Ruger Nut said:
Aqualung, I like to follow you on here because you seem to have great firearm knowledge. But, I have to ask, what is wrong with shooting steel case ammo straight out of the chute? I owned another AR-15 long before I bought my AR-556 and all I shoot in it is Wolf steel case ammo. And, some of that same steel case ammo is what was loaded into my AR-556 on its initial shooting. It shot all 250 rounds with NO problems at all!
Just sayin'................
Ruger Nut,
Well, first off, thanks for the vote of confidence
Second, my stating to initially start out with brass ammo is based on what I've seen reported here and on the other forums. For initial testing of anything, I like to reduce the number of variables so any unwanted results may be identified.
How many times have we seen where someone new to a platform bought a rifle, bought the cheapest ammo and had problems out of the box? Resultant first questions are whether the rifle was in clean, operable condition to start. The next question is about the ammo.
Many folks have functioning issues with steel-cased ammo. So, my advice for a new shooter is to try the rifle out with ammo that has less "questionability" surrounding it. Reduce the variability of the ammo and issues with the rifle may be identified more easily.
This goes beyond the brass/steel question, as there may be issues with brass, too.
For example, my Kahr MK9 will eat pretty much any ammo there is out there...a good thing, as it's my EDC. It chews through steel case and brass like nothing.
I once bought about 100 rounds of this cheap ammo at a gun show. They weren't reloads, but the fact they were on a blister-card instead of in a box should be an indicator. They actally choked my MK9. I gave them to a guy shooting a Beretta 92 in the next lane over and his 92 ate them up without a burp.
Up to that point, my MK9 was 100% reliable (after its 250round break-in), so I could conclude that that ammo wasn't right for my pistol. However, the guy with the 92 could shoot that stuff all day long.
So, back to my advice to the OP and to answer your question...
Lots of folks have good luck with steel-cased ammo. I don't advise against using it altogether, because many have success, as you have had.
However, if there are lots of reports of functioning issues using it and someone may be testing a rifle to ensure it functions properly, I will advise them to negate that particular variable
in initial testing. Once the rifle is determined to be functional, then add in the steel-cased ammo variable and see how it works.
One could say it's my pessimistic outlook, as I'm anticipating problems and addressing them before they even occur. Comes from being a Facilities Manager for 20 years...
Full Disclosure: I've never tried steel-cased ammo in my AR556, as I'm a cheap b@$tard and scrounge up every case for reloading
Hopefully, that answers your question...
Aqualung
