Barrel life
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You are currently reading a thread in /k/ - Weapons
You are currently reading a thread in /k/ - Weapons
Here's a question /K/. I've heard it's better for your barrel to shoot brass cartridges as it doesn't wear it down as much as steel. I've also heard the money you save while shooting steel can more than make up for the worn parts that steel makes in your gun. What's your experience?
>>27958416
Not OP but does shooting this bulk stuff in an AK even matter?
>>27958434
If you don't clean, it can corrode the mechanics.
>>27958416
by the time you wear out a barrel you will have spent thousands on ammo
>>27958416
Shoot what you want. Unless you really care about accuracy it doesn't matter.
Dat excessive throat wear...
>>27958441
Okay, but other than that they won't cause any *damage* to the gun?
Cleaning the gun religiously is like changing the cars oil, so I'm not a neglectful faggot.
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/
Read it.
/thread
>>27958470
This, anon beat me to it.
>>27958416
Really depends on the gun you're firing as well. My Tokarev is so fucking agressive it will sheer the brass casings sides constantly, and leave a lot of brass residue/shavings in the break, if i used steel case it would really wear the fuck out of my parts. but on a bolt action or something use whatever, you arent putting a shit load of ammo through it in succession generally, and its a gentle hand force action. But if you're going full auto or even a high capacity semi auto, go brass.
>>27958470
Thank you anon that. That was very helpful
>>27958502
Well primarily for plinking sake I'm using an AR, Glock 19, and M&P .40
>>27958441
>If you don't clean, it can corrode the mechanics.
The thing is not the case so much as the projectile; the case interacts very little with the gun in a way that would cause wear and the steel is very soft. That is not to say that hardness is the sole determining factor on wear or that macro hardness testing like Rockwell is good either; Vickers microhardness testing is much more appropriate.
The important thing is the bullet; if it is a FMJ with a thick copper jacket then it will wear a fair amount less than the thin copper 'wash' (5 micron or so, I believe) that is on the bimetal bullets.
>>27958441
Only if you shoot corrosive,will it corrode your gun.
>>27958502
Aside from this, most of the negatives of shooting a lot of steel kinda cancels itself out. A person shooting for groups isn't going to be using steel anyway so any extra wear however minor wouldn't be and issue, and the guy shooting enough steel to to get throat erosion isn't sitting down with a sandbagged 14lb hair splitter, he's plinking or making shots where fist size is good enough.
This isn't to say steel is inaccurate btw, it's just dirty and some of the propellants burn oddly, this the erosion
>>27958470
So steel is the devil.
Thanks.
>>27958416
if shooting slavshit, who cares. If shooting something else, find cheapass gunstore reloads from a place you can trust. Should be better than steel and dirt cheap.
>>27958763
All ammo is corrosive. "Corrosive" ammo is ammo that uses a primer that leaves corrosive salts when fired. This makes it somewhat more corrosive than other ammo that doesn't use the same primer. However, all ammo is still corrosive and will cause damage if left uncleaned for a length of time. Especially if you live in a wet and humid environment.
>>27958470
Yeah, n=1 is completely useless.
>>27958885
Earths atmosphere is corrosive.
>>27959498
everything in california is cancer
I reload submoa capable 55gr soft points for 10 cents per round less than I could buy tulammo for so I don't bother with steel case crap...
>>27959543
I second this.
>>27959543
>>27959555
how do people do this?
or are you just using primers and powder you bought in bulk a decade ago
>>27959555
Care to post your recipe anonkun?
>>27958470
>that barrel wear from Bimetal jacketed ammo
christ, guess I'll stick to federal
>>27959583
>>27959585
Buy in bulk.
And no.
>>27959603
ar barrels are consumable items just like magazines
>>27958885
Elaborate.
>>27959621
He's talking out of his ass.
>>27959614
My primary .223 rifle is a Vz.58 (canadian), it's not as easy to swap out or get a hold of compared to an AR barrel.
>>27959585
>>27959583
I started right around sandy vagina and just kept picking up supplies when I could get them... The cabelas here has started having pretty sweet deals on powder and primers. Stock up when you see a deal. I figured out with 9mm alone I would "pay for" the press and stuff after 4500 rounds and I'm pretty well beyond that at this point. The biggest cost is projectile so definitely buy those in as big of quantity as you can when you see them cheap.
My go to fun load is a Hornady 55gr SP with 25.0gr H335 and a S&B SRP loaded to cannelure length and a moderate lee factory crimp. I'm getting 3050ish fps out of the 18" and 2850 out of the 14.5"
You do kind of need to have a lot of time on your hands though...
>>27958449
This is the type of person who will own less than $300 worth of firearms and will have only shot less than 50 rounds total on their life time.
>>27959996
> You do kind of need to have a lot of time on your hands though...
This. I've found reloading is only "worth it" by cost if I count my time as free. That's only true if I'm having fun.
>>27959996
You a ct fag?
I think it is more to do with the composition of the projectile jacket materials than the cartridge case
Steel cases probably do cause more wear on the extractor than brass ones do and probably don't provide that good of a gas seal
>>27958416
OP. there are plenty of people on this board who own Nuggets that are beginning to push 100 years old, lived through at least 1 war minimum. Good guns are near indestructible if you take care of them right. Even if you shoot crappy ammo your gun will still outlive you
>>27962043
is correct
>>27962133
If junk scrap steel cased ammo is tougher than your extractor you've got one shitty (presumably American made) rifle
Pistols on the other hand the rim slides underneath the extractor so it's literally no excessive wear compared to brass
![tumblr_miu0ymDe3f1qkfwf2o1_1280[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/i67OOWa.png "tumblr_miu0ymDe3f1qkfwf2o1_1280[1].png")
well if you don't reload the brass and if the steel case isn't corrosive, the math for 5.56mm is that if you replace a barrel twice within 10k rounds of steel case, you are still ahead of 10k rounds of brass case without a barrel replacement
But don't take my word for it:
Pick your economy ammo and your brass ammo of choice. Price it out to X number of rounds fired before you would change the barrel on the steel case ammo. Add the cost of a barrel replacement for steel. Which is ahead?
>>27959603
Read the conclusion, you can shoot wolf ammo and replace your barrel twice in 10,000 rounds and it is still cheaper than federal.
>>27963319
That's great an all if you own an AR and have American ammo prices, but I'm not so fortunate >>27959633
I would much rather spend the extra money and get more life out of my barrel. If I owned an AR though, yeah, I'd shoot wolf all day.
>>27963319
nah, all he sees is "steel is bad ugaa boogaa" and will pay out the wazoo for brass just to plink
The lucky gunner test included naff dumping mag after mag of bimetal ammo. The retarded amount of heat that was involved was no doubt a deciding factor in it.
>>27958441
Dont believe this guy.
>>27958449
Just because you take massive loads down your throats doesnt mean you can talk about firearms.
Steel is fine, but not preferred. It will wear the throat more than brass, however, it'll be thousands of rounds until then.
Shoot it so long as you stay away from anything with a bimetal jacket..
>>27965906
Also, buy once reloaded ammo. It's only a little more than steel cased anyways and has shot flawlessly through my AR. It's the best shit for plinking
>>27964804
This is one of my biggest qualms with their test... Brass is a great heatsink, steel not as much. I wonder what throat erosion would have looked like at a lower rate of fire....
>>27959996
glad to see other people like this recipe as well.
>>27960090
Or if you're reloading an expensive/ hard to find caliber
>>27965918
Second. LAX and freedom munition both have decent brass cased reloads. If you by new, Wolf also sells the gold line, which is pretty good.
>>27968003
I use it too. Same bullet in fact.
>>27958441
Do yourself and the world at large a favor: Don't give advice about something you clearly know fuckall about.
>>27960061
To be devil's advocate here, I own an HK91. Despite steel cased .308 being a shitload cheaper than brass, I'm not going to risk premature wear on my chamber because when it's fucked, it's fucked.
>>27958821
Right, because you are totally going to rapid fire 10,000 rounds of steel cased in one sitting.
>>27958416
I'm beginning to think you guys all just suck at shopping. I see steel cased ammo for 25 cpr on the reg, rarely on sale, but then I buy brass stuff on sale for never more than 30 cpr. What gives. Shop around bitches, buy it on sale
