I recently received a message from a viewer asking about the use of steel cased ammunition in his firearm and if it is alright:
"I had a question. I was wondering what your opinion is of on steel cased ammo for just recreational shooting. I've talked to a lot of people and they all have different opinions. Some say it's just fine. Others say I can shoot them as long as I clean my gun immediately after shooting. But others say not to use it period. What is your opinion? Thanks! "
My Response:
"Well before giving a straight opinion I will give you that facts and let you formulate your own.
Steel cased ammo is generally less expensive because:
i.)The cases are generally not reloadable as they are almost always berdan primed, Of course you could drill these out if you wanted...
ii.) Steel is less malleable than brass, making it more brittle and prone to failure when reloaded.
iii.) By far the most relevant reason why steel ammo is considered "cheaper" is because the case does not expand/contract as well during the firing cycle as brass. This leads to an increased incidence of malfunction because the seal on the chamber is often not as complete as its brass alternative. People also say that steel ammo is "dirtier" ; this is actually not true either. XM855 is some of the dirtiest ammo you can find for your AR-15. However, because of the aforementioned seal issue there is often leakage of the chamber gasses back into the action. Making it appear dirtier than most brass ammunition.
So long story short: It will not hurt your gun, period
As for the cleaning of the gun immediately after use, most of the steel cased ammo available now is non corrosive and will not damage your weapon. You can confirm this by checking for odd colored residue (often Blue-green) on the crown of your barrel after about a week of inactivity. If the ammunition is indeed non-corrosive then the only reason for immediate cleaning would be to
mitigate berdan buildup between cleanings.
WE use, almost exclusively, Steel cased ammo."
To continue that point, the reason we do so is two fold. One, to keep costs down, obviously. Two, to increase the incidence of malfunction of our weapons. This is a valuable training tool. A weapon that malfunctions from time to time is better than one that doesn't in the realm of training. If your gun never has a problem then when Murphy's law kicks in you likely won't know how to handle it in an expedient manner.
I recommend cleaning every thousand rounds or so.
Now all my "Emergency mags" are loaded with high quality brass ammo and hopefully will stay that way.
As a final note:
You should always read your owners manual. From time to time your manufacturer will dictate what kind of ammunition they will not warranty your firearm for use with. What works for me may also not work for you: I am going to burn that barrel out far before I worry about long term erosion by corrosive ammo or clogging of internal components with berdan. I assemble my AR-15s and augment most of my firearms myself. I am accountable to myself in this regard, but remember that the role of gear tester is much different then that of long-term owner.
Spectre
