19 replies to this topic

[marks]

Normally just shoot my handloads in the tommy but I'm contemplating getting some Wolf ammo. Can anyone provide some feedback on this stuff? Does it cycle fine in a Thompson? At $140/1000 it's hard to pass up.

Thoughts?

[bug]

I have over 3 cases through my '28 Savage with no problems. Two of the cases were the old green stuff and I'm currently midway through my second case of the new polymer coated version. The poly seems a little cleaner but both types worked the gun flawlessly.

Bob D

[Ron A]

There have been many prior posts on this ammo. Some think its great and some like myself dont think very much of it. I have found if the chamber is tight that I have problems with wolf ammo. I dont use it anymore after bad results. I think you will find a different response from several points of view. Depends what you are going to shoot the ammo in.

[TNKen]

Avoid use in HK weapons. The steel cases are hard on the ejector levers, and rough on the extractor as well. Spent more in fixing broken parts than I saved in the ammo.

Ken

[leid]

I tried 1 case of Wolf .45 in a Glock and found the quality control to be very poor. 2 rounds failed to fire because of headspace issues caused by short casing length. I decided to use only high quality brass cased factory ammo in the Thompson.
Carey

[Merry Ploughboy]

As stated by Phil, et al.: No to Wolf.

MP

[Shooter]

Marks,

I have used over 10k rounds of Wolf in my Thompson without problems. I find it to be reliable and inexpensive at about $120/1000. My suggestion would be to try it to see how it functions in your gun. I have found no reason to spend more for other factory ammo for the Thompson. The Reising is another story. So far it is more reliable with brass cased ammo.

Shooter

[John Jr]

It works fine in my TSMG, however it stinks and its filthy. When I shoot up the rest, its back to new quality production brass. It took over 5,000 rounds of the WW2 spam packs (no longer available) to wear the "new" off of the gun, and since thats over I shoot less than 1K per year.

Wolf will work, but unless you are just shooting the piss out of your TSMG, then shoot S&B or something like PMP.

Jr

[Gunner]

I've shot several thousand rounds through my WH M1 and 1928, without a single failure. Can't tell that it's much dirtier than anything else. I've bought it for as low as $79/500. Where do you guys find deals like $120/thousand?

[Z3BigDaddy]

I buy my .380 ammo for my M11-A1 here...... Have been lucky to pick up good .45 ammo cheap, so I'm good on that so far..... If you should or should not use it...... You are the only one to make the decision as it is pretty much split on this board.......

[John Jr]

Z3, Its cheaper at Sportsmans Guide and they pay the shipping (if you have the SP codes)

http://www.sportsman...cb.asp?a=102946

Link my not work

[kyle]

I use the polymer-coated Wolf in all my 45ACP and .223 machine guns. So so all of my local shooting buddies. NONE of us have ever had a problem. It always goes bang. Don't fall prey to all the urban legend.

[Z3BigDaddy]

Has anyone checked or compared the hardness numbers on brass vs. the steel cases?

[TSMGguy]

You'll remember that steel cased .45 ball was first produced in quantity under US government contract starting in 1943. The latest headstamps I've seen are dated 1953. I've shot a large amount of this surplus stuff through my TSMGs without a problem, although some of it has been very dirty.

I wouldn't dismiss Wolf ammo just because of the steel cases. I've also used quite a bit of their steel cased 9mm in my MP40 without difficulty. Original German ammo generally had steel cases as well, starting in 1940.

Funny; I've never had a cartridge base seperation with steel cased ammo, only brass. No problems with opturation or failed case rims, either. I'm thinking that it isn't that brass cases are more expensive. They aren't. It's just that they are so much less hard on cartridge making equipment.

Steel rocks.

[Bill in VA]

Well I reckon I'll jump on the bandwagon too. I've shot several thousand rounds of both the old gree colored/laquered Wolf as well as the newer grey/polymer coated Wolf ammo out of my TSMG. So far, I've not experienced any ammo related malfunctions, nor have I experienced any breakages or noticed undue wear and tear on my gun. Likewise, I haven't found it to be any dirtier than run-of-the-mill Winchester. IMHO, I like it better than the S&B since it doens't leave all those flakes of red primer sealant all over the place. I've also found it to be cleaner than WIN 231 reloads. WIN 231 left a lot of yellowish unburnt powder all over the inside of the gun. Since I've switched over to good ol' Bullseye for my .45 reloads I haven't noticed any significant differences in powder fouling between my reloads, Wolf, Winchester, UMC, or USGI.
YMMV

[Jay Baker]

Now that's a convincing argument.

[21 smoker]

[Anyway, whatever floats your boat. Wonder what that dolly on Mike's calendar thinks about steel vs. brass in a Thompson, or whether a laquer or polymer coating makes for smoother chambering? ]

Like I said before...proper lubricant is a must....just ask the babe on the calender....Mobil 1,the big one,..er..I can`t remember....

[Grey Crow]

I ran 500 through my 27 and ended with a broken extractor.
Now that was before PK opened the chamber up a bit to Mil spec.
With brass cases the extractor took chunks off of the rim. (Again prior to PKs work)
I ran a fair amount through my Colt Defender as well without a hitch. Actually I had far less fouling with Wolf than Winchester White Box.
Kimber does NOT recommend Wolf for their guns, but I had a lot of FTF with Win. The Colt eats everything I feed it.

W231, LOL, really filthy, but it sure churns out a mean .357!

[Bill in VA]

QUOTE (Grey Crow @ May 19 2005, 08:35 PM)

W231...sure churns out a mean .357!

Hmmm...I'll keep that in mind next time I set up for some .357. I reckon I'll have to look up some data now.

[TSMGguy]

Funny; I've never had any failed cartridge bases with steel cased ammunition, or failures to extract because of failed rims, either. The Russians never even issued broken cartridge case extractors to riflemen and machine gunners during WWII. We did, and needed them.

The Germans did not go to steel 8mm cases early in WWII because of shortages. There were no shortages. They were winning! They went to steel cases because their MG34s and new MG42s were tearing the rims off of brass cases due to their high rate of fire. This was even more critical in aviation applications where the gunner was the pilot and could not access the gun to clear stoppages. Reliability soared.

I rather doubt that steel cases are 'cheaper' than brass, rather, the other way around. We use brass here for two reasons that I can see: we like to reload, and brass is far easier on production equipment (read:cheaper). Let's keep in mind that half of all of the trained engineers in the world are within the boundries of the old Soviet Union. They don't turn out junk.

Brass cases fire form when fired, assuming the shape of the chamber that they were fired in. Steel does not, and assumes its original shape immediately after firing. This makes for really easy extraction.

I'll stand my AK-74 (with steel cased 5.45x39 ammunition) against an often modified M-16 any time. One gun is a model of rugged reliability which you only need to clean if you're otherwise bored; the other is questionable in its reliability to this day, in spite of being around longer than any other US shoulder weapon.

Steel rocks!