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05-26-2018, 04:41 PM
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Steel case ammo
I didn't want to hijack the thread on aluminum cases ammo, but someone(s) mentioned using Wolf steel cased ammo successfully. I remember being warned against milsurp steel cased .45s years ago based on a tendency to stick in the chamber and break extractors. Any such problem with the new stuff from the collusion comrades?
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Last edited by Buford57; 05-26-2018 at 04:42 PM.
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05-26-2018, 08:15 PM
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I'm going through a second case of steel Tula 9mm, shooting it in my Glock 19. Not the cleanest stuff I've ever used, and plenty hot, but I've had no problems thus far. It was $160/1000 delivered, but really, for $30-$40 more you can get Boxer-primed, brass-cased ammo.
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05-26-2018, 08:24 PM
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I asked to try my instructor's 442 before deciding to buy one. I had some Tula .38 rounds and one case expanded enough to get stuck in the cylinder.
Last edited by Jeppo; 05-26-2018 at 08:25 PM.
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05-26-2018, 11:44 PM
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Last time I went to the range with my ATI 1911, I forgot my ammo at the house and it was a much shorter run to the local gun shop to pick up ammo than going back home and I picked up a box of steel cased ammo and a couple boxes of aluminum cased stuff too at around $10 a box (gunsmith was cleaning out old stock he took in on a trade). Both the aluminum cased and steel cased stuff ran OK in my 1911. But I'm not a big believer in running anything but brass cased ammo, especially since I reload. That was the first factory ammo that 1911 has ever run.
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05-27-2018, 07:51 AM
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I run steel cased ammo in my SKS, but then again, the SKS and AK were designed with steel cased ammo in mind.
Hey, I'm a poet and didn't know it!
I've not tried steel cased ammo in anything else as aluminum and brass cased ammo do not seem to be that much more expensive, plus brass can be reloaded or even sold for scrap.
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05-27-2018, 09:25 AM
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Steel case 9mm ammo is not recommended for lugers. It is too 'hot' for them!
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05-27-2018, 08:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jake1945
Steel case 9mm ammo is not recommended for lugers. It is too 'hot' for them!
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Thanks. I'm very cautious about what I run through the Luger. Standard velocity major manufacturer only. The other guns, I might risk, but probably stick with aluminum when I can't collect my empties.
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05-27-2018, 08:25 PM
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Back in 1943, the US made their .45 ammo in galvanized steel cases. Seemed to work for them. In the '60s I bought several hundred rounds for peanuts because most folks didn't know how to deal with corrosive primers. Worked OK for me too.
I've run thousands of rounds of Blazer aluminum cases stuff with no issues. Dunno about other brands.
Don't know about other psitol calibers with steel cases and there's currently no shortage of brass/copper. That being the case, why bother?
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05-27-2018, 10:44 PM
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More environmentally sensitive.
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05-27-2018, 11:00 PM
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I seldom shoot anything but my own handloads, but if I was curious about the steel ammo, I would buy a small quantity and compare it with other ammunitions and my own handloads.
You hear good and bad about the steel case stuff; I wouldn't know who to believe. Trying it yourself is likely the best approach.
When I first began shooting ARs just few years ago, I started handloading immediately but also tried many factory ammunitions, everything from cheap bulk ammo to match ammunition. Very quickly I found you get what you pay for. None of the cheap ammunition was very accurate. I suspect steel case bulk would be in the same category and not shoot particularly well, but it will likely go bang everytime.
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05-28-2018, 01:14 AM
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Only use steel cased 7.62x39 in my Chinese sks, the only other firearm I used steel cases is silver bear 9x19mak in a CZ 82. Frank
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05-28-2018, 11:10 AM
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My observation is that magazines function better when the cartridge case is of a dissimilar material. In my experience steel cases work (slide) better in polymer or aluminium mags, than in steel ones.
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06-22-2018, 10:47 PM
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I have used both Wolf steel case and Winchester Forged steel case in my M&P's. They ran fine, but it is really dirty. I stick to brass now unless I get a really good deal on steel case.
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06-23-2018, 01:19 AM
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While I can’t say I’ve had any real issues with steel-cases ammo, like stansdds, I stick to using it in AKs and SKS rifles myself.
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06-24-2018, 12:23 AM
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During WW2 a great deal of research and development work went into the use of mild (softer) steel cartridge cases, primarily due to critical demand for copper and brass (copper-zinc alloy). Millions of rounds were produced in .30-06, .45ACP, and other calibers.
The Soviet-bloc nations, as well as China, manufactured many millions of rounds of small arms ammo using mild steel cases.
A number of innovations were involved. Steel cases were typically coated with lacquer to minimize corrosion, and specific lacquers were developed to facilitate functioning in automatic and semi-auto weapons. Internal case dimensions of steel-cased cartridges differed from those of brass-cased ammunition, so powder charges needed to be adjusted accordingly. Some calibers (.45ACP was one) required extra attention to keep bullets from being forced back into the cases during the feeding cycle, and one method was the use of asphalt-based cement to secure the bullet into the case mouth.
Some stories persist indicating that the steel cases caused damage to extractors, ejectors, etc. Those may be anecdotal, or they may indicate real problems; whichever, the decision makers seem to have chosen to meet the need for sufficient ammunition to the troops, with wear and tear to the weapons being a secondary consideration.
The most common alloy used for small arms ammo is a 70/30 alloy of copper and zinc, which is a pretty strong metal that still allows for sufficient expansion and contraction during the discharge cycle to properly seal the breach. I was not involved in the development of steel-cased ammunition, but I suspect that this was a primary concern in the specific steel alloys used for the purpose.
Regardless of what some may think (or worry about), the soft steel alloys used for cartridge cases are necessarily much softer than anything used for barrels, chambers, or other critical firearms parts, so I would not waste much time worrying about undue wear and tear from using such cartridge cases in my guns.
Steel-jacketed bullets are another subject entirely. Armor piercing bullets (tungsten carbide core in steel jacket) is another subject entirely.
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06-25-2018, 11:39 PM
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I won't use the steel case stuff. I have been using the aluminum cased Federal 9mm from Walmart. It is $33 and change for 200 rounds, so just a little more than the $160 per thousand steel stuff. The Federal aluminum 9mm works great, no malfunctions to date.
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06-25-2018, 11:54 PM
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Years ago I bought a 1000 rounds of steel case 5.56 for my AR. First 90 rounds ran great and then a stuck round. The extractor tore off the lip of the case. I had to drive it out with a cleaning rod. After some internet searches and lots of trial and error and many stuck cases I have come to the following conclusion: the rounds are dirty and the steel cases don’t expand as much as brass causing a build up and soon a stuck case. My solution is to load the first and last round in a clip with a brass case and the 28 rounds in between with steel. Never had another stuck case. The brass cases were black as can be cause they expanded all the way and pulled the dirty buildup out. I finally got rid of those steel cases.
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06-26-2018, 12:40 AM
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Since we are talking about this does anyone know a online ammo seller that sells aluminum case ammo?
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06-26-2018, 08:38 PM
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I reload everything I shoot, so I have no use for steel or aluminum cases at any price.
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06-26-2018, 11:00 PM
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Way back in the early 70's I had a dealer that had a lot of the steel cased Rem-Umc military 45 acp ammo. It was packed in a 50 rd. brown box with the end flaps folded back over 1/3 of the cartridges under the lid. i fired bunches of this in a Colt lightweight Commander with no ill effects. being a lot poorer back then I even reloaded it. Again no problems.
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06-27-2018, 12:49 AM
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Like Truckin, years ago I bought a 1000 round case of wolf 62grain 5.56 steel cased ammo. It was only $99 a case. It shot fine, was a little dirty, and the smoke smelt like ammonia. Other than that it was OK. looking back at that price I should have loaded up.
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06-27-2018, 09:07 AM
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IME, steel cases and steel sizer dies is a "no-no" Carbide sizer dies, maybe but I don't want to take the gamble. My son's range in the Golden State won't allow steel cased ammo to be shot there. They think a case might strike a rock causing a spark which will result in a forest fire. Since I reload all of my ammo, no steel cases for me besides there are lots of once fired brass cases often left on the ground at my range so the pickings are good and the price right.
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06-27-2018, 09:37 AM
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Lots of opinions. Myself I have no use for steel cased ammo, except in my PTR-91. Being an HK-91 clone it has a fluted chamber and flings cases into low earth orbit. I don't like what I see the PTR-91 doeing to brass cases, at least those that fall back to earth.
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06-27-2018, 09:41 AM
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i have an aim.....
... to reload all of my own ammo. I still buy some, but mostly for components.
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