Russian ammo: will it make your gun go boom?

[CMichael]

I have a Sig P220, at the gun store I asked for 500 rounds of 45 acp ammo. I wasn't paying attention what kind.

As I was leaving two employees saw that I was buying russian ammo and warned me against it. They said that the steel casings can damage the gun.

I also got an email from Sig Sauer saying not to use the steel ammo as it will damage the gun, and significantly reduce the lifespan of the gun.

I called Sig Sauer as well, and they said basically the same thing.

I also called Glock, and the person said that the russian ammo should not damage the glocks.

There have been numerous reports of russian ammo causing, squibs, misfires, and even causing guns to explode.

I shot 3 boxes of the Tula ammo and I had numerous misfires with it in my Sig. I never had misfires before with that gun. Fortunatately, the store refunded me the other 7 boxes.

I also learned that the russian ammo may work better in rifles because they have stronger firing pin strikes and looser chambers.

What do you think of russian ammo?

Thank you,

 

[espnazi]

If your not into reloading I say steel ammo is fine for practice.
There is no proof that steel case will make your gun explode or be damaged although it may be a little rougher on the extractor.

 

[Jo6pak]

Main issue I see with steel cased ammo is that it is harder on extrators, and extractor springs.

I shoot steel cased 5.56 almost exclusivley through my DR200, never had an issue with it.
But I've seen several pistol extrators break when using the steel cases cartridges

 

[SSgt Facebreaker]

My P220 doesnt like lacquer-coated steel cased ammo, but the uncoated Wolf (I think it's called Military Special) worked fine for the 600 rounds of it that I purchased. Both of my AR-15s gobble up steel cased ammo as fast as I can reload magazines.

 

[CMichael]

If your not into reloading I say steel ammo is fine for practice.
There is no proof that steel case will make your gun explode or be damaged although it may be a little rougher on the extractor.

I think the problem is that they can lead to squibs which can lead to explosions.

 

[espnazi]

I have seen no prove that Russian/steel ammo can lead to a squib, unless there is some serious issues with QC I wouldn't worry. When i shot Russian steel cased ammo in my AR the only difference i could notice was that it left the rifle a bit dirtier.

 

[CMichael]

What about handguns?

Sig said not to use such ammo, and it created many misfires when I tried to use it.

 

[m&p45acp10+1]

Almost all I have fired in my P-64 has been steel cased Wolf Military classic. I can get it cheaper than the components to reload for it. Over 1k rounds no problem. I have shot the Wolf stuff in my S&W M&P without a single problem (about 350 rounds). I shoot it when ever I am someplace I know I will loose the brass, or they get antsy panty about me picking it up.

 

[Mosinnagant]

............

all the russain ammo i have ever shot went bang the first time (most all of it rifle ammo) but your mileage may vary

 

[44 AMP]

If you buy cheap foreign made ammo, because it's cheap, don't be surprised if it turns out to be less than the best quality stuff!

Some Russian ammo is functionally flawless, some is not. Roll the dice and take your chances.

Personally, when I buy and use ammo that I don't make myself, I prefer American brands. That way, if something does go drastically wrong (unlikely), Both the ammo maker and I will be operating under the same law.
Consider that.

Also consider that to save a few cents per round, you are sending even more money out of the country. I realize that some of us are on very tight budgets these days, but I think that supporting the domestic industry, even at a slightly higher cost is worth it in the long run.

 

[raftman]

The vast majority of the ammo I ever use is Russian steel-cased. I've never had any problems. I've lost count thousands of rounds ago of how many steel-cased rounds have been through my Saiga and there's been no harm to the gun whatsoever and the reliability has been 100%. None of my other AK's (nor my SKS or Vz.58) have ever had any trouble with steel-cased ammo. I've fired steel-cased Wolf .308 through a CETME before as well, it digested it all without issue. As for pistols... my Makarov, P-64, and CZ-82 all fired steel-cased ammo almost exclusively, also with total reliability and without any damage to the firearms. For my non-Eastern Bloc pistols I do prefer brass-cased, just to be on the safe side, but I've occasionally fired steel-cased ammo through them as well. I've once fired a box of Ulyanovsk steel-cased FMJ through my Kahr CW9, which fired it all reliably and suffered no harm, and I've shot a 100 rounds of Wolf 9mm FMJ through my 98DAC, again totally problem free. The only gun I've got that I've never fired any steel-cased ammo through is my Kel-Tec. Something tells me that it wouldn't do well.

 

[Te Anau]

I also got an email from Sig Sauer saying not to use the steel ammo as it will damage the gun, and significantly reduce the lifespan of the gun.
I called Sig Sauer as well, and they said basically the same thing.

Well,I guess I would be careful with it in your Sig then.My Hi-Point has never had a problem with Russian steel cased ammo.

 

[CMichael]

 

[Average Joe]

Check out the price for a new extractor, opposed to buying brass ammo. But , honestly , after all the years of shooting steel cased ammo, I have never worn out an extractor like everybody says it will do....

 

[Doc TH]

Russian steel cased ammo

My son had an extractor on his Steyr AUG torn off with Russian ammo. Not an expensive event, but very inconvenient at the beginning of a day of shooting, and in some potential circumstances could be a major problem.
The only gun in which I shoot Russian ammo is a Russian SKS - never a problem, tho the accuracy is less than with US made commercial ammo.
I have no interest in testing out Russian ammo in other guns.