Ammo torture test

[phaux]

Neat article I stumbled upon today:

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

[Tannerm]

good lord thats a lot of ammo and a VERY expensive experiment!

[95DRGT]

interesting

[Trip McNeely]

good lord thats a lot of ammo and a VERY expensive experiment!

No shit, in these times I wonder how long it took to save that much ammo up.

[CJ]

I've been waiting for a comprehensive study like this for a long while. What is very evident from the beginning is how wolf and tula are cutting costs. It isn't the steel cases, it's the copper content of the projectiles. They completely ruin a barrel in half the round count because of their harder projectiles. They were smooth bores at 6,000 rounds and keyholing before that. So we can assume at 5,000 rounds your barrel is shot. 5,000 rounds sure isn't a lot of shooting (in my opinion) if you regularly shoot.

[Trip McNeely]

I wonder what a chrome lined AK-47 barrel would look like after the Tula and Wolf?

[inline 6]

What is very evident from the beginning is how wolf and tula are cutting costs. It isn't the steel cases, it's the copper content of the projectiles. They completely ruin a barrel in half the round count because of their harder projectiles.

Are you saying they are skimping on the copper or there is too much?

[GAP]

Are you saying they are skimping on the copper or there is too much?

Not enough, the projectiles need a thicker copper wash. It could be less than a thousandth of an inch.

[CJ]

Are you saying they are skimping on the copper or there is too much?

Lower copper content yielding harder projectiles.

[phaux]

I have a feeling that the smooth boring of the barrel may lay somewhere other than the copper content. I base that on the fact that Cu has a BHN of 35 where as Pb has a BHN of 5, even the hardcore stuff, linotype, only has a BHN of 22.

I would guess the smooth boring may be due to slight inconsistencies in the bullet diameter, over time the bullets being to large or small eventually rub away the barrel. Just one theory. If the copper was too thin I could understand the barrel being leaded out, but in the test the barrel is actually worn out.

[inline 6]

Lower copper content yielding harder projectiles.

Machining both regularly. Yes I machine lead and it's near impossible. It is considerably softer that copper. Why would that wear the barrel out faster? I am really just curious.

[GAP]

Those bullets aren't lead, they have copper washed steel jackets with a lead core.

[phaux]

Those bullets aren't lead, they have copper washed steel jackets with a lead core.

I see... Why do they even go to the trouble of the steel jacket? Why not just lead?

[CJ]

I see... Why do they even go to the trouble of the steel jacket? Why not just lead?

Lead the bore. Gas checks and lead hardening only go so far. People wouldn't buy lead projectiles out of fear. Same reason they brass plate steel. Even with the best possible cast projectile people who advocate cast in AK's always load them very light and never account for barrel heat.