Quick Q. What's the diff. with steel casing v. brass casing
- Thread starter Patches
- Start date
Steel has been used since at least WWII to save money and resources when manufacturing ammunition.
Mild steel is cheaper than brass, which is the primary reason it's used. However, it doesn't seal the chamber as well as brass does. Theoretically, that could cause more carbon build up in the chamber (not the best for reliability or keeping things clean) and, I suppose, maybe lower velocities.
It probably doesn't shrink like brass does, either. As I recall brass expands and then contracts a little, which makes it easier to extract.
Steel isn't very elastic, which probably increases the chances of a failure to extract/stuck case. Again, that may or may not be a problem depending on how violently a weapon can extract the casing. (Violent extraction...good or bad is another topic of debate, more so when you're talking about rifles than handguns.)
It's also needs to be coated in a heavy lacquer, polymer, etc. or it will rust. Sometimes these coatings can be problematic for different firearms.
Mild steel is cheaper than brass, which is the primary reason it's used. However, it doesn't seal the chamber as well as brass does. Theoretically, that could cause more carbon build up in the chamber (not the best for reliability or keeping things clean) and, I suppose, maybe lower velocities.
It probably doesn't shrink like brass does, either. As I recall brass expands and then contracts a little, which makes it easier to extract.
Steel isn't very elastic, which probably increases the chances of a failure to extract/stuck case. Again, that may or may not be a problem depending on how violently a weapon can extract the casing. (Violent extraction...good or bad is another topic of debate, more so when you're talking about rifles than handguns.)
It's also needs to be coated in a heavy lacquer, polymer, etc. or it will rust. Sometimes these coatings can be problematic for different firearms.
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HighValleyRanch
New member
steel or nickel?
scorpion_tyr
New member
And steel is a little tougher on the chamber than brass, and on some guns it'll eat up the extractor after a few hundred or thousand rounds.
Not sure what you are asking.
There are nickel-plated brass cases and they are usually the more expensive ammo. But not any that are pure nickel.
Oh, and here is a tip learned the hard way....
Do not use steel-cased ammo in revolvers, unless you want lots of frustration trying to get the fired cases out. Yes, there are .45 ACP and 9mm revolvers. And 10mm too, but I really doubt there is any steel-cased ammunition for that caliber
Bart Noir
Steel cased ammo is a cost/material saving technique. The amount of money you save by shooting steel will buy you several barrels before you realize any additional wear and tear on your weapon of mass destruction.
That said... shooting steel cased ammo ain't happening for me, MAMA. I'm a reloader and can make ammo much better than any steel cased for less money.... plus.. shooting steel cased ammo is UnAmerican!
That said... shooting steel cased ammo ain't happening for me, MAMA. I'm a reloader and can make ammo much better than any steel cased for less money.... plus.. shooting steel cased ammo is UnAmerican!
thesheepdog
New member
It's very hard on extractors. Steel on Steel wears very quickly, even with the polymer coatings. The polymer coating usually is melted or evaporated off by the time you pull the trigger; especially when your barrel gets hot.
No. Mild steel is hardly any different than brass for wear. It would take a life time to see any difference. The only big difference is cost. The mild steel is lower cost than brass. You can shoot steel casings all you want and you will see no wear.
True. The early Wolf ammo was a problem for sticking due to the lacquer coating. The newer poly coatings seem to work just fine.
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I agree with madmag. The steel used in cartridge cases is quite soft (though harder than brass) and does not cause any significantly greater wear than brass. It's main drawback in reloading is not that it wears out dies (again not significantly more than brass), but that it is harder to resize, requiring more muscle in bench tools and being nearly impossible in hand tools even for neck sizing.
Jim
Jim
Thanks Jim, I was typing when you posted.
My only bad experience was with early Wolf mmo in my Mini 14. If I let it sit with a hot chamber it would stick and be hard to extract. Same with the .45ACP stuff. But now that seems OK with the new coatings. However, I am sure brass would do better in a wet climate.
My only bad experience was with early Wolf mmo in my Mini 14. If I let it sit with a hot chamber it would stick and be hard to extract. Same with the .45ACP stuff. But now that seems OK with the new coatings. However, I am sure brass would do better in a wet climate.
I disagree!
There are still boxes of steel-cased .45 ACP ammo showing up at gun shows, all made by US arsenals or ammo companies for US Gov. They sometimes have nicely sealed primers and those ones can go in your "long-term storage bunker"
US made and in .45 ACP. It doesn't get any more American.
Bart Noir
A friend of mine bought a bunch of steel cased 9mm and 45 ACP back when ammo got out of control, and he put a lot of the 9mm stuff through his EAA Witness and I put about 300 rounds of it through my Astra A-100 and we had no problems. He has a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 that has had several thousand rounds of Wolf steel cased ammo through it, without more than a couple of misfires.
I have a couple boxes of Wolf and one of Brown Bear, and I will probably use it for plinking in my Sub 2000 once it gets broken in.
I have a couple boxes of Wolf and one of Brown Bear, and I will probably use it for plinking in my Sub 2000 once it gets broken in.