Ammo Question for the experts

[chipjones54]

I have about a case of Wolf .223 that I use in my old Mini-14. I finally
got my new AR and I'm wondering how y'all feel about my using the
steel-polymer junk in the AR. I ask because "they" say the polymer sticks up the chamber and that the steel cases cause a lot of wear on
the extractor/ejector. Thanks.
Chip in Georgia

[ungawa]

It won't hurt your rifle. You should keep your chamber clean. For very few people it's not reliable ammo. Some others report jams when they switch back to brass during a shooting session. Don't worry about it on the range, but clean the rifle when you get home just to be on the safe side. In case you need it before the next trip to the range.

It's probably not the polymer coating. It's more likely fouling of the chamber because the steel case ammo doesn't seal the chamber from combustion products as well as brass case ammo.

[Steve in PA]

"They" who say the polymer junks up the chamber, don't know sheeet from shinola.

I own a Bushmaster AR and have shot a lot of Wolf steel cased ammo through it. In fact, I plan on going out tomorrow and shot some as I have department quals at the end of the month.

1) Steel cases sticking have nothing to do with the polymer, or older lacquer coating. Steel cases do not seal in the chamber as well as brass cased ammo. This results in carbon build up in the chamber. Shoot enough and you end up with a "tight" chamber. At some point you will get a FTE (failure to extract) due to the chambered round being "stuck" in the tight chamber.

If this happens, you may have a problem getting the round out. Carry a sturdy cleaning rod and you can pop it clear. Clean the chamber and your back in business. I've shot as many as 300+ rounds before any signs of problems. A lot depends on how many rounds you fire and how fast. If you go Rambo and do a bunch of 30-round mag dumps, you'll probbaly get a FTE.

2) The steel case rim is softer than the extractor. And even if you somehow damage an extractor, the replacement part is cheap. I've had my rifle for several years and have close to 2k rounds of Wolf steel cased ammo and probbaly twice that in brass. Original extractor still in rifle.

[Legion_Prime]

What? Jesus, now they're saying the polymer coating sticks? I thought that fixed the "lacquer" sticking problem (it's not actually lacquer BTW). Neither of them should stick, the problem is either ordinarily carbon buildup in the chamber or out of spec chambers. Carbon buildup can cause problems in even a properly spec'd chamber as the steel does not obturate as much as brass casings as it is less ductile. This can cause carbon under pressure to work it's way around the casing into the chamber creating carbon fouling which will effectively reduce the chamber volume causing casings to stick. The reason you don't hear about this with AK's is that the 7.62x39 round's casing walls are tapered so that the base is the widest point of the cartridge which promotes extraction even with truly epic levels of fouling in the chamber.
Ungawa is dead on, keep the chamber clean in a properly cut chamber and your problems should be few and far between. I just thought I'd elaborate. What can I say, some night's I like to hear the sound of my own, um . . . typing.

[orionz06]

Lacquer can goo the chamber if it is hot and a round is allowed to sit, but a good gun wont have issues with it. Rock on with the cheap ammo.

[mrnyman]

What made you think that Wolf is junk? If you can shoot that AR you can get 1 to 2 moa from that Wolf ammo. bion,

Wolf changed from the "lacquer" finish to a polymer based finish that should have taken care of the Sticking issue.

Any ammo if fired enough can cause a AR to "stick" its the nature of the beast, dont over think it , just shoot and have fun, its just a machine if it breaks down just clean it.

[Steve in PA]

Neither the polymer or lacquer coatings come off the round! Any stuck rounds are due to carbon build up. Shoot a lot of rounds fast and then let a chambered round sit, you stand a more than fair chance of a FTE. Been there, done that.....got the t-shirt.

This is one case of Wolf MC that caused a FTE. I shot a lot of rounds fairly fast, then replaced a target and went to fire again. The round went bang, but I got the FTE. Had to use a cleaning rod to get it out. A few strokes with a chamber brush and I was back in business.



This is not my personal pic, but it shows what happens after you fire a lot of steel cased ammo, then go about firing brass cased ammo. The stuff on both cases is CARBON.....NOT.....polymer or lacquer.

[Grumpa72]

Two ARs in our house; both shoot Wolf and other Russian steel ammo without issue. Make sure that when "they" say things that "they" know what "they" are talking about and not passing along either internet rumor or isolated instances of malfunctions.

I like Wolf for plinking and when it goes on sale, I do buy it.

[Hokkmike]

I used Wolf in my WASR. I won't shoot it out of my better guns. Generally, you get what you pay for right? There IS a reason it is so cheap.

I do think they have IMPROVED it a lot since those early days though, so maybe it might be worth another try...

[Coils]

Steve's pic helps a lot for this question.
First off that round is not lacquer coated, so if your ammo looks like that (a flat look, not glossy) your good to go. The older Wolf & surplus was lacquer coated and could cause problems if bump firing mag after mag or doing mag dumps through a full auto.
The wearing out the extractor issue is false as well.