Some discussions around brass versus steel-cased ammunition use awhile back has been on my mind. I have no issues stocking and shooting steel in my AK – however only use it for practice in my AR. I also never shoot steel in any of my pistols. Doesn’t make sense does t? Actually for me it does.
The only issues I have had shooting steel in my AR’s has been two FTF(fail to fire) rounds. Primer hits failed to ignite. I ejected the round and kept going and both occurred during training. This is two rounds out of a couple thousand – not bad. I have read on forums that others have similar experiences. I have not read the same in relation to steel in AK’s. Why might this be? I suspect it is related to hammer impact in the AR versus AK. AK’s are just less picky when it comes to hard primers than AR’s. AK’s typically have heavier trigger pulls than AR’s and this involves hammer springs to a certain extent. Lighter hammer springs increase the odds of a light primer strike.
Now – why not shoot steel in my pistols? Simply the cost savings are just not there – and reliability is certainly an issue. First I see very little in steel-cased product available. Second, the cost of steel versus brass is as small as a couple dollars per 50. Lastly I have had issues with steel – and aluminum – in some of my handguns due to the frictional difference in case material compared to brass. The rougher, less-smooth steel/aluminum takes more effort to push it out of the top of a magazine than brass.
Any concern over wear? Not me.
I continue to take advantage of the less expensive steel-cased ammo in my AR’s for practice/training.
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Governor Jerry Brown(CA) states he will not back down to immigration laws that may be made more restrictive with the new Administration.
Wonderful.
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Working out has been going fairly well. Diet has been decent except on weekends where it has been a struggle. Overall not bad and will be cranking the intensity next week.
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Hope everyone is having a great week.
There are many reasons why so many love their Kindle and Amazon Fire tablets. One huge advantage is you could literally go years without every buying a book to read as there are tons of free eBooks available. Don’t have a Kindle or Fire? No problem. There are apps that can be installed on most any cell phone or computer for free. No excuses!
Today’s Freebies
Quick and Easy Meals – 30 Minutes
NOTE: If you see a free Kindle book that your interested in get it now. Prices change often and there is no way to tell how long the book will remain free. Before purchasing a free Kindle book on Amazon make certain the book is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or says “read for free” or has a price for prime members the book is not free anymore.
Thanks for the neat kindle reads.
I never shoot steel in my pistols either, makes me happy to know brass and aluminum are softer than the chamber, though not softer than my old Glock MA-legal mag feed lips.
You may have been asked this before but I missed it, where do those stark and spooky paintings…digital artwork…whatever…that you post at the top like today come from?
Steve – appreciate noticing the artwork. I love ’em. If you google “apocalyptic artwork” some will show up. Many are actually from Xbox and PS4 games.
I always love the scenes you have at the top of the page. Where do you find them?
Appreciate it – check out my answer to StevefromMA.
I see Steve had actually asked this right before me…. great minds and all that. Jigen requests more scenes with dogs.
Speaking of new immigration laws, What is wrong with using these illegal immigrants as slave labor to build the wall? Every time they pick up some illegal coming into this country, sentence them to one year of hard labor on the border wall. They broke the law coming into this country illegally and should pay a penalty.
That would be awkward, violating several different parts of the U.S. Constitution. Not to mention that illegally entering the country is a misdemeanor.
Then ship them all to Guantonama for a few years until we can determine if they are terrorists. Sending them home obviously doesn’t work
While StevefromMA makes a point on the legality it would be interesting to offer a work program for illegals that have been law abiding since their arrival to assist in building the wall/fence.
As a .308 shooter, I will not shoot steel case because the chamber tolerance on my FAL is to tight for the expansion of the steel case. The steel case expands quickly, but does not contract as fast causing ejection failures. I get ejection failure on the 1st mag every time. I can’t shoot the steel AK ammo in my mini .30 either because it has a .308 bore and most AK variants have a .310-.312 bore. The bullets in steel ammo run about .310-.311 and are very inaccurate. In pistols I have not shot steel, but all my 1911s and my XD love CCI Blazer in aluminum. The Federal aluminum flat sucks. I don’t know what the difference is or why, but misfeeds and ejection failures are high.
Appreciate the info – makes sense.
I have shot lots of CCI Blazer aluminum with no issues in ALMOST all my guns. I have some – as well as the Federal you mentioned – for my 1911. 45ACP being on the expensive-side aluminum does make a little more sense. I should have mentioned that.
I only shoot brass (rifle and pistol) as I reload at times, just not as often as I used to. Do save empty brass (unless your indoor range keeps it) as its worth it for reloading and if you dont now, you might in the future or you could trade it with someone who does. Having reloaded many tens of thousands of rounds, I’d like to remember Mike Dillon of Dillon Precision who just recently passed away:
https://www.dillonprecision.com/rememberingmikedillon.html
Appreciate the info Zenblaster. I’ve eyed the Dillon for years. Maybe some day.