imaoldcowhand
Active Member
- Aug 3, 2018
- 718
Anyone shoot steel or aluminum cased .38 special ammo?
If so, what are the pros and cons of each?
Thanks.
If so, what are the pros and cons of each?
Thanks.
Steel and Aluminum cased .38 Special
- Thread starter imaoldcowhand
- Start date
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DaemonAssassin
Why should we Free BSD?
Wolf/Tula/Russian stuff has inconsistent powder charges and projectile weights, from what I have seen with rifle ammo. When a sub-MOA rifle can print no better than 3 MOA, that tells me something.
Aluminum has been used for years by CCI and it is decent stuff.
Aluminum has been used for years by CCI and it is decent stuff.
Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,278
Very early CCI Blazer, circa 1980 , had problems with extraction from lever action rifles . Not pressure related , but rather with the coating on the cases . The problem was fixed with the first year, and the aluminum cased Blazer has been fine ever since . Except for the non- reloadable thing .
No personal experience with the steel case Tula , so I checked with the usually reliable sources .
Other than the usual categorical hating of steel ammo , no reports of any issues with the .38spl . The .357 did have reports of severe cylinder binding, and stuck cases .
No personal experience with the steel case Tula , so I checked with the usually reliable sources .
Other than the usual categorical hating of steel ammo , no reports of any issues with the .38spl . The .357 did have reports of severe cylinder binding, and stuck cases .
DaemonAssassin
Why should we Free BSD?
Because steel does not have the malleability of brass or aluminum, nor can steel shed heat as quickly as brass or aluminum.
Neither will stop vampires ... (jes sayin’)
BossmanPJ
Ultimate Member
I shoot Blaser 38 and 357 out of my Henry and 77/357 all the time. They work well but are not the most accurate. But then again I’m just shooting at steel plates on my Hill, so they work fine.
They are a little dirty, but function in a lever and bolt gun fine. No help on pistols.
I also shoot quite a bit thatxis nickel plated or whatever it is such as Underwood and the Remington HP stuff. My hunting rounds are Federal Powershocks and they are also nickel plated.
I prefer to shoot brass cased ammo in everything. The reason I shoot so much steel at the moment is because I picked up a large lot of 38/357 and it was in there. When I get through it all I won’t buy anymore. But it works and shoots for me.
They are a little dirty, but function in a lever and bolt gun fine. No help on pistols.
I also shoot quite a bit thatxis nickel plated or whatever it is such as Underwood and the Remington HP stuff. My hunting rounds are Federal Powershocks and they are also nickel plated.
I prefer to shoot brass cased ammo in everything. The reason I shoot so much steel at the moment is because I picked up a large lot of 38/357 and it was in there. When I get through it all I won’t buy anymore. But it works and shoots for me.
I've shot a few boxes of Blazer ammunition in 38 Special and 357 and 44 mag over the years with no issues.
I've also recently helped a gal with her beautiful new SW625, chock full of stuck Tula steel cases.
Price is the draw with aluminum and steel obviously. Lots of folks like and use both successfully.
Me personally, I have no use for steel cased ammunition.
I've also recently helped a gal with her beautiful new SW625, chock full of stuck Tula steel cases.
Price is the draw with aluminum and steel obviously. Lots of folks like and use both successfully.
Me personally, I have no use for steel cased ammunition.
engineerbrian
JMB fan club
I looked into Tula 38 spl ammo and decided against it after reading reviews. Apparently, Tula 38 ammo is really hot and stuck cases are a common problem.
danb
dont be a dumbass
I've bought a few boxes of the aluminum 38 special, and 9mm. As noted above, I thought that it was exceptionally dirty and the charges were inconsistent. Dirty enough that the cylinder of the revolver jammed after about 2 boxes. Some of the cases stuck, I am not sure that it was because of the charge or the dirt (or both). I am fairly sure it was the dirt, not the heat, because the cylinder was still binding after it cooled. Nothing a good brass brush could not fix. 9mm was so dirty the gun started to jam after a few boxes too. One case stuck and we had to take extreme measures to extract it from the gun. Again, nothing a good brass brush would not address. If you like cleaning your guns after every 2 boxes of ammo to prevent jamming, I would definitely buy it. For me, its not worth the .02 cents per round. I just get brass.
TheOriginalMexicanBob
Ultimate Member
It was when Blazer ammo first came out I tried it. It worked fine but was very dirty. Maybe it's improved in that matter since but I haven't tried it. Cost-wise...if you're careful and watch for sales you can get better stuff for no more money.
Muleskinner
Ultimate Member
I've shot the CCI aluminum many times in both my wheel gun and lever action with zero issues...The only thing I don't like as a reloader is you can't reload it...but it's cheap enough that it's not really an problem. I can't speak to the steel cased rounds in 38 spl. I have used them in 9mm, 40S&W, 5.56 and 7.62X39 and consistency in all of them is sketchy..
303_enfield
Ultimate Member
Pros an cons:
Both are cheap. One rusts an the other is worth more at the recycling plant.
What are you shooting, weapon, bullet weight an type an type of shooting? Balk ammo is cheap as hell. Reloadable brass has worth.
Both are cheap. One rusts an the other is worth more at the recycling plant.
What are you shooting, weapon, bullet weight an type an type of shooting? Balk ammo is cheap as hell. Reloadable brass has worth.
