[ULVER]

I had a bud bump up to a Mini-30, and was nice enough to give me 1000 rds. of WOLF .223, he had left. He says he never had a prob with Wolf, except for one FTF.

I curious:

1/Will a 1000 rds. of steel cased ammo, cause any damage to my Mini? I've been told no.

2/I hear the sealant once the gun is hot, can melt, and jam the chamber. Does this happen often? How many rounds can be fired per minute, to avoid this problem having a chance of occuring?

Thanks for the imput!!!

 

[cajungeo]

Ulver, if you use the search button, and enter wolf ammo, many posts on this subject will come up. your keywords will be in RED.

 

[Satan2655]

Quick answer, again...
1/ NO
2/ Never had a problem myself, 1000 rounds of Wolf in about 1.5 hours once. I usually clean every other time I go to the range. Never saw a build-up of any kind.

 

[oosk]

I agreee with the Wolf and NO problem.Fired several thousand rounds of it and had no problems. Used Wolf .45 in my Thompson and it can burn 50 rounds in about 2.5 seconds. No build up or wear. My mini and AR15 use Wolf. And like feeding on it.

Mike
http://mikesmachineguns.homestead.com/Mike...achineGuns.html

 

[GREYBEAR]

ULVER,I've been using Wolf .223 just to plink simply because it's the least expensive out there. I've gone through over 1000 rounds withno problem. Just clean out the barrel when you finish, the easiest way that I found to clean upafter shooting takes only a few minutes. This is take out the trigger group, spray it, the inside of the barrel, the reciever and action area with BIRCHWOOD-CASEY Gunscrubber. Clean out the bore with a bore snake,use which ever brand you want,it's quick and easy, then lightly spray with a lubricant, I use WD-40, until I get home. the few minutes I take at the range after shooting does save me some time at home.
For the Wolf Ammo, there usually is no problem, just the accuracy.

 

[Ponyboy]

I've ran several hundred rounds of Wolf through my registered receiver Mini14 machinegun without any problems, and that thing got damn hot. I had no FTFs and I saw no gumming up of the chamber while putting out about 10rds/second.

Also, I advise against using WD40 on any firearm. It is not a lubricant and is designed as a water displacement, hence the WD. It attracts dirt and grime and as it gets older and dries out it leaves a gummy residue when mixed with the dirt turns into a sandpaper like mixture that can actual cause premature wear on the parts. Use oil that was designed for using on guns at high temps and you'll be much better off in the long run.

 

[cajungeo]

Amen on not using WD-40. In about 2 weeks it becomes an adhesive.

 

[GREYBEAR]

Thanks for the info on the WD-40, I didn't know, Ijust used it as a quick lube. Won't do it again.

 

[w30olds]

I've shot several hundred rounds of wolf and never had a problem. I use it in my AK all the time and haven't had a moments trouble with it. Happy shooting.

Andy

 

[mikr]

About the only thing that I can add is that the Wolf ammo is generally underloaded, and you know that it is steel and case-lacquered, so, it is basically whatever floats your boat. If you got it, and don't have any problem with it-use it.

If you'd like, check out http://www.ammo-oracle.com/:ar15:

 

[mikr]

Or more specifically, from the above mentioned page;

Q. Is Wolf-brand (or other steel-cased) .223 ammo okay to shoot in my AR15?

Well, if you didn't start a flame war with the M193 v. M855 question, you have now.

Many former Eastern-Bloc countries use steel ammo casings in place of brass, as the cost of steel is much less. The steel casings would quickly rust if left untreated, so one of two methods is used to treat the steel cases: lacquer or "copper-washing." Most cases are coated with a protective lacquer, usually green or gray in color, which is the cheapest solution. Copper-washed ammo is a blotchy bronze color and usually the entire loaded round is coated. Copper-washed ammo is usually only found in the East-Bloc calibers. The lacquered cases generally work without problems in most calibers, but 5.56/.223 is often an exception. Unlike the Soviet-designed cases, the 5.56 cartridge has very little taper to the cases and its length to diameter ratio is very large. The result of this is that 5.56 ammo has more friction during cartridge extraction and comparatively less extractor surface area. This usually isn't a problem with brass cases, but when lacquer is factored in, stoppages often occur.
Often the lacquer on the cases is not evenly applied and visible drips and runs can be seen. When the chamber of the gun heats up from firing, the lacquer will often melt and coat the surface of the chamber, in effect gluing the case into the chamber. In some cases, the extractor will be able to remove the case (though wear on the extractor is increased), while in others, the extractor will slip off the case or pull through the rim. When this happens, not only does it cause a stoppage, but the case often has to be removed by inserting a cleaning rod down the bore and pounding out the case. Then the lacquer must be scrubbed out of the chamber, which is not an easy process.

To be sure, some people report no problems using lacquered ammo and enjoy the fact that it is available at very low cost. Nevertheless, enough people have problems with it sooner or later that it may be advisable to avoid lacquered 5.56 ammo altogether.

 

[mikr]

and the pro/con part---


Opinions (Pro and Con):
Wolf stinks:
Literally. It smells like ammonia for some reason whenever I shoot the stuff. Additionally, it gums up my AR quite a bit and the steel casings get stuck if I heat my chamber up too much. Even if you've never had a problem with the stuff, why take the chance? Furthermore, there is stuff just as cheap out there, like South African surplus ammo, that doesn't have that vile coating or smell so bad. Oh, and it leaves red flecks of primer sealant all over everything.

Wolf is the best thing since sliced bread:
It's cheap and fun ammo for plinking around. It works fine in my AR, I've never even had a slight problem. More than that it's cheaper than dirt and I have never had any cleaning problems with it, certainly no stuck casings. All that negative stuff is just an urban myth. I don't notice any smell either. Don't like yer Wolf? Send it to me; I'll dispose of it for you.

 

[Red]

Here's a challenge...
Take a Wolf Casing, fired of course, and try to melt the lacquer off.
Try again. Once more. Don't give up.

The fact is, I've NEVER heard of a Mini, with its 5.56 chamber, EVER having a problem with Wolf ammo, or any other ammo.

Ar-15's though....
They have DEFINITE problems with ammo selection.

That's why I would use an AR for target practice, but feel less than comfortable having it as my only 5.56 rifle.

 

[cajungeo]

Mikr, thanks for the informative lecture on Wolf pro's/con's. Another thing to consider is the primers. The Russian ammo has Berdian primed ammo with 2 flash holes. It is tougher to get a clean primer strike than on a Boxer primed round. Some shooters in this forum have had misfires (light strikes), and a few had some broken firing pins. As you pointed out many have shot thousands of rounds, with no problems. Each shooter has to decide to shoot or not to shoot, that is the question.

For my personal preference, I like the the reloadable, boxer primed factory ammo. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Sgt Shellback]

Just finishing up my first 1000 rounds and have been happy with it.

It does stink (Smell acrid) and fouls the gas port more than other ammo I've fired but with regular cleaning I've enjoyed it.

I purchase mine from Cabella's in Prarie Wisc.

 

[cajungeo]

I found an interesting article on the heat released when firing a round.
"When powder burns under pressure, it generates 2300..2800 K and the gases are under pressure of a few thousand bar. In an acetylene flame you have 3400 K at 1 bar pressure only and you can weld with that... "
http://www.yarchive.net/gun/red_hot_barrel.html

BTW, 2800 degrees Kelvin is about 4575 degrees Fahrenheit! HOT!

 

[Geno]

I would not worry about build up of lacquer, instead I have heard that the steel cases often break extractors.


:ar15:

 

[Red]

Geno,
The steel used in ammo cases is nothing new, and has been used by various countries over the decades.

When we speak of the steel in steel cased ammo, it should be remembered that this is a very mild steel, certainly nowhere as hard as the steel found in extractors.

Sure, steel casings will eventually wear out extractors, but then again, so will brass cased ammo. That's why extractors are considered one of the few items in ANY rifle that will eventually need replacement.

Extractors breaking with brass cases are the norm. Why would we consider it unsusual when it happens with steel cases?

I really don't give it a second thought, as I've shot quite a few cases of Wolf steel cased ammo totalling a few thousand rounds and to date, my extractor is still doing its job.