Hey I just got a mini 14 manufactured in 1980. I also had some .223 Wolf steel cased HP rounds (about 200) that i could shoot throught it, but I was just wondering if its a bad idea to use this steel cased ammo...? Only the casing is steel i believe... and the bullet is copper jacketedthanks for your help
I have used wolf steel cased ammunition as well when I borrowed my friend's AR-15. It's good ammunition and I personally have not experienced a stovepipe or a jam with the ammunition. A Mini 14 is a great .223 civilian rifle made by Ruger and should not jam with the ammunition. If the polymer coating really is a problem sometimes, just don't use it with knockoff AR-15s or Mini-14s but stick with the major manufacturers.
Wolf's steel cased ammo isn't bad as practice/plinking ammo, especially for the price, as long as you give your weapons MULTIPLE, THOROUGH cleanings between uses, to be sure and remove ALL the gas fouling left by the Wolf components. HOWEVER.................. As Wolf steel cases are lacquer coated, DO NOT leave a round in a hot chamber, even during short pauses between stages of fire on the range, as the lacquer coating WILL melt, and cause the round to seize in the chamber, causing extraction and jamming problems, especially if the weapon is allowed to cool down with the round left in the chamber. Be extra diligent in removing this lacquer fouling when cleaning the weapon later. I have personally seen other shooters have the case rims ripped off spent cases in the chambers, causing a trip to the gunsmith to have the stuck case removed without damaging the weapon's chamber and actioin, at no minor expense.
I have had significant ejection and rechambering problems with Wolf semi-auto handgun ammo. It took forever to clean the fouling that the lacquered ammo generated too. I do not know about the rifle ammo, but I won't tempt fate over cheap rounds again.
