Steel case 9mm, worth $112/1000 rounds?

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TTv2

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I did the 30 day trail for Sportsmans Guide's buyer's club and noticed that there was a $20 off coupon for orders over $100. Sportsmans Guide had 1000 rounds of Wolf 9mm at $132 for Buyer's Club, so the total price w/ free shipping would have been $112 plus tax.

This is by far the cheapest price for 9mm I have seen and the next cheapest price for brass 9mm is $151 for S&B. Factoring in the tax, it's a difference of about $42 for me.

I don't reload 9mm and have no intention of spending my time reloading 9mm over other calibers I do reload for, so spending time collecting all my 9mm brass after shooting is a waste of my time.

I know that steel cases can be harder on extractors and ejectors, but with the cost savings, the ammo will pay for itself in replacing those parts. For a modern polymer frame pistol, I so no issue using steel case, but for old 9mm guns like a Luger or a Browning Hi Power, I can see the necessity of brass case.

IDK, do you guys think $112/1000 rds of steel case is good? Would you buy it if you didn't reload 9mm?
 
IDK, do you guys think $112/1000 rds of steel case is good? Would you buy it if you didn't reload 9mm?
Good price, for sure. I don't buy steel case ammo but as you point out, after a short time, you could replace parts with the savings. You should have the parts on hand. You will get more malfunctions with that ammo but that's not necessarily a bad thing for training purposes. Forces you to practice clearing malfunctions when you're not expecting it. I wouldn't use it for a competition though.
 
Good price, for sure. I don't buy steel case ammo but as you point out, after a short time, you could replace parts with the savings. You should have the parts on hand. You will get more malfunctions with that ammo but that's not necessarily a bad thing for training purposes. Forces you to practice clearing malfunctions when you're not expecting it. I wouldn't use it for a competition though.
No, for any competitive shooting I'd rather use something that's cleaner, but for general practice shooting or a stockpile for "excremental contact with motorized airflow."

In the couple hundred rounds I have shot in my 9mm AR, I've had no malfunctions with steel case.
 
Assuming your financials are sound, I'd pick up a case of that, just because you never know.
 
Assuming your financials are sound, I'd pick up a case of that, just because you never know.
I didn't only because I had bought nearly 1000 rds of 9mm at Walmart in December, but once that runs out, I'll likely be getting it. Truth is I don't shoot 9mm much, maybe 1000 rds a year.
 
I keep a thousand rounds of it on hand at all time. Usually shoot brass in my modern pistols and rifles but have had zero issues with recent steel cases
 
I'd buy it. Actually, at that price, with free shipping, I'd pick up $224/2000.... That's well under $6 a box. I shoot a number or old steel framed 9's. They have no problem with the stuff....looks like I'm going shopping.....
 
I used to have a strong dislike for steel case because I reload. I find myself now preferring it for 9mm.

It's cheaper, I don't shoot at indoor ranges hardly ever, and the cases are magnetic which makes cleanup very easy. Also, cheap steel case is kind of my barometer of a pistols reliability.

Not to mention I don't spend time (too much time) trying to find all my empty spent brass on the ground. Reloader's guilt or penny pinching but either way I don't feel guilty with steel case.

Most of my 9mm pistols are glocks so I have spare extractors but honestly I doubt that there is any appreciable accelerated wear vs brass.
 
That’s about $6.60 per 50 for comparison. I’d buy it just to keep in the package. May be post-apocalyptic currency.
 
I'd buy it. Actually, at that price, with free shipping, I'd pick up $224/2000.... That's well under $6 a box. I shoot a number or old steel framed 9's. They have no problem with the stuff....looks like I'm going shopping.....

That is my exact cost to reload 2000 rounds of 9mm. :confused: It's a tempting deal.
 
I used to have a strong dislike for steel case because I reload. I find myself now preferring it for 9mm.

It's cheaper, I don't shoot at indoor ranges hardly ever, and the cases are magnetic which makes cleanup very easy. Also, cheap steel case is kind of my barometer of a pistols reliability.

Not to mention I don't spend time (too much time) trying to find all my empty spent brass on the ground. Reloader's guilt or penny pinching but either way I don't feel guilty with steel case.

Most of my 9mm pistols are glocks so I have spare extractors but honestly I doubt that there is any appreciable accelerated wear vs brass.
This is actually a good point. We know that the steel will wear out extractors/ejectors faster, but the question that I have never seen answered is how much faster? I can't imagine that the steel case is using steel that is as hard as the parts in the gun. Low carbon steel that has no heat treating done to it is extremely soft and cheap.

Now that I think about it, I don't think the extra wear on extractors/ejectors using steel case is even calculable.
 
I just tried to order ammo on the SG website with the cupon I believe the OP was referring to. However that cupon only works for firearms as far as I can tell.

Still, $130/1k is cheap shooting
 
I run almost 100% steel case 9mm in my Glock 19, which I got brand new in 2012. Because I had previously seen and spoke to Glock owners whose guns had digested huge quantities of steel case ammo. My G19 has close to 2000 rounds through it now and no problems yet. Have put a good amount of steel case through my Ruger PC carbine in the year and a half I've owned it, also. No problems there, either. The wear factor doesn't seem to be enough concern based on my personal use in those two guns. Also have a 1916 Luger and a 1943 vintage P-38, but those will never see any steel case, and they also don't get shot very often.
 
I don't think the extra wear on extractors/ejectors using steel case is even calculable
Pretty much this ^^
I have a commercial Mak that I've shot 1000's of steel case ammo through. I think the difference in wear would be noticeable in 10's of thousands of rounds.
 
I rarely shoot anything else these days. No point reloading 9mm at these prices unless you have way more time than money, unless doing something you can't generally find inexpensive -- like 9mm 147gr sub-sonic.

It was like this circa 2005 with steel case and aluminum 9mm. The 9mm reloading components I didn't use then came in real handy during the post Sandy Hook panic.

Now its back what it was about then factoring in inflation. So I'll shoot the cheap steel ammo and keep my reloading stash topped off.

Years ago the "Box Of Truth" did a "test" of Wolf steel case 9mm and some other economy "white box" 9mm, if you think five shot groups are meaningful, they found the Wolf to be the most accurate.

Actually, I should have said: It won't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside and will rot you gun, don't buy it!
More for me :)
 
That’s about $6.60 per 50 for comparison. I’d buy it just to keep in the package. May be post-apocalyptic currency.
Actually $5.60 a box, even better.

If I had a place to shoot it, I'd buy it. I only shoot indoors, and the range doesn't allow steel bullets. Someone started to shoot a Mak with steel yesterday, and he was kindly asked to stop. The range officer mentioned possible sparks as the offender.
 
The range officer mentioned possible sparks as the offender.

Got to love it, fire is coming out of the front of the gun and he's worried about "sparks" from the bullets, what do they have, Flint as their backstop :) Its the cases that are steel not the bullets.

Not to make light of the "hygine" needed on indoor ranges, Glock I believe had a serious accident a few years back when years of accumulated un-burnt powder flakes ignited on their test range.
 
Good price for sure, assuming it is reliable in the firearm(s) to be used. My Glocks have zero issues with that steel case ammo, and have digested thousands. My shield 9 on the other hand wants nothing to do with it.
 
Good price for sure, assuming it is reliable in the firearm(s) to be used. My Glocks have zero issues with that steel case ammo, and have digested thousands. My shield 9 on the other hand wants nothing to do with it.

Almost like Glocks were designed for the stuff and built in the part of the world where steel case ammo is common.:D I hear aftermarket magazines for Glocks don't handle steel case as well as factory mags.(no experience, just heard) I don't usually run steel case but as much as I've been shooting I might have to.
 
Almost like Glocks were designed for the stuff and built in the part of the world where steel case ammo is common.:D I hear aftermarket magazines for Glocks don't handle steel case as well as factory mags.(no experience, just heard) I don't usually run steel case but as much as I've been shooting I might have to.
I bought a magpul mag for my Glock 17 to try it out. Its more difficult to load than a factory mag, and has produced malfunctions with both steel and brass case ammo in a gun that otherwise functions flawlessly. Glad I only bought 1.
 
Actually $5.60 a box, even better.

If I had a place to shoot it, I'd buy it. I only shoot indoors, and the range doesn't allow steel bullets. Someone started to shoot a Mak with steel yesterday, and he was kindly asked to stop. The range officer mentioned possible sparks as the offender.


I was mathing the $132.....so even better!!!
 
Got to love it, fire is coming out of the front of the gun and he's worried about "sparks" from the bullets, what do they have, Flint as their backstop :) Its the cases that are steel not the bullets.

Most steel cased ammo has steel jacketed bullets. A lot of NATO spec 5.56 ammo also has steel jackets even in brass cases. M-80 ball is steel jacketed.

If you shoot a steel target with Wolf ammo it will spark. If they have a steel backstop it will likely spark. If they have a crushed rubber backstop and somehow a spark hits it they might have a massive fire.

That said I almost exclusively shoot steel cased 9mm. It is dirty but is just as accurate as cheap FMJ. It will be slightly less reliable and usually has harder primers.
 
Got to love it, fire is coming out of the front of the gun and he's worried about "sparks" from the bullets, what do they have, Flint as their backstop :) Its the cases that are steel not the bullets.

As mentioned above, the Russians call the bullets "bi-metal", but there is steel in there, not lead.

The exception is Tula who makes a "range friendly" line which is steel cases and copper/lead bullets. I think Wolf may have jumped on that bandwagon, too.
 
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