[jeeping4life]

I was shooting my scout rifle with some cheap monarch steel cased ammo that I bought from Academy. MY question is it hard on the rifle ? If it is hard on the rifle then why does hornady sell steel cased ammo if its so bad ?

 

[cptpoly]

I have a M77mk2 in 7.62x39. It is the high polish blue/Zytel stock. Because it is a blued receiver, I DON'T shoot the steel cased ammo in the rifle.

I am also concerned about wear-and-tear on the rifle and the corrosiveness that may be present in the ammo.

If I had a stainless receiver, I probably would go ahead and do it.

I wonder if there are any metalurgists on this site that can give a definitive answer on this subject?

 

[bwinters]

I have no problem shooting steel cased ammo out of a repeater just as long as you are careful.

 

[rammerjammer]

I too have no problem shooting steel cased ammo in my guns.

Although, the only squib I have ever had was with Herter's steel 45ACP.

 

[kjphilippona]

I have shot steel case ammo thru my SR40 without any problems.

 

[LilMsRuger34]

biggest problem i have found thru research is how the steal case doesnt expand like brass,sealing the chamber.that causes more gas to get in the chamber,making it dirtier.if you dont clean the chamber good,when switching back to brass,the cases will stick.so clean the chamber real good each time, specially if you practice with steal and have a mag full of brass for HD. there is an excellent video on you tube on this.if i come across it ill post.

 

[larry8]

Personally I don't use steel cased ammo, only brass or aluminum, much for the reasons mentioned. I feel that steel rubbing on steel is not good for the feed ramp, whereas brass will slide on the steel ramp without wearing it out.

 

[jeeping4life]

well the gun im shooting out of is a bolt action so does it relly even matter since the gun is manually operated.

 

[TMD]

biggest problem i have found thru research is how the steal case doesnt expand like brass,sealing the chamber.that causes more gas to get in the chamber,making it dirtier.if you dont clean the chamber good,when switching back to brass,the cases will stick.so clean the chamber real good each time, specially if you practice with steal and have a mag full of brass for HD. there is an excellent video on you tube on this.if i come across it ill post.

Great job explaining this LilMsRuger34 and I couldn't have explained it any better.

Something else to consider is that the steel used in the cases is a very soft alloy and not much harder then its brass counter parts. Some believe that the cases will prematurly wear out extractors and damage feed ramps, purly myth.

 

[phonejack]

You wouldn't use a steel cleaning rod, right? Well,on the ejection cycle (and this applies to bolt guns too) the ejector forces the rim of the fired case to the right where it scrapes alongside the chamber. Do it enough times and. --------------

 

[jeeping4life]

You wouldn't use a steel cleaning rod, right? Well,on the ejection cycle (and this applies to bolt guns too) the ejector forces the rim of the fired case to the right where it scrapes alongside the chamber. Do it enough times and. --------------

im a bit of a rookie to guns and ammo ive only been collecting and shooting for the last year so what would it do ?

 

[TMD]

You wouldn't use a steel cleaning rod, right? Well,on the ejection cycle (and this applies to bolt guns too) the ejector forces the rim of the fired case to the right where it scrapes alongside the chamber. Do it enough times and. --------------

Read post #10 above. The steel cases are way softer then the gun parts. Oh and guess what the military has been using for the past 30 years or so to clean their rifles, STEEL cleaning rods.

 

[OH25shooter]

As mentioned above, the only issue I've ever heard about 'no steel ammo' was the lack of expansion for the extraction of the cartridge. Having said that, I shot steel Hornady in my AR15 with not one issue. However, I don't believe I'd make a habit of shooting only steel. It just sounds weird...steel cartridges.

 

[SafetyFirst]

I shoot steel cased 9mm rounds out of a Stoeger Cougar for practice when it is on sale and have never had any issues.

 

[larry8]

Steel rubbing on steel will eventually gall the feed ramp and chamber even if the cartridge case is soft. The co-efficient of steel on steel is high compaired to brass on steel. Personally I wouldn't use steel cased ammo for a lot of shooting - once and a while it probably wont hurt.

 

[TMD]

Steel rubbing on steel will eventually gall the feed ramp and chamber even if the cartridge case is soft. The co-efficient of steel on steel is high compaired to brass on steel. Personally I wouldn't use steel cased ammo for a lot of shooting - once and a while it probably wont hurt.

Nobodys told my Ak or SKS about it then. Combined the two have at least 15k rounds through them without issue.

Again its myth and perception. Like they say in Missouri "Show Me".

 

[jeeping4life]

So whats the big deal ? I read on other forums people who hate it so much they spend 25 dollars on box of ammo so they can go plinking. From what I have gathered steel case ammo is not bad for your guns the only down falls I see is its not as accurate and you cant reload it.... am I correct so far ?

 

[Darkangel]

I have a Simonov SKS Tula (7.62X39), and I would mirror what TMD had said about the steel cased rounds in AK's/SKS's.. Hordes of ppl shoot the steel cased ammo with absolutely no issues over the life of the rifle. The one thing to watch out for is many steel cased rounds are "corrosive" ammo (using a corrosive primer compound). This is only an issue if you dont take care of your rifles..

The primer compound contains some form of salts that when fired settle in the rifle with the carbon, and these salts attract moisture - thus corroding your rifle. If you clean your rifle, then no problem.. I shoot bulk romanian corrosive steel case/steel core all the time, no issues at all. For a long time I actually cleaned my SKS with hot soapy water in a square bucket, scrub all the parts, then re-oil and re-assemble. (the salts break down in water) I recently switched to frog lube, and it seems to work even better.

Just know if your steel cased ammo is corrosive or not, and act accordingly. If it is, clean your rifle, and it will be all good, IMHO..lol

 

[TMB]

I agree with TMD & Darkangel. I have an SKS & a couple Mosin Nagants that have had nothing but steel case ammo used in them with no problems. I have also been using steel case ammo in 30 carbine & 223 no problems with those either..

 

[funkymonkey1111]

never had an issue with steel cased ammo at all