Brass vs. Steel

[quick draw mcgraw]

What's the scoop with steel cased rounds (ie. Wolf)? Are they ok for ARs in general or should you only run brass cased rounds through them? Thanks

[Para45]

It's more of personal choice, but I only run brass....steel on steel just doesn't sit with me well.

[Someoneelseok]

I afraid there's no right or wrong answer to this question. you'll find people both ends that will argue religiously about brass vs steel. there are some folks who say they won't let wolf ammo come within 10 feet of their AR, and there are others that shoot nothing but wolf without problems.

read up on everyone's opinion and arguements and decide based on what you think works for you.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

I perfer brass because I reload and I paranoid that steel cases are harder on the chamber

[mattman]

Steel cased ammo will allow more carbon to build up in your gun. Since the expansion caused by brass creates a tighter seal which makes the gases flow down the barrel instead of back into the chamber, bolt and ect.

[gunboat]

At 40-50 k psi, I am sure steel seals just as tight as brass -- What it does not do is relax as far after firing - Is that not the reason for the fluted chamber in the tokarev?

[mif_slim]

i dont get it when they say brass seals better. steel ammo is soft. also, if steel doesnt seal well, just check the case after you fire it. if you dont see any carbon deposit around the neck, then it means it sealed just as any other brass ammo. i have yet to see one of my wolf not seal well.... im talking about 6k+ rds.

[merritt]

At 40-50 k psi, I am sure steel seals just as tight as brass -- What it does not do is relax as far after firing - Is that not the reason for the fluted chamber in the tokarev?

That is part of the reason for the fluted chamber... the other part is that Russian grunts were, on average, ill prepared to operate a self loading rifle... heck they hated the tokarev even with the flutes, but the Fins and Germans loved 'em enough ... anyway back to the point

Steel is a little stickier than brass, in part because of the spring back issue. (this is part of the reason for the "polyformance" coating... to make the cases slicker)

I have never had a steel/blow by problem in any of my guns. I love steel; I reload steel; but I don't have a .223 firearm, and I have seen a steel case glue it self in an AR and for that matter I've seen a brass case glue it self in a Mosin and a batch of aluminum cased rounds that reliably shred apart in a Ruger...

Like most ammo you are just going to have to see what you and your gun work well with. and on the plus side the steel stuff is cheap so buying 20 or even 100 won't set you back too far if you find out you hate it... just bring a cleaning kit to the range. A stuck case can really ruin a day if you don't have a spare rod handy

[BigFred]

The issue i have been having with wolf ammo in my ar is the casings aren’t ejecting every so often because of the casings not relaxing. Its been quite an annoyance! To bad there the best priced!