Okay real talk about steel case ammo

[Alan]

My buddy swears by it, says it's fine for practice. My other buddy says it'll destroy my gun. I'm confused. I've run maybe 500 rounds of steel case through my AR and it seems okay? But now I'm paranoid. What's the actual deal here? You guys use steel case or avoid it?

 

[the_leper_colony]

My buddy swears by it, says it's fine for practice. My other buddy says it'll destroy my gun. I'm confused. I've run maybe 500 rounds of steel case through my AR and it seems okay? But now I'm paranoid. What's the actual deal here? You guys use steel case or avoid it?

I found this comparison pretty interesting:

Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo – An Epic Torture Test​

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

It's a few years old, but well worth reading the whole article. Their conclusion seems to be:

"...The steel cases themselves don’t have any effect on the condition of the bore. The difference lies with the projectile. The soft copper jacket of the Federal ammunition simply doesn’t cause the same amount of wear as the bimetal (copper and steel) jacket of the Russian ammunition.

And:

"...If you regularly shoot steel cased ammunition, it might be a good idea to replace your extractor along with your barrel, or at 5000 rounds, whichever comes first..."

So, shooting steel cased ammo apparently isn't a big deal IF you're not putting it in an expensive target rifle, and/or you don't mind installing a new barrel & extractor when they're needed.

One final caution - I think it's wise to inspect all ammunition before loading it in the magazine or firearm. I bought a couple of boxes of foreign steel case ammo about 15 years ago, just to try out, and one of those 40 rounds had the primer smashed into the primer pocket sideways. Didn't give me a whole lot of confidence in that manufacturer's quality control!

 

[Firez]

I use steel ammo for practice, but keep brass for when I'm serious. Steel ammo can be messier and not as accurate, but it hasn't hurt my gun. I just make sure to clean the chamber and extractor often.