Wolf Ammo-Opinions?

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

alwims

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
130
Location
Wheatland Mo.
What do you think of Wolf ammo, besides it having, what appears to be, very 'mild steel' cases and very smelly, dirty powder? It sure is accurate out of my .380acp and my .45acp. It just demands the pistol to be cleaned after shooting it.
 
You would have been safer asking questions about a person's MOTHER'S sex life, directly attacked someone's religious beliefs, or just made some broad political comments... This topoic is a continuing source of abuse and discussion.

You might want to try doing a SEARCH here on THR, or on The Firing Line, on the Wolf Ammo topic.

You'll learn far more than you ever wanted to know about Wolf Ammo, snotty attitudes, and obnoxious behavior.
 
Sorry, I'm new here and didn't see any threads concerning this subject. Guess I need to look farther. Thanks, I think.
 
I have never used Wolf, but I have read enough in this forum about poor quality to never put it in my 2 auto loaders. Why take a change on a kaboom when you can buy WWB at Walmart for ridiculously low prices?

$10.96/100 for 9mm
$12-13/100 for .40 S&W
 
There are about 3 major positions on this.

1. Wolf will rape your horses and ride off on your women. Do not use it in any gun unless you are suicidal and hate babies.
2. Wolf is fine in commie guns, but not in western guns.
3. Wolf might work in your gun. Give it a shot and find out.

I'm mostly with #3.
 
Some people love it

Some people hate it

Some people have not tried it (including some of those in the first two groups)
 
Wolf Match Target .22 ammo, which is made by SK Jagd in Germany, is great ammo.

I don't shoot the centerfire Wolf stuff.
 
Sorry, I'm new here and didn't see any threads concerning this subject. Guess I need to look farther. Thanks, I think.
Click to expand...

You might want to do a search at the 1911 forum as well. They have a ton of info on it.

The upshot: it's great as long as it's somebody else's gun. You really don't want to use it in any gun you like.
 
How about, when shooting Wolf 9mm in my Hi-Power (clone) empty cases would stick in the chamber. Sometimes so bad I would have to POUND them out with a dowel and significant force.

Shortly thereafter I had to replace my exctractor, which I blame on the pounding it took getting knocked off the stuck case, and then whacked back on by the recoil spring.

OTOH, I shoot a lot of it in my AK...

So you can put me in camp #2.
 
Not one person has told me WHY I should not use it.
Click to expand...
That because nobody wanted to REPEAT what has been discussed many times before. That's why several of us suggested you do a SEARCH of this forum and others. IT would probably save you time, but it would also keep this from turning into a big name-calling contest.

I'll try to give an impartial summary.

The following comments apply only to centefire handgun ammo used in non-ex-Soviet Block weapons.

The ammo is cheap, reliable, and reasonably accurate. It smells like crap.

It comes in lacquer-coated STEEL cases. The steel seems to be hard on some extractors. The steel does not expand and contract like brass. The lacquer coating seems to build-up in chambers, requiring extra attention when cleaning. But it may only be an issue in guns that have tight chambers. (Glocks, for example do not have tight chambers.)

In some guns, the lacquer build up isn't noticed. If the lacquer gets hot, it gets sticky and spreads a bit. If allowed to cool with a round in the chamber, it might make the round stick. Might. Might not.

I've seen people have to drive rounds out of the barrel with a wooden dowel. I've seen guns locked up so tightly they had to be left overnight in a shooting range's cleaning machine (a solvent bath).

I've seen others claim is the best "economy" ammo made and snicker when others talk about problems. I don't think they're lying about their personal experiences with the ammo but also don't believe their experience is typical for the wider set of shooters.

EVERY shooter that I personally know who has tried Wolf loved it at first, but after a few months quit using it and never returned to it.

Others have a different experience.
 
That because nobody wanted to REPEAT what has been discussed many times before. That's why several of us suggested you do a SEARCH of this forum and others. IT would probably save you time, but it would also keep this from turning into a big name-calling contest.
Click to expand...

OK, I F**ked up, so sue me. A FAQ section would sure be nice here!
 
Wolf ammo...

I've shot several hundred rounds of it through my Sig 220 in the last year; pretty good ammo on the cheap, in my opinion. Absolutely zero malfs, and I even went to the trouble to bench the gun at 50 yards to see how good it would shoot. I got several groups 4-5" at that distance, and about the best I have been able to do with any factory load is 3.75". It's about all I buy for qualifications anymore, and yes it's dirty but that's why they make Hoppe's #9 and bore brushes.

Welcome aboard, alwims.
 
In at least a partial and civil answer to your question, I have run a couple of boxes of the Wolf 9mm through a Ruger P95 without a problem. I don't shoot a steady diet of it mainly because of of a concern for what the steel casing might do to the extractor, no personal problems with it.

Some folks at our gun club use considerable quantities of it, without problems, in Glocks, 1911s, Sigs and other auto loaders. A few of them even reload it. No one has reported problems with casings sticking due to the laquer.

The steel casing aversion may not be well founded. It has been reported, reliably or not, to be a mild steel the US sold the Soviets/Russians. Now it's coming back to us in a far less destructive mode than the steel we sold, at bargain prices, to Japan just prior to WWII.

If you're looking for an inexpensive plinking/target ammo that has reloadable brass casings, good accuracy (at least for me) and reliability, try the Sellier and Bellot line. Some folks will balk about the small dot of sealant on the primer. It does seem to melt and leave a small residue on the bolt face, but cleans off with Hoppes #9 and, at least to this point, hasn't caused casings sticking to the bolt (or equivalent) face, falling arches, baldness or loss of sexuality.

Try some of both, evaluate for yourself and then decide.

As far as the "don't ask, run search" response, ignore it. It's sort of a form of pseudo intellectualism some folks like to exhibit - must make them feel important. If answering a question, or just reading one, really bothers them, they shouldn't log on or tune in.
 
I just got done shooting 1,000 rounds of wolf through my sks, with a cleaning after every ~400 rounds or so. I had no jams, and cleaning wasn't really a problem. I would shoot it in my 9mm but for $2 more at my local store I can buy winchester white box, and save the brass for reloading whenever I get around to buying the dies, powder, and bullets.
 
The steel casing aversion may not be well founded. It has been reported, reliably or not, to be a mild steel the US sold the Soviets/Russians. Now it's coming back to us in a far less destructive mode than the steel we sold, at bargain prices, to Japan just prior to WWII.
Click to expand...

I don't know whether the aversion to the steel cases is appropriate or not, but I don't buy the rationale cited above.

Given that there have been millions and millions (perhaps billions) of rounds of steel-cased ammo produced (in what is now the former Soviet Block) since WWII, I find it hard to believe that steel sent to the Soviet Union prior to WWII is just now being put to use and coming back to us.

I can't picture any country, especially one experiencing the economic hard times of the '70s-early '90s seen throughout Eastern Europe, storing badly-needed steel THAT long, while also trying to support friendly militaries through foreign aid and supported revolution. You know, places like Cuba, Vietnam, and various areas in Africa -- not to mention Egypt, Syria, Iran, ec.
 
Walt: I think you misread the quoted statements, or at least read something into those two that were not intended.

1. 'It is reported .........mild steel' (not judgemental).....'the US sold the
Soviets/Russians' (also not judgemental nor intended to steer folks away
from Wolf).
2. 'Now it's coming back.....like the steel we sold.......to Japan just prior
to WWII'. I can see where one could get the impression that I'm inferring
that this is a bad thing. Economically, it might be for the American
ammunition manufacturers as competition increases. However, there was
no concious thought to comparing the two incidents other than once again
a foreign entity is returning US steel, although there's a great difference
in the way it's coming back.

I have no problem with Wolf. Nor do I have any problems with 'Big Bear', although I no experience with this brand.

My only caveat to steel casings is, at least to me, the effects on the extractor are unknown. Logically the Ruskies wouldn't manufacturer a product for their own service weapons that would diminish their effectiveness/reliability over time. But, I have seen no studies to that effect. Therefore, for the time being, I'll stick with a known - brass cases.
 
You're right -- I misread. Sorry.

But, I wasn't attaching any value judgements to "mild" steel... as "mild" steel might be an appropriate used in a ammo casings. My misinterpretation was that it was OLD steel -- from many years back.

I was unaware that the US had exported any strategic materials to the Soviet Bloc in recent decades, as our national steel production capability is (and has been) much diminished. That said, I find it hard to believe, too, that our [US] steel would be cheaper for the Soviets than the cheap imported [subsidized] steel that has virtually killed our steel industry. I suspect that the Soviets and later the Russians could have gotten that same [foreign] steel more cheaply than they could steel from us. If they could even get our steel.

Re: value judgments. I would argue that if it is "mild steel," its mild for a reason -- that's the kind of steel used -- and not because they had it on hand.

The question, then, is if it is "mild steel" that's being used, is this "mild" steel still harder on extractors than brass? I don't know. I'm pretty sure that guns set up to use steel-cased ammo do well with Wolf ammo. Never heard of failures when its used in Soviet-Block weapons which were designed with the ammo in mind.

The question remains whether US- and Western European-made guns can shoot Wolf over extended periods without harm. Some say yes, and some say no -- and many of those answers are based, at least in part, on experience with the ammo.

While extractors also break when using brass cases, I haven't seen or heard other ammos requiring solvent baths to open actions or wooden dowels to clear chambers. I've personally know of being required in a couple of weapons using Wolf.

We probably ought to do a poll: Problems when using Wolf in a centerfire handgun. Maybe even a list of problems: broken extractor, locked up weapon. Rounds stuck in chamber. Failure to feed (lacquer build up). No problems!

Only those with personal, first-hand experience need respond. No response allowed if you've only seen it, or heard of it -- (my examples above, for example, would NOT let me respond -- I've not used the ammo myself.)

You respond only if you've EXPERIENCED problems, yourself.

That might help.

I'll try to set it up this evening, if nobody beats me to it. (Got a lot of "Honey Dos" today, and will be busy for most of the day.)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
Wolf 9mm 115 grn FMJ steel cased ammo
Replies
5
Views
431
jonnyc
J
W
  • Locked
Wolf Gold 9mm 147gr JHP opinions
Replies
1
Views
778
wnycollector
W
D
  • Locked
Shooting Wolf .45
Replies
21
Views
951
Bobby Lee
B
A
  • Locked
Wolf ammo in Sig 1911????
Replies
5
Views
493
Hacker15E
Hacker15E
R
  • Locked
Wolf ammo.
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
blue86buick
B
Back
Top