9mm Wolf?

[tvone]

I shoot a lot of 9mm, and I'm getting low. I have a 9mm AR that doesn't like aluminum cased Blazer ammunition.


Anyone with personal experience shooting 9mm Wolf? I'm interested in opinions from those who have shot 1000 rounds a day.

Is it hot? Weak? I do know it smells!

[MoJo]

I've put my fair share of Wolf in .45, .40, 9mm and .223 down range it goes bang every time. It seems to be of average power. Accuracy is OK nothing to brag about and it is a little dirtier than most American brands of ammunition. It is a little hard on extractors but, other than that it's a pretty good value. I will continue to use it. I monitor the condition of my extractors more closely when I'm shooting Wolf than if I were shooting brass or aluminium cased ammo. YMMV

[carlson1]

Wolf has a lacquer finish on it and it has a tendency to cause feeding problems on my STI and AR. I wrote STI and they told me if I continued to use it that it would void my warranty.

[dws1117]

The newer Wolf is not laquer coated anymore but polymer coated. I've shot lots of it ( before it becae scarce) in my AR without any problems.

A friend shoots the 9mm in his Glock without issues. It seems to stink a bit, but I don't mind.

http://www.wolfammo.com/poly.htm

WOLF unveils the next generation ammunition with POLYFORMANCEâ„¢ an advanced technology polymer coating. All WOLF ammunition is backed by a 100% PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE.

This advanced technology polymer coating offers:
# Superior Reliability: The application of the polymer creates a precision uniform coating around the casing. It produces a bullet with persistent, uncompromising, stable dimensions thus leading to smooth reliable extractions.


# Better Functioning: The superior lubricity improvement eases wear in gun chambers and alleviates excessive operational and maintenance issues associated with rapid firing. The development of this polymer represents a break-through in the field of tribology, and incorporates the most recent chemistry in terms of lubricity improving molecules.

[xenatexas13]

Wolf is DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY! I got tired of trying to get all the crap out of my guns and happly paid the extra 2 bucks for Winchester white box.. Fortunately new gun likes Blazers so I'm good to go when it comes to cheap ammo again.

[couzin]

Also - the Wolf stuff is berdan primed so you can't (shouldn't) reload it (not that most folks would want to reload it anyways). The steel cases are also supposedly harder on extractors. Better off with the Winchester (or similar) boxer primed brass for range shooting.

[Brad Johnson]

The steel cases are also supposedly harder on extractors

A big, fat myth. I've put more than 20,000 rounds of laquer-coated Wolf through my XD and more than 10,000 rounds through my Springfield Loaded Longslide. No perceptable difference in wear vs similar guns used with brass-cased ammo. Of course, I do keep my firearms clean and properly lubricated.

As for it being dirty, it's no dirtier than some roll-your-own loads with Unique or W231. Besides, a quick spritz of CLP and a few seconds with a brush is all it takes to clean up, and I do that after every session anyway.

Then there is the unique smell. A friend of mine once quipped, "Smells like they used yak hair for propellant."

Brad

[The Marshal]

A friend of mine once quipped, "Smells like they used yak hair for propellant."

[dws1117]

A friend of mine once quipped, "Smells like they used yak hair for propellant."

Your right on there. It's dang smelly stuff.

[wrt45]

A friend of mine once quipped, "Smells like they used yak hair for propellant."

I just want to know one thing. How did you come to know what burning Yak hair smells like?

[Johnny]

The steel cases are also supposedly harder on extractors

A big, fat myth.

No, definitely not a myth.

The problem is not the case material. While there is some debate as to whether or not the steel case is safe because of its reaction to chamber pressure, the worst case malfunction caused by the material is a torn case head. You may also hear a caution about steel being too brittle to make a good case web, but I have yet to hear a single word about a blowout from that.

The problem is geometry. The ammo you buy today ain't your daddy's .45 or 9mm. The rim geometry standards have changed periodically, usually in response to metallurgical challenges. The fact is that a Wolf .45 rim is very different from a WWB .45 rim. Hold the two cases next to each other and you'll see it. It's not that Wolf rims are out of spec, it's that they're using a different standard. Extractor design has been tweaked slightly to accomodate the rim changes.

As a result, a 1911's extractor nose can, and frequently does smack into the case because of the shorter, steeper rim taper. There is a way outside chance that this could blow a round, but that would require an astoundingly overlength extractor nose and a really weak case. More likely, the extractor nose smacking the case will push the extractor farther than it should bend during feeding. This can work harden the extractor, and cause it to crack.

This sort of problem affects different guns differently. On a pistol with an ordinary external extractor (I'm looking at my kel-tec as an example), there is no extractor nose sticking out, so it's not such a problem. On a gun with an internal extractor that has a pretty long nose, like a 1911, it can cause a problem.

So, do all 1911s suffer from this problem? Absolutely not. Extractors vary greatly from one manufacturer to the next. The Springfield factory extractor I pulled off my pistol is far narrower than the Wilson model I installed in its place. The pad is machined differently, the radius on the hook is different, and, of course, the nose is a different length. The safe bet for good extractor life is one of two things: either avoid Wolf ammo altogether, which is not financially viable for some shooters, or inspect your extractor, its interface with the rim, and fired casings for evidence of a problem. A small relief cut (VERY small) will likely fix the problem.

If anyone requests, I will happily break out the camera to document all of this.