Brown Bear OK in AR-15?

[MMH]

It's down to $238/1000 - cheap plinking fun! Is it OK to shoot in my AR-15?

[mojo]

IMHO .. yes.

Some people don't shoot steel cased ammo in their ARs, others have shot 1000s of rounds through theirs. It's a matter of personal preference. I shoot wolf through mine.

[DarylJ]

I'd have to say yes also. Mine eats it just fine, and I have friends who have fed thousands of rounds through their rifles with no problems/excessive wear.

Edit: in fact, I just bought a case from Palmetto on Thursday.

[brian]

wolf is all i've ever fed mine. and steel case is all it will get.

[RaisedByWolves]

I got some BB that has the occasional deep seated primer that wont function in my gun. It will go off the second time around, but it is a hassle to have to hunt it down and reload it.

.

[Shawn.L]

its not just about sttel case.

I shoot plenty of Wolf ammo, all with the newer (last coupla years) polymer coating.

The BB (this is Brown Bear) uses a laquer coating on the steel case.

It can build up in your chamber and cause cases to get stuck.

no real damage, and its just for plinkin, but remember to clean your chamber after you use it. IME the polyemer coated Wolf and the nickle plated Silver Bear or Brass plated Bronze Bear dont have the same issues.

[DarylJ]

The BB (this is Brown Bear) uses a laquer coating on the steel case.

It can build up in your chamber and cause cases to get stuck.

I guess you would need to shoot what I consider a "whole damn lot" for that to make a difference. Because I put 200 downrange and didn't notice that the chamber was any dirtier that I would expect.

I agree with you that it could be an issue, but if you clean your weapon and aren't shooting multiple cases at each range session, it seems like a non-issue.

[Shawn.L]

I guess you would need to shoot what I consider a "whole damn lot" for that to make a difference. Because I put 200 downrange and didn't notice that the chamber was any dirtier that I would expect.

I agree with you that it could be an issue, but if you clean your weapon and aren't shooting multiple cases at each range session, it seems like a non-issue.

yeah, 200 rounds between cleaning isnt exactly a lot of ammo

FWIW a friend on here shot some older Wolf with the laquer coat, prob around that much, and had failure to extract issues until he got the chamber cleaned, and the laquer buildup was noticable.

Im not saying its a deal breaker, I certainly wouldnt take a carbine course or run any serious competition with it, but it could be an issue, and is something to be aware of.

the newer polymer coated Wolf doesnt have this issue, and doesnt really cost any more than any of the other steel case brands.

[DarylJ]

yeah, 200 rounds between cleaning isnt exactly a lot of ammo

FWIW a friend on here shot some older Wolf with the laquer coat, prob around that much, and had failure to extract issues until he got the chamber cleaned, and the laquer buildup was noticable.

Oh yeah...I'm not saying 200 is a lot, just saying I didn't notice a laquer buildup after that, so I figured it would take until you started into your second case without cleaning to have any issues. Maybe I got lucky, and it might have even been different laquer. I wouldn't be surprised that from batch to batch it changes a whole lot, depending on what they can pick up the cheapest for materials....we're not talking about high quality ammo here

[39flathead]

AIM has Tula 55grn PolyCoated FMJ $217K.

$233 a case shipped to West Central PA, down to $227 each for 2. Shouldn't be much more if any to VA.

I'd avoid the lacquer cases when there is poly coated stuff out there for the same price or less.
And I have personally seen an AR chamber with enough lacquer build up to sieze a case in the chamber. It required gunsmith removal and a chamber ream. Granted the guy had one of those goofy hand crank trigger-ma-bobs and had just blasted through 2.5 beta mags.
So unless you plan on doing that, the lacquer stuff is OK, but not the best choice IMO considering the alternatives.