Using steel cased ammo?

[Bear44]

I have always stayed away from the use of steel cased ammo in anything other than an AK because I have been concerned about damage to my firearms. However, with the current price gouging going on I am finding that steel cased is becoming more available at pre crazy prices, so I am starting to think about using it for practice. Has anyone had or knows anyone that has had an experience with it that harmed their firearm?

 

[Tech Jacket]

buy all you can get and shoot the crap out of it. ive had 2 rifles that wouldnt eat it and i just got rid of them. no reason to own a finnicky firearm. i dont understand shooting anything else if steel is available and you dont reload. its just pissing away money.

 

[BackWoods]

All I have ever shot out of my AK's was the steel stuff...have shot some 9mm steel as well, never had any probs...

 

[bullseyebo]

I shoot steel out of my ar's all day at the range. Never a problem with it messing up my guns. Just clean it after I'm done and it's good for another session. But nope, never had any problems with it.

 

[Proximal]

I've never had an issue with it.

 

[Hayata]

Shot the living **** out of Tulammo .45acp out of all my guns and never had an issue...

 

[spencer60]

From what I can see, steel case gets a bad rap.

The steel used is much softer than the steel used on barrels and extractors, so it's not going to wear them much more than brass. If you have a high-end AR or M-14 you might want to avoid it, but it's worth remembering that the Army issued steel-cased ammo during WW-II.

Also, steel has less lubricity than brass, so there is a little more friction on extracting the spent case from the chamber. Is it significant? That's up for debate. Again, if you have a high-end, match quality rifle then you are probably going to be better off in the long run shooting brass.

The only issue I could find that seems legit is using steel in bullet construction. Raw steel in contact with the rifling will wear it away a lot faster, which is why most steel bullets have at least a copper wash to engage the rifling.

 

[TattooedGunner]

I've shot over 1000 rounds of Tula through my Glock 17 with 0 problems.

 

[Dragon26]

I've put tons of them through my guns. I have yet to see any problem. Only value i see to brass ammo is reloadability. I hear steel case is no good for that. If you keep your gun cleaned and lubricated i don't see an issue. I'd go for it.

 

[Benhad]

Dirty ammo that's all. Cycles and shoots great out of my M4.