brass/steel ammo reliabilty

**Blue92** · January 9th, 2017, 06:31 PM

In terms of factory bought ammo, brass vs steel, shouldn't a quality firearm work flawlessly not just with brass but steel case ammo also? If there are ejection problems with steel casings, doesn't that make a firearm seem not as reliable as it should be or should reliability go only by how they function with brass ammo?

**MovingtoAmerica** · January 9th, 2017, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by Blue92

In terms of factory bought ammo, brass vs steel, shouldn't a quality firearm work flawlessly not just with brass but steel case ammo also? If there are ejection problems with steel casings, doesn't that make a firearm seem not as reliable as it should be or should reliability go only by how they function with brass ammo?

I won't waste my time if it can't shoot steel. Everyone has a differing opinion on the matter though

**09polaris** · January 9th, 2017, 06:54 PM

It may not be the handgun..
Expansion, quality control of cheaper steel case ammo, sizing, etc.
May contribute to malfunctions..
I AM NO EXPERT...
That being said, I have MANY hand and long guns, (AK) that eat anything...
And a few that can be finicky with coated steel case..
I found what works for my particular pieces, maybe feel each one out....

Some ammo is better than others.. (even cheap steel)

**Brick** · January 9th, 2017, 06:58 PM

The thing that must be remembered is that one of the purposes of the cartridge case is to expand enough to seal the chamber, it must then shrink back enough to be easily extracted. As long as the steel case is soft and malleable enough to do this, it'll work just fine. Any standard caliber firearm should be able to handle steel-cased ammo.
BTW during WWII the US was producing GI .45 ACP in steel cases.

**Mity2** · January 9th, 2017, 07:01 PM

Agreed. if some firearm are so picky that it can only shoot certain ammo(or not able to feed certain ammo)
Ive fed steel cased .223 through all my AR's, 9mm, 40, and .45ACP through all my guns - even my TRP's.

None of them ever caused me any issue. Steel used to make steel case is soft steel, and it can no way harm your harden steel barrel or slide.

With that being said, I'd be careful with older Lacquer painted(green color ones) ones, specially if your doing rapid shooting or mag dump on AR. Super hot chamber can melt the lacquer coating, and can/have gum up the chamber. that's pretty well documented thing...

**USMC3531** · January 9th, 2017, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mity2

With that being said, I'd be careful with older Lacquer painted(green color ones) ones, specially if your doing rapid shooting or mag dump on AR. Super hot chamber can melt the lacquer coating, and can/have gum up the chamber. that's pretty well documented thing...

if you are melting lacquer you are ready to cook off a round.

**mpan72** · January 9th, 2017, 08:58 PM

I say it depends on the primary use of the gun. If my SD gun has an issue with any "within specs" ammo it won't be my SD gun any longer. If someone has a gun for extreme accuracy competitions and it only likes certain ammo I would think that is not a deal breaker.

**Corey G** · January 9th, 2017, 09:30 PM

Being an RSO and competition shooter if I see a FTE or stuck round I say 75% of the time its Steel case, don't matter the firearm. There was another thread about steel getting stuck in chambers and I tent to agree with it. And generally Steel is dirtier, if I see someone running it an a high round count course I usually take and extra step back.

**KCJones** · January 9th, 2017, 11:35 PM

I prefer guns that 'eat anything' and agree generally that's what one should seek.

At the same time, Corey G's comment doesn't surprise me. The differences in steel mean that the closer the tolerances of the firearm (e.g. competition/target firearms) the more likely it is steel will cause a problem. I'd expect an AK to eat steel all day without complaint. I'd expect a competition gun to perhaps be more finicky.

Point is that steel is different. Specifically it's much harder. So naturally it is less amenable to how firearms work (e.g. case should expand to seal the chamber/barrel but still be extractable). Put another way... there's a reason steel rounds need to be 'coated' versus brass doesn't. Doesn't make steel "bad"... but it is "different".

**oldengineer** · January 10th, 2017, 10:49 AM

A few weeks ago I was getting in some quick shots in the cold and accidentally put a 9mm round with a brass case out of my Glock 22. It went off OK but felt weak and the case didn't eject. When I looked at it the mouth and neck had expanded out to .425", the same size as my .40 cases but it took it fine with no splits or damage. I wonder what a steel or aluminum case would have done?