Why steel cases for handgun?

Kevin M.

Kevin M.

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My local range lets the RCMP shoot there about 2-3 times a year, and after they leave, the range is littered with steel case 9mm and .223. ( I am not going to go into how they don't clean up. Thats another thread entirely ;))

What is the difference between steel case ammo and brass?

Cost, durability, etc?

I have a nice little collection of the 9mm going, and I don't know if it is even worth my time to reload or sell them.

Cheers.
 
I know that 'Blaser' ammo is steel cased and is cheaper than other brands. Maybe that's why they use the steel cased stuff. Just a guess.

edit-aluminum eh? Oh well, live and learn.
 
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Probably cost. Is it Hornady? The Hornady TAP ammo is very expensive and the steel case ammo is called TAP Practice ammo.

I remember reading somewhere that Hornady was importing steel cases and loading them with their bullets for use as practice rounds. I believe they are berdan primed.
 
"...'Blaser' ammo is steel cased..." Aluminium cased, not steel. Al isn't reloadable either.
"...worth my time..." Pitch it. Steel cases are not reloadable.
"...they don't clean up..." Cops think their mommy's follow 'em around cleaning up after 'em. OPP TRU guys are the same way. Gets 'em denied access to a lot of ranges because they don't pick up their brass. Picked up a big pile of 9mm brass(2500 pcs +) on a CF range, one time. Friggin' primers were sealed in.
 
All the Blaser steel cases I've seen, have NR stamped on the bottom. This stands for Not Reloadable. You won't be able to size very many, if any, of them before you destroy your dies. So unless you have enough to make the trip to the metal recycler worth it, just pitch them, or collect until you do have enough.
 
RCMP only use Winchester Ranger and/or Remington Golden Sabre. All brass cases. Practice and duty. Nothing steel cased.

Only the SWAT, or whatever they call em whereever they are, teams use .223, and it's all Winchester as well. Again, all brass cased.

Steel cased would be coming from someone else. I've dealt with this at my old range, and I've checked what RCMP use. I've shot with lots of them.

You wouldn't believe how many people made this claim at my last range.... and everyone blamed the police or the CO's that used it.... every single time it turned out it wasn't. If that did happen there, speak to the commander of the area, and it will get fixed ASAP.
 
Arctic Blaser said:
RCMP only use Winchester Ranger and/or Remington Golden Sabre. All brass cases. Practice and duty. Nothing steel cased.

Only the SWAT, or whatever they call em whereever they are, teams use .223, and it's all Winchester as well. Again, all brass cased.

Steel cased would be coming from someone else. I've dealt with this at my old range, and I've checked what RCMP use. I've shot with lots of them.

You wouldn't believe how many people made this claim at my last range.... and everyone blamed the police or the CO's that used it.... every single time it turned out it wasn't. If that did happen there, speak to the commander of the area, and it will get fixed ASAP.
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X2

I have NEVER seen RCMP or Any police for that matter shoot steel cased ammo.


CCI Blaser ammo is aluminum cased, NOT steel cased.
"Blazer uses aircraft-grade aluminum that’s heat-treated to make an economical cartridge case." (CCI-Blazer website)

Hornady TAP is Nickle plated brass, NOT steel cased
"Silver nickel cases eliminate the potential for corrosion, improve feeding in all firearms, and are easily visible in low light conditions." (Hornady website)
 
sunray said:
"...'Blaser' ammo is steel cased..." Aluminium cased, not steel. Al isn't reloadable either.
"...worth my time..." Pitch it. Steel cases are not reloadable.
"...they don't clean up..." Cops think their mommy's follow 'em around cleaning up after 'em. OPP TRU guys are the same way. Gets 'em denied access to a lot of ranges because they don't pick up their brass. Picked up a big pile of 9mm brass(2500 pcs +) on a CF range, one time. Friggin' primers were sealed in.
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Thanks for yet another idiotic generalized statement about police officers. We just can't seem to ever do anything right. :(

While I'm here, I'll confirm that RCMP members do not use steel cased ammo (unless someone is using non-approved ammo). The only approved ammo for duty or practice is made by either Remington (golden sabre) and Winchester (Ranger). I have in the past used Winchester FMJ for practice and this was supplied by RCMP stores.
 
Origional Blaser ammo came in berdan primed aluminum cases. Most of the recent Blaser ammo I've seen is brass cased and reloadable, but with crimped primers.

As for steel cased 9mm, the only supplier I'm aware of is the Russians, in one of the many trade names. I don't believe any of them are actually approved. (Can Am, wanna jump in?)

Is it possible you are actually looking at nickle plated cases?
 
The local detachment uses CCI aluminum cased ammo for practice... funny how CCI describes this ammo as "moderately accurate" and no they don't pick up their sh*t either! What's with that???

Regards,
 
Some Russian is approved, as is Hornady loaded with Russian-made steel cases.

My money is on blackened brass cases. Were they checked with a magnet? What is the headstamp?
 
Boomer686 said:
The local detachment uses CCI aluminum cased ammo for practice... funny how CCI describes this ammo as "moderately accurate" and no they don't pick up their sh*t either! What's with that???

Regards,
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Municipal force? OPP? RCMP detachments only use Winchester Ranger and Remington Golden Sabre approved ammo. I don't even think non-police can acquire that ammo. I'm pretty sure Winchester only sells Ranger to police and military. I don't think I've seen it on the shelf down south of the Border in a Cabelas.

I helped run a range for some time, and did lots of volunteer cleanup and work. Weeding, cutting grass, hanging/fixing targets. The range users always made these complaints, and if you looked into it, it was almost never police use. I always called and asked, as I find people just automatically love to say it was the police. I even brought the subject forth at a range meeting as I was the one cleaning up all the time. No one there could prove anything, and it was just popular to blame cops... I know it was lazy range members... most of them wouldn't even walk to 100 yards to remove thier targets.....
 
Kevin M. said:
They are non magnetic.

Headstamp says R-P 9mm LUGER
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R-P= REMINGTON PETERS I beleive ,decent brass too as you sure you are not confuseing Nickle Brass with steel? Nickle looks like silver , Steel would be almost blackish?

If it is silver with this Headstamp ,probly golden saber rounds
 
RCMP train, qualify and a good number of them are regular private members of our club. Their ammo is Winchester Ranger LE. Their brass is silver because it is Nickle Plated brass.

They can be picked up and reloaded like any other brass. The only thing I find is any Nickle brass tends to crack at the mouth faster than brass alone.
 
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Arctic Blaser said:
Municipal force? OPP? RCMP detachments only use Winchester Ranger and Remington Golden Sabre approved ammo. I don't even think non-police can acquire that ammo. I'm pretty sure Winchester only sells Ranger to police and military. I don't think I've seen it on the shelf down south of the Border in a Cabelas.

I helped run a range for some time, and did lots of volunteer cleanup and work. Weeding, cutting grass, hanging/fixing targets. The range users always made these complaints, and if you looked into it, it was almost never police use. I always called and asked, as I find people just automatically love to say it was the police. I even brought the subject forth at a range meeting as I was the one cleaning up all the time. No one there could prove anything, and it was just popular to blame cops... I know it was lazy range members... most of them wouldn't even walk to 100 yards to remove thier targets.....
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ive seen ranger 9mm and buckshot for sale i think even .223 too
 
Well Kevin m,if it's nickel you can try it.I tried a bunch in my lee pro1000 and found the nickel was really hard to load and i had to use alot of force on my press.So much my arm was getting tired after 30-40 rounds.Not sure if it's a lee thing or the lee dies but i tossed all the cases out and never tried again.Needless to say i wasn't to happy after picking this stuff up for hours and hours at the club.Probably the reason it gets left on the ground in the first place.
 
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