Hi,
Anybody shoot steel cases ammo. in their semi autos?

Extractor issues, chamber sealing issues ?

Thanks

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Only thing I have shot steel cased ammo in is my SKS, which was made for steel cased ammo. I know some people have no issues with steel cased ammo in semi-auto's that were not designed for such ammo, others have had fired cases get stuck in the chamber and/or broken extractors. I guess this is one of those things in which your mileage may vary.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I have shot thousands of rds of Steel case thru my AR's with no issues. The thing to know
Brass "Obturates" or seals the chamber as its softer and steel does not so extraction on guns can be harder on the extractor. Shorter dwell time on shorter barreled guns, combined with the steel not contracting like brass, tend to pull harder on the spent case.

14.5"/16"/18" & 20"gas systems tend to be fine. Keep the chambers clean and don't run the guns dry.

Most modern AR barrels have a larger gas port to accommodate the lower power ammo.

The steel also allows carbon blow back into the chamber so it will get dirtier. Lube is you friend. The Lacquer on the casings does not melt and make the chamber sticky. This has been disproven many times over the years.

Not all guns (Gas) run well on Steel as much of it is lower power and you may have cycling issues. AR's with small gas ports tend to struggle. I have owned Colt, Bushmaster, BCM, LMT Aero Precision, and they all run steel.

I also have run Steel in all my Glocks and no issues either. Back when steel was $6 a box of 50, I shot cases and cases of it. no issues. Now a days, I shoot brass and the savings on steel is not there anymore.

And when I had an AK, alot of steel. dozens of wood crates of cheap Norinco and Russian steel 7.62 x 39.

Keep in mind, in WW2, the US has steel cases 45 ACP and that worked fine too.

You have to shoot a lot of steel cased ammo before you need to replace a $10 extractor. So I never worried about it.

If your pistol will feed them, and extract without issues, then go ahead and use it for practice, but never carry ammo. It is fairly reliable in the SKS/AK/AR platform, but some serious extraction and function issues arise, mostly in AR. Try it and see.

I’m not sure of the type of semiauto you’re speaking of, but I have seen some handguns experience feeding issues with steel or aluminum-cased ammo due to the rounds not sliding up in the magazine as easily as brass.

That said, I’ve fired a few thousand rounds of Magtech steel-cased 9mm through CZs and Glocks without a hitch.

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Mark Lathem

I've reloaded the cases for years in .45 acp. Seem to work just fine in the 1911's.

9mm and 45 acp in Glock, Tisas, Colt and SIG handguns

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

a while ago, I used to attend an annual machine gun shoot with friends.. almost everyone was shooting steel if it was available in that caliber.. in guns worth $25,000 or more... if it works, use it...

As mentioned, steel cases are hard on extractors. My guns are worth more than the few pennies I'd save buying them.

I can see full-auto using them as they fire thousands a rds per day most of the time.

Ruin your guns if you want, I'll stick to brass.

My .o2

My thoughts exactly, and I extend it to cruddy ammo like WWB as well (unless you are intentionally trying to train stoppages). A gun is only as good as the ammo you feed it, and I only buy high quality ammo for mine.

Only 20.-40. less per k for 9mm.
Guess it's worth it if you are buying 3k or more at a time.
YMMV

I shoot steel in guns designed to shoot steel- SKS, AK and Makarov. I put one mag's worth of steel though my AR and won't repeat that exercise. Not much steel .223/5.56 on the market now anyway.

I've fired thousands of round's of steel through my AK's, SKS's, and AR's without any issues. I prefer brass cased ammo in my AR's but shoot steel when necessary, 5.45x39 and 7.62x39 are typically steel cased. A buddy gave me a bunch of Wolf steel cased 9mm and I ran that through my 9mm AR, no issues.

I've got at least 2K of steel cased 9mm through a Colt 635 with no issues whatsoever. Also went through quite a bit of Russian .45 ACP and 9mm (typically Barnaul) back when it was dirt cheap through several 1911s, Hi-Powers and a Pre-B CZ75- never even a hiccup and the extractors are all fine.

I use steel and aluminum cases in my Glocks.

No problems for me in both pistol and rifle.

I shoot some Tula and Magtech 115gr 9mm, never have problems. Practice only, not for carry.

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Heavily armed old man.

Never had a problem with steel cases in most rifles. Did have extraction problems with Mosin-Nagants 91/30's and steel cases. My philosophy now is that there are enough brass cases laying around at the ranges, why mess with steel cases?

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I think I fired a small quantity of steel-cased ammo in an SKS some years ago, but am generally unfamiliar with it. Is the only advantage cost?

I shoot steel cases routinely in the following calibers in 9x18 Makarov and 7.62x25 Tokarev. I think the Bulgarian Makarov was made to handle it; tough as nails. I shoot a mixture of brass and steel in the Polish TTC and the CZ-52. I shoot aluminum cases in .380 ACP (CZ-83 and Glock 42). I've never shot 9x19 steel in the Glock 19, but I am certain it would do fine with it; eats anything.

Arsenal 10 Mak (1).jpg
Polish TTC.jpg
CZ-52.1.jpg
CZ-83(1).jpg

I ran 3,000 thousand of steel case 9mm ammo through a Taurus trying to break it. I failed.

If you have a vintage or otherwise collectable firearm I would not shoot steel case ammunition in it.....period. There is no valid reason to use steel case ammunition in a valuable firearm unless you are a risk taker. Now, do I care if you shoot steel case ammunition in your 70 year old Colt 1911? Not at all, have at it. Just don't come crying and wining when your old Colt breaks and you wonder why. It's a shame common sense is so short in supply these days.

Rick H.

There has to be more to this story

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Back in the day, brass was $350 a case of 1000. You could get Tula or Wolf for under $200 shipped. If you shot a lot, it was very cost effective.

I took a Pat Rogers 3 day carbine class back in the day. shot 1500 rds of Wolf in that 3 days. not one hiccup. He did give me a rash of **** for running it. I had brass as a back up.

I had more issues with brass ammo made by the British (Radway green) it was low powered NATO spec 5.56mm that was loaded for the Brit SA-80 guns. The US Army even put out a safety statement saying this ammo was for practice only as it was not cycling correctly.

I never owned a AR that would not reliable shoot Steel. It's not the horrible baba yaga that it's made out to be.

And when I retired from the Army on 2004, I sold my Beretta 92FS (My practice gun for my issued M9) to a guy to buy a Glock (I wanted to see what all the Hype was).

21 years later, it's still my go to gun. I've gone Tens of thousands of rds. thru them and never a hiccup. and Minute of man accurate. It's what I expect a handgun to be. Stone cold reliable, eats everything I feed it, and hits man size tgts out to 25 yds plus.

Steel had its place if you shot a lot, but now the price difference is not great enough anymore. Plus, I like to go to indoor ranges in the winter and steel is No Bueno.

If I can afford to shoot so much ammo that I need to change a barrel or an extractor, I'm thinking I can afford to do that.

"Minute of man" is OK, but "Minute of Chest" is better..........Just saying!

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Waaaaay back, I shot a heck of a lot of .45 ACP galvanized steel case US surplus ammo at less than a penny per round (cheaper than .22 lr). No issues-other than the corrosive primers, but GI bore cleaner was around $1 a quart, so no issues. Plus, hot water & soap was next to free. I don't see much of a practice issue with handguns, but I'd get a spare extractor & spring JIC.

Never tried any steel in rifles-that I recall, might have a few rounds in bolt guns. There was a long technical paper on how cartridges designed around steel cases have a steeper body taper to assist extraction and reduce stress on the extractor. Steel doesn't spring back to original form like brass. Coatings to reduce rust can be major issues in cartridges designed for brass cases if not properly cleaned.

It's a love-hate thing.

That damn gun just pisses me off. After the steel case I shot another 2,000 rounds of lead bullet reloads. 115gr, 124gr, 147gr. Same story. I only cleaned it once.

I screwed up once and loaded some rounds that wouldn't plunk in anything due to a bulge, except that Taurus. Fired them just fine, laughing at me the whole time. It's mission is to mock me.

It has a trigger like a weedeater. It's a bunch of stamped metal parts in a poly frame. It's uncomfortable. I hate it but I can't get rid of such an inexpensive reliable gun. It's not worth anything anyway. I see them go for $200 on GunBroker.

Which model of Taurus? I have a friend that has a few and thinks they are fine. My Granddaughter bought a Taurus in .32 H&R Mag for a night stand gun and loves it.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Quit shooting steel cased ammo a long time ago, for I don't own any ComBloc guns anymore.

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USMC 83'-87', NRA Member.

Go to a day even further back (around 1989, or so) and a 1K case of Chinese steel-cased 7.62x39 was $50 OTD at local shows. For <$200 (~$500 today when adjusted for inflation) you could buy a new SKS and a case of ammo. $50 more would upgrade you to a Mak-90.

Had nothing but problems with lacquer coated steel cases ammo once the barrel gets hot.

Steel case ammo is very hard on extractors too.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I bought a Mak 90 for $300 back in 1989. And shot wooden crate after wooden crate of $99/1200rds of Norinco. With the steel core.

I abused the hell out of that Mak 90. Sold it a few years ago and tripled my money.

Love my G2C .40 uses Sig P226/229 mags too.

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NRA RSO