[absoludely]

anyone have any experience shooting wolf ammo? i find that it's the cheapest i've seen around ($5 for box of 50) and just wonder if ppl have any opinions regarding it.

 

[Fenris Wolf]

I've never used the 9mm, but have shot a bit of the 5.56mm. It is certainly dirtier than most other ammo so clean up is a bit more work. Some people claim the steel case can damage your extractor, but I have had no problems.
If you can't find CCI Blazer ammo(which is usually very cheap) go for the Wolf. I usually shoot WWB from Walmart or Miwall reloads which are the cheapest in my area.

 

[Jake Starr]

I have used Wolf and Brown Bear…both Russian and steel cased. I have had no trouble. I too have heard that steel is hard on the chamber and extractor but I have seen no hard data to back this up(if anybody has some I would like to see it posted)…A local range here advises against steel because of the aforementioned reasons. Personally I think this guy spreads this around because he resells used brass and doesn't want the hassle of sorting out the steel cases because they are Berdan primed….

 

[tabor]

Quote[/b] (Jake Starr @ June 30 2005,11:29)]Personally I think this guy spreads this around because he resells used brass and doesn't want the hassle of sorting out the steel cases because they are Berdan primed….

A good theory! My local indoor range has banned them because of "air quality." I think they might be right.

 

[HenryIV]

Wolf ammo and other russian ammo is of OK quality. It burns very dirty and is like sending up smoke signals to shoot. I used to buy a lot of it, but now I can afford blazer, so I don't use wolf anymore. Its fine for the range, but I would not use it for critical applications like CCW.

 

[New to Walther]

9mm is already pretty cheap so I shoot WWB in the 100 round value pack.

But .45 and .223 is expensive, I can get Wolf for almost half price compared to other brands.

Yes, it seems a little more dirty, but it takes just as long to clean the firearm. Yes, people say it is bad on your extractor, but I can buy a new extractor with every case of Wolf and still save a lot of money. Also, I have never seen any real proof that Wolf is bad for any component, just speculation. After a few cases of Wolf I save enough to buy a new firearm altogether.

Ranges don't like Wolf because they can't sell the empty cases, but it is very easy to sort the steel cases by simply using a magnet. I attached a subwoofer magnet to a string and sweep it over the ground, in seconds it picks up all of my Wolf cases and leaves the brass. The rangemaster has nothing to say then, and if he does say something, he looses my business.

 

[BreakerDave]

When Wolf first hit the market it presented several problems...

1) In addition, to the cases being steel there was scrap iron being used in the bullets.  That presented real issues to ranges, their bullet traps, and other shooters on the line.  (The bullet traps were getting torn up and ricochets were a safety problem.)  I know a couple of ranges where they still have a magnet by the register to test whether the bullets have any iron / steel in them.

2)  Wolf ammo used to have some sort of lacquer on the bullets that I believe was there to protect the bullet's charge from moisture.  However, when fired the lacquer would melt and bake onto the chamber which made cleaning a real problem.  It also caused casings to lodge in the chamber.  I saw this quite a bit on the ranges around 2001.  -I believe Wolf has stopped using the lacquer since that point in time.

3) Wolf used to be notoriously unreliable.  It did not have a consistent charge.  I have seen several firearms destroyed by the use of Wolf ammo where the ammo had been at least double charged.  

As a friend once said, "Do you really want to use ammo made by people who are being paid in vodka?"  For me the answer is "No."  It makes no sense to spend big money on a firearm and try to save pennies on the ammo.  It would be like buying a Mercedes and then putting in the worst gas on the market to save a few bucks at the pump.  -Of course, people will do what they want...

 

[toeball]

It's not really possible to double charge 9mm. Wolf isn't bad, shoot the 7.62x39 and the 45 often. When my PSL gets here all the reaserch I've done says Wolf is nearly match grade and about the only non-corrosive 7.62x54R. For 9mm, check out Academy, $3.86 /50 of CCI Blazer.
http://www2.academy.com/MktgCon....ocument
This isn't a sale price, that's just what they sell it for...

 

[absoludely]

[email protected] that's a hella good price, will have to get my gf to pick me up some since they don't have a store here in ga.

 

[New to Walther]

Quote[/b] ]As a friend once said, "Do you really want to use ammo made by people who are being paid in vodka?"

Does the pay really matter, or the performance vs. price?

Quote[/b] ]  It makes no sense to spend big money on a firearm and try to save pennies on the ammo.

Who is using Wolf in high priced firearms?
Also, who is only saving pennies?  I save half price (about $100) on .223 by using Wolf instead of the other mid range ammo that is available (M193, Winny, etc.)  

Quote[/b] ]  It would be like buying a Mercedes and then putting in the worst gas on the market to save a few bucks at the pump.

That anology doesn't work.  First of all, no one here or anywhere else uses Wolf ammo on "Mercedes class" firearms.  Maybe it's possible, but it's very rare.  I've never seen or heard of someone shooting Wolf thru their $9,000 rifle or $2,500 pistol.
I have no problem shooting Wolf in my "VW class" firearms such as my $800 AR-15 or my P99.
Another big difference is that the gas could effect the engine of the car, usually the most expensive part.  Wolf, on the otherhand, might effect the chamber, which will be a cheap fix on the level of firearm that anyone would use Wolf in.  
Like I said above, I could buy a brand new firearm with the money saved on only a few cases of Wolf.  Can you say that about buying cheaper gas for a Mercedes?

 

[toeball]

Actually a friend of mine consistantly feeds Wolf .45 to his custom Springfield/Briley Operator without any problems to date. But the point is that there's nothing actually wrong with Wolf. In 7.62x54R Wolf is about the best ammo you can get for a PSL. The only real potential problem with Wolf or Blazer is that it suposedly wears the extractor but how much does that cost?

 

[tabor]

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)]Like I said above, I could buy a brand new firearm with the money saved on only a few cases of Wolf.

Really? I can get a case of Fiocchi locally for $120, how much are you paying for your Wolf? Ammoman has it for $115 a case which is very close to what I pay for Fiocchi. I have nothing against Wolf, but my range does not allow it.

 

[New to Walther]

Quote[/b] (tabor @ July 07 2005,19:14)]

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)]Like I said above, I could buy a brand new firearm with the money saved on only a few cases of Wolf.

Really? I can get a case of Fiocchi locally for $120, how much are you paying for your Wolf? Ammoman has it for $115 a case which is very close to what I pay for Fiocchi. I have nothing against Wolf, but my range does not allow it.

As I said in my first post, 9mm is cheap in any brand, my continued conversation was involving other calibers.

Also, how does the Fiocchi perform compared to Wolf?

Wolf groups only a quarter inch wider, has the same point of impact, and the same felt recoil as M193 thru my AR-15. Considering it is half the price, it surely gives me good reason to put "bad gas into my Mercedes" so to speak

 

[toeball]

For .223 check out Black Hills. It's once loaded and seems to be of good quality. Shoots sub MOA in my Rem 700 and almost as well out of my friend's AR. Reasonably priced, about on par with WWB but shoots a tighter group.

 

[tabor]

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,20:45)]As I said in my first post, 9mm is cheap in any brand, my continued conversation was involving other calibers.

Sorry, my mistake for missing that.

As for Wolf v. Fiocchi, I have never compared them back to back.

 

[BreakerDave]

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)]

Quote[/b] ]As a friend once said, "Do you really want to use ammo made by people who are being paid in vodka?"

Does the pay really matter, or the performance vs. price?

You're missing the point...  At the time my friend made his comment, the people who were producing Wolf were on the low end of the pay scale and were not really putting a solid effort into manufacturing a good quality product.  When people are making the ammunition I'm using, I'd like to have some faith in their workmanship.  Again, I've seen guns blown up by Wolf Ammo so I have no faith in it or the people who produce it.

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)] Who is using Wolf in high priced firearms?  Also, who is only saving pennies? I save half price (about $100) on .223 by using Wolf instead of the other mid range ammo that is available (M193, Winny, etc.)

I guess high priced firearm is a relative term.  For some people anything over $500 is the high end.  For others, it's anything over $1000.  And for some others, anything short of a Korth is not high end.  Just because this is a Walther forum does not mean the only thing I have is a Walther P99.  Without going into what I have, I will say that using Wolf in a high quality, high priced firearm is not on my list of things to do in this lifetime.  

I have found that things have a basic cost and that there's no getting around it.  The only difference is where you pay.  With Wolf, you may save on the front end but you get nailed on the back end.  You have increased wear on the gun, QC consistency issues with the ammo's charge, and safety issues with scrap steel in the bullets.  I am not aware of any serious, competitive shooters who use it and I cannot think of a single major agency that uses it.  They've done the calculation and found it doesn't pay.  -However, if you feel you're more knowledgeable than the best shooters and the major organizations you are perfectly free to do what you want.  

Quote[/b] ] It would be like buying a Mercedes and then putting in the worst gas on the market to save a few bucks at the pump.

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)]That anology doesn't work.

Well, the analogy works, you just don't agree with it.

Quote[/b] (New to Walther @ July 07 2005,16:16)]First of all, no one here or anywhere else uses Wolf ammo on "Mercedes class" firearms. Maybe it's possible, but it's very rare. I've never seen or heard of someone shooting Wolf thru their $9,000 rifle or $2,500 pistol.

Arguing that the Walther P99 is a VW instead of a Mercedes is a digression not worth pursuing.  That aside, you're basically proving my point...  People who own quality firearms generally recognize that Wolf is low quality ammunition.  They don't put it through quality firearms.  They know they can get something that is better.

As I mentioned before, there were several legitimate reasons why Wolf got blacklisted by independently owned ranges across the country.  Of course, individuals will do as they please.  However, if you want to save money, it's cheaper to learn from the experience (mistakes) of others.