Anyone ever shoot steel cases thru their xds? I got some in on a trade and was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on it
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The steel used for the cases is a mild, soft steel...about the same hardness as brass.It might not be breakage but rather wear... Steel onto brass is easy on the extractor... Steel on steel offers more wear...
Yeah...Fine... Your clock (one of the few cases I love autocorrect ) had no issues.... But if you talk to any self respecting gunsmith they'll tell you to shy away from steel cases. There is one exception to this rule - eastern block guns that were made with steel cases in mind....
It's similar to folks putting in 87 into high performance engines that run 92.... It's been done... Plenty folks keep saying it runs just fine... But... In the long run there is a high likelihood of issues.
So why not avoid the potential for issues ? There are so many other things to consider and worry about that the last thing I want to wonder is if the steel case caused issues.... And yes... Its softer then extractor but it's tougher then brass.... And the extractor was designed with brass casings in mind . Most of them were.... They'll survive she but the question is how well...
That rifle test, when compared to pistol ammo, is apples to zucchini, for a few major differences.The problem with steel cased ammo is less about the steel cases themselves and more about the propellants and to a lesser degree the bullets which are also generally steel plated with a copper wash. Lucky Gunner did a comparison of steel VS brass cased ammo in an AR platform rifle (yes, I know, this may well be a pears to kumquats comparison, but until someone does a similar test with handguns it is the best out there that I'm aware of) and they found that certain parts needed to be replaced more often with steel cased ammo, and that barrel wear was a major issue, resulting in diminished accuracy relatively early compared to brass cased ammo.
Ultimately, the cost to use steel cased ammo was slightly lower even after factoring in the increased rate of component replacement. However, the more rapid decrease in accuracy and the increased pace of component replacement would make me reluctant to use steel cased ammo. Plus, if you hand load ammo like I do, the cost comparison changes because the steel cases can't be reloaded.
Bottom line, shoot what you want, it will take a lot of steel cased ammo to make a difference - and if you don't hand load it will probably end up slightly less expensive in the long run, you just may need to have parts replaced in your gun more often. Oh yeah, and it generally is much dirtier than brass cased ammo so if that matters, it is another factor.
Sounds like the extractors weren't setup rightI've broken more extractors shooting brass than steel.
It's really a non-issue.