wolf 62 gr

[LordofDeadSwine]

let me say this first before i start my question.

this post is not intended for everybody to jump on the "screw wolf" bandwagon.

this is simply to ask others of their experiences with wolf 62 grain lacquer coated ammunition.

i have a brand new bushmaster hbar patrolmans carbine, that started out with an extractor issue.

that issue has been solved by a spring upgrade.

i took out my ar this weekend and i shot through 120 rounds of pmc brass cased ammo. the carbine functioned flawlessly.

i then picked up a magazine of wolf steel cased lacquer coated 62 grain fmj ammo and the first round fired without a problem, but the shell casing was stuck in the chamber.

i failed to bring my cleaning kit with a rod so my firing was over for the day.

my carbine is chambered for both .223 and 5.56 so i am confused.


has anyone had the same or similar experiences with wolf ammo or am i just the unlucky one?

[Beer_Forever]

I was using the 62 grain wolf and the 62 grain Silver Bear and I had some problems. When I switched the extra upgrade kit it shot perfectly

[Steve in PA]

No experience with the laquer stuff, but I have been shooting a lot of the polymer coated stuff, Wolf Military Classic in 55gr. Never had a problem or issue. In fact I shot another 90rds this afternoon at work.

My rifle is the same, Bushmaster M4 Patrolman's rifle. Distance was about 80yds (80 paces) and I shot leaning across the roof of my cruiser. Not the most stable of platforms, but still......the accuracy was fine.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d159/Steve_in_PA/Targets/0507081702.jpg

[K. Foster]

i then picked up a magazine of wolf steel cased lacquer coated 62 grain fmj ammo and the first round fired without a problem, but the shell casing was stuck in the chamber.

That is not an uncommon occurrence. When the chamber gets hot, the laquer adheres to the chamber, inhibiting extraction. Some guns run fine with Wolf, some don’t.
My rule of thumb is Russian ammo in Russian guns, NATO ammo in NATO guns.

[Onmilo]

I have pulled far more Wolf steel cases out of AR15 chambers than I have Barnaul Silver and Brown Bear of which I have removed just one stuck case.

I don't think the coating has anything to do with the sticking issue with Wolf, I feel it is cartridge cases on the upper limit of the dimensional tolerence level combined with less than maximum velocity and pressure that causes the sticking issue.

Since you already fired some PMC ammo, which has a reputation for leaving quite a bit of carbon fouling, and followed up with the Wolf, you probably have a batch of cases that are on the upper levels of maximum case dimensions and combined with the chamber fouling you got the famous stuck case syndrome.

Try cleaning the chamber of the rifle thoroughly and start with, and stay with,
the Wolf ammunition next time out.
You may not have a sticking issue.
If you do,,,,,

If your rifle can shoot it without problems, groovy, stick with it.
If your rifle consistently sticks cases, you need to find another brand of ammunition.

[RMTactical]

All steel case ammo is prone to getting stuck in the chamber moreso than brass. Steel doesn't contract like brass does and because of the lack of much taper on the 5.56 round, there is a lot of friction with feeding and even moreso with extracting.

If this is a regular problem, stop shooting steel case ammo. I don't care for steel case ammo even though my AR15's have no problems with it. However, why intentionally use ammo that is prone to more failures?

[RWBlue]

I never tried Wolf lacquer in my AR.
Wolf poly coated is just fine. In fact that I what I prefer to shoot, because I don't like waisting my good ammo.

[Sucka]

However, why intentionally use ammo that is prone to more failures?

Because it's cheap! :tongueout::supergrin:

[LordofDeadSwine]

update:

i guess this ammo is not lacquer coated its polymer coated.

according to wikipedia wolf no longer sells lacquer coated ammo in any caliber due to problems.

i bought this ammo in feb of this year.

attached picture is the ammo i have

[RWBlue]

I wouldn't worry about it until you have 1K of ammo through the gun.
Then if it still is an issues, I will give you an address to send it to for proper disposal.

[RMTactical]

Because it's cheap! :tongueout::supergrin:

Fine for practice. Especially if you want to practice clearing your weapon. :tongueout::rofl:

Not fine for serious stuff. :whistling:

[Onmilo]

I use a lot of Barnaul Silver Bear for practice since the price of Winchester has skyrocketed.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the Winchester stuff, even the generic USA stuff for defense.
I don't feel as confident with the steel case stuff.

[nsabjg]

Plan to use alot of wolf for practice, price is right. For defense use the best no mater the price. Is your life worth it?

[CU4X4N]

All steel case ammo is prone to getting stuck in the chamber moreso than brass. Steel doesn't contract like brass does and because of the lack of much taper on the 5.56 round, there is a lot of friction with feeding and even moreso with extracting.



I was told by Colt manufacturing tech that steel cased ammo does the exact opposite. It doesn't expand as much as brass, therefore it allows powder residue to build up between the case and the chamber wall, causing it to stick, thus causing FTE's. The laquer coating has nothing to due with FTE's, it is the steel case that causes it.

Also, if you run a bunch of steel cased ammo then switch to brass without a thorough cleaning, you will experience more FTE's since there is that buildup of residue in the chamber that the brass contacts more since it expands better than steel.

<------- Not an AR expert, nor do I play one on TV

And like RM, due to inflation my $.02 isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

[Ljunatic]

I was told by Colt manufacturing tech that steel cased ammo does the exact opposite. It doesn't expand as much as brass, therefore it allows powder residue to build up between the case and the chamber wall, causing it to stick, thus causing FTE's. The laquer coating has nothing to due with FTE's, it is the steel case that causes it.

Also, if you run a bunch of steel cased ammo then switch to brass without a thorough cleaning, you will experience more FTE's since there is that buildup of residue in the chamber that the brass contacts more since it expands better than steel.

<------- Not an AR expert, nor do I play one on TV

And like RM, due to inflation my $.02 isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

The term for expansion of the cartridge under pressure is "obturation" and steel does not obturate as well as brass , so the chamber does get a lot of crap building up.

I think that meticulous chamber brushing is helpful if you run wolf. I have been fortunate that all my RRA's run it with no issues, so I can save the good stuff for the zombies

[DWhitehorne]

I read this a while back and haven't had a problem after I stopped shooting brass and steel cased ammo in the same range session. David

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

[CU4X4N]

I read this a while back and haven't had a problem after I stopped shooting brass and steel cased ammo in the same range session. David

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

Yup, read that too.

Godd info right there!

[Ljunatic]

I read this a while back and haven't had a problem after I stopped shooting brass and steel cased ammo in the same range session. David

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm


I typically shoot the brass first, then the blastin' ammo comes out for the rapid fire drills

[maxbmello]

I've shot about 500 rounds of the exact stuff out of my Colt, never had any extraction problems. Only had one bad round(primer). Wasn't the most accurate ammo, but it was definitely worth the price if you plan on shooting a lot!

[PlasticGuy]

I maintain that it's a rifle problem, if a gun doesn't run with Wolf .223 ammo. How many guns that aren't AR-15's have problems with it? None. My standard response when someone says they're having problems with Wolf ammo is to ask them what kind of AR-15 they're shooting it through.

Then again, how many AR-15's have problems with Wolf? Not many. I don't think I've ever seen a problem when they have chrome lined .556 chambered barrels, upgraded extractors, and are fed with good mags.

I've shot thousands of rounds of Wolf .223 in training. It is reliable. I wouldn't use it for defense for a variety of reasons. That's what Black Hills 77 grain is for. However, I can nearly double my training with no reliability problems by shooting Wolf practice ammo through my rifles. I won't be stopping any time soon.

[RMTactical]

Actually, I have more problems with Wolf than I do with any other type ammo I shoot in ANY of my guns. Wolf is just lousy ammo. I don't think it's dangerous as in it will blow up your gun (it's notoriously underpowered)... However, I don't trust it for anything other than plinking... in any caliber or any firearm.

[PlasticGuy]

...I don't think it's dangerous as in it will blow up your gun (it's notoriously underpowered)... However, I don't trust it for anything other than plinking...
I agree, but for training and plinking it's a good option. The other options are to either spend the time reloading (which would take time away from my training), or spend more money for something else (which would reduce the number of rounds I have available for training). All in all, it's worth it to me to keep training with Wolf in my combat rifles. It makes a lot of sense given the time/money balance I have right now.