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Does anyone use Wolf .45 ACP ammo in their Kimbers? Saw some discussion of brass v. steel and which is worse, but couldn't find a solid answer.

Cheap ammo for the range is the game plan, but its not worth hurting the gun. I'd rather buy a better quality ammo than abuse the gun.

Thanks in advance!

I've used it and haven't had any problems. I don't like it for 2 reasons. A. it's very dirty and B. the flash suppressants they use stink to high heaven.

HighVelocity wrote:I've used it and haven't had any problems. I don't like it for 2 reasons. A. it's very dirty and B. the flash suppressants they use stink to high heaven.

What he said......s-t-i-n-k-y!!!!!!! eeeeeewwwwwww!! and very dirty. I heard a person once say, Russian ammo goes in Russian guns. Might be some truth to that. For me, it's WWB.

I've seen a guy using Wolf on his Kimber Warrior during training and it keeps stovepiping on him after 250 rds or so. He then switched back to brass. No problems afterwards. Only gun I would use Wolf is my AK47. That's it.

I have no direct experience, but I've heard that the steel cases, even with the coating, will mess up the inside of the chamber.
TraCoun

TraCoun wrote:I have no direct experience, but I've heard that the steel cases, even with the coating, will mess up the inside of the chamber.
TraCoun

That's what I heard too. I'm waiting for it to show up on Snopes.com.

One reason that I don't like steel-case ammo is that, while the steel is annealed dead-soft, it can be abrasive. The Russkies would use the cheapest, junk recycled steel they could find to make their export ammo, which would be loaded with oxides, carbides, and other abrasive inclusions. Gun barrels and slides are only heat-treated to around Rockwell 40 or so on the "c" scale, and often less by a few points. That is very soft, intentionally so, to keep the steel out of the brittleness range to avoid shattering as a failure mode. So you have the right set-up for accelerated abrasive wear to the ramp, chamber, and breech face.

HEMIzygote,

One more thing to think about. Take a magnet to the bullet. If it sticks then it's copper coated steel. I'm not sure about Wolf, but some ammo coming out the easternbloc countrys use that kind of bullet. I wouldn't send anything like that down my barrel. Expecially a fine piece like a Kimber.

SS

I was told that the coating they put on it can also get into the inards of the gun after it heats up and melts after a few rounds. A range close to me won't even let you bring it in to use with their rental guns.

If STI finds out that you are using Wolf ammo they will void your warranty.

The Bullet Trap gun range wont let you use outside ammo with there rentals either. On another note what about the aluminum cased rounds like CCI Blazers?

9mmGuy wrote: On another note what about the aluminum cased rounds like CCI Blazers?

Clean, accurate, and cheaper than most IMO. I shoot it regularly through all of my autos. I am sure it works fine in revolvers as well......I have never tried it. I beleive the ranges that do not allow it want to sell your brass.

CCI Blazer works fine in my .357 Magnum revolver. (The problem would be case expansion making extraction difficult. It doesn't.)

- Jim

Yea, the range officer told me that the aluminum case would wear out the extractors in there pistols, cause the aluminum cases are harder than brass.

Aluminum may be harder than brass (I don't know), but both are quite a bit softer than steel.

- Jim