WHY CAN'T I SHOOT STEEL CASED AMMO AT THE RANGE?

[@deanojet2991]

I work at an indoor range. We allow steel cased ammo and we do collect it and resale it. We don't however allow steel penetrating cores, tracers, AP, API, and certain large caliber rifles and the reasons are for potential fires inside the building due to build up of powder on the floor and in cracks and holes caused by people shooting it which can has and will cause a fire. Also some rounds may penetrate the backstop. Everything is for safety reasons at our range.

[@MrBulletpoints]

THanks for the response.

[@SmokeyHavoc]

Please tell me you’re in Colorado lol

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

The problem is steel JACKETED ammo. Causes sparks and therefore fires. I've never even been to an indoor range and I know this. It is not the casing it is the jacket. Wolf and Tula both make STEEL case rounds with a STEEL JACKETED projectile. The case also being steel is what causes the confusion. The RSO at his range is an idiot and misinformed. Or they wanted the brass.

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

@@MrBulletpoints the S&B ammo is pronounced "Sellyay and Beloh" Not seller and ballot. Pronounced sellyay and beloh

[@madeconomist458]

You're one of the good ones.

[@milleniumann28]

Anything any RO says about steel is BS! Just look at how many indoor ranges are so happy to sell you steel at 55 a box these days.

[@barlowjmb]

Hah! So right.

[@jalapenoteardrops6271]

Amen 🙏

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

If you have a RSO, you live in a communist state.

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

The problem is steel JACKETED ammo. Causes sparks and therefore fires. I've never even been to an indoor range and I know this. It is not the casing it is the jacket. Wolf and Tula both make STEEL case rounds with a STEEL JACKETED projectile. The case also being steel is what causes the confusion. The RSO at his range is an idiot and misinformed. Or they wanted the brass.

[@milleniumann28]

@@ImmaSaveUFromMe oh I see!!! So why is it so safe to shoot steel jacketed rounds in a indoor range in 2021 during a shortage but 2000- 2019 it's a hazard????? I don't care what you know about fire hazards but it's not the point...... because steel is all ranges can get and the ranges are more than happy to sell at elevated prices when years ago no steel core projectiles were allowed on the property! I call BS you can link a range bursting in flames I'll still blame it on a cig before steel core projectile!

[@dangelodeniro7951]

I worked at an indoor gun range for my first job. When the range was closed, we had to clean the hotside of the range. Everyone seemed to do it in a slightly different way but how I did it is as follows: I’d first put on a tyvek suit, boots gloves etc then sweep all of the brass into a straight line then separate out all the shotgun shells, aluminum cartridges, live ammunition, parts of cardboard etc until I had just brass left and put it all into massive bins. The brass ended up going to the owners second business in which ammo was made, which would in turn be sold at the range itself at a slightly lower price

[@kennethgammon9303]

When i was in the Army, we would send thousands of steel core rounds down range in a day. Many, many more than the average range sees in a week or more. There were NEVER any fires as a result, even in the driest of conditions in south Texas. The steel core thing is BS. The only fires came a result of tracer rounds.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate it.

[@wdpepler]

We used to set the range at Ft Sill on fire all of the time. We had broom sticks with mud flaps attached to the end of them. Usually about ten or so soldiers had to go out and beat out the grass fire. It was hilarious.

[@tomwilliams8675]

We set M203 range on fire at Ft Drum one summer. Range Control told us to let it burn, too much unexploded ordinance down range. 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

It's not steel core. It is the steel JACKETED ammo. Cheap wolf and tula.

[@Adiscretefirm]

​@@ImmaSaveUFromMenice indoor range I go to allows steel cases and steel jackets, but not steel core because the bullet catchers aren't built to handle it, it's a penetrator by design after all.

[@loopie9978]

Ive never seen a range that says "no steel case" but i see "no steel core" all the time. Edit: For clarification I'm talking about steel in the actual projectile.

[@tRiXMaddy]

My range just says steel ammo

[@ssrc30]

The only thing my range is opposed to is armour piercing ammo. It's technically not legal here, in Canada, anyway but we still can get green tips.

[@loopie9978]

@@ssrc30 I'm pretty sure armor piercing rounds are just the "steel core" rounds. I could be totally wrong though!

[@TheHanshotfirst]

My (indoor) range doesn't allow either. They claim steel casing (not the projectile) may cause fires.

[@loopie9978]

@@TheHanshotfirst love you name, and that is crazy

[@airoftTEAM141]

I work at a gun range down in South Florida and you cannot shoot anything that the tip of the bullet connects with a magnet because it has steel inside of the bullet, it’s not the casing we are worried about it’s the bullet and when the people come and clean up all the lead downrange twice a year they are expecting lead and not steel, that’s how those guys get paid they come and clean the lead for free if they start seeing steel they will charge us.... that’s the real reason you’re welcome

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks, I had heard a lot of good answers but not that one. I appreciate it.

[@paolodeep8459]

That doesn't make sense because 99% of ammo is jacketed

[@rbm6184]

@@paolodeep8459 There is some steel cased ammo with bi metal bullets that are steel bullets with a copper wash. Those bullets are a fire hazard on gun ranges because they throw sparks in bullet traps. Because they are a fire hazard is why steel cased ammo is not allowed on many gun ranges.

[@chriskundrat8968]

bullets with steel cores can punch through the lead back stop at indoor ranges and has to be replaced.

[@elingeniero9117]

@@paolodeep8459 Russian and German ammo is jacketed with STEEL.

[@Mike_The_Hog_A_Nator]

Glad my range is out my front or back door. Luv living in the Country.. I have been to my local "New Indoor Range" looking for Ammo & they sold Steel Case Ammo

[@MrBulletpoints]

That's awesome.... I wish I had a home range.

[@sinaks7752]

I'm glad I seen this video and was really curious myself when I heard about no steel case ammo, even though that's the only thing I can find easily, at a few ranges I go to.

[@capedog18]

Good video. Finally a humble guy asking people their opinions/knowledge on the topic. I suppose if your range doesn’t allow anything besides brass don’t fight them on it. After all…. It’s not your range.

[@cwousmc362]

Steel core BULLETS, can spark on steel traps in indoor ranges, they can spark on rocks on outdoor ranges that could cause a fire. Steel CASED ammunition is just fine. The steel cased ammo from Russian manufactures is very dirty, if you clean after each range session or match it's not a problem. Two ranges over the years that I have used banned steel core Bullets or steel cased ammo, they both collected spent brass and sold it in bulk . I have been shooting USPSA matches recently with Magteh 115g steel cased ammunition, almost a thousand rounds so far without any issues with dirty powde

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@Rubicon1776]

for indoor ranges i’ve found that it’s all about the brass! mostly. no aluminum or steel cases because they do police the brass to sell or recycle. no steel core projectiles regardless if it’s brass. (such as m855). my outdoor range doesn’t care either way

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@carldill443]

They can’t sell steel case to reloading dealers

[@bones88ify]

Sound right.

[@shitcreekwarrior8794]

They actually can and do sell used steel casings. Rare to find remanufactured steel case ammo but it is out there

[@paxxsford]

Steel is useless to them for reloaders

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

It's the jacket.

[@wemcal]

Great video.. I have been to ranges that did not allow steel case ammo. I have also been to ranges that would not let you collect your brass. in the 80s. Most of the indoor ranges would not let you shoot anything above .30 carbine, something to do with the padding. There are a few ranges that wants you to use their ammo only.. The ranges that I go to now lets me collect my brass and doesn’t care if it’s brass or not, they do Don’t allow traces or incinerators.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for your comment.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I’ve been shooting Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 casings which are an aircraft aluminum base and a nickel alloy cylinder and I love them. Yes, they are magnetic. I’ll shoot these any day over the old brass “technology”. They are lighter, stronger, can be reloaded at higher pressures and reloaded many more times than brass. They are not got to the touch after firing. I have personally reloaded not and heavy 9mm NAS3 casings over 20 times without significant resizing. I don’t go to most indoor ranges anymore. Thankfully I have private land I shoot at all the time. Most people running indoor ranges (pardon my French) don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to guns and ballistics. Most are just going by bad, unfounded claims and information that their granddaddy passed down to them between spits of chewing tobacco. I believe their “brass only” policy is because they can make money on the brass. So since I’ve been shooting NAS3, I don’t waste the casings because as much shooting as I do, I reload them and save the money myself instead of giving it to the “good old boy club” at an indoor range.

[@playsportfun3356]

Back in the 91 when I bought my first sks for $90. Most the ammo was steel. I set up a piece of 3/8 inch thick steel C channel in front of a 18" oak stump. These bullets were punching a perfectly clean round hole and then going thru the stump. I dug them out of the sand. You could hand reloaded them. Other than scratches from the sand. They were unharmed. Then in the side walls of the C channel. There was a smaller diameter hole that bored thru a 3" length of the side. I dug in the sand some more to find 1/8" diameter carbide pins. The jacket and lead core were stripped off, but these pins were in excellent shape, with a tapered nose. If you took these to your ghetto range you would have been killing strippers.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Don't wanna do that!... Thanks for the info.

[@dearred2923]

LOL. Dang man that's funny.

[@whatstdiggn]

I'll take stories that never happened to $400 alex.

[@Gunsandfun1961]

Interesting,,,glad I have my own home range....

[@gunnwild1]

Do you allow steel or aluminum cased ammo? =)

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks Bobby. Wish I did.

[@Gunsandfun1961]

@@gunnwild1 No......!!!!!.... brass only and as soon as it hits the ground it is my brass.....🤣🤣🤣

[@anthonyb5282]

Yea worked at a range for a year and a half. I don’t understand the steel case restriction tbh. We didn’t allow it but I think it’s a purely clean up and recycling issue. When we swept brass you had to run a magnet over the line of brass to pull all the steel cases that snuck in.

[@JJ_SDWR]

Firstly we should be clear about what we're referring to. Steel core or tipped PROJECTILES (like M855 5.56) are generally prohibited and I think that makes sense depending on the range, backstop, etc. However, in my experience with indoor ranges (and I've used about 3 different ones in my area of Central OH), with the exception of the new range I just joined, every other indoor range I've been to has also prohibited steel and ALUMINUM CASED ammo. I agree with your hunch that it involves the range wanting to police up and sell/handload the brass and don't want to sift through aluminum and steel casings. That's just laziness to me and my member dues at the range surely cover the extra 5 minutes it takes to separate shiny brass from dingy aluminum/steel spent casings.

[@Fugettaboutit]

All that I've seen has to do with collecting brass.

[@MrBulletpoints]

That's a big part. I'm sure they're trying to cover their butts over liability issues too.

[@NJbassAngler]

Maybe the steel core fragments diffently and Ricochets more my thoughts idk but seems like they taking all the brass for reloads I’ve seen some ranges say only collect your brass don’t take someone’s else spent cartridges

[@ethanperks372]

Fact; A local indoor range charged an additional $2:50 to clean up the brass! They "claimed" they had to pay to dispose of it. I pointed out I would be shooting revolver only, hence I would not be leaving any cases! They did waive that fee. PS: I never went back! Crooks! As for steel cased, you only need to go through the empties with a good magnet! I can see aluminum cases as an issue because they have to be hand sorted. Many ranges, even some outdoor are concerned with steel bullets or tracer. Damage to backstops or fire hazard. IMO, if the range sells steel/aluminum cases or steel core bullets you should be allowed to use them at that range!

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the info.

[@rafaelmadrigal9038]

At the gun range in Pharr Texas: we put the brass in one container and steel and aluminum in the trash can. I been doing this for the last 13 years. I never heard about restrictions on steel case bullets.

[@peoplethesedaysberetarded]

Bummer, man. Aluminum is super-recyclable. :(

[@RyeOnHam]

Got talked to by one range because I was shooting steel-jacketed bullets. These damage backstops (a steel plate, in this case). They also spark fires when they strike rocks. Now, steel CASES are another story. There are two reasons I can think of. First, they litter the range. People generally do not pick it up if it's not reloadable or recycleable. Sure, you can recycle the steel, but you get vastly more money for brass. I have been to 'informal' ranges where the ground is, quite literally, paved in rusting steel cases and rotting shotgun hulls. Second, they are more likely to cause malfunctions. These malfunctions lead to people clearing malfunctions on the range and therefore can be more dangerous. All this said, I can pick up steel cases a lot easier using a magnet... so there's that. All this said, you need to find another range!

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks, I had heard the point about damaging the backstop before too, and the malfunction theory. Both make sense. Thanks ROH.

[@rafars2246]

Well, for the ak no brass can compare with a good steel lacquered case. Ak loves steel.

[@cta42141]

Awesomeness, the Unknown Hinson posters in the background. One of the greatest guitar players around.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks, He is pretty awesome.

[@jeffdwyer6105]

Aluminum and steel cases are always Berdan Primed which means its not reloadable as it will break the pins in the dies . This also goes for old foreign military brass case Berdan . The range people will have to weed out the undesirable cases by hand because its not just about steel.

[@assman9092]

I had the same issue a few months ago. Took my wife to the range and brought my steel case Tula crap to get rid of it. Girl at the front desk said I couldn’t use because it sparks and causes fires. I told her that’s steel core not steel case. She still said the same thing and wouldn’t let me use it. I had to buy some ammo from them. I looked down under the counter and they are selling reloads. So basically they are reloading the spent brass on the range and reselling it. That’s the main reason why they don’t want you to shoot steel case. It doesn’t cause fires.

[@acdii]

I police all my casings steel or brass, doesn't matter. I paid for it, might as well reuse it at some point. The only ones I let go are .22 rimfires since those can't be reloaded unless you have the machine to put the primer in.

[@MrBulletpoints]

I never have saved my brass but it makes sense now more than ever, Thanks.

[@robkoons1891]

The reason is because of a fire risk. The steeel case ammo can start a fire with the unspent gunpowder and debris in the trap and can actually start a internal fire inside the rubber debris backstop that may not be known about or seen for a significant amount of time. While i believe the fire risk is somewhat low or lets say not high the risk is fhere and could be deviststing.

[@kevinrezac8214]

I just caught your video and thougt I'd add my views. I'm an active volunteer at our local gun range and we don't have any issues with steel cased ammo in our indoor pistol range. We use a crushed rubber and the bimetal bullets (typically Russian ammo) don't seem to cause any issues with our metal recyclers. However, our indoor rifle range with our steel traps do have major erosion issues with the bimetal/ steel core projectiles. Because of the cost to replace our steel bullet traps, we don't allow steel cased (or green tip militatary armor piercing) ammo in our rifle range unless you can show that you have range safe projectiles, meaning that the bullets are not magnetic (or tracers rounds). Because there isn't much steel cased, range safe (non magnetic) branded ammo available, we have a blanket policy of not allowing steel cased in our rifle range unless you are willing to demonstrate otherwise.

[@emihl9792]

I recently tried steel cased ammo in my pistol first box 23 round jammed pistol and went downhill from there never had a problem with brass in the past

[@trevor22333]

I worked at a nice gun range for a while and was an RSO. Not gonna lie, most of the arguments are right. 1) Yes, we did sweep up sweep up and resell the brass. The more steelcase we allowed in the range the less money we probably would have gotten for the brass. 2) The bullets and in steel cased ammo do have some steel in it and do cause sparks when they hit the bullet trap. It can cause fires from unburnt gunpowder ( Mostly against the wall or is or on the railing that the targets slide along). I did personally see a few fires from this but, they were kinda rare and usually burnt out by the time we got the fire extinguisher out. Never were a big threat to the building sense it was all concrete, steel and fire/bullet resistant materials. At our range we did not allow steel cased ammo or anything containing steel (like green tip 5.56) UNLESS it was 7.62x39 because it was damn near impossible to find brass 7.62x39. I think we did allow aluminum cased ammo and there is no reason to my knowledge that a range would ban aluminum cased ammo other than the fact it would degrade the value of the scrap brass they sell.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the answer.

[@JD-tn5lz]

There is certainly not just one answer to the question, though in general I'd say the reasons are economic. 1. If they resell casings, they have to separate brass from steel or aluminum. That requires some labor, labor costs. 2. If you're shooting steel or aluminum, you're not shooting brass and brass has a better resell. 3. Insurance. Ranges need to be insured just like any other business. There may be restrictions from the insurance company. 4. Vicarious liability, see #3. Steel ammo is generally (or at least very often, almost always) produced by manufacturers who are not what we would call ISO certfied. If they allow hazardous ammo (again, see #3) they may be held civilly liable. As an aside to that, I won't allow steel case ammo into any but a very few of my firearms...ALL of the ammo related destructive issues I've had in forty years of professional guncarrying has been from steel case. 5. SELECTIVITY. Frankly, let's keep the poors from ruining every respectable person's day at the range. Not everyone wants to associate with the trailer park on their private time. If you don't like #5...I don't care and get over it. Think about it, these ranges invest alot of money into their facility and real estate, they put them into a decent part of town (expensive land, pricey building, and high taxes) for a good reason. They want prosperous customers who have extra money to spend there, not the JiffyLube guy shooting Uncle Ivan's Cheap Cheap Boom Boom.

[@tlgeorge59]

Projectile velocity and projectile construction material and layout can cause facility damage with higher velocity bullets being the big problem for physical damage and gunpowder burn off from sparking steel on steel impact and tracers starting rubber smoldering. Brass should be collected and recycled as much as possible to recapture funding to pay for labor costs and potential facility maintenance costs. These are all good outcomes to keep the range safe and cost efficient.

[@saltyshellback]

I think many people have answered the same thing I was gonna say. However not all steel cases are un-reloadable. The Boxer primed ones (one flash hole) are easy to reload but are not as common in steel cased ammo. The Berdan ones (2 flash holes) can be reloaded but you need special tooling and special primers. I have reloaded Boxer type steel cases and they shoot fine. The other thing with steel cases are that they quickly rust after you shoot them so only the ones that get picked up fairly quickly are good for reloading. Most of the ones that sit more than one night out side get really rusty inside.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks Salty... I'm getting some good answers.

[@jacobdicob1010]

I can't speak for all ranges but one's near me in new york are not against steel or aluminum cased ammo, but rather the projectile itself . They will check the projectile with a magnet . If it's not magnetic you're good to go.( tulammo actually makes "range friendly" steel cased ammo that does not have a bi metal jacket). I belive the reason for non magnet projectiles is because it's less wear and tear on the metal backstop. With steel bi metal jackets being much harder than copper and lead .

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the answer. Seems like most ranges around here won't allow anything that reacts to a magnet.

[@righteousone8454]

Even as a novice I understood most ranges care about themselves only. Because almost all ranges recycle brass. It's not rocket science. Doesn't matter if it's steel cased, they have to sift through it. Yes, steel against steel sparks. Thay could be the reason in indoor range. Green tip sparks when I bang steel targets outside. Inside ranges, I get it. Outside restriction is silly. My local biggest outside range bans armor piercing because steel tipped ammo will shatter and perhaps recoil back harder. FMJ petals and shatters quickly, steel tip flies back more. But usually it's a money thing. If not, inside range actually cares about you. Another main reason is that backside stop is chipped by steel tipped/steel bullets.

[@lax0598]

I just got back from the range, shooting some bulk ammo that I had just purchased. Each shot sparked so bad I was concerned for safety. After only 20 rounds both guns I was using were jammed, and I could not continue. I happened upon your video while searching how to clear the jams and tried the magnet trick, and sure enough the projectile, and the case have steel in them, because they both stuck to the magnet. I have to think that the projectile being steel was causing the sparks definitely a safety issue. I can also only assume that the case swelled in the barrel and caused the failure to eject.

[@jves1763]

A simple Google search turned up this result. ”A gun range may prohibit steel cased ammo because the spent shells get mixed up with the brass ones. Steel cases are non-re loadable and they must be thrown away or discarded. Some ranges may collect the brass shells, reload and sell them for extra money." Looks like you were right. I'm surprised many ranges are still sticking by this even right now through the shortages on brass ammo (and steel cased ammo for that matter). You'd think what they make on hourly range fees would be more than what they make re-loading. Maybe not. Or at least the manpower to have one of their part-timers pick out the steel casings before they re-load.

[@larrythornton9194]

Steel case ammo is reloadable using carbine dies. While this is not a common practice due to brass being a better option. Some ranges may just not want to go through the hassle of separating the stuff out.

[@hoocares939]

Shooting at a range last week, I was using blazer aluminum case RO came up to me and said it wasn't allowed, because they recycle the brass and the recyclers don't like it when there steel and aluminum mixed in, makes there job harder.

[@JaySheer]

The ranges in my area not only do not allow steel case, but will not allow you to pick up your own brass. THEY collect brass and sell it. That's why I mostly shoot on outdoor ranges that don't have chickenstuff practices like that.

[@MrBulletpoints]

That's pretty bad. I never collect mine but you should be able to if you want to.

[@zivaandzeusshenanigans1113]

I have a brass catcher for my AR-10 that I keep in my range bag.lol..I keep all of my brass weather they like it or not.

[@iflycentral]

Just re-read the range rules for one of the ranges I frequent. They prohibit steel core ammo, but say nothing about steel cased ammo. It is an outdoor public range operated by the state wildlife resources commission, so that may play into it. Hard to say.

[@metalicmario8106]

I'd say the reason is... all of the above. The collecting brass thing could be it for sure. There are also people that believe the bi-metal jackets on steel cased ammo like 762x39 can damage the backstops while copper jackets won't. That's simply not true. A copper jacket can damage a backstop as easily as bi-metal. It depends on velocity and distance. If too close and too much velocity either jacket will damage a steel backstop. I've been to short 25 yard indoor ranges that will not allow anything over a certain velocity. I've also been to 100 yard indoor ranges that will allow pretty much anything as long as it's not steel case. All that being said... I once went to a 100 yard indoor range and a fire started at the outer most bay near a wall. This is where all the unburned powder collects. The RO quickly told us to leave our guns where they were and evacuate immediately. After a short while it was taken care of and we resumed shooting. I've seen bi-metal jackets make sparks hitting steel targets plenty of times so my money is on fire hazard when shooting steel cased which tend to have bi-metal jackets. I now have my own land to shoot on so I never have to go to public ranges indoor an out. And thank goodness because those places are so dangerous with the stupid stuff some people do!

[@JayKay-ov8lu]

LOL its about $$$$$ and laziness. Here in FLORIDA 2022 Most outdoor ranges allow steel. Shoot straight indoor ranges allow steel. That's why I have a membership with shoot straight and not the 4 other local ranges right next to my house. Range fee is bread ($20/). The brass is butter. They buy bulk ~$0.28/9mm and sell for ~$0.40-0.45. 1 firearm sale is cheese (~$75 profit) I usually go to my buddy's house in a rural area and shoot for free.

[@WV591]

Never had a problem shooting steel at range. heck, they glad to have you pay the 17-22 dollars for an hour and only use 20 minutes tops due to bullet prices. if they don't let you use steel or aluminum, it's a matter of resale because they can sell the empty brass ejects and get more money and do not want to go through the hassle or separation.

[@sabregunner1]

from reading some comments it seems there a few reasons they dont allow steel cased ammo Potential of jamming and therefore having to call a cease fire if the shooter cant clear it Potential of the bullet being a steel core and/or steel jacket could cause damage to the backstop and maybe a higher chance of ricochet They resell the brass cases to offset costs and having to separate the steel cases cost them money with it being that there is powder everywhere a spark of a steel on steel contact to cause it to ignite (a small chance but enough) so even if its not a steel core or jacketed round, its just simpler to deny use of steel cased rounds to avoid any potential issues A range near me doesnt even allow you to bring in your own .223/5.56 due to the possibility of it being the kind with the steel penetrator you have to buy it from them. it is at on the shelf price for the brand so you arent paying extra. even if its a sealed box you didnt use the previous time, you cant use that box. The reasoning is that people tried to sneak stuff in that wasnt allowed. alot of these things are either they want to reduce risk or have had an issue before

[@abledemo1]

I work at a range. Most ranges sell the brass to keep overall costs down. No steel jacket or core as it beats up the back stop, which costs a lot to repair. And if you ever watch, steel projectiles cause a ton of sparks. If you have ever cleaned a range at the end of a day there is unburnt powder everywhere. I guess some allow steel projectiles depending on the design of the backstop. And others maybe separate steel from brass before selling. But when in doubt just go to an outdoor range.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the answer. I'm posting my answer video in a few minutes.

[@jamespospeschil6698]

At our range, its brass only, no steel or aluminum. It is just to make the job of collecting the brass easer. less sorting. Our range has a contract with collecting brass and led and this keeps the cost down. Our outdoor range can use all types, as we have to clean up after ourselves.

[@Ni999]

Came here surfing for something else, subscribed before the first 15 seconds were done, looking forward to seeing more of your work. 👍 I have nothing to offer on the steel topic at all and I've enjoyed reading other opinions. I do have a contribution about pronunciation even though I'm a year late. Here's a bunch of names that Americans don't pronounce correctly (per the mother tongue) and almost no one cares - Noether, Einstein, Volkswagen, Walther, and quite often Fiocchi. The list goes on forever. I had a German upset with me for mispronouncing Walther so I pointed out that I already knew and asked him why no one was upset about how we say Volkswagen. He did an about face and asked if Walther was as well known with US shooters as Volkswagen was in general and I said, pretty much, yeah. He was delighted. "In that case, excuse me, I didn't want people thinking it was some weird thing. If it's been adopted to the point of having its own pronunciation in your country that's great!" That's a sample size of one but it spoke volumes to me about being reasonable. So yeah - in the mother tongue (French in this case) it's pronounced kind of like SELL-yau A BELL-o (I'm not even going to try the right way to sound out a trailing r in French in text because it literally can't be done) and in America it's ok to be Seller and Bellott, the product respect is there. If anyone argues that's their problem. The British pronounce oregano like they're talking about Japanese origami and no one dies because of it. Enough of that, cheers, thanks for the video!

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the nice comment. I appreciate it.

[@Ni999]

@@MrBulletpoints You're welcome.

[@WilliamOxx]

I used to work in an indoor range for the better part of 15 years. Before that I weas an Ordnance Warrant Officer specializing in weapons and ammo, and retired after 21 years of service. The steel cased cartridges made in the eastern block countries of Europe are usually Berdan primed and the bullets are steel jacketed and do not as a rule have steel cores. They will throw a shower of sparks when they hit the concrete floors or the steel baffles of the backstop. I made the mistake of firing a round of Tula 9x18 Mak that hit the floor and set off a shower of sparks that got my attention right quick. I was lucky and did not start a fire by igniting any of the unburned powder that gets deposited during the course of a day's shooting. Yes! That unburned powder will ignite and scare the daylights out of the clientele. For the most part, the prohibition on steel cased/steel jacketed or cored ammo only applies to indoor ranges.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I don't think I recall it being an issue at any outdoor ranges I've been to, but some people have told me otherwise. Thanks.

[@irvan36mm]

The indoor range I go to doesn’t allow bi-metal or steel-cored bullets (M855 green tips) because of damage to the bullet trap and sparks possibly setting off unburnt powder. They also don’t allow steel or aluminum cased ammo. They say it’s a “fire hazard”, but a former range officer told me that they resell the brass and they don’t want to separate the steel/aluminum cases. There are websites that buy range brass and clean & resell to the public for reloading.

[@nickmaddox2922]

What ive seen is some ranges dont care as in more expensive ranges or gun store ranges havnt cared its about the cores hurting the backdrop as for the casings it doesnt matter ive noticed because ive found they dont save the brass or spent casings. Ive asked atleast one cheaper gun range in my area that is a range only and a bit cheaper they told me them selves they dont want any ammo other then brass because they sell there brass to pay for the range!! and check ammo with magnets and then they say special core ammos are not allowed steal core armor penetrating incendiary etc.

[@MuffinRaider]

The range I go to doesn't allow steel case ammo. They said that steel cases can cause a spark that can ignite unburned power that collects on the ground. They also don't allow steel core or any armor piercing rounds.

[@hydra70]

My local indoor range checks ammo with a magnet before letting you use the range. The concern for them is steel core ammo, which causes excessive damage to the backstop. They said that they don't allow steel case because they can't tell if it's steel core or not using the magnet test.

[@brianwinters5434]

The 2 indoor ranges I am a member of ate fine with steel cased ammo but do not allow you to shoot steel jackets or bi metal jacked ammo due to sparks at the angled back stop. I have seen sparks when some one shot steel jacketed ammo.

[@youngmacz9699]

I heard some places don't allow steel cases because of the metals use to manufacturer the ammo. Something about brass being better for the environment. I heard this at an out door range.

[@petenw5035]

Probably because they want to overcharge you. Most ranges make your buy their ammo at an already inflated price. I find an “ ammo search” quite intrusive specially when people try to charge you $5 just to look at your ammo. $5 per 50 rounds that I bring in you must be high lol I think the bottom line is they want to maximize their profit. I do not blame them but I also will not be supporting them. Shoot whatever type you want in my opinion. It is ridiculous to limit me to the most expensive type which happens to be brass cased!

[@nicknaylor9895]

I know steel core rounds can punch through plate metal, because that’s what armor piercing rounds are designed to do, and that’s a serious problem for indoor ranges where they need to contain every round fired in the building. Steel jacketed ammo might also present the same problem, but also will spark when it comes into contact (at high speeds) with a lot of different materials. As for steel cased ammo, I don’t know why that would be prohibited. If it’s just a standard copper fmj projectile being shot out of a steel case, seems to me like it ought to be allowed. Maybe there’s a good reason for it, but I haven’t heard it.

[@charlesinscore4107]

Feb 4 2022. I work in a scrap yard. We buy bullet brass at $1 / lb. And range lead at 12 cents / lb. Wheel weights sorted for lead only at 12 cents / lb We do not buy aluminum cases, or steal

[@GWC-dw9sg]

I work at an outdoor range. We had one man shooting 9mm German pistol rounds left over from WW2. Our backstop is armoured steel. One round deflected off the backstop and rebounded 15 yards back, striking the man. No injury but enough of a concern over the use of his ammunition. As long as the steel cartridge cases are concerned, it is permissible for use as long as the bullets are not steel core or tracer rounds.

[@ctaukus9146]

Yes exactly. If there's not rubber to absorb the round it could bounce back

[@JMAAD]

my life long opinion on this coincides with google's answer to your question.............."A gun range may prohibit steel cased ammo because the spent shells get mixed up with the brass ones. Steel cases are non-re loadable and they must be thrown away or discarded. Some ranges may collect the brass shells, reload and sell them for extra money."

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks Johnny. Good to see you. I'm getting lots of good answers.

[@donwaterhouse9630]

I have been told that the gun ranges who sell ammo get a discounted price if they return the brass. But, the brass has to be Brass not tin or steel.

[@iconicamericano1131]

They don't allow steel cased ammo at most ranges because there's alot of steel cased ammo manufactured in Russia and some of their ammo have steel penetrating cores which are steel rods inside the round. They can't really tell the difference between a regular FMJ & a steel core just by eye balling them... and of course the penetrating rounds are an issue with going through the backstop or even a potential ricochet.

[@donandmor]

I am in Nevada my range dose not allow steel case ammo . I asked why and they said "range policy " not a great answer !They go check with a magnet to make sure it's not steel ! I also think it's because of the selling of the brass but truly not sure.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment. There may be other secondary reasons but it seems like they just like the money they make reselling the brass.

[@redtra236]

The outdoor range I go to allows steel cased ammo and AP ammo but doesn't allowed tracers or incendiary rounds

[@craigslue]

I always thought the same thing especially when I was told I couldn't use steel case with normal copper fmj. What else can you conclude from that?

[@squidly2112]

They don't want steal because they want your brass! .. they make a ton of money off of your brass. It's as simple as that. I shoot at an outdoor range that has been around since 1952 .. awesome place .. the owner (2nd generation) is a fantastic guy and keeps prices extremely low ($90/yr includes my wife and daughter). He makes his money from the brass!!! He must have 30 or 40 million rounds of spent brass cases at any given time. He sells it in bulk to remanufacturers and that's how me makes enough money to maintain the range and pay the support people.

[@luked2767]

It's pretty much just so they can collect and sell the empty brass, also so they can sell ammo as they don't care about green tip most of the time. I've seen ranges that say no steel case (even after company's made steel case non bi-metal jacketed bullets). If a range is cleaned properly from unburnt powder I don't see how it would start a fire.

[@TickerTapeTorque]

A lot of ranges sells the brass to local scrap yards, the scrap yards pay more for brass than steel. My old job sold 4 buckets (homedepot style) of brass to the local scrap yard and they received 400

[@carlostijerina5562]

I'd still sell the steel to the scrap yard. Even if it's less than brass. It's money you didn't start out with. Especially if it's from ammo some one else bought and left behind. Win win situation, if you ask me

[@GrantsDad]

Seems like you could get more than scrap price selling it to people who reload but I guess there’s probably be a liability issue since nobody would know how many times a certain case has already been reloaded

[@jsroye96]

The guy that works at the range i go to told me it is because the people that pick up the brass say that it is a pain to separate the aluminum and steel. I am assuming they were having the brass sent to recycling plants.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@JettBlast]

I have seen people collecting their Brass and other shooters Brass so that it can be reloaded. Most ranges sell the brass to ammo reloading companies. once fired Brass is a valuable item most certainly with what's going on...

[@jasonbourne5570]

Ro in Las Vegas. We don't allow steal case due to malfunctioning. We rent guns and customers bring them in their pockets. For what ever reason. And jams up our guns. Reload brass is not our deal. We have major shops that provide our ammo.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@marcush4741]

My local club's range officer told me why OUR club has this rule. We let people pick up their brass. We let people pick up other people's brass. We are supported through membership fees, event fees, and food. He told me that the issue they have is trying to decrease wear of targets/backstops, etc. Many eastern block steel cases ammo has steel cores... and even if the particular round doesnt, we cant magnetically test the projectile because the case will ALWAYS give a false positive. So steel cased ammo is banned. On the same sign specifically banning green tip 5.56, .30-06/.308 black tip, and a general ban on all AP/API variants.

[@reelfishing002]

I have seen gun range with buckets and buckets of brass, and was told by the employee that when they go to sell those brass , if the place find one steel or aluminum case , they will reject the WHOLE bucket and they will have to go through those buckets and hand sort through all those casing .

[@dilligaf9282]

My undertanding is that a lot of steel cased ammo is berdan primed. It can be reloaded, but not as cheaply as boxer primed ammo (which applies mostly to US made brass casing ammo). But I could be wrong.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@gunnwild1]

I got to 2 different indoor ranges and they only allow brass case ammo. Both of these ranges use the brass to reload rounds to be used for their rental firearms. The outdoor ranges I got to allow steel case, but not steel core ammo. They claim steel core can spark when they hit steel targets and can possibly start a fire. The outdoor ranges I go to are in the mountains, so I can understand the fire theory

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks GW. Good answers.

[@louiejones4092]

The main gun range I go to the most allows you to shoot steel case. But then other gun ranges in my area code will only allow you to shoot ammo that they carry or sale.

[@jetmr_5043]

I understand not being able to use steel case because they have no way to tell for sure if you have steel core bullets. At the same time, I’ve no idea why they won’t allow aluminum cased cartridges, unless it’s because they recycle brass

[@muellerreto8620]

Im a swiss guy, here some shooting range doesent acept steel case, cus they collect all empty cases for to sell to a recycling company. They pay much higher price when its pure brass, not mixed with steel, aloy or other metals. When its mixed with other metals, the recycling company has to process that, for to separate the metals for to get pure brass at last. Thats why they pay much higher for pure brass cases.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment. Same thing here, they make lots of money reselling the brass but they act like it's a safety issue.

[@Nameschino]

At my local outdoor range I can shoot anything, indoor ranges on the other hand don’t allow any steel at all.

[@djstealthx]

Why is your reasoning, and what about copper, or aluminum? What is the best of those 3?

[@Nameschino]

@@djstealthx apparently its because steel and green tips leave a residue that can later be ignited by other rounds. So they don't allow steel or green tips.

[@savagejoker8020]

I shoot at a local gun range and use wolf steel cased ammo steel case ammo it can be bad for certain guns I never had a issue at any range shooting steel cased ammo they do resale the ammo even the steel thats put into the bins

[@carlostijerina5562]

The only thing I can think of, is for resale purpose. But of course, I've been trained to police my brass and take it home with me. I was told steel is very difficult to reload and most people don't have the tools to do so. I've never tried so I can't say for sure. I'm just fortunate enough to have a family range at home.

[@MrBulletpoints]

I wish I had the space for a home range. That must be great. Thanks for the comment.

[@jungleno.]

Steel cased boxer primed .45 cases are just as easy to reload as brass.

[@michal93587]

1. Steel projectiles are banned as they having ability to penetrate equipment on the range, where lead and copper won't 2. Brass cases are soft and slippery, were aluminum and steel is hard and rough, will expand but not easly shrink. You have much higher chances of jamming your firearm with aluminium/steel case ammo than brass. Basically you don't want someone on the range using a tool like screwdriver and try to unjam their gun because case got stuck, as you can't be sure if it is just a spend case or live round ! Basic gun safety.

[@scottf.3808]

This will be very interesting as can't wait to find out the answers....I always thought it was they did not want it to mix with the brass for reloading and also that most steel case is bi-metal bullets and that causes damage at the ranges with the back drop and baffling....Who knows as can't wait for the feedback....Good stuff....

[@MrBulletpoints]

I think you got it.

[@joselozada218]

According to the range I go to the steel case ammo projects the bullet at a faster rate of speed than a brass casing. This causes damage to the metal backstop which is expensive to fix. I also shoot at an outdoor range which allows the steel case ammo which as you know if you have shopped for ammo is cheaper. Hope I was able to help you.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment. I'm getting ready to post my answer video to this right now.

[@johnnydollar666]

UNKNOWN HINSON! awesome, bro :)

[@MrBulletpoints]

You know it!

[@Sparkeycarp]

To the ranges that don't allow steel cases. Why don't you just use a magnet after you sweep up to separate the steel?

[@Killso420]

When I took my permit to carry class the instructor stated that they only allow brass ammo at their range because steel and aluminum cased ammo can spark which creates a fire hazard

[@sunlight-sky151]

Absolute baloney.

[@TaylorTEK]

Another thing is the older steel case ammo had powder that was super acidic, this is the main reason why people say shooting steel case ammo is not good for your gun.

[@jungleno.]

WRONG

[@Urkie1979]

My range prohibits surplus ammo to be used on their steel targets due to damage the steel core can cause to said targets plus the risk of spalling and ricochet. All other types of targets (paper or otherwise) are all fine. This is good as we have access to "affordable" surplus for SKS's and Mosins (AK's are banned and the former may be targeted as well).

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the info.

[@randymagnum143]

Steel projectiles are fairly hard on bullet traps.

[@Motorman-dl1sc]

Good video . What i see at my range is they have this big pan with rollers on it that the guide across the floor to scoop up the brass and have 5 gallon buckets filled with brass across the wall My guess is they do see the brass and they would have to separate the steel cased shells out of the pile Could be time consuming to do that.Just my opinion .I know you can not shoot 556 green tip at the indoor range because of the steel core of the bullet Hitting the back stop .All they have to do is get a big type of magnet and sweep the floor first picking up any steel casings before they scoop up the brass

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the info

[@fotofavoloso267]

What I was told is that steel cased ammo has a tendency to spark....and can ignite unburnt powder on rang floor

[@V-CarChannel]

What do you know about this ammo, Still or Brass -Fedarm 9mm 115 GR TMJ Lead Core RN - 500rd Bulk

[@MrBulletpoints]

Check the listing or look at the picture online. It should say in the ad or on the box if it's steel or brass. Federal is good ammo. Brass is always better but steel is ok if you are going to shoot it somewhere that doesn't care which ammo you use.

[@jonwakcher4301]

Buy metal refers to the bullet jacket itself wolf and other Russian bullets or not totally soft copper. Like US manufacturers. It is copper steel mix jacket which makes them a lot harder and magnetic.Steel core actually has an hardened billet piece of steel supported by lead in the Jacket so just because it’s magnetic doesn’t mean it is steel core. The indoor ranges in my area let us use the aluminum case I actually just went last week with my daughter and her new PPQ and we put a bunch of different ammunition through it two boxes of the blazer aluminum and they check all the ammunition as you come in the door to so like I said in the other video, it’s more to their discretion I think.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the comment.

[@baalzamon3593]

Pure conjecture on my part, but I can think of several reasons why a range MIGHT prefer brass cased and copper/lead. 1, brass cased ammo tends to be more expensive and restricting the types of acceptable ammo pumps their sales. 2, brass is more valuable than steel and a range may want to cut out time and manpower required to separate brass from steel casings. 3, because steel is cheaper, often steel cased ammo is poorer quality. Not because steel cased ammo is necessarily worse, but because manufacturers using steel are already looking for ways to reduce costs. Things like powder quality, QC steps etc are also likely on the table. 4, steel in the projectile sparks more against metal deflectors at the back of the range than copper and lead. I have seen this with my own eyes. I don't think it's a big fire risk as I doubt there's lots of unburnt powder wafting 25 yards or so. But it undoubtedly sparks more. 5, I can only imagine that steel projectiles causes more wear than brass and lead. Those backdrops catch tens or hundreds of thousands between maintenance and probably millions of rounds before getting replaced. If half of those rounds are steel, it probably incurs a pretty massive cost to the range. I'm not a doctor and I don't run a gun range. These are just some of my observations buying and shooting ammo that I can picture having an impact on range policy.

[@cdr861532]

I believe it is largely because people have confused steel case with steel core. Ammo with a steel core will tear up steel targets, backstops, wires, etc......however there is 0 reason why people shouldn't allow steel case ammo. Some people have confused steel core (which is bad, they have heard) and confused it with steel case (which is harmless). Sure, it could partially be because people don't want to separate it out.....but it seems like a small % of ranges that don't allow steel case ammo.....which makes me think they are just misinformed.

[@frankm2385]

Steel cased and steel core are two completely separate issues. Many gun range employees don't even know why.

[@bushcraftjoe1]

At target world in west chester ohio they allow you to keep your brass if you like. Bi metal is ify but steel case is no go because of the power on the floor and in the air. Its an indoor range that basically has no janitor or any suction to get rid of excess powder. I ask the same question there.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Thanks for the info

[@nathanlewis5682]

Is this only at some indoor ranges? Certainly not at outdoor ranges. I saw plenty of spent steel cased 7.62x39 on the ground at the firing line.

[@MrBulletpoints]

Correct, I have not seen an outdoor range that restricted steel cased ammo. Thanks for the question.

[@ThePooter420]

Great question let me give you the breakdown brass casings can be reloaded and resold still casings need to be thrown away because you cannot reload them and at ranges they do not want to have to go to the hassle of unmixing the two casings

[@GrantsDad]

Well that’s what he already assumed

[@nightfury6836]

I like this guy. Subbed ;-)