Steel Jacketed Bullets?

[ChrisG]

Now I know that traditionally, full metal jacket "solids" were made with mild steel jackets to toughen them up. I have been looking into shooting the new Hornady DGX bullet as a "cheap" practice bullet for my .375 but I do not want to accelerate barrel wear. Does anyone have any experience shooting copper clad steel jacketed bullets in their rifles? I have definitely read and heard that despite their thin copper plating, steel jacketed bullets still will speed up barrel erosion because the copper plating just smears off on the rifling within the first few inches of the barrel. Thoughts?

 

[35bore]

If barrel erosion is a concern, the don't use bullets that speed the process up. Not trying to be a smart ass but in the long run using cheap bullets for practice wouldn't end up being cheap in the long run, i.e. re-barreling. My opinion is to practice with the ammo/load you're going to be hunting with.

 

[TokkieM]

Can't see why you would worry about it. You are going to push at least 4000 to 6000 rounds through the barrel before you will see that the barrel is not accurate enough anymore. So it would have worked around 6 seconds or so.
Have shot FMJ ammo in several rifles with difftent results as far as copper fouling goes,some don't seem to collect as much copper as others,depends on the barrel and finish I suppose. Just keep your barrel clean after each session and it should last long enough to cost you a fortune in ammo

 

[lcq]

my concern would be how thick the copper is. If it is thick enough to protect the lands go for it. if not you are looking at some serious rifling erosion

 

[zephyr]

Shoot Hornady's Interlock bullets they are almost half the price

 

[ChrisG]

Shoot Hornady's Interlock bullets they are almost half the price

I would but they don't have them in 300 grain anymore.

 

[Grumulkin]

Has anyone here PERSONALLY experienced rapid barrel wear/erosion from using FMJ bullets?

I didn't think so.

 

[lcq]

Has anyone here PERSONALLY experienced rapid barrel wear/erosion from using FMJ bullets?

I didn't think so.

Absolutely not but unless I read this wrong the OP was talking about steel jacketed bullets

 

[Grumulkin]

I don't think you'll find steel jacketed bullets but rather copper clad steel jacketed bullets.

 

[lcq]

I don't think you'll find steel jacketed bullets but rather copper clad steel jacketed bullets.

I've seen a few steel jackets. Most clads are like military 223 and 308 have a steel penetrator core which is not a problem because the jacket is far too thick. Some of the cheap stuff has a very thin cladding

 

[ChrisG]

I've seen a few steel jackets. Most clads are like military 223 and 308 have a steel penetrator core which is not a problem because the jacket is far too thick. Some of the cheap stuff has a very thin cladding

Hornady DGX bullets have a thin copper plating. The Picture below is a fired DGS in .416 next to a .458 480 grain. You can clearly see that some of the plating has come off, exposing some steel.

I think I will just steer clear of these for practice. I probably burn through several hundred rounds per year. I just found Sierra 300 grain Game Kings for a little less, although I don't like the fact that they are boat tail and have no crimp groove. Maybe I will give them a try.

 

[Longwalker]

Several European manufacturers use steel jackets in their small bore factory ammo. I have shot quite a lot of the older Norma and RWS ammo with steel jacketed soft points in cartridges like 7x57 and 8x57, and some in .308. As far as I know all Sellier & Bellot made in-house standard soft points are steel jacketed. And Igman, some Austrian ammo, etc. I don't have any scientific comparison, but have not personally worn out a barrel prematurely by using such ammo. I have several old European rifles that were made between 1920 and 1950 and all have good bores although some have the look of being used quite a lot. I would not concern my self about jacket material and barrel wear except perhaps on a high volume target or varmint or possibly culling rifle.

 

[sestoppelman]

I put lots and lots of old steel - copper clad Hornadys thru my .375 years ago in prep for 3 safaris and I never noticed any degradation in accuracy.

 

[CTDolan]

ChrisG, don't worry about it. It's a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[ChrisG]

Thanks for all your replies guys! I think I will give them a try!

 

[matt85]

I wouldn't say its a problem that doesn't exist.

Ive worn out 3 barrels in my life and one of them could have been from steel jackets. its hard to directly put the blame on steel jacketed ammunition without a proper test though. however most people don't shoot as much as I do, so its not likely you will see a barrel get worn out in your lifetime.

-matt

 

[Waterguy631]

Are you loading them yourself if so Molly coat them if you are worried

 

[ikeda]

The US military conducted many tests during WWII on this very issue, and found that when firing thousands thru a machine gun barrel wear was only increased by maybe 5%.
Don't give it a second thought. Just keep your barrel clean and rust free and enjoy the shooting.

 

[matt85]

The US military conducted many tests during WWII on this very issue, and found that when firing thousands thru a machine gun barrel wear was only increased by maybe 5%.
Don't give it a second thought. Just keep your barrel clean and rust free and enjoy the shooting.

i would be very interested in reading this study! could you plase tell me where i could find it?

thanks
-matt

 

[CTDolan]

There are so many variables to consider, and in this regard applicability may be limited, but it would make for a rather interesting read.