why rusian rifle shells are green or grey colour?

[m.i.t]

is it kind of ammo camouflage or protective painting ? almost all countries use brass for shells.



http://i.imagehost.org/0667/rounds_1.jpg

[Jippo]

Russian military cartridges have rusting mild steel shells and, in many cases, mild steel bullets too. Lacquer is there to prevent rusting andf it can vary from brown to green.

In addition to coating, primer cups and bullets are often sealed to the casing with red lacquer to prevent moisture getting in.

Also brass plating (electrolyte?) and nickel coating have been used, at least in civilian production of military ammo.

[HK in AK]

Green - lacquer
Grey - Polymer

Others are brass coated, zinc coated.

[LineDoggie]

The took the idea from the Germans who started using Steel Casings in WWII.

Laquered a Grey or Green color for both Camo and weatherproffing and obviously non reloadable berdan primed= Cheaper than Brass.

The US used steel cased .45ACP druing the war but it was Lacquered plain steel.

[dangerdan87]

Ive seen copper coated

[hood]

For at least factory ammo, the steel cased is usually half the price as brass cased. Unfortunately it expands and stays that way after firing most of the time, so it has a higher chance of failing to extract in some weapons that weren't designed for it.

[HK in AK]

I have an HK 53 that has chewed through almost 15,000 rounds of mostly Wolf .223 Polymer ammo. It just loves the stuff.

[mas-36]

I'm curious...do these lacquers/coating eventually gunk up the firearm after frequent use...or does it "burn" off?

[HK in AK]

The green lacquer does cause the chamber to get fouled....and will cause jams. The polymer stuff seems to do very well with heat buildup and I have not noticed much buildup...and the rifle continues to function. It is noticeable on a HK roller-locking system since the flutes in the chamber can get clogged. In my 53, I have run over a 1,000 round of the polymer coated Wolf ammo in an afternoon on full auto and never had a failure.

[Special-K]

I'm curious...do these lacquers/coating eventually gunk up the firearm after frequent use...or does it "burn" off?


I have heard 'yes' and I have heard 'no'.

FWIW, Olympic Arms, an American AR-15 manufacturer, states that use of lacquered steel cased ammo will void the warranty on the rifle for just that reason. Supposedly, when the rifle heats up, the lacquer will begin to soften or melt and leave a residue inside the chamber. When the chamber cools down the lacquer hardens again and causes repeated failures to chamber and/or extract.

I don't know why this isn't a problem with AK type rifles, but the 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R rounds have a lot more taper than a .223/5.56 round, and this could be a part of it as such a tapered round should have an easier time chambering and extracting.




-K

[Jippo]

I don't know why this isn't a problem with AK type rifles, but the 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R rounds have a lot more taper than a .223/5.56 round, and this could be a part of it as such a tapered round should have an easier time chambering and extracting.-K

It is a problem. Shoot enough (few thousand) and the gun will start jamming, that's why I don't buy lacquered ammo at all. It is not that I have had any jams from this, but the stuff is bitch to get out of the chamber walls.