• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

AR ammo

tanda10506

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 10, 2010
200
0
37
Phelan, CA
Well I got my first AR and I have a quick question. Your not supposed to use steel case ammo in the AR's right? Doesn't it cause jamming problems? thanks.
 
Re: AR ammo

some say its bad on the extractor, others say so what. I personally dont run it cause most metal casing ammo isnt that great in the first place as far as accuracy is concerned, and some run pretty dirty.
 
Re: AR ammo

Ok. I usually keep quality ammo in my magazines and bulk up on cheaper ammo for a SHTF situation (in my defense guns, not long range guns). I'll probably just stick with brass then.
 
Re: AR ammo

Steel case ammo is cheap and generally speaking, it is very reliable. The problem with it is the lacquer-coating that is used on a lot of it, combined with cases that do not fully expand under fire, leads to a ton of even more carbon/fouling build up in the chamber which leads to stuck cases/jams/etc.

Stick to decent military ball surplus stuff like Lake City/Federal XM193 or the equivalent. Brass cased, fully reloadable, reliable, fairly accurate, and can be had for around $0.36/round or less. Good stuff for plinking, range/practice use or SHTF.
 
Re: AR ammo

With all the people stocking up on steel cased ammo for SHTF I wonder if they or the steel case providers ever heard about "Operation Eldest Son"Things that make you go HMMMMMMMM.
I like brass cased ammo it's not that much more and reloadable even if you don't reload you can trade or sell it. And it is alot cleaner to run.
Scot
 
Re: AR ammo

Kind of off the main question, but what would Operation Eldest Son have to do with buying steel cased ammo? That was 40 years ago, no company is going to happen upon ammo that old and try to sell it.
 
Re: AR ammo

I shoot steel when I don't care about MOA accuracy and I won't be able to recover the brass.

If it won't run reliably in your rilfe, it's more than likely NOT the ammo's fault. Much of it is dirty and a little underpowered. IMHO this makes it perfect for reliability testing on a duty rifle.

It may be a little harder on the extractor, but they are cheap and PM inspections should catch a worn extractor before it fails.
 
Re: AR ammo

tanda10506 please try to keep up with the sarcasm I will post irony alerts to avoid Mr. littrell from being confused.Ammo made in the former soviet block for SHTF supply!I guess Im getting old. I also find irony in bilingual terror watch signs.I guess they should say "If you can read this it should be red"in spanish only or"Things are farther along then the public thinks"OK "Operation Grandson" happy now?
Scot
 
Re: AR ammo

I have no idea what the hell you are talking about, but whatever. My original topic was about ammo not sarcasm.

Anyway, I think I'll just stay away from steel case ammo. Thanks guys.
 
Re: AR ammo

I ran 4 boxes of Wolf steel cased ammo though my AR to see how it would work and I didn't have any problems but I did notice the rifle was more dirty then usual, as far as wearing the extractor, I guess that you would just have to weigh the Savings in buying steel cased ammo, with the cost of the extractor and possibly the cost of reliability..
 
Re: AR ammo

I have shot over 4000 rounds of Wolf steel cased ammo through my RRA Entry Tactical. I have never had a round not fire and only one stuck case. After about 700-800 rounds in one day the case got stuck from the laquer on the cases building up in the chamber. And yes it does seem to be a little bit more dirty after shooting it but it is also .5-.10 cent cheaper per round. I have shot it on auto, burst and semi and it does just fine. From a 16" barrel I ring 8" plates all day long at distances out to 100 yards.

By no means am I saying its better then brass cased but for target shooting 100 yards and less nothing beats it. I too have a SHTF box in the safe and its full of green tip brass cased rounds, Winchester Ranger 55grn, and Hornday V-max, shoot the cheap stuff and save up the money for the brass to be on stand by.

( I also have 2000 brass cased rounds through the same gun)

Happy shooting and watch your 6
 
Re: AR ammo

like stated above steel casing when i cant recover the shells and for plinking. brass for every thing else. i shoot the brown bear 62 grain stuff when im shooting steel casing. it is what has the best accuracy out of my rifle for cheep ammo
 
Re: AR ammo

I've had good luck with Brown Bear 62gr as well. Its quite a bit better than any Wolf that I've tried. Keep your chamber clean and you should have no issues. I agree with only using it when you can't pick up your brass.
 
Re: AR ammo

I have and still shoot Wolf ammo in my Bushmaster AR and have never had any problems. I'm sure it's not the most accurate stuff available, but in a SHTF scenario, tight groups should not be your #1 concern. For high volume practice, I think it's fine. If you're looking to shoot neat little groups, buy some match ammo. Wolf is dirtier than some, but If you clean your rifle after a day of shooting, this isn't a big deal.
I have several cases of better quality brass case ammo that I save for a "rainy day". I practice just enough with the good ammo to know how it performs compared to the cheap stuff, and when practicing for longer range accuracy.
Wolf .223 ammo, at $335 a case (last time I bought it) allows me to practice more, and that makes me a better shooter.
In my opinion, that makes up for any lack of accuracy.
 
Re: AR ammo

I don't use the Wolf stuff but I do run the silver Bear in my CQb rifle. That is steel cases but plated. I never had any problems just clean your rifle after every trip to the range. In my long range 5.56 I just use match grade ammo
 
Re: AR ammo

AHH! The Brown Bear rares it's head! Remember the guy on here last year who got on every post and tried to trade some of it for anything. Every single thing that was offered he offered to trade it for. That is the first and last time I heard of it. Until now.
 
Re: AR ammo

If you suddenly find yourself with a busted extractor or shattered boltface, for any reason...

Would you be happier having bought

1k of brass rounds
1K of steel and an extra bolt for such emergencies

Don't buy the Wolf military classic or similar that has the funky red wrap going over the bullet. You'll likely have little melted clusters of them all over your receiver if you shoot a bunch of rounds real fast, and that will gunk up your gun or cause a jam.

At the last gun show here, Wolf and Tiger were $220/k while the cheapest brass cased I've seen anywhere has been Prvi @ 350/K. If you aren't reloading your own brass for less than that, you might as well start a bolt collection because broken bolts make everything else worthless and can happen no matter what you spent on ammo.
 
Re: AR ammo

you can get Centurion for $330 all day long i shoot it and i like it for every day shooting. i still shoot the brown bear on occasion i would say for every 1000 rounds of brass i shoot maybe 100-150 steel case ammo

when ever i shoot i clean my guns very well including braking down the bolt group inspect and clean it.
 
Re: AR ammo

personally I keep the steel cased stuff for the AK and Sks. but it never hurts to see if it will run in your gun.. just in case
 
Re: AR ammo

That coating on the steel rounds can come off when the chamber gets hot, sticking to the inside of the chamber, which can cause jams. Wolf is fine for blasting ammo. But I wouldn't expect anything good out of it in terms of precision. Not my first choice, but it works.
 
Re: AR ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BugSniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you suddenly find yourself with a busted extractor or shattered boltface, for any reason...
............you might as well start a bolt collection because broken bolts make everything else worthless and can happen no matter what you spent on ammo. </div></div>

You need better bolts, or need to hang at Arfcom less, dunno.
My experience is more like SwatSGT and palmik's. I've shot thousands of rounds of "crappy" Wolf. There's brands that are brass cased that I wouldn't put in my guns (Ultramax comes to mind)......

We ran a demo shoot today with a couple POF guns, and maybe 800 rds of Wolf Military Classic 556 went off 100%- semi, FA, and sem/FA supressed. We were pouring bottled water on the uppers and cans so the guests could keep shooting, and not one FTF, FTE or such.....

BTW-the new Wolf Military Classic we get is polymer, non-laquered.
 
Re: AR ammo

I have been shooting Monarch ammo in my DPMS LR308 comes in steel or brass case been using the steel not a single failure can ring a 6 inch plate at 400 meters all day long also shoot it in my berreta PX4 storm 9mm runs smooth can hti targets at 100 yrds with the stuff.
 
Re: AR ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sobrbiker883</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BugSniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you suddenly find yourself with a busted extractor or shattered boltface, for any reason...
............you might as well start a bolt collection because broken bolts make everything else worthless and can happen no matter what you spent on ammo. </div></div>

You need better bolts, or need to hang at Arfcom less, dunno.
My experience is more like SwatSGT and palmik's. I've shot thousands of rounds of "crappy" Wolf....



BTW-the new Wolf Military Classic we get is polymer, non-laquered. </div></div>

+1
I read some of the newer post so I double checked, and yes the box says something about being new non-laquer coated. Dunno but I do know that they shoot very well and very cheaply when precision accuracy is not being measured. Why spend more money to shoot paper at 150< yards when wolf will do the same thing. From a scoped precision rifle its not going to be worth the savings but anything else its fine with me.
 
Re: AR ammo

I had always swallowed the lacquered case warnings hook, line and sinker but now Hornady makes LEO training ammo in 55 FMJ and 75 BTHP with lacquer coated steel cases that look suspiciously like Brown Bear/old school Wolf/Barnual rounds.

If lacquered steel was so bad would Hornady be selling it?
 
Re: AR ammo

the steel case is not hard steel its probly around the same hardness and the brass really.
 
Re: AR ammo

I am surprised that someone hasn't done some sort of test comparing both types of ammo and the wear it does to the rifles... it seems like a pretty big debate.