Steel case ammo

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My son has a Savage Scout 308. Would you use steel case ammo like Wolf or Tulammo?
Called the mfg and as I expected they said they don't recommend it. So, I'm asking the experts here.

Thanks
 
Theres nothing unsafe about steel case ammo, heck even Hornady has Steel Match ammo.
Try it, if you have extraction issues stop using it.
 
I'm sure it's safe to use but it may not be the most accurate or cleanest?
 
My son has a Savage Scout 308. Would you use steel case ammo like Wolf or Tulammo?
Called the mfg and as I expected they said they don't recommend it. So, I'm asking the experts here.

Thanks
I own stainless Savage AXIS rifles in both .223 and .308. My 7 year old daughter own a Savage MK II in .22LR. My wife owns a Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle. All have had steel-cased Tula, Brown Bear and Silver Bear ammo run through them, hundreds of rounds, with no negative results. The rounds fed, fired and ejected positively. I think little Jill had one hangfire with a steel-cased .22 rimfire, but that was a faulty primer, not the rifle itself. Tell your son not to worry and have fun with his Savage Scout.
 
A lot of steel cased ammo is bimetal jacket (steel that is copper washed). I would not put it through a fancy rifle with a hand lapped bore. It’s a bit harder on bores.

For a Savage for which barrels are reasonably cheap and easily swapped I would have no concern.
 
I've run Tula .308 through my AR10, my .308 Navy Garand, M1A Scout, and my Mossberg MVP Patrol without nary an issue.

It is however, noticeably dirtier than FGMM, but it can be had at near 1/3 the price. Pro's and con's.
 
Throw it down range. Most people will never shoot enough ammo through a gun to eat a barrel. And even less can shoot well enough to tell the difference if they had shot one out.

There's a lot of old military guns that wont pass a bore check or chamber check but they had no problem killing people effectively still.
 
i'd have no problem putting it through a savage but as someone said above, not in a custom rifle with a tighter spec'd chamber. i wonder if savage is concerned about extraction issues?
 
It isn't the casing and a slightly higher probability of a malfunction at the range that bothers me.
It's the quality of the projectile. I just cant bring myself to shoot it in a quality gun I plan on keeping long term.

Granted this test was extreme but it shows the cheaper bullets wear barrels faster.
Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test


"As indicated by accuracy testing, the steel cased/bimetal jacketed ammunition caused accelerated wear to the inside of their respective bores.
The barrel of the Federal carbine had plenty of life left after 10,000 rounds at extremely high rates of fire.
At the end of the test, the chrome lining of the Wolf and Brown Bear barrels was almost gone from the throat forward. The barrels had effectively become smoothbores, with the rifling near the muzzles acting only as a mild suggestion on the projectiles."
 
Depends on the rifle. My surplus rifles where replacement parts aren't cheap get brass (plus I load for them anyway).

For AR-15s you can usually afford a new barrel or two by the time you wear it would wear it out and still come out ahead if you go the steel route.

My AKs only shoot steel...my ARs I shoot both.
I did have a friend recently get a stuck case on Wolf .223, first time I ever saw it. Smith had to remove it.
 
Depends on the rifle. My surplus rifles where replacement parts aren't cheap get brass (plus I load for them anyway).

For AR-15s you can usually afford a new barrel or two by the time you wear it would wear it out and still come out ahead if you go the steel route.

My AKs only shoot steel...my ARs I shoot both.
I did have a friend recently get a stuck case on Wolf .223, first time I ever saw it. Smith had to remove it.
Your ak shoots steel because Brass x39 is to expensive
 
I don’t shoot steel out of my AR’s but my AK’s chewed it up and asked for more. I’m not making a claim that it’s ok or not but I will say my buddy shoots steel out of his AR and it jammed several times.
 
It isn't the casing and a slightly higher probability of a malfunction at the range that bothers me.
It's the quality of the projectile. I just cant bring myself to shoot it in a quality gun I plan on keeping long term.

Granted this test was extreme but it shows the cheaper bullets wear barrels faster.
Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test"

So, after doing some math, Target Sports reference, 5K rds of Wolf - $1800; Tulammo $1498; Federal brass $3747. I'd buy the steel, shoot up the 5K rounds, take the $2K I saved and buy another rifle, still saving about $1300.
 
So, after doing some math, Target Sports reference, 5K rds of Wolf - $1800; Tulammo $1498; Federal brass $3747. I'd buy the steel, shoot up the 5K rounds, take the $2K I saved and buy another rifle, still saving about $1300.
Basically this. I hear people cry about "I might break my extractor and wear out my barrel!" Meanwhile you can buy a new extractor and a new barrel and still have money leftover.
 
Why is the steel case anything to worry about? *Usually* I consider the Wolf or Tulammo's dirty and corrosive nature potentially problematic. But a good run-through with some Hoppe's #9 on a bore snake and my worries are gone.

What would be the issue with the steel cases themselves?
 
Why is the steel case anything to worry about? *Usually* I consider the Wolf or Tulammo's dirty and corrosive nature potentially problematic. But a good run-through with some Hoppe's #9 on a bore snake and my worries are gone.

What would be the issue with the steel cases themselves?

I don't understand it either Steve
 
Why is the steel case anything to worry about? *Usually* I consider the Wolf or Tulammo's dirty and corrosive nature potentially problematic. But a good run-through with some Hoppe's #9 on a bore snake and my worries are gone.

What would be the issue with the steel cases themselves?

None of the Wolf or Tula commercially sold ammo in any caliber is corrosive......not even slightly. A little dirtier, somtimes smells bad but absolutely not corrosive.
 
So, after doing some math, Target Sports reference, 5K rds of Wolf - $1800; Tulammo $1498; Federal brass $3747. I'd buy the steel, shoot up the 5K rounds, take the $2K I saved and buy another rifle, still saving about $1300.
That only works if you put the difference away.
 
Basically this. I hear people cry about "I might break my extractor and wear out my barrel!" Meanwhile you can buy a new extractor and a new barrel and still have money leftover.
Right and if your shooting enough that your extractor wears or breaks and barrel starts keyholing you should have no problem affording new parts or even a new rifle.
I shot a lot of steel through my ARs. Im one of those that had very very few issues. i bought a stag just to shoot steel ammo. At 3000 rounds I had to clean it as I was getting dirty just handling the rifle. At just under 5k rounds my buddy bought it. Hes probably put the rest of the ammo I gave him with the rifle and another 1k rounds. He did replace the extractor spring.
 
My understanding that the Hornady Steel ammo, the cases are steel, not the projectile. Ammo such as Tula and Wolf use a bi-metal jacket of mild steel with a bit of copper over it to keep it from oxidizing and a steel case as well. The mild steel is softer than barrel steel so it works but definitely wears more than copper jacket.

This was a debate between my friends and I. The test bed was a brand new M&P Sport II. After putting approx 9k rounds mostly steel maybe 10% brass, the barrel was done. It tumbled rounds at 5 yards during the last day of class.

I shot the cheaper stuff cause the barrels cost between $125 and $200 to replace a 16" A2 barrel (in my case $179 PSA barrel) - I compare the money saved shooting steel vs brass was more than enough to cover the cost of the new barrel. In the long run, works fine. Would it have held up a little longer with all brass? Maybe, but I ran it hard with purpose doing drills and classes knowing I'd have to replace it someday. That day was less than 2 years. I look at that barrels are wear items and shoot steel where I can easily replace barrels. I would not shoot steel in anything I couldn't service myself or had the intentions of upgrading the barrel later.

They say that the life of a barrel is approx 3 seconds worth of projectiles flying down it.
 
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