Here's the answer I usually give when asked about steel ammo:
Steel cased ammo is harder on your extractor.
Most of the steel cased ammo makers have much larger inconsistencies with velocities and MOA.
You're more likely to run into some out of spec cartridges with this stuff.
With all that said, compare 1000 rds of Wolf/Tula/Silver Bear etc at $200, to 1000 rounds of brass cased whatever for $300-$400. Assume you shot 2,000 rounds a year (saving $200-400).
Would you be ok replacing your extractor for well under $50, and replacing the entire bolt for less than $100 at the end of the year?
Will it ruin your day if your plinking ammo is 6-8MOA as opposed to 2-4MOA? (How often do we shoot at 100+ yards anyway? I'd rather use my quality HD ammo for that kind of shooting to ensure my zero anyway. I'd bet I shoot less than 50 rounds a year from 100 yards, and often much less).
Will it kill your puppy if you have to take a few minutes on infrequent occasions to clear a few failures to fire, popped primers, or stuck cases while plinking? (By the way, I've shot thousands of rounds of wolf through a 5.56 chamber and never had a stuck case. A friend with a .223 gun has had them on occasion. One more +1 for spending and extra $100 bucks on a quality AR/upper/barrel that has a true 5.56 chamber. This isn't due to cheap ammo being 5.56, but having cartridges out of spec).
I don't have any problem using steel ammo. I do however take it for what its worth - lower quality ammo that I wouldn't use for defense, will be harder on certain parts, and wouldn't use during a training class I've already spent big $$$ to attend (I've paid for the time and I don't want that time being wasted fixing a rifle/clearing malfunctions).
On any occasion you'd find about 1,000 to 2,000 rounds of steel ammo and about only about 300 rounds of quality defense ammo (TAP, MK318) in my safe. As I shoot the good stuff, I replace it so I've always got about 300 rounds that aren't older than a few years.
Steel cased ammo is harder on your extractor.
Most of the steel cased ammo makers have much larger inconsistencies with velocities and MOA.
You're more likely to run into some out of spec cartridges with this stuff.
With all that said, compare 1000 rds of Wolf/Tula/Silver Bear etc at $200, to 1000 rounds of brass cased whatever for $300-$400. Assume you shot 2,000 rounds a year (saving $200-400).
Would you be ok replacing your extractor for well under $50, and replacing the entire bolt for less than $100 at the end of the year?
Will it ruin your day if your plinking ammo is 6-8MOA as opposed to 2-4MOA? (How often do we shoot at 100+ yards anyway? I'd rather use my quality HD ammo for that kind of shooting to ensure my zero anyway. I'd bet I shoot less than 50 rounds a year from 100 yards, and often much less).
Will it kill your puppy if you have to take a few minutes on infrequent occasions to clear a few failures to fire, popped primers, or stuck cases while plinking? (By the way, I've shot thousands of rounds of wolf through a 5.56 chamber and never had a stuck case. A friend with a .223 gun has had them on occasion. One more +1 for spending and extra $100 bucks on a quality AR/upper/barrel that has a true 5.56 chamber. This isn't due to cheap ammo being 5.56, but having cartridges out of spec).
I don't have any problem using steel ammo. I do however take it for what its worth - lower quality ammo that I wouldn't use for defense, will be harder on certain parts, and wouldn't use during a training class I've already spent big $$$ to attend (I've paid for the time and I don't want that time being wasted fixing a rifle/clearing malfunctions).
On any occasion you'd find about 1,000 to 2,000 rounds of steel ammo and about only about 300 rounds of quality defense ammo (TAP, MK318) in my safe. As I shoot the good stuff, I replace it so I've always got about 300 rounds that aren't older than a few years.
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I have wolf, PMC, Tula, Remington, American Eagle, Federal, Lake City. It all shoots good for me.
