newbie question about steel cases

[kingfamous]

Is it bad to shoot steel case ammo from the AR platfrom? Just wondering if it will damage the bolt carrier or barrel.

[rattlesnake_nm]

No. Steel is fine. It will not damage the bolt or carrier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3fi1wCSmM

[joelogic]

Welcome to calguns.

Why would such a popular ammo be bad for the gun?

[kingfamous]

I just thought that the steel case would be a harder on the bolt carrier. Typically, what material is the bolt carrier made out of? Is it softer or harder than the steel case?

[rattlesnake_nm]

Harder, and google is Your friend. This has been covered many times over.

[FeuerFrei]

Here's an analogy.
Will driving nails wear out a hammer? No. (at least I've never seen it)
The casings are not tool steel. They are very mild steel.
Improperly gassed AR's will gag on it.
Wolf is a high volume shooter's best friend.

[bohoki]

havent had any problems but ive seen plenty of people have problems using russian ammo in barrels shorter than 20 inches

[absc280]

I had problems with Tula in my AR. We were "bumping" the AR for fun since the ammo was cheap. Twice the extractor ripped the head of the casing off so we had to jam a rod from the front to poke it out. Since then, I shoot at least Zinc cover ammo out in the desert. Just a little more expensive than plain steel.

[Call_me_Tom]

I've only shot steel cased Silver Bear & the only issue I had was the primers are sealed with some red sealant which gums up the firing pin. You can alleviate this by mixing a brass round in once every 20-30 rounds.