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Steel Cased pistol ammo...Good or Bad ?

glockstar

glockstar

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I have heard alot of ppl say that steel cased pistol ammo is a no no, but being a cheaply priced as it is Id like to hear a few opinions on the subject. obviously brass is softer and reloadable but what are the draw backs to steel other than that?
 
Glock, I have no personal experience, but have been warned by many that it can damage the gun. Perhaps someone like Q can provide the details as to why.
 
Generally bad. There is only one reason to use steel rather than brass to make cases, it is cheaper. Cheap ammo is cheap ammo.

I've shot some but prefer not to.
 
So it was some guy at the range?

Steel cased ammo is fine if that's what you can afford. Lots of people don't like it for lots of reasons - it can't be reloaded, people tend to leave it on the ground- messing up the range, it corrodes more quickly than brass cased ammo when improperly stored long term, and it tends to smell bad when you shoot it. All of these things are true and good reasons to not like steel cased ammo.

But it won't hurt your gun.
 
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EddieCoyle said:
So it was some guy at the range?

Steel cased ammo is fine if that's what you can afford. Lots of people don't like it for lots of reasons - it can't be reloaded, people tend to leave it on the ground- messing up the range, it corrodes more quickly than brass cased ammo when improperly stored long term, and it tends to smell bad when you shoot it. All of these things are true and good reasons to not like steel cased ammo.

But it won't hurt your gun.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification Eddie. Could they have been referring to it corroding and the operator not noticing before firing? Just a thought.
 
I have no idea what they might've been referring to. Lots of guys I meet at the range have no idea what they're talking about.
 
Wear is probably faster due to the harder steel cases. How much faster? I'd guess very little. I've heard various theories about steel expanding differently and causing problems, but never seen anything like that in person. I'll feed steel cases if that's what I've got, but usually I have brass.
 
Steel is harder than brass or aluminum. Steel banging against steel will wear more that brass banging against steel, but the difference in wear is probably not worth getting uptight about. I tried some Wolf 45 quite a few years ago....very dirty burning ammo but functioned OK. Steel cased 30 Carbine broke extractors though....never had that happen with brass cased ammo. I became an expert disassembling 30 carbine bolts (yes, you need the tool to do it properly...). So, I stay away from steel cased ammo except for use in maybe revolvers or semi-auto guns that were designed for it, like an AK or an SKS....but even then I prefer brass cased ammo. YMMV, but last I knew, Gozer doesn't use it either.
 
TheRoland said:
Wear is probably faster due to the harder steel cases. How much faster? I'd guess very little.
Click to expand...

Maybe not at all. They're coated. The coating aids extraction (as well as helps to slow corrosion).

qmmo said:
Steel is harder than brass or aluminum. Steel banging against steel will wear more that brass banging against steel, but the difference in wear is probably not worth getting uptight about. I tried some Wolf 45 quite a few years ago....very dirty burning ammo but functioned OK. Steel cased 30 Carbine broke extractors though....never had that happen with brass cased ammo. I became an expert disassembling 30 carbine bolts (yes, you need the tool to do it properly...). So, I stay away from steel cased ammo except for use in maybe revolvers or semi-auto guns that were designed for it, like an AK or an SKS....but even then I prefer brass cased ammo. YMMV, but last I knew, Gozer doesn't use it either.
Click to expand...

That's funny. I ran 1000s of rounds of Wolf steel-cased .30 Carbine through my M1 before I started reloading in earnest, and never had a problem like that. It smelled awful, and wasn't the most accurate stuff in the world, but it didn't break anything.
 
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qmmo said:
Steel is harder than brass or aluminum. Steel banging against steel will wear more that brass banging against steel, but the difference in wear is probably not worth getting uptight about. I tried some Wolf 45 quite a few years ago....very dirty burning ammo but functioned OK. Steel cased 30 Carbine broke extractors though....never had that happen with brass cased ammo. I became an expert disassembling 30 carbine bolts (yes, you need the tool to do it properly...). So, I stay away from steel cased ammo except for use in maybe revolvers or semi-auto guns that were designed for it, like an AK or an SKS....but even then I prefer brass cased ammo. YMMV, but last I knew, Gozer doesn't use it either.
Click to expand...

Qmmo, does the same hold true for those aluminum Blazers?
 
EddieCoyle said:
That's funny. I ran 1000s of rounds of Wolf steel-cased .30 Carbine through my M1 before I started reloading in earnest, and never had a problem like that. It smelled awful, and wasn't the most accurate stuff in the world, but it didn't break anything.
Click to expand...

Well, I did say YMMV. I can only opine on what I experienced. Anyways, after the 2nd extractor broke, or should I say "chipped", I abandoned the ammo (dropped the last 60 or so rounds I had into the dud bucket at the range). Have never had a problem since with brass surplus or stuff that I load. Issue I had was several years ago and I since sold the Carbine to a friend and bought a Fulton Armory rebuild. I never should have sold that Inland though...it was a real sweet shooter. Now I have an IBM and it works flawlessly, but, I haven't tried steel ammo in it and never will (duh...I load it).
 
EddieCoyle said:
I have no idea what they might've been referring to. Lots of guys I meet at the range have no idea what they're talking about.
Click to expand...

Yep, some people talk just to talk. With reloading we've found the same results so that's why we have to try everything and sort truth from myth, some people just want to be included in the conversation so express their opinions or myths as facts
 
SecondAmdFirst said:
Few guys on a thread about two months ago when someone was asking about the aluminum cases on Blazers. Then two guys at the range saw my carrying JHPs were Federal with steel cases and dropped a comment.
Click to expand...

The big manufs don't use steel cases, with the exception of Hornady. (And theirs is usually coated with something). The federal was more than likely nickel plated brass.

-Mike
 
BTW, in common pistol calibers Wolf/Brown Bear/etc are not that cheap anymore. It used to be several bucks a box price difference (EG, back in 2004 or so) but these days you'd be lucky if you save even 50 cents a box now. Not worth it when you can buy Blazer AL or WWB instead, or Blazer Brass. (And with the last 2 I mentioned, you get brass to reload with... steel and AL cases, you get nothing but scrap. )

-Mike
 
WRT to the hardness of steel cases vs. brass, I tested the hardness of once-fired Wolf steel and R-P brass cases. The steel cases were about 96 HRB and the brass was about 80 HRB. Typical barrel steel is about 103 HRB.

So, even though the steel cases are harder than brass, they're still softer than the barrel.

ETA: This was by no means an exhaustive test. I checked a handful of cases on a hardness tester we used to have in the QC department at work. I tested the flat end of the case head rather than the case wall because the hardness tester tends to read lower than actual when you're checking a radiused surface. If you search online and find lower (softer) numbers, I bet this is what they did.
 
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One thing I've heard about steel cased ammo is it doesn't tend to expand in the chamber as much as brass does, allowing buildup in the chamber area. When brass ammo is used after that, it leads to extraction issues.

This is what I've heard, I think it was on the internet, though it may have been a guy in a gun store, cop or guy at the range, but either way it has to be true...


I've never had a problem - rifle or pistol ammo.
 
drgrant said:
BTW, in common pistol calibers Wolf/Brown Bear/etc are not that cheap anymore. It used to be several bucks a box price difference (EG, back in 2004 or so) but these days you'd be lucky if you save even 50 cents a box now. Not worth it when you can buy Blazer AL or WWB instead, or Blazer Brass. (And with the last 2 I mentioned, you get brass to reload with... steel and AL cases, you get nothing but scrap. )

-Mike
Click to expand...

I've been checking 223 ammo since I bought a Mini-14 and don't have dies yet for 223. The new "Herters" steel cased ammo (most likely repackaged Wolf or some shit) stuff in tins at Cabela's is like half of what the Brass stuff is. Cheapest brass stuff I've found is like 40 cents a round compared to steel at 24 cents a round. That's just a quick look.....don't flame me if there's cheaper stuff out there....

I'm still not sure it's worth it...since I'd rather have brass to reload, and not deal with the smell/dirt of the shitty ammo.
 
tuna said:
One thing I've heard about steel cased ammo is it doesn't tend to expand in the chamber as much as brass does, allowing buildup in the chamber area. When brass ammo is used after that, it leads to extraction issues.

This is what I've heard, I think it was on the internet, though it may have been a guy in a gun store, cop or guy at the range, but either way it has to be true...


I've never had a problem - rifle or pistol ammo.
Click to expand...

You'd know it if the case didn't expand enough to seal the chamber. A hot 50,000 psi blast in the face tends to leave an impression.
 
Probably because people don't pick it up.

Was it steel cased ammo they were worried about or steel jacketed/steel core ammo?
 
Used steel cased ammo in my sks and my AKs for years but still would not use in my AR. Steel in theory will cause more wear and tear as it is a harder metal then brass. But for 7.62x39 blast away.
 

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