Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

All Indoor Ranges ban Steel Core Ammo because it destroys there backstops, but not all ammo that attracts to magnets are Steel core so how do you tell?

Most Tula 7.62 ammo are Bi-metal and attracts to magnets
All most all the Mil-Surp ammo like the 7.62x54r spam cans are steel core
the 5.56 Green Tips are steel core.

I have thousands of rounds of Military surplus ammo from 8mm, 7.62, 30-06 and 5.56

So I decided to grind the bullets down to see whats up.

All the Ammo attracts to magnets.



From Left to Right
Walmart Tula 7.62x39 - Lead Core and Bi-Metal Jacket (Range Safe)
1975 Turkish MilSurp 8mm - Lead Core and Bi-Metal Jacket (Range Safe)
1978 Russian Spam Can - Steel Core and Bi-Metal Jacket (NOT Range Safe)
1975 Greek HXP MilSurp 30-06 - Lead Core and Bi-Metal Jacket (Range Safe)
1988 5.56 Green Tip - Steel Core and Bi-Metal Jacket (NOT Range Safe)

But since most ranges will check the Ammo with a magnet they will not allow any of the ammo
above.
so what does one do?

What does one do? Buy a large plot of land and build a shooting range. If you have a piece of land sizeable enough, you get to make your own rules.

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I want to do that, but un developed land in PWC is out of site

Wow all you need is 5 acres

The discharge of firearms by the owner, or any member of his immediate family, or any permittee of the owner, on one or more contiguous tracts of land, located within the prohibited area, having total area of five acres or more; and

There is no way for a range operator to know what is potentially bad ammo without sectioning it, and checking. major pita. so enter the magnet test. Nearly all the bad ammo is magnetic, so its a fast/cheap/easy test but it does catch some ammo that should otherwise be usable.

There are forest ranges out west of DC... 2+ hours away, 340 defense 90 min away, the Phelps WMA range in Fauquier ( sept-march only). These are all outdoor, earth berm ranges, and last I knew of, had no rules prohibiting magnetic ammo.

As you have proven, there is no non-destructive way to check a bullet without a magnet. So the range rules make perfect sense...unless you are prepared to pay a few thousand dollars for each indoor range session to reimburse them for replacing the backstop - plus restitution for the interruption of their business waiting for the repairs to be made.

FiremanBob wrote:As you have proven, there is no non-destructive way to check a bullet without a magnet. So the range rules make perfect sense...unless you are prepared to pay a few thousand dollars for each indoor range session to reimburse them for replacing the backstop - plus restitution for the interruption of their business waiting for the repairs to be made.

I agree, I also found a walmart purchased Tulammo steel cased .223 with a steel core so even what you think is Bi-Metal (Tulammo, Bear and Wolf) may not be. I have to assume that the Russians will put what ever projectile they get at discount into the cheep ammo.

Another Danger with indoor ranges and steel core / Bi-Metal is the ricochet effect when a round fired hits a flattened steel object, it can and has flew back at the shooter (as a friend of mine experienced) striking him in the forehead, leaving a piece of steel between his skin and skull, that had to be surgically removed.

So should ALL Ammo that attracts to a magnet be banned? why do some allow Tulammo, Bear and Wolf steel case ammo and others don't?

I tested each different years of all my Mil-Surp ammo 8mm and 30-06 Garand Ammo and all except the WWII (1939-1945) headstamped ammo was Bi-metal with lead core like Tulammo. The WWII stuff had a steel core or where all steel with brass coating (1942-1944 8mm Nazi Ammo) I did find a few 1943 30-06 Tracer rounds to my surprise. That would have been real bad... ( memories of Shooters Paradise in Woodbridge)

jdonovan wrote:There is no way for a range operator to know what is potentially bad ammo without sectioning it, and checking. major pita. so enter the magnet test. Nearly all the bad ammo is magnetic, so its a fast/cheap/easy test but it does catch some ammo that should otherwise be usable.

There are forest ranges out west of DC... 2+ hours away, 340 defense 90 min away, the Phelps WMA range in Fauquier ( sept-march only). These are all outdoor, earth berm ranges, and last I knew of, had no rules prohibiting magnetic ammo.

Unfortunately my life is way to busy to waste a whole day to drive out to WV to shoot steel core ammo. I will spend the extra $$ for the lead core stuff. Someday I will have the land to shoot the steel stuff (better for the soil than lead)

I am planning on reloading some of the 8mm and 30-06 stuff. I may also start doing .30 cal carbine as well
Also looking into reloading 7.62.54R & 8mm brass berdan primed ammo. There was a company making primers.
the only thing is removing the spent primer, I believe the only way is using a Hydro tool because the flash holes are on the sides not in the center like Boxer Primers.

2k05gt wrote: Also looking into reloading 7.62.54R & 8mm brass berdan primed ammo. There was a company making primers. the only thing is removing the spent primer, I believe the only way is using a Hydro tool because the flash holes are on the sides not in the center like Boxer Primers.

There is a'hook' type tool that can be used as well, but I've never used it so I don't know how well it works. But I personally wouldn't spend time on the berdan brass. There are very limited selections of berdan reloading equipment in the US market, and its a fairly significant PITA to deal with the primer. If it was some super rare case that was hard/impossible to get boxer brass in the USA, then that would be a different story. Both the 8mm and the 762-R are readily available as boxer brass.

I would sell the 1x fired berdan at the scrap yard, and use the cash to buy boxer brass.

There is plenty of lead in a steel-core bullet, so shooting it will not do anything for the environment. But you could rationalize it if you want.

FiremanBob wrote:There is plenty of lead in a steel-core bullet, so shooting it will not do anything for the environment. But you could rationalize it if you want.

I know, that comment was "tongue in cheek"

Shouldn't steel core/jacket bullets have the BULLET attract the magnet? If the magnet attracts the case, then it is steel case and not the bullet.
I don't understand what could be in a bullet and attract a magnet and NOT be an iron/steel core. Surely there are no cobalt, nickel, chrome, or rare-earth bullet cores.

yes, but the point being made was, all bad for indoor range backstop bullets are magnetic, but not all magnetic bullets are bad.

jdonovan wrote:yes, but the point being made was, all bad for indoor range backstop bullets are magnetic, but not all magnetic bullets are bad.

I'm going to see if Rick wants help getting a "Like" button installed. LOL

OK, still confused. What magnetic bullets would not be hard on the range backstop?
Are they inserting rare earth magnets in bullets now?
I would think nothing harder than copper would be allowed.
I know the indoor range I go to had their reloading operation in back, behind the backstop and one day bullets started coming through. That was exciting.

Steel jacketed rounds are magnetic, but don't damage the backstops. Steel core rounds are magnetic and do cause damage to the backstops.

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OH. thanks.
I would think steel anything would damage the backstop to some degree.
Well, I know that I wouldn't allow either in my range.

Actually, the stuff like TulaAmmo (Steel Cased) is a Bi-Metal bullet, lead core, the bullet jacket is a thin steel shell with a copper coating.

The Lead inside with mash when the bullet hits a hard surface so the steel will not penetrate the steel in the backstop. Look what a steel core bullet will do to a steel plate