Steel cased rifle ammo the norm in the future?

[Come and take it.]

I recently discovered that Hornady was not loading their TAP ammo into steel cases. I wonder if American ammunition makers are going to slowly wean us off of brass cased ammo.

It took a while before American car companies jumped on the Rice Rocket wagon after the Japanese came out with them.

I wonder if the same thing will happen with steel cased ammo as American ammo makers stand back and watch the improvements in the case designs.

Will the day come when the military may adopt steel cased ammo to save money?

 

[Scorch]

IMO, there are as many drawbacks to steel cased ammo as there are advantages to brass cased ammo. There may be a day when the military moves to steel cased ammo, but they would have to move to manufacturing all their own ammunition because the specialized equipment currently in use within the industry is not suitable for forming steel cases.

 

[stubbicatt]

Rice Rocket Bandwagon?

 

[Skans]

If more steel cased ammo makes ammo prices more competitive, I say GO FOR IT!!!

I'm not a long range target shooter. I tend to go through a lot of ammo per range visit. All of my guns handle the steel cased stuff just fine. At one time brass was dirt cheap and the only stuff that worked reasonably well, and that's mainly why it was used. I see no reason why a soft steel alloy can't be roughly as good as brass. The more manufactures that get in the steel-cased ammo game, the better the quality that steel cases will become.

 

[freakshow10mm]

If the future of shooting means using steel cases, I'll sell all my guns and go BP only. I would never ever put steel cases in my guns.

 

[Skans]

I wouldn't be surprised if plastic doesn't replace steel - we may all be shooting polymer cased ammo in 5 years.

 

[SPUSCG]

If steeles gonna replace brass, im going to load up on as much brass ammo in every caliber i plan to own as i can,

 

[koolminx]

The 1970's fuel fiasco, CONGRESS and the American economy was what brought about American auto companies producing smaller cars... Had NOTHING to do with Ricers....

 

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

None of the ammo I buy is steel cased other than the cheap Russian ammo I feed to my mosin... I sure don't see a rising tide of steel cased ammo...

 

[Come and take it.]

The 1970's fuel fiasco, CONGRESS and the American economy was what brought about American auto companies producing smaller cars

I see a pattern.

 

[NWPilgrim]

Interesting question.

Since the military doesn't re-use its brass it would seem they could cut their ammo costs in half by going to steel cases.

I've never seen a discussion of the pros/cons of brass versus steel cases ignoring the re-usability factor of brass. Does a steel case seal the chamber as well as a brass case, or at least well enough? Does the steel in the case cause any significant additional wear to the chamber, extractor, ejector?

Lots of guys shoot steel cased .223 through their AR15s with seemingly no extra wear issues.

If the military did go to steel cased ammo then I'm sure once the manufacturers acquired the proper equipment they would use it for much of the commercial market as well. There would still be a sizeable market for brass cases for reloaders, target shooters, and "traditionalist" hunters.

But I could certainly see the "one use" consumer appeal of steel cased ammo if it is nearly equivalent to brass and is half the cost.

 

[Slamfire]

I've never seen a discussion of the pros/cons of brass versus steel cases ignoring the re-usability factor of brass. Does a steel case seal the chamber as well as a brass case, or at least well enough? Does the steel in the case cause any significant additional wear to the chamber, extractor, ejector

There is a lot less copper in this world than iron. It is due to cost considerations that steel cased ammo is so common.

Making a steel case is more difficult than brass, but neither are exactly "easy" to make.

The military made lots of steel case cannon ammo.

I believe breech friction goes up when you have steel on steel. There are various techniques, such as lacquer, copper wash, grease, all designed to ease extraction.

 

[sc928porsche]

Strange, Ive never had any problems reloading steel cases. The aluminum blazer is another story. Before the 762x54r brass cases were readily available, I used the steel ones and they worked fine. They were berdan primed so decaping and priming was a little more difficult, but resizing wasnt a problem as long as you used proper lube.

 

[L_Killkenny]

If the future of shooting means using steel cases, I'll sell all my guns and go BP only. I would never ever put steel cases in my guns.

If steeles gonna replace brass, im going to load up on as much brass ammo in every caliber i plan to own as i can,

BIG + 1 on both of these. But for the record, I'll bet lots and lots of money that we will see a ban on most ammo before we see a majority of ammo being steel case. And I don't think we'll see a ban on ammo anytime soon if that tells you what I think of this internet rumor.

Also note that the Op stated "WAS NOT loading their TAP ammo into steel cases". Doesn't this mean they are loading them into brass?

LK

 

[Flatbush Harry]

TAP® FPDTM
Personal protection demands superior ammunition.
Protecting the safety and security of your family requires ammunition that is accurate, deadly and dependable.

Hornady ammunition is the brand of choice for tactical teams, snipers and police officers throughout the world because it performs flawlessly. Now you can have the same reliable ammunition technology for your personal defense needs.

Hornady’s family of TAP® FPD™ ammo is superior tactical ammunition designed specifically for protection from deadly threats. TAP® FPD™ is engineered to deliver reliable and consistent performance every single time.

FEATURES:

1). Loaded with Hornady bullets that deliver the terminal performance law enforcement and military professionals have trusted for years.

2). Silver nickel cases eliminate the potential for corrosion,
improve feeding in all firearms, and are easily visible in low light conditions.

3). Propellents are engineered to protect your
night vision by minimizing muzzle flash.

4). TAP® FPD™ Buckshot Ammo produces the tightest patterns of any buckshot on the market.


Regardless of what OP meant to say about TAP, Hornady uses silver nickel for its cases.

FH

 

[Flatbush Harry]

For the non-investing public, copper has been on a tear lately, one which will likely continue. Since brass is, roughly, a 90/10 copper/tin alloy, brass and ammo will be pricier in the near future.

FH

 

[lmccrock]

Regardless of what OP meant to say about TAP, Hornady uses silver nickel for its cases.

Hornady makes lower cost steel case TAP loads for "training". It does not replace the other TAP products.

Featuring our 55 grain FMJ-BT or 75 grain BTHP bullet, Hornady® 223 Rem. TAP® Training™ ammunition compliments the current TAP® carbine duty rounds by delivering comparable, yet economical ammunition for law enforcement training. Utilizing efficient production processes and quality lacquer-coated steel cases...

Lee

 

[Come and take it.]

Why do they call it training ammo if it uses the same bullet?

 

[lmccrock]

Cheaper. Train with cheaper ammo with the same ballistics then deploy the good stuff (i.e., brass).

Lee

 

[Trigger Time]

Don't forget the lawyers!

Steel can spark. Brass won't. I don't think this matters in the real world, but steel case + lawyer + insurance premium will limit it's manufacture in this country. At least I hope.