# steel case?



## faststang90 (Apr 8, 2013)

i got some 9mm steel and some people are saying it will not work in my gun some says it will. my gun is a px4 9mm. then i read where you just need to clean the gun more when using steel. i clean my gun every time i use it. so cleaning it is not that big of a deal.


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## muckaleewarrior (Aug 10, 2014)

I've never bought that cheap steel ammo, even when that was all available. I've heard though some guns don't like it.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Modern steel-case ammunition seems to be coated with some sort of varnish-like substance, to retard corrosion.
Since the chamber of your gun gets warm when you fire it, the varnish-like stuff melts off of the case and onto the chamber's wall.
If you don't clean this stuff out of your gun's chamber, eventually you may experience jams, or other failures to feed or extract.
A tight chamber will be affected more, and more quickly, than will a loose chamber.

Some people feel that steel-case ammunition "wears out" the gun's chamber more quickly than does brass.
Since the steel is pretty soft, so that the case seals the chamber upon firing just as brass does, I am not sure that this is true.
(I am also not sure that anybody has fired enough steel-case ammunition yet, to really know.)
It may be that the pesky varnish-like stuff picks up and holds onto abrasive dirt and dust from the environment, and it is that which erodes a chamber unduly.


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## faststang90 (Apr 8, 2013)

i found a thing were they shot 10,000 and only had a few problems. it said you just need to clean your gun. i clean mine every time i use it so thats no big deal


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

I noticed in a reloading manual the statement that steel cases are reloadable. Wondering about the fine points.


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## Scorpion8 (Jan 29, 2011)

I've shot lots of Wolf steel-cased 9mm ammo in some of my older military-grade handguns and have never had a problem with any sort of failures. Never noticed a varnish build-up either, but then I haven't shot case-loads at a time in a combat-situation. If you're headed to the range with 200 rounds or so just to stay in practice then I wouldn't give it another thought.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

hillman said:


> I noticed in a reloading manual the statement that steel cases are reloadable. Wondering about the fine points.


I have quite a few WW2, G.I. steel, .45 ACP cases. I reload 'em regularly.
I strongly suggest, though, that they be resized in a carbide die. Even then, a little lubrication helps.


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## faststang90 (Apr 8, 2013)

sold 800 of them. going to see if the others work in my gun before i sell or trade any more


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## Spike12 (Dec 10, 2008)

Be careful with combloc ammo. A lot of it doesn't always meed SAAMI specs. Yes there are stories of it jamming in the breach but those stories seem to be centered around ARs or other semiautos that get quite hot. Usually the case head is ripped off and trip to the gunsmith is next. 

Getting reloaded is quite new to me.

Personally, spending big bucks on a gun then feeding it the cheapest junk ammo I can find and risking the gun never made sense to me. Your average combloc stuff may go bang with regularity but groups and home defense is another story.



Breach wear has always been a concern. I don't see how you can run a piece of steel in/out of a breach and not expect to have more wear than doing the same thing with a softer metal like brass.


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## faststang90 (Apr 8, 2013)

im not sure if im going to use any in my px4. i think im going to just hold on to it untill i dont have any other ammo. i mainly use my shot gun at the range. i traded the 800 for about 350 OO buckshot.


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