Steel cases ammo. How do AR15s typically handle this? Mini-14s?

[checkmyswag]

Looking to get a 223/556 rifle. M4 or mini-14. Want it to have maximum reliability. How do ARs and minis usually do with the steel cases cheap stuff like wolf or tula? I know there are different types of steel ammo. I'm talking generally but welcome specifics.

[TheGunGuy]

I know Tula has documentation on their site indicating some kind of testing on an AR-style rifle using steel case vs. brass ammo. Take it for what its worth.

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[gkdir]

Don't know about everything thats out their, but I have shot a bunch of Wolf thru my Bushmaster 24" HBAR with no problems.
G

[Scorch]

Not all steel ammo is the same. Some will function well, others not so well. It has to do with the coating on the cases, some is slicker or more temperature sensitive than others. The reason this matters is that a 223/5.56X45mm NATO case has less body taper than a 7.62X39mm case, so case coatings that may work flawlessly in the X39 firearms may not work so flawlessly in a 223/5.56 rifle. Others here will tell you their findings, just test a few to figure out what works.

[Meljobin]

Works great in mine! but there is a really easy way to find out... try some

[BIG P]

My AR runs them fine with a little extra oil.dry not so good.
Mini 14 dont matter wet,dry,full of dirt it eats them just fine.

[tahunua001]

I've watched extractors on AR15s snap while using tula. I know it happens and anyone that try's to tell me otherwise can be sure that I'm going to chime in. however those cases were with rifles that either had cheap extractors in them or had used very large amounts of steel cased ammo in them. a while back I bought a bunch of 223 and 5.56 ammo from a friends stockpile and there was some wolf mixed in. I've shot a few boxes of it and it's surprisingly the most accurate ammo I've fired from this gun and theres been no issues. my opinion is that if you are going to shoot steel cased, shoot it slow, in low numbers with brass in between and you will more than likely never have issues with it.

[jmr40]

Some ammo feeds well, others do not. Steel cases or brass. Some steel cased ammo is not the best quality, but the same ammo wouldn't be any better in brass cases. Good ammo is good ammo whether it is in steel cases or brass.

[checkmyswag]

Sounds like whether I go the AR or Mini route, I should just stay away from the steel cased stuff.

[pturner67]

I've run Tula 77gr through my Spikes AR and it worked just fine. I did notice that the recoil was drastically reduced. And, it was dirty.

It may be more expensive but I stick to brass.

[Bamashooter]

I have shot some tula 223 in my mini-14 and it was suprisingly accurate. I bought a couple boxes just to try out and it functioned fine in my mini. I dont think I will shoot very much of it in the future because of the coating on the case. Some of that stuff coming off in a hot chamber could lead to problems, especially when followed by brass cased ammo.

[Tim R]

Since I have top shelf match AR's, I won't run steel through them.

[icedog88]

I run Tulammo, Brown Bear, and Silver Bear through both my Stag AR15 and my Mini. Not one problem. Ever.

[stu925]

I've never run steel ammo in my Mini-14 and probably never will since I reload. However if I were in a bind I wouldn't be real concerned about the steel stuff in My Mini. I only run steel ammo in my SKS or Mosin, just doesn't seem cost effective to reload for either of those. Personally I would recommend picking up a basic reloading setup and a couple of manuals and start rolling your own. It's cheaper than the steel stuff and better quality ammo.

Stu

[Metal god]

I just took my new Del-Ton ECHO 316 out to the range . I took several diferent types of ammo. Rem ,tula ,pmc ,wolf , Win , and some other crap i don't remember . I shot every brand of ammo I had trying to see what type my Del-Ton liked . The gun ate it all up and wanted more . Im not sure if a new gun works better and will except more types of ammo .

I brought hundreds of rounds with me but did not get to shoot most of it . I shot between 150 and 200 rounds and then the gun started to malfunction and I stoped using it . The gun would shoot 2,3 and even 4 round auto burst on slow trigger releases . I could make it do this every time pulled the trigger , held it and then slowly released it . The gun fired well even while burping out multiple rounds at a time . There is a problem with the trigger group and I had to send it back to Del-Ton for repairs . It should be getting it back soon .

In short my AR shot all the ammo I used well in the small amounts I used of each , 20 rounds of each or so . Im not sure if thats a good representation of what ammo works . I was happy , no feed jams no extractor problems and they all were accurate (ish) . I was using iron sights at 50 and 100 yards and hitting all my 8 and 10 inch targets . Really wasn't looking for MOA the first time out just wanted to see how the gun operated and what ammo would feed best thru the gun .

[rezmedic54]

I have shot Wolf ammo for at least 10 years probably 9000 or more rounds in both my AR and my Mini-14 and Mini-30 no problems to date.

[wnycollector]

All five of my ar-15's run fine on any of the "Bear" ammo's. My BCM middy and RRA ATH will eat any steel case ammo (even Tula!). I tend to stick with brown bear 55gr fmjbt for bulk purchases.

[Mannlicher]

steel cased ammo is made from mild steel, else it would not obturate the chamber, and the rifle would not function well.

I have fired literally thousands of Wolf ammo in both AR 15 rifles and in Mini 14s. Other than that ammo is 'dirty', I have had zero problems.

[Basement-Gunsmith-Z]

I have a pof-usa p415 and it works great with any ammo, is extremely reliable in the sand, mud and water, but it's a bit pricy.

[hagar]

Spend the extra money and buy ammo with reloadable brass. I have problems with wolf 223 in all my 5.56 semi-auto rifles. Same story, after rifle heats up (not talking about excessive rounds either), the rim would get torn off the case leaving it stuck in the chamber once in a while. Poor accuracy with Wolf as well.

[arizona98tj]

I've ran Tula, Heter's, Wolf, and Hornady steel cased ammo in my M&P 15. No problems. I also use my reloads. Great to own an AR that can shoot anything you feed it.

It was interesting reading this thread....in all the year's I 've read this type of thread (steel case ammo), someone actually stated they saw an extractor break. Everyone else always say they will ruin the extractor but when asked..."No, never saw a bad extractor." So there is an AR owner out of the millions of AR owners out there that has actually seen one. Finally.....

[bulldawg1024]

I have had no problems with steel ammo thru my ar or mini14.

[Mrgunsngear]

I run almost exclusively steel ammo in my ARs (not Tula---bought one box and that was enough). Wolf, Brown Bear, Silver Bear, ect.... with 0 issue. I have a PSA AR with thousands and thousands of rounds through it with 0 failures.

I recommend checking out boxotruth.com's steel review---it was fair and thorough in my opinion.

[Rogervzv]

Sounds like whether I go the AR or Mini route, I should just stay away from the steel cased stuff.

That's what I do. I don't really understand the fascination with this stuff. Well, I guess I do. It is cheap. Anyway, none of the ranges around here will let you shoot Wolf, Bear, or any other steel cased ammo.

[Rampant_Colt]

@ checkmyswag, if you decide to get an AR, be certain it has a 5.56 chamber



Wolf steel wouldn't function in my Mini-14 with any type of magazine; stainless 20rd, stainless 30rd, blue 20rd, blue 30rd.. Switched to M193, and everything was fine.. Minis are too ammo finicky for me