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Post by kutkota on Oct 16, 2013 10:30:41 GMT -7
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Post by marc on Oct 18, 2013 7:53:31 GMT -7
Well, I see the article differently than simply steel=bad.
A LOT of money is saved by shooting steel and replacing the barrel more often. That analysis was made using brass/steel ammo price comparisons of yesteryear, so it is even more cost effective to use steel now. Based on steel at $.25 and Federal brass at $.43, that’s a difference of $.18/round – or $180./thousand.
Tweak the number for you own local costs, but l would save $720. in ammo cost when I reached the 4,000 round point that they show is barrel replacement time.
So at that point I can:
- Replace the barrel and the complete BCG and still have $400. in my pocket.
- Buy a whole new AR-15 with the money saved on ammo, every 4,000 rounds.
- Rebuild the old and add a new one from the ammo savings every 5,500 rounds
Take a hybrid approach and use 50% steel and 50% brass........
Having said that, I use brass – except for some cheap steel stored at work and other folks homes for my emergency/backup use. In SHTF times, I would want the gun to last “forever” so I would want brass. But, then.......how long will it take to blow through 4,000 rounds? Will the barrels actually “shoot out” in 4,000 rounds at a normal pace, or is the damage accelerated by the elevated temperatures?
Just some food for thought.
Marc
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Post by kutkota on Oct 18, 2013 8:41:04 GMT -7
Good points marc.
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Post by marc on Oct 18, 2013 16:21:57 GMT -7
Didn't mean to come across as overly analytical! Just stopped and thought about a very interesting test that you posted. I would like to know more about the effect of their sustained fire test vs. running 4,000 rounds of steel ammo with regular cleaning/brushing/lubing after a handful of rounds like a SHTF situation might be. They ran them pretty dry, which many people prefer. I run them wet, so I would love to know more.
From a prepper's perspective who needs to store more dry goods and water:
With limited funds for ammo, I would prefer to have a full 4,000 rounds of steel ammo to burn out my barrel over many years vs. having a lot less rounds that will make my barrel last longer....... than I can use it because my ammo is gone. Remember that the "shot out" barrels still sent lead down range at lethal velocities.
Yes, I know it's not that simple. Just making a point that sometimes we have to make "less than optimum" decisions based on available funds. (Oh, crap! That's what I do every day!)
Well heck, Maybe I'll stop by Walmart on the way to work and buy some more steel based ammo for more backup!
Marc
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Post by kutkota on Oct 18, 2013 16:24:40 GMT -7
All's well marc. I have some steel as well, won't be using it for practice though. More later when I'm at my computer.
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