Shooting Wolf / Tula 9mm ammo in vintage PT's
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I don't have a vintage PT nor do I know anyone with a vintage PT who uses steel cased ammo (I have a PT-111 G2) but regarding steel cased Wolf Tula ammo, I've been told that they have some kind of coating over the steel. The main issue I've heard about from friends who shoot steel cased ammo in AR's and some handguns is premature ejector wear. I have an aquantance who shot a lot of steel cased ammo in his Ruger and he had to sent it to CS to have the ejector replaced after about 800 rounds. Whether it's an issue for Taurus IDK.
The coating is lacquer. From my understanding it is to assure a smooth loading of the shell. Some have said that in time it does melt and build up. After how many rounds? I don't know. But it does need to be cleaned more thoroughly.
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I doubt the steel cases are of any particular hardness, as they must expand when fired. I’ve used quite a bit of the stuff in various firearms, and only my S&W Shield, just flat does not like the stuff. Minor chambering issues.
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My experience with tula steel case, I find it to be very dirty and as mention previously the wear on the extractor. Which I believe to be caused by the dirty residue and the fact that steel does not contract as quickly or as much as brass; therefore, causing the extractor wear. I have had several cases stick in the chamber, and require a nudge from a cleaning rod. A bore snake allowed brass case ammo to work but less than twenty rounds of steel case caused another stuck case. The cleaning rod and bore snake fixed it again, and I went back to brass cased, for the day. Sold my steel case ammo. No more stuck cases.
I have shot plenty of steel cased ammunition in various caliber. I have yet to see anything negative as a result other than the local in door range allows only brass cased ammunition.
When I did a little research on using steel cased ammo, I had read that the lacquer coating can cause issues if too many rounds are fired at one short period of time. That the heat buildup in the chamber will cause the lacquer to stick to everything it comes into contact with and cause premature wear as a result. As a precaution I would do a quick strip after a couple of hundred rounds and do a quick clean. Only takes a few minutes of time, but then I never had issues either, maybe those few minutes paid off?
When I did a little research on using steel cased ammo, I had read that the lacquer coating can cause issues if too many rounds are fired at one short period of time. That the heat buildup in the chamber will cause the lacquer to stick to everything it comes into contact with and cause premature wear as a result. As a precaution I would do a quick strip after a couple of hundred rounds and do a quick clean. Only takes a few minutes of time, but then I never had issues either, maybe those few minutes paid off?
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Scratching is not the problem. The steel used is actually softer than most brass alloys. Try a knife on one if you don't believe me.
The problem is (as has been mentioned) the lacquer which prevents the case from rusting instantly. Under heat it softens and gets sticky. Hence the problems with extraction mentioned above.
Soviet era firearms have very generous chambers to reduce such issues. Typically European and American firearms have much tighter tolerances and do not tolerate steel case ammo as well. If you really want to shoot steel case, slug the chamber and make sure it is large enough to tolerate the lacquer build up. And clean your gun. A lot!
The problem is (as has been mentioned) the lacquer which prevents the case from rusting instantly. Under heat it softens and gets sticky. Hence the problems with extraction mentioned above.
Soviet era firearms have very generous chambers to reduce such issues. Typically European and American firearms have much tighter tolerances and do not tolerate steel case ammo as well. If you really want to shoot steel case, slug the chamber and make sure it is large enough to tolerate the lacquer build up. And clean your gun. A lot!
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Steel case ammo works great in iron curtain pistols and rifles like my P64 Radom or past Tokarevs. My Ruger P85, however, does not like it and it'll feed about ANY brass rounds without complaint. It's okay. I collect the brass for reloading.
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# 1 reason i don't shoot Wolf/Steel ! Ejector Wear is Imminent !
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Yep, this exactly. The lacquer and other coatings they use vaporize with the heat and spread through out the chamber. On a tight chamber, that can build up really fast and turn your pistol into a jam-o-matic until it's thoroughly cleaned. If you store a loaded mag of it, the lacquer might also cause the cartridges to stick together or stick to parts of the mag.
Their 38spl ammo is absolutely terrible. The heat from firing the cartridge can melt the lacquer and it becomes a glue that holds the spent cartridge in your cylinder.
There is a reason this ammo is cheap.
While it is cheaper, as others have pointed out, it can cause problems. I messed up and bought some aluminum cased ammo once, God did that stuff stink after firing it. I also had problems getting it out of my 44-mag revolver. For no more than you save it isn't worth it to me.
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The only weapons I'll use the Steel Cased Ammunition in are my Egyptian Maadi AK47, Chinese SKS, and Czech Vz58/Vz2008 which are all chambered in 7.62x39mm.
For Handguns, I'll use any Brass or Aluminum cased ammunition.
I've seen too many Pistols at my Club's Range choke on the coated Steel Case Ammunition to ever bother with it.
One exception might be the Silver Bear brand which uses a Zinc plated Steel case, but with the current bans on Russian Ammunition, that's probably not an issue.
For Handguns, I'll use any Brass or Aluminum cased ammunition.
I've seen too many Pistols at my Club's Range choke on the coated Steel Case Ammunition to ever bother with it.
One exception might be the Silver Bear brand which uses a Zinc plated Steel case, but with the current bans on Russian Ammunition, that's probably not an issue.
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Silver Bear 95 grain JHP shoots great in my Radom P64. I'm not real sure of its effectiveness on flesh, but hey, it has to be an improvement on Ball. Either are 100 percent functional.
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Conquer the world? Embarrassing themselves, more like.
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I have shot hundreds, and that is literal hundreds, of cases of wolf or TulAmmo through various pistols and carbines and never had a problem with the steel cases wearing anything prematurely. What wore out on my Glocks and 92s and ARs was from use not abuse.
The imported ammo may have a varnish like coating on it and that may allow some cases to get stuck if the chamber is hot and the round is left in it to cool. I always cleared my weapon during stops in classes or training to listen to the instruction or between long breaks.
The imported ammo may have a varnish like coating on it and that may allow some cases to get stuck if the chamber is hot and the round is left in it to cool. I always cleared my weapon during stops in classes or training to listen to the instruction or between long breaks.
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