"_____" Cased Ammo AR Question

[INPatriot]

I know many subscribe to the belief that only brass cased ammo should be shot out of their beloved ARs.

My paradigm is starting to shift to the belief that I should expect my AR to run any ammo.

My question: What does zinc plating do to steel cased ammo?

 

[Thegeek]

There was a guy who did a cost analysis. Basically that (I'm making up the numbers because I don't recall exact) a barrel will wear out after 60000 rounds of brass, and after 50000 rounds of steel. The cost savings between steel vs brass was enough to buy multiple barrels. Therefore, the excessive wear was not a real concern.

 

[TECKS]

Gets rid of the polymer coating which is believed to make cases stick in the chamber after the gun is hot

 

[ryan3030]

There was a guy who did a cost analysis. Basically that (I'm making up the numbers because I don't recall exact) a barrel will wear out after 60000 rounds of brass, and after 50000 rounds of steel. The cost savings between steel vs brass was enough to buy multiple barrels. Therefore, the excessive wear was not a real concern.

And that is only with bi-metal bullets wearing the barrel at an accelerated rate. Some companies make steel cased ammo with regular old lead bullets.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

And that is only with bi-metal bullets wearing the barrel at an accelerated rate. Some companies make steel cased ammo with regular old lead bullets.

I think you mean copper jacketed bullets.

 

[jwh20]

I know many subscribe to the belief that only brass cased ammo should be shot out of their beloved ARs.

My paradigm is starting to shift to the belief that I should expect my AR to run any ammo.

My question: What does zinc plating do to steel cased ammo?

Zinc plating keeps the steel from rusting. But either way, zinc or the soft steel used in the cases is no match for the high-grade and high-strength steel in your rifle. Yes, your rifle should run steel-cased ammo just fine and it's not going to accelerate the wear or anything like that.

 

[ScouT6a]

Never did understand the thought processes with guys who are dead set against shooting steel case ammo in an AR. I know guys who would go to the range and shoot 500 rounds through their AR in a day but wouldn't shoot 20 rounds of steel case in a month.

 

[M67]

Gets rid of the polymer coating which is believed to make cases stick in the chamber after the gun is hot

The coating does not leave residue or any other gunk in the chamber. Steel doesn't expand like brass so there's just excess powder residue getting blown back in the chamber.

Never did understand the thought processes with guys who are dead set against shooting steel case ammo in an AR. I know guys who would go to the range and shoot 500 rounds through their AR in a day but wouldn't shoot 20 rounds of steel case in a month.

Some AR manuf. state that the warranties are void if steel is ran through their guns.


One more reason I like my POFs. Owner's manual clearly states that if you want to run steel through it, go for it Saw a P308 go 2k rounds shooting steel all day and didn't have 1 stopage

 

[maxmayhem]

shoot whatever you can get...who cares? its a tool and if you have $12,000 (steel) to 15,000 (brass) to put through an ar-15 then who cares about a $80-$300 barrel...really, the point is moot. what are you really worried about? it all boils down to cost....and if you are spending 12-15k on ammo which i dont think is true for the average person then you should be reloading,.

 

[TECKS]

The coating does not leave residue or any other gunk in the chamber. Steel doesn't expand like brass so there's just excess powder residue getting blown back in the chamber.

Very true. With a straight walled case this is the leading cause of steel cases getting stuck in the chamber. But the OP asked what zinc plating does, It is an alternative to lacquer and poly coated steel cases. Looks nicer too

 

[ScouT6a]

If shooting steel cased ammo in your AR will void the warranty, maybe you need to reevaluate your brand of AR.

 

[M67]

Ammunitions Warning

http://www.cmmginc.com/Articles.asp?ID=258

https://www.stagarms.com/warranty/ (not plainly stated, but it does)

FAQ | NOVESKE

Del Ton, Colt, Rock River, Bushmaster, Windham (to use in moderation), Sig Sauer (improper ammunition), and other manufactures state don't run steel or they leave it in a gray area, they label it like Sig and steel case could fall into "improper ammunition"


There are very few manuf. that actually will state that if you want to shoot steel case ammo, go for it

 

[ScouT6a]

So, Stag Arms has a lifetime warranty with an infinite number of shots barrel life. Sounds awesome. Now, let's look at the.... EXCLUSIONS:*Modification or alteration of a firearm will void this warranty. This warranty does not cover normal wear. Any damage resulting from careless handling, neglect, unauthorized repairs, unauthorized adjustments, unauthorized modifications, rust, or corrosion is not covered. This warranty is not valid outside the United States of America. Stag Arms LLC will not be responsible for the results of defective, low-quality, hand-loaded, reloaded, or improper ammunition.

 

[ScouT6a]

Not singling out Stag Arms. Reading through many of these manufacturers "warranties" is pretty comical.
Modifications, unauthorized adjustments, reloaded ammunition, cheap ammunition, normal wear. Just about anything you do to the rifle can/will void the "warranties"

 

[blue2golf]

Ammunitions Warning

http://www.cmmginc.com/Articles.asp?ID=258

https://www.stagarms.com/warranty/ (not plainly stated, but it does)

FAQ | NOVESKE

Del Ton, Colt, Rock River, Bushmaster, Windham (to use in moderation), Sig Sauer (improper ammunition), and other manufactures state don't run steel or they leave it in a gray area, they label it like Sig and steel case could fall into "improper ammunition"


There are very few manuf. that actually will state that if you want to shoot steel case ammo, go for it

Actually, Del Ton doesn't say anything about steel cased, only reloaded ammo:

Ammunition Warning
Due to a number of comments and calls, we have come across feeding problems with certain ammunition. Shooting any of the following ammunition will VOID any warranty with Del-Ton Incorporated:

• Any reloaded ammunition

Terms

My Del Ton Sport choked on a steel TulAmmo round once, so I bought a chamber brush after that. Since then, I've put TulAmmo, Wolf and Monarch steel cased through it with no problems whatsoever.

 

[gregkl]

Not singling out Stag Arms. Reading through many of these manufacturers "warranties" is pretty comical.
Modifications, unauthorized adjustments, reloaded ammunition, cheap ammunition, normal wear. Just about anything you do to the rifle can/will void the "warranties"

This is why I am more concerned about the actual quality of the item and not so much the warranty. Look at Springfield-Armory pistols for example; lifetime warranty...until you touch it in any way other than cleaning. Then the warranty is null and void.

I would rather have a quality item that is well engineered and built than something cheap but with a good warranty. I am just not interested in being able to return stuff exercising the warranty.

For me, a good product is one that I don't have to use a warranty. Or customer service for that matter.

But that's just me. I know others will promote an item ad nauseam because the company has a strong warranty.

 

[M67]

Actually, Del Ton doesn't say anything about steel cased, only reloaded ammo:

I was having trouble finding info about steel case too from Del Ton, I mentioned them because a lot of people mentioning that they received a card with their rifle/upper stating not to run steel though it


I guess that list should have an exemption for CMMG too, they designed their MK47 Mutant to run steel case (7.62x39) but their 556 is a no go

This is why I am more concerned about the actual quality of the item and not so much the warranty. Look at Springfield-Armory pistols for example; lifetime warranty...until you touch it in any way other than cleaning. Then the warranty is null and void.

That's one thing that bothers me about my Kimber now. Was a time where as long as you didn't so something completely stupid with it, they warrantied it. My warranty is long shot because I polished my feed ramp and not them, and even though part of the trigger job was performed by a gunsmith friend of mine and he even knows some of the people at Kimber well, my warranty is still void.

 

[gregkl]

That's one thing that bothers me about my Kimber now. Was a time where as long as you didn't so something completely stupid with it, they warrantied it. My warranty is long shot because I polished my feed ramp and not them, and even though part of the trigger job was performed by a gunsmith friend of mine and he even knows some of the people at Kimber well, my warranty is still void.

Same with my SA pistol. I had a factory rep tell me that if I worked on the trigger bow so that my mags would drop free, it would nullify the warranty. Same if I smoothed up the fire control group.

I understand not warranting slip shod work that contributes to a performance issue, but if I polish the feed ramp and the main spring housing breaks, they should warranty it.

 

[Robjps]

Ammunitions Warning

http://www.cmmginc.com/Articles.asp?ID=258

https://www.stagarms.com/warranty/ (not plainly stated, but it does)

FAQ | NOVESKE

Del Ton, Colt, Rock River, Bushmaster, Windham (to use in moderation), Sig Sauer (improper ammunition), and other manufactures state don't run steel or they leave it in a gray area, they label it like Sig and steel case could fall into "improper ammunition"


There are very few manuf. that actually will state that if you want to shoot steel case ammo, go for it

It's not so much the steel casing as it is usually **** ammo being under powered and dirty. If you build and sell a gun to run on 5.56 specs and someone wants to run under powered stuff through it you will have cycling problems and why is that the manufacturers fault.

Its like buying a car that was designed for premium gas and you put e85 in it and whine when it doesn't run right and expect the car lot to fix a problem on your end.

 

[Leo]

ALL manufacturers of any products have to cover their butts. No matter how you try to idiot proof a product, a more resourceful breed of idiots finds its way into life. Then you can always add another team of lawyers to represent them. Gibson guitars are strict against customizing, but that does not mean they build bad guitars. Years ago Dodge lost millions in a death law suit where the guy had jacked the truck way up in the air and changed the axles and put huge tires on it. He flipped it and died. To top it off the dead guy was legally drunk. More warnings got written in the paperwork. I am not sure I own anything where I have not violated the warranty in some way. I have never chose a product on any hopes of what I thought the warranty will do for me. Any decient quality product will give a good service life if you are not abusive.