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Ever since crates of surplus steel-cased ammo from soviet bloc countries hit American markets, there has been fierce debate about its performance compared to traditional brass-cased ammo.
Brass-cased ammunition should almost always be used for self-defense and competition shooting. Soviet-bloc weapons like AK-47s are designed to fire steel-cased ammunition, and it is preferred for them. For AR-15s and other western platforms, modern steel ammunition will be fine for range shooting and will save you money in the long run.
So the question of brass vs. steel and which is better is complicated. There are several factors to consider. What platform you’re using is the most important, followed by what type of shooting you’ll be doing and in what conditions.
How Each Case Runs
The story has always been that steel-cased ammo runs dirtier than brass. This is generally true, but it is because of the powder typically used in steel ammo, not the case itself. You go through a learning process to fine-tune your ammunition and gas system operation with any rifle. It’s no different with steel ammo; every round will have a unique performance in different systems.
There was a great test done comparing different brass and steel-cased ammunition through AR-15s. They fired 10,000 rounds of Federal brass-cased ammunition and steel-cased ammo from Wolf, Tula, and Brown Bear. I’ll run through some of the major findings here.
Barrel Wear
Four new Bushmaster AR-15s were used to do the test, paired one rifle with one specific ammunition, then fired 10,000 rounds of that ammunition through them. The difference in barrel wear between brass and steel ammunition was clear.
After 6,000 rounds, the barrels in all three steel-cased AR-15s were shot out. After 10,000 rounds at the end of the test, the AR-15 firing Federal brass cased ammo had measurable throat erosion but was still shooting groups around 4 MOA.
Something important about the barrel wear is that the case itself is not what makes the difference. All steel-cased ammunition used in this test fired a bullet with a bimetal jacket made of copper and steel. The addition of steel makes the jacket harder and causes more wear to the barrel compared to bullets with copper jackets only.
Cycling
Early in the test there were problems with the Tula ammo. After some digging, they found that the powder burn rate in the Tula ammo was too fast to create enough pressure through the gas system to effectively cycle the bolt. This caused enough short-stroking to make it nonfunctional. After switching from a Bushmaster AR-15 to a Spike’s Tactical AR-15, however, they were able to carry out the test with the Tula just fine.
This problem shows how important it is to look at how your specific weapon functions with different ammunition. The problem had to do with the Bushmaster AR-15 using a relatively smaller diameter gas port. After changing to the Spike’s Tactical mid-length, which had a larger diameter gas port, the Tula ammunition had better performance than the other two steel-cased ammunition.
Test Conclusions
After looking at the study, a few conclusions can be made. For starters, barrel wear and tear is a huge factor. The bimetal jacket used on steel-cased bullets put a beating on the barrels compared to the copper-jacketed brass-cased ammo.
You could also assume that since steel-cased ammo runs a bit dirtier, the excess build-up of carbon and other waste coating the barrel did not help. That added material between the bullet and barrel certainly introduced more friction between the bullet and rifling.
You can also see that steel ammunition is a bit more fickle than brass. Brass-cased ammo will run through most guns. One brand of steel ammo couldn’t run through the Bushmaster because of its smaller gas port. So you have to have a system that can handle steel-cased ammo’s burn rate, and shooting old surplus steel ammo is likely not going to add to reliability.
Extraction
Another thing to think about is extraction. Extraction is a common reason for failure when you are using steel-cased ammo. This comes from two main issues, the case’s failure to contract after expanding when shot and excessive metal on metal friction.
When a cartridge is fired the case expands due to the explosion. The case would then contract back to its normal size if you were using brass. Steel is an inelastic material, meaning it can not expand, contract, or bend easily. So the steel case stays expanded.
If the expansion is excessive, the steel case can get stuck, and the user will have to clear it manually. This expansion is also the reason that steel ammunition can not be reloaded. The cases are one-time use.
Manufacturers also put a coating on the steel case in order to reduce friction, but this coating does not always work the way it is supposed to. Inconsistencies in the coating can cause failure, and some firearms will just not work well with certain coatings. In general, the coating is a good thing, and it helps, but it does not make steel as good as brass.
Another thing this coating is used for is to prevent corrosion. Raw steel will rust, so they put a thin polymer coating on it to avoid rusting. Brass, on the other hand, is naturally corrosion resistant. The coating on steel does a good job at preventing corrosion, but it also adds another variable to the “will it feed” equation.
Manufacturing Differences
It is no secret that steel-cased ammo is cheaper than brass, and we will look at just how much cheaper it is in the next section. What makes it so much cheaper? Of course, the first thought is the materials, and that is true; the materials do reduce the cost.
Steel-cased ammo companies are managing large bulk amounts of ammo and are trying to get it out the door as fast as possible. Anytime that happens in manufacturing, you get quality inconsistencies.
This means that steel-cased ammo is going to be made with larger manufacturing tolerances. Of course, this is ammunition, so the tolerances have to be safe. That does not mean they are going to be perfect, and a cheaper product is not going to have as much effort behind it.
Price Differences
Price is the big selling point for steel-cased ammo. If you are shooting an AK-style weapon, then you’re doubly lucky because steel-cased ammo will probably give you the best performance on top of it being the most cost-effective. The only downside is that steel-case ammo is Berdan-primed and harder than brass. It is essentially not feasible or cost-effective to reload.
In all common calibers, shooting steel ammo is going to be cheaper than brass. Here is a table with approximate prices per 1000 rounds of different calibers at major online retailers as of April 2022.
| Caliber | 1000 Brass Cased | 1000 Steel Cased |
|---|---|---|
| 9mm | $400 | $300 |
| .45 ACP | $700 | $400 |
| .223 | $550 | $400 |
| 7.62×39 mm | $800 | $400 |
| 7.62×51 mm | $900 | $750 |
Reloading Steel vs Brass Ammo
As we have seen, steel-cased ammo is not ideal for reloading. Brass, on the other hand, is reloaded all the time. You still might ask, “just how much can I save by reloading brass”? The answer to that varies wildly, and there are dozens of good articles out there covering the topic in greater detail than we have time for here.
If you don’t already have the equipment you need to reload ammo, you can expect to spend $500 on basic gear. Then you have to buy bullets, primers, and powder. You also have to source your brass from somewhere. One option is to purchase brass ammo off the shelf and save the cases after shooting, but you can also buy brass cases in bulk.
I say all of that to point out that reloading comes with plenty of costs. Plus, you have to manually do it yourself. In the long run, I do think you will come out on top by reloading brass vs. shooting steel-cased ammo. However, that assumes that you shoot a lot of rounds on a frequent basis. If you only shoot 100 rounds every now and again, you are better off just buying cartridges off the shelf.
So if you just want to have some fun and are looking at this from a price standpoint instead of an accuracy and performance standpoint, it would take a lot of rounds to make reloading brass cheaper than shooting steel-cased ammo off the shelf. It takes brass even longer to be cheaper if you want to account for the time you will spend manually reloading.
When to Use Steel Casing Ammo
What’s the first instance you should use steel-cased ammunition? When you’re shooting a Kalishnakov family weapon. As previously mentioned, these were designed to effectively cycle steel-cased ammo, the chambers are tapered differently, and the extractors are more aggressive.
Steel-cased ammo is a great option if you are getting in regular trigger time at the range, plinking, or generally doing any firing that doesn’t require self-defense projectiles or the most precise ballistics.
Many people have shown that the savings you get with steel-cased ammo will more than offset the price for faster barrel replacements. This means even if you have to buy a new barrel twice as often, it will still be cheaper in the long run than paying for only brass ammo. The exception will only be if you are using very expensive barrels.
When to Use Brass Case Ammo
Most high-quality self-defense rounds are going to be brass-cased. You should have good brass-cased self-defense rounds loaded for your everyday carry or home defense weapons.
If you plan on reloading your ammunition, then brass-cased will also be your go-to. Depending on ammunition and material prices, reloading can help offset the increased price of brass ammo, making it more cost-effective.
Additionally, many specialty loadings and high precision ammunition will be brass cased. Suppose you compete in target competitions or have a more unique build, maybe with an unusual gas system or caliber combination. In that case, you will probably need brass-cased ammunition with bullet weights and powder loads that will work well with your setup.
A Final Comparison
Steel cased ammo wins hands down when it comes to cost. Even with extra wear and tear on parts, it is usually cheaper to shoot steel. If you’re using a Soviet-style weapon, then you’ve lucked out because steel-cased ammo will be the best option and save you money. If you’re using an AR-15 or American-style firearm, then brass cased ammo will be your best bet for reliability, accuracy, and specialty use, but you will have to pay a premium for it.
