yet another brass vs steel question

[RuStYpNuS]

A guy recently told me that im stupid if i shoot steel cased ammo because and i quote "when the bullet goes off there is 50,000 psi in the chamber and the steel expands and eventually causes the chamber to be bigger which basically means its trash, will never be accurate, and rounds wont fit snug in it anymore"

I know steel is dirtier to shoot than brass......and i know brass is softer/cleaner

Heres my logic lol.

Brass and steel are both metals, brass being softer wouldnt it logically expand more than the steel?

Is this dude a complete fucking moron or am i just missing something and im not saying i agree with his theory either just trying to shit on it if at all possible just so he will shut the hell up

[Brandon-k]

The dude is a complete moron and shouldn't be giving advice about firearms. The steel doesn't expand much (if at all), causing more gas to escape into the chamber and into the upper and lower portion of the weapon, producing that nasty black gunk that running steel cases creates a lot of. However...on a .223 chambered rifle, the likelihood of stuck cases grows. On a 5.56 chambered upper you shouldn't have any problems until you get a buildup of that gunk that's blowing by the case in the chamber. Takes 300-500 rounds for my gun to start sucking on cases like that....so I usually only put a couple hundred rounds of steel cased down the pipe at any given shooting event.

Only time I've seen issues is with .223 chambers or out of spec 5.56 chambers. Feed her a couple boxes and let me know how she likes it.

[CJ]

A guy recently told me that im stupid if i shoot steel cased ammo because and i quote "when the bullet goes off there is 50,000 psi in the chamber and the steel expands and eventually causes the chamber to be bigger which basically means its trash, will never be accurate, and rounds wont fit snug in it anymore"

I know steel is dirtier to shoot than brass......and i know brass is softer/cleaner

Heres my logic lol.

Brass and steel are both metals, brass being softer wouldnt it logically expand more than the steel?

Is this dude a complete fucking moron or am i just missing something and im not saying i agree with his theory either just trying to shit on it if at all possible just so he will shut the hell up

Don't take advice from him anymore. The only real difference is the steel is considerably less resistant to corrosion. Also, since steel is cheaper it usually has cheaper powders which are much dirtier. On the Rockwell scale both Brass and mild steel rate about the same, so they have no adverse effects from a chambering perspective. As for the expanding part, yes steel does expand - so does brass. This is completely normal, the metal will then contract immediately after discharge and be pulled free by the extractor. Brass will expand and contract many times more than steel, meaning it can be reloaded several times, unlike steel.

[ceyko]

Brass will expand and contract many times more than steel, meaning it can be reloaded several times, unlike steel.

Damn it, such common sense crap makes more sense when you read it then think it.

[Machx2]

A guy recently told me that im stupid if i shoot steel cased ammo because and i quote "when the bullet goes off there is 50,000 psi in the chamber and the steel expands and eventually causes the chamber to be bigger which basically means its trash, will never be accurate, and rounds wont fit snug in it anymore"

I know steel is dirtier to shoot than brass......and i know brass is softer/cleaner

Heres my logic lol.

Brass and steel are both metals, brass being softer wouldnt it logically expand more than the steel?

Is this dude a complete fucking moron or am i just missing something and im not saying i agree with his theory either just trying to shit on it if at all possible just so he will shut the hell up

omg lol. yeah don't listen to him.

[94StangFiveO]

I have gone through close to 1000 rounds of steel cased ammo the past couple of range trips. The only issues I had were once the gun was dirty from 300-400 rounds, I let it sit for 10-15 minutes, load up another mag and fire. The case didn't extract. I sprayed some CLP, let it drip out and then went and shot another couple hundred with no issues. Just keep the Rifle cleaned before/after and spray a little lube while shooting. And mine's a 5.56 chamber shooting .223.

[Nick M]

If all you wanna do is go to the range and bang away steel is fine.
The worst thing about steel case is the inaccuracy. Steel doesn't expand like brass to form that tight seal in the chamber when fired causing some oscillation in the bullet that will open up your groups. Common sense will tell you steel is the harder of the two therefore any part that makes direct contact will wear out quicker.

I'd say 90% of all the malfunctions I see are with steel ammo but some of that is due to a lack of maintenance.

[CJ]

If all you wanna do is go to the range and bang away steel is fine.
The worst thing about steel case is the inaccuracy. Steel doesn't expand like brass to form that tight seal in the chamber when fired causing some oscillation in the bullet that will open up your groups. Common sense will tell you steel is the harder of the two therefore any part that makes direct contact will wear out quicker.

I'd say 90% of all the malfunctions I see are with steel ammo but some of that is due to a lack of maintenance.

Steel cases are extremely soft mild steel, they are very close to brass in hardness. And much softer than any of the 4140 hardened steel in firearms. There won't be any excessive wear that's even measurable on your firearms. Steel seals just as well as brass,.some argue better due to the new polymer and lacquer coatings, which are there primarily to solve that problem and increase reliability. The primary cause of jams with steel ammo is the cases expanding so much they don't contract enough and jam. And I've seen some real nasty jams.

[RuStYpNuS]

Steel cases are extremely soft mild steel, they are very close to brass in hardness. And much softer than any of the 4140 hardened steel in firearms. There won't be any excessive wear that's even measurable on your firearms. Steel seals just as well as brass,.some argue better due to the new polymer and lacquer coatings, which are there primarily to solve that problem and increase reliability. The primary cause of jams with steel ammo is the cases expanding so much they don't contract enough and jam. And I've seen some real nasty jams.

How does one clear said jams?

[ThreeFingerPete]

How does one clear said jams?

By engaging with your sidearm until you can get to cover.

[Brandon-k]

How does one clear said jams?

CLP and a bore rod.

[RuStYpNuS]

By engaging with your sidearm until you can get to cover.

Touché

Lol

[Dacotua]

When you fire a gun with Brass, the brass will swell and fill the chamber completely. forcing the gas and bullet down the barrel.

When you fire a gun with steel casing, the steel will expand partially, not completely sealing the chamber. You will get some back blast into your chamber because the steel doesn't completely seal. This COULD result in your chamber eroding quicker. Yet this would probably take thousands of rounds to do.

One BAD thing about steel, is that the back blast will build up carbon in your chamber. This isn't a bad thing if you CLEAN YOUR GUN after shooting it. If you are lazy and don't, DO NOT SHOOT BRASS THROUGH IT UNTIL YOU DO. The carbon can grab brass shells and get stuck like chuck.

[Moose242]

The biggest disadvantage to steel cased ammo I have found is that it makes you look like a cheap ass.

[94StangFiveO]

The biggest disadvantage to steel cased ammo I have found is that it makes you look like a cheap ass.

Who cares?