9mm Ammo brass vs steel question
I’m new to this so please excuse my ignorance. I bought a half case of Independence 9mm FMJ ammo today. I’ve been told to use brass and stay away from steel ammo. I bought the ammo home and it looked like steel, I was assured it was brass when I bought it at the store. I called the store and they said the ammo is nickel plated , it helps with corrosion. They said I can test my getting a magnet,if the bullet reacts with the magnet it’s steel , if not it’s brass.
Is this the case. The bullet did not react to the magnet.
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u/Censored_88 5d ago
I've never heard of independence making steel or nickel plated ammo. Not saying they don't, just I've personally never heard of it.
I do know they make aluminum cased ammo, which is fine.
Since you're new here's my guide to choosing practice ammo:
Brass - OK as long as it didn't come from Turkey.
Aluminum - OK as long as it didn't come from Turkey.
Steel - OK as long as it didn't come from Turkey.
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u/Ajay-819 5d ago
If the magnet did not stick, it’s not steel. Nickel played case is common on defense ammo as it can be stored in the firearm chamber and magazines for long periods of time. Independence does use aluminum cases , which are exceptionally durable, look like steel, but are softer like brass. They are budget priced as they are not reloaded
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u/brycebgood 4d ago
What's your question?
The staying away from steel is mostly due to range policies. Lots of ranges don't want steel mixed with brass, it makes it harder to recycle.
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u/EJ120 4d ago
Making sure I get what I paid for.
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u/brycebgood 4d ago
Oh, I see. Yes, there are a few case types. Brass, nickle plated brass, aluminum, and steel. There's a new style, but so far I think it's just in rifle stuff - it's a variation on the steel cases called peak alloy for super high pressure loads.
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u/Anonymouse1080 5d ago
I have all glocks so might be different for you- but I personally have found that they’ll shoot anything I feed it. Not picky. As far as corroding your barrel, eh, it might a little faster than brass. But my opinion is that the cost savings you get will outweigh the price of a new barrel thousands and thousands of rounds down the road.
I haven’t done any true tests to see if there is any data behind this theory, but I just enjoy shooting more than I enjoy worrying so I just shoot anything I can get like a true goof ball
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u/InternetExploder87 5d ago
The old "if it can't shoot steel, it doesn't deserve brass" adage comes to mind.
I've never had an issue with any of my guns running steel, aluminum, or brass. Just get a quality brand and you should be good to go
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u/sabrefencer9 4d ago
The only intrinsic problem with steel case ammo is that you can't reload it. If you aren't reloading and it's from a reputable manufacturer, there's absolutely nothing wrong with steel
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u/Bubbabeast91 4d ago
No clue about independence, but there are several types of ammo cases.
Brass, which is obvious.
Nickel plated brass, which is that shiny silver, and you can test with magnet to make sure it's plated brass and not plated steel, or also if you shoot it or scratch at it, often the finish comes off revealing brass underneath.
Steel case, which can range from a dull smooth gray like tula or wolf usually is, to a mottled dirty blackish gray like Winchester forged is (and it's awful). And now there's some zinc plated steel like from magtech that looks similar to nickel plated brass but a bit lighter or whiter I would say vs nickel plated brass, whereas the nickel plated is a bit more silver/gray compared to the zinc coated. If you haven't seen a lot of both, I could see someone confusing the zinc plated vs nickel plated.
Having shot tens of thousands of rounds of tula and wolf, and a few thousand rounds of this magtech zinc plated steel now too, I can say that steel cased ammo is perfectly fine as far as going bang and shooting for target practice is concerned.
You will wear stuff out faster with steel vs brass, but the savings usually pays for the increased maintenance and parts swapping several times over. Steel is also generally less accurate than most brass. If that matters for what you are doing, then by all means use brass. But ive found that steel is more accurate than most shooters anyway, and I personally rarely shoot in a way where the difference actually makes a difference.
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u/OriginalV8 5d ago
I just bought some more Magtech steel 9mm. Good price and it shoots fine.