steel cased ammunition. good or bad?

[johnpuga1982]

I shoot steel ammo out of my Daniel Defense M4 with no problems. With the money saved you can replace your barrel a few times if needed.

 

[Iggy]

The Academy monarch brand is the same stuff that bernal markets as bear it is decent quality steel cases ammo and is one of the factories the Russians use to produce their
military ammunition I shoot it through my ars and glocks almost exclusively when I practice as with all steel cased ammo it is imperatives when going from steel to brass that you clean your chambers thoroughly before switching back to brass that is because brass expands much better than steel and the build up of carbon between the chamber wall and steel castings is enough to lodge fully expanded brass casings in the chamber

 

[TheDan]

The Academy monarch brand is the same stuff that bernal markets as bear it is decent quality steel cases ammo and is one of the factories the Russians use to produce their
military ammunition I shoot it through my ars and glocks almost exclusively when I practice as with all steel cased ammo it is imperatives when going from steel to brass that you clean your chambers thoroughly before switching back to brass that is because brass expands much better than steel and the build up of carbon between the chamber wall and steel castings is enough to lodge fully expanded brass casings in the chamber

+1
I think most of the problems happen when you've shot steel and then switched back to brass without cleaning. The only stuck cases I've ever personally witnessed in an AR was with brass cased ammo.

About the "military ammunition" thing... Remember that while military ammo needs to function reliably, it only needs to be "minute of man" accurate to be considered acceptable.

 

[Texas1911]

I've ran about 300 rounds through my M&P15 and it just started to rip the case heads rather than extract on about 1 out of 30. The same rifle, in the same condition had no trouble cycling M193 ball which is brass.

The com-block stuff is softer than the NATO ammo as well. It will short stroke some guns depending on the setup.

 

[K.O Kid]

Also, there are/were a ton of 7.62x39mm cases made from brass, for military use. Some of the original M43 was brass cased. The main reason they go with steel is because it's cheaper.

One advantage 7.62x39mm does have is the tapered case makes it easy to extract.

Look at it like this: People saying that you're going to wear parts out with steel in a high-quality gun like an AR are also telling you that steel runs fine in a low-end gun like an AK. Which of those have better materials? Which extractor do you think is going to be made of a higher quality steel, with better heat treatment? Which chamber will have chatter marks in it from using a dull cutter? Which barrel will have the better steel?


Sorry, but you're just not going to scratch that end mill with a soup can.

I guess you've got a point.

 

[XinTX]

Biggest issue I've found with steel cased ammo is that it's mostly Com-block stuff. I've noticed inconsistencies in charge as the recoil from one round to the other varies quite a bit. Also, the Tula tends to be some of the dirtiest ammo I've shot. But so long as your gun will reliably cycle it, it should be fine. Keep your gun clean. Even IF the steel cased stuff wears on your barrel chamber faster, by the time you wear it out you'd have saved more than enough to replace it given the cost difference vs. brass.

That said, I prefer the brass. Especially if I shoot where I can police my own brass.

 

[ChunkyMonkey]

I've shot over 3k rounds through one of my ARs without incident. But I also keep my weapons maintained.....

 

[M. Sage]

I've ran about 300 rounds through my M&P15 and it just started to rip the case heads rather than extract on about 1 out of 30. The same rifle, in the same condition had no trouble cycling M193 ball which is brass.

The com-block stuff is softer than the NATO ammo as well. It will short stroke some guns depending on the setup.

At the last TXMG shoot, there was a gentleman with a brand new LaRue PredatAR that would not fully cycle on the Russian ammo. When he got some ammo that's loaded to spec into the gun, it ran fine. I know that those rifles use a red Sprinco spring, and I'd expect that they're not over-gassed like a lot of less expensive rifles are.

 

[TheDan]

At the last TXMG shoot, there was a gentleman with a brand new LaRue PredatAR that would not fully cycle on the Russian ammo. When he got some ammo that's loaded to spec into the gun, it ran fine. I know that those rifles use a red Sprinco spring, and I'd expect that they're not over-gassed like a lot of less expensive rifles are.

Maybe less expensive rifles aren't over gassed at all; they just expect their customers to use the cheaper/weaker ammo

 

[K.O Kid]

Thanks for ally he shared knowledge.

 

[Rangerscott]

I've ran about 300 rounds through my M&P15 and it just started to rip the case heads rather than extract on about 1 out of 30. The same rifle, in the same condition had no trouble cycling M193 ball which is brass.

The com-block stuff is softer than the NATO ammo as well. It will short stroke some guns depending on the setup.

My mp15 eats steel for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and benadryl cocktail bedtime.

 

[Texan2]

American made guns don't like steel-cased ammo over a long time. Period.

.

I would disagree. Lots of my AR platform guns shoot them with no issues.....and have done so for years.



Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[M. Sage]

Maybe less expensive rifles aren't over gassed at all; they just expect their customers to use the cheaper/weaker ammo

Yeah, that's one of the reasons they're over-gassed.