iirc, those steel cases are lacquered too and the lacquer can build up in the chamber and cause failure to eject also...I was cautious, I bought a box of 20 rounds to test the Tula. I had to manually feed or eject every third round. Thankfully no serious jams.
I have no intention of ever putting that stuff in mine again.
Interesting article, thanks for posting it.
My reason for not firing steel cases in an AR (borrowed, of course, as mine got lost in a boating accident) is that it is very hard on the extractor. I don’t want to have to buy (a friend) a new extractor just to save a few bucks on ammo and, of course, you don’t want to have it crap out just when you need it to work or you take a dirt nap.
Perhaps, though, the reason it is hard on extractors is the crud build-up?
Steel cases have another problem besides expansion. They are hard and cause chamber damage. If any edge exists at the bullet crimp, it acts like a chisel on the edge of the chamber when it feeds in. This is especially bad in pistols due to the angle of incidence on the chamber wall and generally higher number of rounds fired.
I have a S&W M&P 15R (5.45x39). In that caliber, my only choice is Russian steel-cased ammo. Fortunately, I’ve only had to knock out a stuck case just once in 2000 rounds of use.
It’s a useful article, thank you for posting!
makes sense. i have found that the steel stuff runs fine out of my chrome lined ARs, but it does have issues in standard.
Quite an interesting article. I have purchased Wolf before and have only one box remaining. Never had a problem with chambering/extracting but the round-to-round dispersion was horrendous. Having done my own re-loading, I could only conclude that Wolf does not have any quality control WRT grain load. This could also be a factor in the extracting.
IMHO, minor variations in chamber dimensions can make a huge difference.
My Bushmaster M-4gery can digest a thousand rounds of steel ammo no problem with no cleaning.
A friend’s Olympic AR could not get through a magazine without a jam, even though it works perfectly with brass ammo.
I’m not sure that (expansion) is the problem either. I wouldn’t buy Tula or Wolf ammo for an AR-15 or an AK because I’ve had problems with the 45 ACP ball ammo on at least one of my 6 1911s. The 1911 in particular is a tight tolerance gun, and when it is loaded with Wolf Steel Cased 45 ACP it ALWAYS jams, every time. The casing gets jammed during extraction lodging down in the throat and the feed area.
I finally determined that Wolf has a thinner extraction rim on the casing that a typical round made of brass. The extractor can start to extract the casing but doesn’t old it securely until it can hit the ejector. Essentially, when the casing can ‘drop down’ it does. Possibly the same problem in .223
I’m a fanatic when it comes to accuracy. I buy good rifles, good ammo and better scopes. I’m such a lousy shot, I need every edge I can get.
I don’t run junk ammo thru a $2,000 rifle.
Just don’t use it.
It (Russian ammo) is made for cheap mass produced stamped steel guns that are not over engineered as the AR is. And it is dirty. Too dirty for a direct gas impingement AR IMHO.
If you want to shoot cheap buy an AK (I did).
If you want a weapon with refinement and precision then get an AR (did that too).
-There. Best of both worlds.
PS. comments reflect prior to tragic rowboat incident...
I just put piston systems on my ARs and they run like little sewing machines, even cool to the touch in the bolt and carrier region.
iirc, those steel cases are lacquered too and the lacquer can build up in the chamber and cause failure to eject also...(1) If I understand history of the 5.56x45mm's development, since Vietnam there are no less than three SAAMI chambering specs for this round. Generally, I think things started looser and tightened up over the years.
(2) You also have the chambering for the Rem. .223, which also varies slightly.
(3) In the last several years, a .223 Wylde chambering has also become available, which supposedly bridges the two.
The laquering on steel cases and buildup from it has also been a source of problems for some rifles over the years. Some have no problem, usually those with chrome-lined barrels. I do know that in HK G3 and similar models, the fluted chambering would get gummed up quickly from this, but that was .308.
I have seen effects from these variables in my own experience; for example, a Colt SP1 made in 1978 that will chamber anything you feed it, including brass that has not been full-length resized. OTOH, a CAR-15 with a Wilson barrel made in the mid-90s would instantly fail to fully chamer such ammo, and getting it unstuck was lots of fun.
Invididual mileage can and will vary greatly.
I have never had trouble with Wolf for the most part.
Tula sucks! It’s nonstop trouble.
Ping - interesting
Doesn’t explain why mine jams on the first round and every round after. Got a pile of steel cased .223? Buy an AK chambered for it.