Steel vs. Brass--Need some education

[rotor]

The bimetal projectile sparks when hitting concrete or steel.......the unburned powder on indoor range floors can be a serious fire hazard............

Very easy to separate steel cases from brass.....with a magnet.......

Aluminum is pain, though...........

Easier to pickup steel than brass. Magnet. Brownells did a YouTube video recently and concluded steel was fine. With the Russian stuff being banned though we may be lucky to see steel.

 

[V-Tach]

Easier to pickup steel than brass. Magnet. Brownells did a YouTube video recently and concluded steel was fine. With the Russian stuff being banned though we may be lucky to see steel.

I saw that video. They did not address indoor ranges and bimetal projectiles, They said it was unlikely most folks will ever shoot enough to harm their barrels, but bimetal projectiles do wear a barrel faster than copper/lead......also, that steel was hard on ejectors.....but did debunk most of the myths around steel ammo.....

 

[DaBull]

I took an AK74M out a few times with Wolf Military Classic (lacquer coated steel case). I wasn't shooting full auto, or particularly fast semi auto, but the lacquer did get gummy and eventually cause extraction and feeding problems within 3 (30 round) magazines. I had to jam a cleaning rod down the barrel to punch out the shell which was "glued" to the inside of the chamber. Kept wondering how this could NOT be a problem with the military in a real, sustained firefight.

 

[BeatTheTunaUp]

I really do believe you guys, but I've shot thousands of steel case and have never had a single stuck case. I've got over 12k steel case rnds in the ammo room because I've never had an issue. When your round got stuck, did you fire 3 mags, leave one in the chamber and let it cool?

 

[DaBull]

No, it progressively got worse. Bolt was not quite moving smoothly, and there would be a delay before it returned to battery, like the shell needed a split second with the bolt pushing on it to fully chamber. Another round or two later, the rifle fired, but the extractor did not pull the shell free and then the bolt tried to feed a fresh round but only served to hammer the spent shell in farther.

 

[DaBull]

Also, I wonder if waiting between rounds actually makes it worse...the chamber cools and the lacquer gets extra gummy.

Finally, I have lacquered steel for the 74, but polymer coated steel for the 47. No problems with the polymer.

 

[easy rider]

Never seem to have had that problem in my M+M M10x

 

[Dawico]

The biggest issues with steel cased ammo is that they burn dirty and are usually loaded on the lighter side.

The combo of those two can cause ejection issues.

I reload so it's really a moot point to me.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[bbslider001]

I saw that video. They did not address indoor ranges and bimetal projectiles, They said it was unlikely most folks will ever shoot enough to harm their barrels, but bimetal projectiles do wear a barrel faster than copper/lead......also, that steel was hard on ejectors.....but did debunk most of the myths around steel ammo.....

This is enough to change my mind. I am training to compete in the Tactical Games next year, so I shoot quite a bit. If was just a plinker with a couple hundred rounds per month, I wouldn't care. I don't reload right now because I don't a have the space until our house is done, so that isn't a factor either. I went through 1500 rounds last month on pistol alone. My training rifle is a .22, so its a non-issue.

 

[easy rider]

The biggest issues with steel cased ammo is that they burn dirty

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

That's mainly from the blowback due to less expansion in the chamber.

 

[majormadmax]

I took an AK74M out a few times with Wolf Military Classic (lacquer coated steel case). I wasn't shooting full auto, or particularly fast semi auto, but the lacquer did get gummy and eventually cause extraction and feeding problems within 3 (30 round) magazines. I had to jam a cleaning rod down the barrel to punch out the shell which was "glued" to the inside of the chamber. Kept wondering how this could NOT be a problem with the military in a real, sustained firefight.

I have shot a metric shitload of Wolf Military Classic 7.62x39 through my AKs and I've never had a problem. Not one. Ever.

And given the trillions of rounds of the stuff the Soviet/Russian/Warsaw Pact countries have shot over the decades, I have never heard of an AK having an issue in a real, sustained firefight.

In firearms designed to use steel ammo, it's not an issue.