Wolf Ammo.....Do you shoot it?

[Randall53]

I've got a friend that wants me to go in with him on some 45 cal wolf ammo.  Price ain't bad for the times.  just a shade under 30 bucks for 50 round box.  Problem is, I've never shot wolf.  I'd be shooting in a Glock 30.   Go for it?  or pass?

 

Thanks for any opinions.....

[TrickyNicky]

I shoot it all the time. Some people don't like it because its a bit dirtier than higher quality ammo, some people say the steel cases wear out the gun faster. While that may be true I've never had a problem with it and tend to doubt you will have to worry about the wear factor with your Glock.

Not sure as if that's a good price as I don't have a 45 but if it is I'd jump on it for some range ammo.

[Jason in TN]

I personally do not shoot steel case ammo. I do have several 100 rounds stashed back I bought when it was real cheap. If things get where you can't get ammo steel case will be better than no ammo for sure.

Jason.

[Randall53]

It's suppose to be some kind of Polymar coated casing and be better than the old wolf....don't know.  I'm going for it and see what happens.  I've also got a Ruger P90 that I believe I could shoot nails out of it and it would just smile.....LOL.  I've never found anything it wouldn't shoot.  Thanks for the replys.....I appreciate it.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Randall53

[orientalexpress]

Based on the article on lucky gunner. In 5.56 anyways the bi metal jacket wears the gun out faster. Not the steel casing.

[orientalexpress]

That seems kind a high for wolf. Even in today's market. I can think of 2 places local to me that has rws in stock for less than that.

[Jamie Jackson]

I agree it seems like a high price...but I haven't been looking for .45 acp.

 

I've shot a couple of thousand rounds of "old" Wolf through a Glock 21 I had back in the mid to late 90's...no problems at all.

I've also run about 500 rounds through my 1911 without issues.

 

Wolf, at least historically,has been affordable ammo. Who knows what the "new normal" pricing will be like within the next year or so. :shrug:

[NRA]

no steel and no dirty wolf ammo for me,

[Lumber_Jack]

I have shot it, it's fine, just dirty. No big deal but cleaning takes longer.

The price is way too high for me. Especially since .45 seems to be popping up, where other calibers like 9mm have not.

$15 for 50, I'd consider it

[2006Blackpearl931]

I shoot it all the time. 1000s of rounds down range in several different guns. Never had a problem. The steel case wearing out your gun in an internet myth, nothing more. Now I will say, they shoot at lower pressure than higher quality ammo. And may not be the cleanest, but it's just as clean as Win white box and everybody loves that stuff. That price is a little high. But if you are comfortable with it, go for it. And enjoy your day at the range with it!

[peejman]

What most of them said.  It's dirty and maybe a little soft, but works fine.  Wear would only be a concern if you're shooting multi-thousands of rounds. 

[1gewehr]

Based on the article on lucky gunner. In 5.56 anyways the bi metal jacket wears the gun out faster. Not the steel casing.

 

Just to clarify this.  In their test, they fired many thousands of rounds of steel-case and brass-case 5.56mm ammo.  The findings were that the rifling wears out faster due to the copper-plated mild steel bullet jacket.  The steel cartridge case had no effect on wear.

 

I've fired a bunch of Wolf .45.  The only drawbacks are that it's a bit weak and it's dirty.  For plinking ammo, it's fine. 

[Jonnin]

The only 4 things I have seen actual, believable evidence of with steel ammo causing problems:

 

1) coating buildup -> stuck cases.  Mostly harmless, and largely a symptom of very HOT chambers melting the coating, such as a rapid fired AR.

2) bimetal, as said, is copper over steel over lead, and the rifling bites into the steel and while it is "soft" steel it is still rather abrasive in a barrel  (much more noticable at 3000 fps than at 800 for a 45..!!!)  ---- unsure but I suspect that poly rifling in a glock does not even break the copper jacket and there would be no extra wear in a .45 acp, anyone KNOW for sure?

3) extractor damage.  Mostly, this is created by problem #1 compouded by a steel case (extractor cant cut thru it) and crappy extractors (cheap metal in some brands).

4) Magazine lip damage, from steel on steel.  Nevermind the slow abrasion of normal shooting, what causes problems is a misfeed that gets dragged across the mag lips by the slide, and the hard steel won't give so whichever is stronger damages the other, and usually the steel case wins.

 

 

As you can see, all of these except wearing out your barrel are very minor.  Most companies will send you a free extractor if you break it.  Mag damage does not really hurt the *gun* proper, though mags are not cheap its not a crisis and its a very rare problem anyway.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Jonnin

[Johnny Rotten]

Never shot 45 but I've shot 20000+ of 223/556 rounds, it's dirty, it's not that accurate, it's weak, it goes bang and it's cheap.

[frankmako]

i only use the rifle ammo.  never had any problems.  some what dirty, but who cares about that, clean you gun when done.  as for it wearing out your gun.  i don't think that you will shoot that much, think thousands, like 20 or 30 thousand.   but the price seem high.  even for today standards.

[jeremy155rr]

I see wwb and umc in stores all the time for less than that.  Gander Mtn's box of 250 was ~100 last time I was there (I think).  Little mom and pop box of 50 wwb jhp's was close to 30. 

[Smith]

The only 4 things I have seen actual, believable evidence of with steel ammo causing problems:

 

1) coating buildup -> stuck cases.  Mostly harmless, and largely a symptom of very HOT chambers melting the coating, such as a rapid fired AR.

2) bi-metal, as said, is copper over steel over lead, and the rifling bites into the steel and while it is "soft" steel it is still rather abrasive in a barrel  (much more noticeable at 3000 fps than at 800 for a 45..!!!)  ---- unsure but I suspect that poly rifling in a glock does not even break the copper jacket and there would be no extra wear in a .45 acp, anyone KNOW for sure?

3) extractor damage.  Mostly, this is created by problem #1 compounded by a steel case (extractor cant cut thru it) and crappy extractors (cheap metal in some brands).

4) Magazine lip damage, from steel on steel.  Nevermind the slow abrasion of normal shooting, what causes problems is a mis-feed that gets dragged across the mag lips by the slide, and the hard steel won't give so whichever is stronger damages the other, and usually the steel case wins.

 

 

As you can see, all of these except wearing out your barrel are very minor.  Most companies will send you a free extractor if you break it.  Mag damage does not really hurt the *gun* proper, though mags are not cheap its not a crisis and its a very rare problem anyway.

 

"Coating buildup" is another internet myth. There have been a few reports of cases that get stuck in the chamber. The cause for that is not the coatings. It is because the steel being a bit harder than brass doesn't always expand as well. If you have a chamber that has a slight imperfection combined with the steel expansion, it can leave a gap where carbon leaks back though in the chamber and the subsequent cases gets flash "welded"  into the carbon buildup in the chamber.

 

I believe these reports to be wildly exaggerated and overly repeated as most internet myths seem to be. The only guns that seem to have consistent issues are DPMS. I attribute that to quality control of DPMS more than Wolf.  

 

As to wear, if a soft steel case wears your chamber then you need a better gun. The bi-metal bullet I can see wearing the barrel more, but again we are talking about taking the life expectancy from 50,000 rnds to 45,000 IMO.  ;)

 

I've shot Wolf Classic/Poly/Military almost exclusively in over 10 AR's and dozens of AK's and I've never had a problem. Everything from a Del-Ton to a POF.

 

It's dirtier but as others have said, no more than WWB or Blazer.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Smith

[Johnny Rotten]

maybe he's talking about lacquer coating, poly coating I don't think so. 

I do agree with metal mags and steel case ammo, the bullet doesn't advance fast enough on FA.

[Smith]

Just came across this. Now it isn't "real world" shooting but gives a pretty good idea of the differences. http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/#/

[gregintenn]

I've shot it in several calibers. I've seen acceptable accuracy with it, and experienced 100% reliability. I prefer the newer coating to the sticky laquer they once used. $30 per 50 sure sound high to me, but I usually load my own, and haven't bought any in quite some time.

[kieefer]

no steel and no dirty wolf ammo for me,

Same here.

[Randall53]

Actually, y'all helped a lot. I got online and found several sites that was cheaper. Like up to 10 bucks cheaper......I'm not really hurting since I've got 300 rounds of Remington ball......think I'll just wait the dry spell out a while longer and see what happens.

I really do appreciate the input!

[Oh Shoot]

Brass, steel, aluminum, Wolf, Bear, Possum, whatever, if it goes bang I'll shoot it.

 

- OS

[Sidinman]

Brass, steel, aluminum, Wolf, Bear, Possum, whatever, if it goes bang I'll shoot it.

 

- OS

Yeah, what he said!