Steel jacketed bullets

[Silvius]

Hi Gents,
I am wondering if anyone can offer an insight into why some bullets are steel jecketed and what the advantages of this are. Instinctively I don't like the idea as it sounds a bit hard on the barrel but I see that some premium ammunition uses steel jackets, so some wise folk somewhere think it is good.

For example Ruag make the RWS Eco Green -a premium lead free twin cored bullet with a pre fragmented tin fore section. This bullet has a nickel plated steel jacket.
They also make the Gecko Zero -a twin cored lead free bullet with a pre fragmented tin fore section. Thus bullet has a tombac jacket.

Why does their premium offering have a steel jacket? What makes the steel one better?

Thank you.

 

[User00003]

I believe they are nickel plated copper, not steel, so actually reduce copper fouling

 

[enfieldspares]

Two immediate advantages although the one is often not at all anything to do with the other.

First is strength as it is a stronger jacket material weight for weight and thickness for thickness. So that's why most of the original Kynoch 1960s and earlier big game cartridges were steel jacketed.

Second is cost. Same reason for German (WWII) and Russian use of steel cartridge cases. It is cheaper, steel, than copper and or any copper/tin alloy.

Some Norma .303 bullets despite looking as if copper were in fact steel jacketed. A magnet sorts out which.

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

Some dangerous game bullets have steel under copper over lead
for prenetraion

evo green is a non lead round
steel adds strength and mass


cost

 

[takbok]

I recently discovered that Norma SP bullets have steel jackets, and they aren't cheap.

 

[chanonry]

I recently discovered that Norma SP bullets have steel jackets, and they aren't cheap.

Maybe not to buy...

 

[Silvius]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am still not sure why they have put the steel jacket on thier premium twin cored tin bullet and the tombac one on their standard offering.

Evo green is definitely a mild steel jacketed bullet -RWS say so.
Steel is heavier than tin but lighter than copper so a tombac jacket will give more weight to the projectile.
The Evo green bullet is designed for use on small to medium game where its shock effect can be enjoyed without worrying about a lack of damage at deeper levels of penetration so I am not sure why the penetrating value of steel is important here.
RWS boast that the lack of copper makes barrel cleaning "almost optional" but can this really be the only reason they have chosen steel?

I would love to write to them and ask but I doubt they would be interested in humouring me with a reply. I am interested in the idea of lead free semi fragmentation bullets. I love the way semi fragmenting ammunition can often drop an animal in its tracks but I do not like the lead fragments when they stray into the meat (as is more common on Muntjac than I would care for). I might be tempted by the Evo green is I was sure about the steel jacket being a good thing.

 

[Muir]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am still not sure why they have put the steel jacket on thier premium twin cored tin bullet and the tombac one on their standard offering.

Evo green is definitely a mild steel jacketed bullet -RWS say so.
Steel is heavier than tin but lighter than copper so a tombac jacket will give more weight to the projectile.
The Evo green bullet is designed for use on small to medium game where its shock effect can be enjoyed without worrying about a lack of damage at deeper levels of penetration so I am not sure why the penetrating value of steel is important here.
RWS boast that the lack of copper makes barrel cleaning "almost optional" but can this really be the only reason they have chosen steel?

I would love to write to them and ask but I doubt they would be interested in humouring me with a reply. I am interested in the idea of lead free semi fragmentation bullets. I love the way semi fragmenting ammunition can often drop an animal in its tracks but I do not like the lead fragments when they stray into the meat (as is more common on Muntjac than I would care for). I might be tempted by the Evo green is I was sure about the steel jacket being a good thing.

Having recently tested some steel jacketed ammo in my CZ 7.62x39 I can tell you that the recovered bullets showed minimal nose deformation so maybe penetration IS the goal. Gilded steel bullets are very tough.

I fretted about using the steel bullets in my $750 rifle but I remembered a rancher east of here that has used Wolf (Russian) 7.62x39 ammunition for all his ranch shooting for the last 15 years out of his CZ. The rifle still shoots as well as ever. I got interested enough in the subject to look up some tests done with steel bulleted 5.56 NATO compared to Copper jacketed rounds of the same weight. The test showed significantly more barrel wear from the steel jacketed gun, BUT, the test consisted of two AR-15's being loaded and fired as fast as possible for 10,000 round each. It took four people on each squad to keep the magazines (mechanically ) loaded and handed off to the shooter. In the end I was convinced to try the steel jacketed bullets. I fired one or two hundred rounds and observed nothing in barrel condition, nor accuracy when I returned to my handloads. They shot very well. I bought 500 round of 123 JHP steel bulleted ammunition and put them away for future use. (I have two SKS auto loaders as well that I have yet to shoot.)

I don't shoot the steel bullets as a rule but the occasional use won't do any harm.~Muir

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

I recently discovered that Norma SP bullets have steel jackets, and they aren't cheap.

Don't think so
the standard SP is lead and guilding metal jacket

 

[takbok]

Don't think so
the standard SP is lead and guilding metal jacket

That's exactly what I used to think until I was educated here:

.270 bullet for roe - Page 2

You'll have plenty of Norma ammo to try with a magnet, I'm sure.

 

[User00003]

No, they are lead.. use them as a pencil and you will see

 

[levigsp]

When I used a 270 in the mid 80s, the norma ammo was steel jacketed, copper plated, likewise norma 100 gn 243 at the same time.

 

[User00003]

When I used a 270 in the mid 80s, the norma ammo was steel jacketed, copper plated, likewise norma 100 gn 243 at the same time.

Thats correct Sir. I have some in my collection, but they are no longer..they may return to that of course given where things are heading with all this Californification

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

That's exactly what I used to think until I was educated here:

.270 bullet for roe - Page 2

You'll have plenty of Norma ammo to try with a magnet, I'm sure.

yep.
I do
nothing vaguely magnetic in the SP ammo I have

can't answer what he is showing in the photo, but none of the SP bullets or ammo I just tested showed any magnetic attraction

 

[takbok]

Perfect! Can only assume that those were old bullets from years back then.