Wolf .223

Does anyone here use wolf .223? I was going to buy some for my Bushmaster but was told that it's corrosive and will dirty up the rifle much more than say Reminton or winchester ammo. Is this true?

I don't have a .223, but do and have used Wolf ammo in other weapons. Wolf ammo is not corrosive, but does leave your bore more "dirty" than other ammo.
When in doubt, however, no matter what the claim, consider it corrosive, and clean accordingly soon after use.

The main complaint I've heard about Wolf ammo is that the lacquering used on the jackets becomes heated from the fired cartridge, and may "gum up" the action of rifles with tight tolerances, like the AR-15.

Don't have the problem with weapons with looser tolerances, like the Eastern-Bloc weapons.

Wolf is great ammo. The only problem with it is it shoots kinda dirty. No worse than WWB though.


EDIT


Its not corrosive at all. I havnt shot it in an AR-15 but I have in my Glock pistol and my yugo AK-47, Ive only had a single failure in thousands of rounds though both, both with remington ammo. About half the ammo i shoot is wolf cause its so cheap online.

[edit on 16-11-2006 by Tiloke]

.223 wolf is fine.... the bushmaster will fire it flawlessly unless your bump firing, then it tends to melt that green lacquer.

the only corrosive ammo I have come across is the Ulanoyovsk machine plant ammo made in russia.

it left some rust along the gas piston ring of my SKS within 24 hours. IT was esily scraped off with a wire brush.

However, all the wolf ammo I have ever used has been very good.

Wolf rounds (all i've met) are made from non corrosive materials.
And even corrosive ammo is not a problem, FullAuto, you do clean your gun after each range session, right?

A simple cleaning after firing corrosive ammo won't protect the barrel. First wet-patch the barrel with a diluted ammonia-based window cleaner to neutralize the corrosive agents, then dry-patch that out and clean as normal.

Just remember, too much ammonia can damage the barrel as well.

Like I said before, I've not had a problem with Wolf, other than being a little dirty, but S&B (Sellier & Bellot) ammo is much worse, in my experience.

Thanks for the thread.

I've recently purchased some Wolf .223 for my Bushmaster as well, but haven't fired any yet. I have a friend that has used the same, and it was said that he didn't have any problems with the .223.

We've both, as well, got 7.62X39 Wolf ammo for our SKS's and there's no hitches there, either.

Happy shooting!

[edit on 11/17/2006 by Infoholic]

S&B 9mm ammo is non-corrosive, but i'll agree it does leave more "dirt" to your gun than for example Lapua or SK, but it's 100% reliable..

Originally posted by Full_Auto77
Does anyone here use wolf .223? I was going to buy some for my Bushmaster but was told that it's corrosive and will dirty up the rifle much more than say Reminton or winchester ammo. Is this true?

Full Auto,

I too have heard questions about Wolf brand ammo Particularly about the Lacquer build up. Not so much about the corrosive propertys unless you have a older batch.

The lacquer buildup is something I first learned from the old timers at the gun club to which I belong. This is easily remedied by the careful cleaning of the chamber area. Several of the posters are correct on this thread. No substitute for good cleaning.

My limited experiences are pretty close to what the other posters declare. Wolf is dirty ammo but other than that no problems with it. And it is definitely cheaper than most other brands. The price is a big plus for most of us.

I reload pistol with Bullseye powder...38/357, .45ACP and it too is a dirty powder. It is however cheap and goes along way. Same thing with Wolf so this is not a new experience with me.

No substitute for a good cleaning no matter what fodder you are using.

Thanks to all who posted here.

Orangetom

The wolf stuff I've used was steel case which can be hard on the gun vs a softer brass case and even left some visible marks on the AR I put it through. I know wolf does make brass cases too so I would just get that if you can. If its for an AR you want 5.56 not 223 and I would get Lake City ammo. So what do you have a .223 or 5.56?



[edit on 17-11-2006 by warpboost]

I have a Bushmaster XM-15 E2 with a 6 position stock. Is it considered an M-4 clone or AR-15? That's my next question because I have people call this rifle both.

.223 wont do any harm, but it's chambered for 5.56 and can handle the higher pressures so I would use 5.56. Using 5.56 in a .223 like say a bolt action hunting rifle is a no no.

Here's some great reading about the subject

www.ammo-oracle.com...


I would get some Lake City, Federal, Winchester or Black Hills if you can.

I would get some of these to play with

www.cheaperthandirt.com...

and check out places like ammoman.com and lancerammo.com - i've heard good stuff about lancer and it seems reasonably priced

[edit on 17-11-2006 by warpboost]

Like I mentioned before, I don't have a .223, but this may sound like a stupid comment/question:

Aren't the 5.56x45mm and the .223 Rem. the same cartridge? Where the 5.56 is the military nomenclature and the .223 is civilian?

I would think that civilian loads are more potent than military - I have an FR-8 Spanish mauser in .308, and the commercial loads kick much more than the military loads.

All Bushmasters fire 5.56x45 and .223, so which is better on the rifle?

There are some slight differences between .223 and 5.56. The differences shouldn't make a difference in most guns but will cause a problem in some.

Click here to see comparison and more info on .223 and 5.56


Your rifle is an AR-15. It can also be a M-4 clone. You will be just fine shooting either 5.56 or .223rem out of it. You may have a case failure or two, but the chamber will be fine and the only way youll be able to tell is by looking at the spent cases.




[edit on 18-11-2006 by Tiloke]

i've used quite a bit of the wolf .223 in my colt ar15. like others have noted, it's a bit dirty, but considering the price, it's excellent target ammo. i havent experienced any jamming, but then again i'm a fanatic about keeping my weapons clean.

There is no hard and fast rule here. Wolf is cheap ammo, and like the saying goes - you get what you pay for.

General rule of thumb - only use Russian ammo in Russian Guns. Maks, AKs and SKSs love Wolf, others less so.

I really dont want to piss you off, but your absolutely wrong. Mil-spec is mil-spec , no matter the manufacterer. russian , american, yugoslavian, martian, It does not matter the manufacturer as long as it is up to spec. If you bothered to read the other posts you would see that people ARE NOT having problems shooting wolf in their American made weapons.


Dont argue with me I was a military armorer for 4 years and am now a firearms instructor for a PD in Denver. I know what I am talking about.

So what's more effective out of a Bushmaster? 5.56x45 metal jacket or a .223 hollowpoint?

Depends on what your using it for.

Small game and varminting FMJ will be fine. Hollow point ammo would be more usefull for home defense or larger game. The .223 is a pretty teeny bullet so large game like deer are out. Really nothing larger than wild boar or coyote.

Remember the Ar-15 rifle was designed for FMJ ammunition so Hollow point may have some feeding problems in lower-end clones. Bushmaster is a fine rifle and should do fine. If you have feed problems with hollow point switch to a "plugged" point. Its a hollow point bullet with a peice of plastic or hard rubber in the cavity to facilitate feeding.

If you'r using an AR-15 rifle for home defense I highly suggest a frangible or pressed powder bullet as both FMJ and hollowpoint over penetrate very easily and will go through several walls before they lose the power to kill. Frangible ammo, while still traveling through the wall will "crumble" into many small peices that dont have much penetration power. Remember, your neighbors are decent people and dont want a stray bullet ripping through one of them.

Anyways, any bullet will do for your bushmaster as long as the box is marked "mil-spec".


[EDIT]

To the guy who said the steel cased ammo left marks on his rifle, If its just a mark on the bluing, your fine , thats normal. It the metal itself is dented than your rifle was made with inferior parts. The steel cases are softer than the steel used on your bolt and extractor.



[edit on 19-11-2006 by Tiloke]