Ar-15 shooting steel casing

[Bubbajms]

I can run steel ammo in my AR all day long with a USGI metal magazine, but if I try a PMAG, I get FTEs. Switch back to metal, no problem. Got a Troy Battlemag to try but haven't had a chance to test it out yet..

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

My rifles are fed a steady diet of steel case Brown Bear, Wolf and Silver Bear ammo. Normally feed and function fine. Only time I get a stuck case is when I have fired a couple of mags, and then have a delay in shooting, with a round still in the chamber. When I fire that round, the extractor rips the rim off the case. Have to use a cleaning rod to knock the case out of the chamber. Happens with both polymer and lacquer coated cases. My rifles are chrome lined Colt, Rock River and Delton.

I think the round acts as a heat sink in the hot chamber. It expands and the carbon fouling grips the walls of the steel case, preventing it from extracting. I've thought about spraying steel case ammo with reloading case lube and see if it still does it.

 

[Leggdpms]

I will for sure try my metal mag's I've hot a few but I have roughly 20 Pmag's so I just used those

 

[SLIM86]

I also have a DPMS Oracle and haven't had any trouble with steel case ammo, I shot brass to break it in and have since used steel case to save money, I have shot Tula and WPA, recently ordered some Herters and will see how that goes. I always make sure to clean it well right after because it is a lot dirtier then the brass stuff

 

[draftyranger]

I primarily shoot steel in my AR's. Used to have jams with the green laquer coated cases, but since they have come out with the grey poly coated cases, i havent had an issue shooting it though rifle or carbine length gas systems.

 

[DSmith78]

my stag eats steel cased ammo like a dream. guns not worth having if it wont eat whatever i feed it. i do clean it after every session. even put a slide fire on it just for kicks and fed it steel cased ammo, fired perfect.

 

[MilitaryArms]

don't shoot steel ammo. really. it depends on your setup, but some guns just don't like it, particularly carbines, as they tend to run 'hot' physically. the shorter barrel and gas system loves to collect the steel case lacquer and it builds up on the bore, causing your FTE.

First, lacquer hasn't been used on Wolf and Tula ammo for several years. It's a high temp polymer that's currently used. It doesn't collect in your chamber and neither did the lacquer used before it. If you take an old lacquer covered steel case and hit it with a propane torch and get it glowing hot, you still can't wipe the lacquer off -- and that's FAR hotter than it gets in the chamber of your rifle.

What causes steel to stick in chambers is carbon build up and in some cases out of spec chambers. Steel is far more unforgiving of imperfections in the chamber than brass is due to the fact that it stays expanded longer after firing as it doesn't dissipate heat as quickly as brass.

Steel also doesn't seal as completely in the chamber as brass and this allows for generous amounts of carbon to blow by the case and deposit carbon both in your chamber and in your receiver. It's this carbon build up that will cause both stuck steel case and even stuck brass cases if you don't clean your rifle after firing steel then go back to brass.

I shoot mostly steel and have for about 10 years. I fire about 30,000+ rounds of it every year through various .223/5.56 rifles. I even run it in belt feds and in select fire rifles. Rarely do I encounter problems, but that's because I understand the properties of it.

If you have a non-chrome lined barrel, it can cause problems. If you have a non-milspec chamber (like a match chamber) it can cause problems. And there are some rifles that simply don't like it because it's a very mild .223 load and is not loaded to 5.56mm specs.

 

[pingme]

greenwood walmart just stocked some

 

[windellmc]

Hwy 31 or County Line Walmart? County line was out at 3:30.

 

[Plisken]

No problems with steel mags or pmags in my stag ar-15. It shoots steel cased ammo just fine.

 

[dukeboy_318]

My DPMS wont run it reliably. after 5-10 rounds, it fails to extract, cleaning takes care of it though. My DPMS is pretty much stock with an upgraded extractor, trigger and stock.

 

[mfirem19]

The extractor will certainly be a problem if not upgraded. Used to shoot steel until my extractor needed replaced took it in and the gunsmith advised me to move to brass and the likelihood of an extractor problem would decrease. Although I upgraded the extractor I still only shoot brass through mine...

 

[MilitaryArms]

I would find a new gun smith. He should know that a mild steel isn't going to damage a hardened steel in any significant way. I have a M16 with well over 20k rounds of Wolf through it and it's never broken a single part. I shoot steel through all of my rifles -- SCAR, ACR, AUG, etc. and I've never broken a single extractor in 10+ years of using mostly steel.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about the use of steel ammo.

 

[windellmc]

If your extractor is not the right steel brass will chew it up too. There are garbage extractors out there...steel will sometimes tell you the extractor spring needs to be replaced though by leaving a casing in the chamber.

 

[colts1982]

first the lacquer issue is just a old wives tell. You cant get that stuff off with a blow torch!!! after seeing the truth about wolf on the military arms channel i took a spent steel case and tried to melt off the polymer coating and all i did was make steel really hot. If your having issues with steel case more than likely your ar is out of time. I also got that of off the review and did some research of my own. This is even more true the shorter your ar barrel is. It doesnt make your ar good or bad it just is what it is. I have shoot quite a bit of steel through my ar and have had no issues to date.

 

[ErickW]

A buddy of mine has a cmmg AR that says in the owners manual that the warranty is void if steel cased ammo is used. So you might look into that for your particular gun.

 

[jswift]

I am curious my self as I just purchased a couple boxes of steel ammo to plink with....since EVERYTHING is gone!

 

[jbell_64]

So if these types of issues are usually due to carbon buildup, will they be more prevalent when shooting steel .223 out of a 5.56 than when shooting steel .223 out of a .223?

 

[MilitaryArms]

So if these types of issues are usually due to carbon buildup, will they be more prevalent when shooting steel .223 out of a 5.56 than when shooting steel .223 out of a .223?

I don't own any firearms in .223, all of my rifles are 5.56mm rifles. I never have any issues with Wolf in those rifles and shoot it literally every week.