my main question would you run Tula in an AR15 platform? I have seen a few videos of squib loads occurring particularly from Tula in the AR platform. As of right now I will spend the extras few dollars and get brass but I'd like to hear from people who know the AR platform what is your experience with Tula? Stay away or stock up? Thanks!

So far, I have yet to fire any steel case ammo in any of my firearms. I also plan to never shot any bi-metal bullets down any of my barrels. But, hey, you be you. But if you are shooting at my club (TCMSA in Tri-Cities), please be a good citizen and pick up your fired steel cases and deposit them in the trash when you are done. We even have magnets on handles to make it easier for you.
As for the Russian/Ukraine situation, not purchasing Russian ammo is no problem for me. But, if I happened upon some Wolf or Tula PRIMERS at a decent price, that might be harder to resist.

 

[clanhanson]

If it won't shoot steel it doesn't deserve brass. I've parted with a few ARs that didn't like steel but most have eaten it happily, especially those with chrome lined or nitrided chambers.

 

[papersoldier]

This issue has been researched basically to death, and the conclusion of pretty much every study I've read has been that steel cased ammunition is fine with a caveat: Steel cased ammunition tends to lead to more chamber fouling over time, which can result in stuck cases after enough carbon builds up in the chamber. The reason for this is because steel cases don't expand as readily as brass or even aluminum when fired, which allows a bit more gas seepage into the chamber due to a worse seal, resulting in quicker chamber fouling.

My remedy for this is to just clean my chamber more often when shooting steel cased ammo than I would when shooting brass. I have yet to have a stuck case in any of my firearms as a result.

I can't make an informed comment on accelerated barrel wear since I haven't done any research on that myself, but it sounds reasonable due to steel on steel being possibly more damaging than softer metal on steel. That said, I have a few rifles that have had many thousands of rounds of bi-metal bullets down the barrel and I haven't noticed any reduction in accuracy, but I suppose I may just not have noticed.

 

[Oro]

That is because of the steel in the bullets. Very hard on steel gongs, not allowed to shoot at steel gongs at my club range. Also can cause sparks (steel on steel), never a good idea in dry eastern Washington.

This is the thing from what I've read - it's not the case that eats the gun, it's the projectiles.

Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test

This comprehensive 40,000 round brass vs. steel cased ammo torture test examines at key indicators of ammo performance and cost in AR-15 rifles.

www.luckygunner.com

People also like to cite this test as proof of the warm cuddly goodness of post-Windham Bushmasters. Note that two of the four required re-assembly before completing the test, and before the barrels were destroyed. I think proof only that people don't read.