Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo – An Epic Torture Test

[RobertNashville]

I thought this was pretty interesting!

 

 

There are two major types of centerfire rifle cartridges available on the market today:

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• Those which are loaded with steel, and
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• Those which are loaded with brass
• 
  

This seemingly simple variation has caused a never ending stream of argument, discussion, speculation, and questioning from new and seasoned shooters alike.  Complicating the conversation are other variables that typically get lumped into the argument without proper segmentation, such as:

• 
  
• The different coating options available on the steel-cased ammo (lacquer or polymer)
• 
  
• The different projectile loadings available (copper jacketed lead, the bi-metal coating that most Russian manufacturers use, etc)
• 
  
• The different propellant (gunpowder) burn rates
• 
  

Our team decided to try something ambitious and daunting:  to provide the best resource and data available to answer these questions once and for all through objective experimentation and observation....

 

 

 

 

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

 

[piercedan]

I watched the video.  Pretty convincing to stick to the good stuff.

[1gewehr]

Ahh, but the final conclusion is that the steel-cased ammo is still cheaper to shoot, even if you replace the barrel and extractor every 5000rds.  And most reliability problems with the Brown Bear were traced to carbon build-up in the gas system.  At the bottom of the article, you can see that the main problem with the steel-cased ammo was not the steel cases, but the different type of powder used.  The Russian ammo had a different pressure curve which caused accelerated wear on the 16" barrel carbines used.  And the bi-metal bullet jackets did cause the barrels to wear out much faster compared to normal copper jackets.

[mikegideon]

Good piece.

[nightrunner]

Still cant be reloaded as easily as brass.

[mikegideon]

Most can't be reloaded at all. You can't decap a Berdan primed case with any die I know of. Just ain't worth it

[Jonnin]

Most can't be reloaded at all. You can't decap a Berdan primed case with any die I know of. Just ain't worth it

people do it.  Not usually for 223, but people do it.  What a pain in the rear it is, and mostly, its done for obsolete calibers where there is nothing else.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Jonnin

[mikegideon]

people do it.  Not usually for 223, but people do it.  What a pain in the rear it is, and mostly, its done for obsolete calibers where there is nothing else.

 

In my mind, if I reload, there's no reason to shoot steel. I have a couple thousand rounds of Wolf right now, but probably won't buy any more of it. I'm swimming in Lake City brass too, and am happy to just work with that going forward.

 

BTW... "at all" isn't technically correct. I can see it with obsolete calibers if it's the only way. I've read about folks blowing them out with water pressure and other time consuming stuff.

Edited January 10, 2013 by mikegideon

[Jonnin]

Im with you, its too much trouble.  Some people are much more stubborn than we are, though.

[UncleJak]

While I prefer brass, I do have some steel cased rounds.  Reading this makes me not feel bad using them at times.