New to the AK.  Looking to bulk up my supply, but I noticed a wide range of pricing between common steel-cased Wolf/Tula and the rarer brass offerings...up to several times more per round!

 

Generally I stick to all brass for my smaller rounds, but some have posted on other forums that the AK will chew up whatever is put in it (in a good way).  One guy said it like this:

For AK, all steel

For AR, sometimes steel

For pistol, never steel

 

I don't plan on any heavy usage, mainly range plinking, but the steel makes me nervous.  I understand that steel wears out the barrel/ejector/whatever faster, but those who preach against steel tend to be really vocal about it, from what I read.

 

Somebody else worked out that the cost savings would pay for the replacement hardware after around 1000 rounds.

 

So do I order a case of Wolf or start saving for a future brass caseload?

For my AK, it's all steel:  Wolf, Tula, and some other one that I don't know the name.  AR's tend to have problems with accumulating the lacquer that's used on the casings, but AK's seem to be OK with anything.

 

That's just my experience, but perhaps someone with more knowledge can comment otherwise.

I have shot plenty of wolf and tula steel case through a few SKS rifles I own and have never had any problems at all. I have never shot steel case .223 through my AR type rifle, but I have personally witnessed two different shooters get steel cases jammed in the chambers of their AR type rifles that had to be forcefully pushed out with a cleaning rod! I wont use steel in an AR type rifle, but think its fine for an SKS or AK type. Others may have different results/opinions. I personally stick to brass cases for my pistols as well.

I always shoot steel out of my AK.  I prefer Golden Tiger when it's available, then wolf, tula, etc...  Brass cased rounds in an AK is a waste of extra money IMO

 

The cheaper the better!

Steel Case ALL day long with an AK.

You get what you pay for.  AK and cheap steel fodder go together like cake and ice cream.  Just don't expect too much from it.  Can you shoot steel in an AR, hell yes! Don't be mixing the brass and steel cased without a good cleaning in between and you'll be fine.  Steel does not flex like brass so it does not seal tightly in the chamber allowing some blow by back into the chamber area. This along with the dirty powders used creates crud everywhere hence the chrome lined barrels, etc.  If you what to plink away with your AK then by all means steel case is your answer. To me, anything above that requires brass cased.  I have shot my fair share of Kali rifles and steel ammo, anybody remember $75.00 1200 round cases of steel cased Norinco ammo and to tell you the truth it was fun at the time.  Now not at all.  But to each his own, go and blast away and enjoy it while you got it.  Wolf, Golden Tiger, and one the 'bear' ammo seems to perform better than Tula is what I hear on the street.  I dropped the AK/SKS line 3 years ago, just got tired of it, no appeal anymore.

Ive shot about 1k rds of steel thru a couple ars, but not all steel ammo is created equal. Heres what I use. Match bullet/powder in a steel case.

 

http://www.hornadyle.com/products/rifle-ammunition/223-remington/55-gr-fmj-bt-training

Twice I had a steel cased .223 jam in the chamber of my AR. Ended my AR shooting for both days. Never again will I go to the range without a brass ram rod. And never again will I shoot steel case ammo in my AR.

 

I have used Steel cased 9mm in my Beretta 92 without any issues.

 

I will only shoot steel out of my SKS.

So it looks like I'll pick up some Wolf for the AK and stick with my brass for all the others.

 

Twice I had a steel cased .223 jam in the chamber of my AR. Ended my AR shooting for both days. Never again will I go to the range without a brass ram rod. And never again will I shoot steel case ammo in my AR.

 

I have used Steel cased 9mm in my Beretta 92 without any issues.

 

I will only shoot steel out of my SKS.

 

RO actually yelled at me for shooting steel case in my 92.  He said it would jam and blow up and everyone would die within a mile radius.  So I called Beretta the next day and asked them about it.  They said steel was fine as long as it comes in a box, and that the RO was full of poop. 

 

I made up the dying part, but he was pissed that I was polluting his resale rates on the brass sweepings.

What is a "good" brass cased round?

I've used the following brass cased 7.62x39 ammo without issue:

 

1. Hornady 

2. Geco

3. American Eagle

4. Sellier & Bellot

 

I bought a couple boxes of each when I couldn't easily find steel case ammo online. I can't say that any of them were worth the extra cost of the brass casing

The only thing I find you have to watch is the bimetallic or copper washed jackets with steel cased x39 as that's a no-go for certain indoor ranges