Steel Case in AR-15
Is it really bad for your gun to shoot steel case ammo out of an AR-15?
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No, but the problems can come from mixing brass and steel case. Even shooting steel too long without cleaning can cause issues. The steel by its nature just shoots dirty. 0 -
As tempting as it is to use steel case, I think I will have to stick to brass. 0 -
If your rifle is basically a rattle bang bullet hose it makes little difference. Replace an extractor now and then and a barrel after several thousand rounds.
The question is how many rounds of steel case will it take to make up the cost of wear and tear over brass cased ammo. Most brass cased ammo will shoot cleaner and more accurately with less barrel wear. All the steel case ammo I've seen has "bimetal" jackets which I tend to suspect. The exception is Hornady "Steel Match" which I feel is a step above the European grade.0 -
It's always been my understanding that Steel Case Ammo can cause increased chamber wear over brass case. 0 -
NTSA 0 -
This topic comes up again and again and again (just do a search).
The steel cases themselves are made of inexpensive soft steel. They don't wear out gun chambers, which are made of high grade hardened steel.
The problem is that steel isn't as elastic as brass. When you fire a brass case, the case heats up and the brass expands. . .sealing the cartridge neck. . .and then afterwards contracts, allowing easy extraction.
With steel cases, the round expands less than the brass so you don't get as good a seal, allowing chamber dirt to sneak in around the case neck. Then the round doesn't contract as much, making extraction more difficult. Brass is more "slippery" than steel, again, easing extraction.
Put more simply, for a variety of reasons steel cased ammo is a lot more "sticky" than brass, and this can lead to difficulty in extraction in AR pattern guns, or semi-auto handguns that run straight-wall design cartridges.
If you look at the Russian/Commie bloc cartridges DESIGNED to be made out of steel, like the AK-47 7.62x39 or the Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R, both those rounds use cone-shaped cases specifically designed to make extraction easy.
It can be particularly problematic firing ordinary brass cartridges AFTER steel ones, because of the chamber dirt issues. People used to attribute this to lacquer buildup in the chamber from coatings on the steel cases, but I think that's only a small part of the picture.
Bottom line is, no, steel cases won't "ruin" your gun, but increased effort to pull out spent cases can cause extractors to fail prematurely, and they can cause increased numbers of jams (including difficult to quickly correct ones with cartridges lodged tight in chambers).
I'd say these are OK for practice *IF* you're willing to scrub your chambers and/or replace extractors more frequently. If you shoot a lot, and can't reload to save costs, that may be a viable option.
To the extent possible, I'd avoid the steel stuff for any "serious" application, with the exception of the Commie Bloc guns designed to run this type of ammo.
Personally, unless I have no choice, I will not run steel case ammo through any of my handguns or non-Commie bloc pattern rifles. For me, the few cents a round savings in ammo cost isn't worth the worry or possible hassle.0 -
I've looked for a definative answer for a while bts. Thanks for your detaided post. 0 -
Beantown, thanks for a good, logical explanation of the dirt/gas blow-by, that steel cases allow! 0 -
No not really bad. It will shorten the life of your gas rings. I like the Mcfarland single coil ring type vs. the three staggered C rings. Because you never need to stagger the ring gaps. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 511pe
No not really bad. It will shorten the life of your gas rings. I like the Mcfarland single coil ring type vs. the three staggered C rings. Because you never need to stagger the ring gaps.
There is no need to stagger them anyway.0
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