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Brass or steel
- Thread starter chopped41
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hyena
Member
I won't shoot steel case ammo in any of my guns. Brass is softer.
Been shooting over 50 years, but there's lots of people on this forum who know a lot more than me. You might get better responses by providing more information. Like what type of gun, what caliber you're mostly interested in, etc.
And welcome!
Been shooting over 50 years, but there's lots of people on this forum who know a lot more than me. You might get better responses by providing more information. Like what type of gun, what caliber you're mostly interested in, etc.
And welcome!
bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
Some shooting ranges don't allow steel.
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Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk
Green Frog
Member
That depends; are you talking about brass vs steel cased ammunition? If so, brass is softer of course, and forms better to the chamber. OTOH, brass vs steel projectiles (ie “armor piercing”) may have accuracy issues. In general, most of us avoid steel components in our ammo if for no other reason concern about wear and tear on chamber and bore. Why do you ask, specifically?
Froggie
Froggie
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
So far as I know, you can't resize steel cases, too hard and stiff to pass through a die; brass is more malleable and can be "pushed" back into a smaller size that meets unfired specifications, so it can be reloaded. The other side of steel cases is aluminum ones, used in some pistol ammo. It is too soft to re-size and is also one-time use.
The advantage of steel cases is less expensive than brass to manufacture. I know of no commercial non-military steel-case ammo.
The advantage of steel cases is less expensive than brass to manufacture. I know of no commercial non-military steel-case ammo.
MTC(SS)Ret
US Veteran
Brass has natural lubricity that allows for easier extraction. Steel cased has a polymer or other type of coating to prevent the case from rusting that can be deposited in a chamber and cause chambering and extraction problems.
My preference:
Brass
Nickel plated brass
Steel
Brass
Nickel plated brass
Steel
heeter3
Member
The range I shoot at in Az will not allow steel and runs a magnet over your ammo before allowing range entry.
SpikeIDMT
Member
Brass is preferred even though it is the pricier choice.
ARs have tighter tolerances than AKs and since steel isn't as ductile as brass you can get more fouling in the chamber due to escaping gases depositing gunk there, I was told just to put a brass case every 10th rd or so in your mag to keep buildup from occurring, most steel cases come from Russia and they run dirty.
The steel in steel cases are much softer than gun metal and won't themselves damage a gun. AKs love them Wolfs, never had any problems shooting them.
Handguns might be a different story with buildup, but if you clean like you're supposed to I don't see it being a problem either, With Glocks they say don't shoot brass after steel without cleaning in between, that's all I've heard mentioned of cautions.
ARs have tighter tolerances than AKs and since steel isn't as ductile as brass you can get more fouling in the chamber due to escaping gases depositing gunk there, I was told just to put a brass case every 10th rd or so in your mag to keep buildup from occurring, most steel cases come from Russia and they run dirty.
The steel in steel cases are much softer than gun metal and won't themselves damage a gun. AKs love them Wolfs, never had any problems shooting them.
Handguns might be a different story with buildup, but if you clean like you're supposed to I don't see it being a problem either, With Glocks they say don't shoot brass after steel without cleaning in between, that's all I've heard mentioned of cautions.
rockquarry
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A range owner can sell brass cases but not steel. To sort them out would be more trouble than it's worth. With brass only, it's much easier to sweep everything into one pile.
Maybe there are other reasons some ranges don't allow steel. I wouldn't use it, but I have no personal experience as to whether or not it does harm to guns.
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Pisgah
Member
The reason they don't allow steel is because they sell the brass, and sorting the steel cases from the brass is a PITA.
Steel cases will in no way harm your gun.
A magnet will sort Steel cases real quick
rockquarry
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Based on the amount of steel 5.56 cases left behind at our gun club ranges, a lot of people use it.
Suburbanite
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Chopped 41
Brass is the better material for cartridge cases. It is more ductile and forms a better gas seal in the chamber. Brass is also more corrosion resistant and has lower friction, important for semi-auto and fully automatic arms. Most brass cases can be reloaded several times. This gives once fired cases a value above their scrap value. Even as brass scrap the metal is priced by the pound where steel scrap is sold by the ton.
Steel cased ammunition was used by several of the belligerent powers in WW II. This was particularly true in Europe where copper, about 70% of cartridge brass, was in critically short supply. Even the US, with a string of huge copper mines in the west, resorted to steel cased ammo. However, only .45 auto steel cased ammo was released for use without restriction by the US Army. Carbine, .30-06 and .50 cal ammo were also manufactured but their use was limited. Much of US steel cased ammo was labeled FOR TRAINING ONLY or NOT TO BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE THE CONTINENTAL US. By late 1944 the US Army was convinced that the need for ammunition would not exceed the supply of cartridge brass and US military steel cased ammunition manufacture was discontinued.
After WW II the Soviet military continued to use steel cased ammunition. Many of the ammunition manufacturing plants that they set up in satellite states also manufactured steel cased ammunition. That is why much of the steel cased ammunition on the US market today was made in former communist block countries. When you could buy a SKS for $69.95 and get cheep, cold war surplus 7.62x39 ammo you could leave behind to rust away steel cased ammo got quite a few fans in the USA.
I heard one firearms instructor say "if you have a commie gun go ahead and shoot commie ammo in it."
Many perfer to shoot brass ammo and avoid concerns about lacquer or polymer coating build up or faster extractor wear.
Brass is the better material for cartridge cases. It is more ductile and forms a better gas seal in the chamber. Brass is also more corrosion resistant and has lower friction, important for semi-auto and fully automatic arms. Most brass cases can be reloaded several times. This gives once fired cases a value above their scrap value. Even as brass scrap the metal is priced by the pound where steel scrap is sold by the ton.
Steel cased ammunition was used by several of the belligerent powers in WW II. This was particularly true in Europe where copper, about 70% of cartridge brass, was in critically short supply. Even the US, with a string of huge copper mines in the west, resorted to steel cased ammo. However, only .45 auto steel cased ammo was released for use without restriction by the US Army. Carbine, .30-06 and .50 cal ammo were also manufactured but their use was limited. Much of US steel cased ammo was labeled FOR TRAINING ONLY or NOT TO BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE THE CONTINENTAL US. By late 1944 the US Army was convinced that the need for ammunition would not exceed the supply of cartridge brass and US military steel cased ammunition manufacture was discontinued.
After WW II the Soviet military continued to use steel cased ammunition. Many of the ammunition manufacturing plants that they set up in satellite states also manufactured steel cased ammunition. That is why much of the steel cased ammunition on the US market today was made in former communist block countries. When you could buy a SKS for $69.95 and get cheep, cold war surplus 7.62x39 ammo you could leave behind to rust away steel cased ammo got quite a few fans in the USA.
I heard one firearms instructor say "if you have a commie gun go ahead and shoot commie ammo in it."
Many perfer to shoot brass ammo and avoid concerns about lacquer or polymer coating build up or faster extractor wear.
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
The only outdoor range I ever visited that didn't allow steel ammo didn't allow steel core bullets. They don't expand on impact and tear up an earthen backstop by deep penetration and loosening the dirt. This was a police range that opened to public shooting on weekends and that info came from the RSO. An indoor range I used to visit occasionally didn't allow steel core ammo because it had the potential to penetrate the angled steel backstop. neither one cared anything about steel case ammunition vs. brass.
Father Joe
Member
Local indoor range doesn't allow steel because of a fire hazard. Unburned powder collected in expansion joints in the cement floor. A hot steel casing was either hot enough, or sparked to ignite causing a fire.
Before you call BS, I saw the fire truck response.
It closed the range for repairs.
BTW they still allow aluminum cased ammo.
Before you call BS, I saw the fire truck response.
It closed the range for repairs.
BTW they still allow aluminum cased ammo.
smoothshooter
Member
I would guess the real reason a lot of ranges do not allow steel is that whoever buys their fired brass does not want the hassle of sorting the steel cases out. Probably spelled out in the contractual agreement.
Has nothing to do with safety or accelerated wear on guns.
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