A very informative ammo test on casing types and AR performance/wear:
Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test (http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/)
Thought it would help people with that "should I run steel" decision when $ and availability are low.
O0
Thanks. That's the best article I've seen on the matter. I appreciate their ability to remain objective and lay out both sides of the argument. Nicely done.
techres,
Do you have a link to that steel splatter thread on INGO. I tried to find it and can't. I thought I had bookmarked it.
[http://ingunowners.com/forums/general_firearms_discussion/249168-fragmentation_patterns_off_of_steel_targets_pic_heavy.html]Fragmentation Patterns Off Of Steel Targets - (Pic heavy) [INGO][/url]
That answers a lot of questions, thanks.
Of particular note, I think, would be the barrel life of those rifles that were firing the steel-cased ammo. *Most* steel cased ammo comes with a bi-metallic (steel/copper) projectile, and in this torture test, it was proven to negatively impact the accuracy of the rifles due to premature barrel wear.
Quote from: from the linked articleAs indicated by accuracy testing, the steel cased/bimetal jacketed ammunition caused accelerated wear to the inside of their respective bores. While the barrel of the Federal carbine had plenty of life left, even after 10,000 rounds at extremely high rates of fire, the Wolf and Brown Bear barrels were subjected to the same rates of fire and were completely "shot out" by 6,000 rounds.
At the end of the test, the chrome lining of the Wolf and Brown Bear barrels was almost gone from the throat forward, and the barrels had effectively become smoothbores, with the rifling near the muzzles acting only as a mild suggestion on the projectiles. A throat erosion gauge could be dropped into the bore from the muzzle end with absolutely no resistance.