Tula .357 steel cased ammo - ouch !

[dekibg]

just two weeks before this craziness, I saw the price I could not pass at LGS -$11.99 per 50 rounds.
I got 3 of these.
At the range, every round fired, accuracy was Ok, but when I tried to eject empty cases - mission impossible.
I waited a little bit hoping that when cases cool down, they will contract enough to be ejected.
Still no luck, so I had to smack ejector rod against shooting table to get them half way out and pull them one by one.
I went to my car, got WD-40 from the trunk, gave a spritz to remaining rounds in the box.
Fired another cylinder - same problem.
The only way to eject them somewhat normally was to lubricate them and load every other round in the cylinder so when they expand ( obviously they don't contract ), they don't make too much pressure on cylinder walls and you can eject them without being a madman.

 

[VoodooMountain]

Steel case and revolvers don't usually mix.

 

[silvermane_1]

Steel cased 357 mag. was meant to be used in lever guns IIRC.

 

[TTv2]

The only way to eject steel cases in revolver is one at a time with a dowel or rod. A pencil or pen will work fine. Lubing the cases with WD does nothing, the cases are coated in polymer, they're already lubed.

The issue is it takes a lot more force to extract and eject a steel case vs a brass or aluminum case, so multiplying it by a factor of 5, 6, or 7 means you need that same force multiplier to eject them and swing out cylinders aren't built for that.

A single action would be just fine because you're knocking out one case at a time.

So, there's nothing "wrong" with the ammo, it just is what it is in regards to steel case. People just need to be more perceptive about things and they could be enjoying their guns with cheaper ammo.

I should make a youtube video about this...

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I took a 6" long, roughly .25" diameter bolt, wrapped it in electrical tape to make it "Mar proof" to knock out stuck cases.

I stay away from steel and aluminum in revolvers unless I get a stellar deal

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I've fired aluminum cases in revolvers with no problems.

I've never fired steel case ammo in a revolver. Likely never will.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I find it a bit distressing that loading every other round helped.

I'd throw that crap away - too much maintained stress on the cylinder.

Todd.

 

[Tallball]

My friend had the same experience and learned his lesson.

 

[Dibbs]

It depends upon the revolver cylinder. I got lucky with my Vaquero. The steel case Tula works fine. Just made a little looser
than my GP100, which jams the Tula horribly.
See if you can find a .357 which will eject the Tula easily. Otherwise, just keep the Tula for emergency reserves.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

If a fella was going to keep the Tula for emergencies - would it be worthwhile to strip the cases, grease or lube and re-pack?

From my experience with the crappy .223 - simply wiping with a rag of lacquer cleaner made a huge difference.

Sure enough, some of the problem is the lack of resiliency of the steel but some must be the coating applied to the steel for corrosion resistance too.

Todd.

 

[TTv2]

If a fella was going to keep the Tula for emergencies - would it be worthwhile to strip the cases, grease or lube and re-pack?

From my experience with the crappy .223 - simply wiping with a rag of lacquer cleaner made a huge difference.

Sure enough, some of the problem is the lack of resiliency of the steel but some must be the coating applied to the steel for corrosion resistance too.

Todd.

Wiping the outside of the cases to remove any dust or debris would be fine, but it's not going to make ejecting them from a revolver any easier. Steel cases need to be pushed out one at a time with a pen/pencil, not all at once with the ejector rod.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Wiping the outside of the cases to remove any dust or debris would be fine, but it's not going to make ejecting them from a revolver any easier. Steel cases need to be pushed out one at a time with a pen/pencil, not all at once with the ejector rod.

I'm talking about taking down the lacquer and its dimensionally queering as well as its tackiness when hot or compromised by a solvent type of lubricant.

I've done this with .223 and wonder if a straight-walled .357 might not be even easier. There, the lacquer being wiped down helped and being removed altogether was even more significant. Since we shot it right away - we didn't have to contend with corrosion resistance on the stripped cases.

Todd.

 

[TTv2]

I'm talking about taking down the lacquer and its dimensionally queering as well as its tackiness when hot or compromised by a solvent type of lubricant.

I've done this with .223 and wonder if a straight-walled .357 might not be even easier. There, the lacquer being wiped down helped and being removed altogether was even more significant. Since we shot it right away - we didn't have to contend with corrosion resistance on the stripped cases.

Todd.

It's not worth the effort to strip the lacquer, not even sure it would work because you're removing multiple cases at once. Just knock out cases one at a time.

 

[Riomouse911]

With the SA revolver you are ejecting one at a time with the rod, so that may make it a lot easier than 5-6-7 etc, at once. That, plus you can usually pop out the cylinder without tools (Ruger,etc.) to give it the dowel treatment if it is really stuck.

All I can add is BE CAREFUL trying to pound out stuck cases using the ejector rod on a DA revolver. It can easily result in a bent ejector, tweaked yoke, etc. Damage there will often result in a trip back to the manufacturer... or a good gunsmith if your gun is out of production or otherwise not being supported by the factory.

Stay safe

 

[Waveski]

The only way to eject them somewhat normally was to lubricate them and load every other round in the cylinder so when they expand ( obviously they don't contract ), they don't make too much pressure on cylinder walls and you can eject them without being a madman.

To clarify -
You are saying that a steel case is able to exert enough pressure on an individual charge hole as to cause a dimensional change on the adjacent charge holes , and that the steel of the cylinder has sufficient memory that it is able to return to spec when that pressure is relieved?

Is that possible?

 

[dekibg]

To clarify -
You are saying that a steel case is able to exert enough pressure on an individual charge hole as to cause a dimensional change on the adjacent charge holes , and that the steel of the cylinder has sufficient memory that it is able to return to spec when that pressure is relieved?

Is that possible?

Hello Sir,
I think you misunderstood me.
It is easier to push out 3 steel shells (using extractor rod) that expanded (and obviously never contracted enough), than to do the same thing with 6 of them due to more pressure ( or friction or whatever we may call that) on cylinder walls.

 

[TTv2]

Hello Sir,
I think you misunderstood me.
It is easier to push out 3 steel shells (using extractor rod) that expanded (and obviously never contracted enough), than to do the same thing with 6 of them due to more pressure ( or friction or whatever we may call that) on cylinder walls.

Friction is the correct term. I've shot steel .45 ACP in a revolver I have and while it was tough to eject, I was able to do it if I slapped the ejector rod hard enough. With the long .38/.357 cases there is more contact in the chamber, thus it increases friction.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Is Federal American Eagle really that more expensive?

 

[TTv2]

Is Federal American Eagle really that more expensive?

Yeah, almost double.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Yeah, almost double.

So you get 50 rounds of top quality ammo or 100 rounds of a caliber the Russians have no intrinsic knowledge of how to apply steel case technology, unlike 7.62x39 mm or 9x18 mm.

 

[Antihero]

I've fired Tula in a tracker and gp100. No problems so far

 

[TTv2]

So you get 50 rounds of top quality ammo or 100 rounds of a caliber the Russians have no intrinsic knowledge of how to apply steel case technology, unlike 7.62x39 mm or 9x18 mm.

I've already said the trick is to eject one case at a time. That doesn't mean the manufacturer doesn't know how to make the ammunition because as the OP stated and I've also experienced the accuracy is fine. I don't see why range shooting with the cheapest ammo you can get is such a bad thing if the only drawback is a slower reloading process.

 

[Waveski]

Hello Sir,
I think you misunderstood me.
It is easier to push out 3 steel shells (using extractor rod) that expanded (and obviously never contracted enough), than to do the same thing with 6 of them due to more pressure ( or friction or whatever we may call that) on cylinder walls.

Thank you for the clarification. I feel slightly silly but better informed.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I've already said the trick is to eject one case at a time. That doesn't mean the manufacturer doesn't know how to make the ammunition because as the OP stated and I've also experienced the accuracy is fine. I don't see why range shooting with the cheapest ammo you can get is such a bad thing if the only drawback is a slower reloading process.

I prefer to use ammo that allows my firearm to function as designed.

The Russian portfolio of ammunition excellence does not have many pages on .357 Magnum, regardless of their steel case capabilities in other calibers.

 

[TTv2]

I prefer to use ammo that allows my firearm to function as designed.

The Russian portfolio of ammunition excellence does not have many pages on .357 Magnum, regardless of their steel case capabilities in other calibers.

That's fine, I won't discourage you from using ammo that lets you use the ejector rod, but don't make the ammunition out to be junk just because revolvers struggle ejecting steel case. I've shot Federal .38 that shoots worse than the Wolf .38.