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I've used a mix in a plinker of mine. I also have one I baby that never sees steel...

One other consideration... what's the cost of a barrel? ~$200 or for a decent barrel for everyday use (keeping it to the basic AR user; could be cheaper)

Figuring about $1 more a box from steel to brass cased that works out to about 4000 rounds plus a new barrel to break even. So assuming you get 4000 rounds out of a barrel only shooting steel cased ammo before failure it's a wash. But if the barrel is going more than 4000 and keeping consistency before giving up the ghost then the steel is a better deal for everday fun. I suspect under moderate use, regular cleaning and not overheating the barrel constantly it would go more.

So for fun on a budget steel may be worth looking at. But since there is a higher chance of failure I'd keep it to the fun gun. Run brass in what you have to depend on.