Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

A box of Wolf ammunition in .45 ACP

Not me… at least not anymore. The rifle and pistol cartridges made by Wolf are either loved or hated by the firearms community. There seems to be no middle ground here. Wolf ammunition is made in Russia and I think that does a lot to create negative feelings in the minds of firearms enthusiasts. It is also inexpensive and in the minds of many people, “inexpensive” means “cheap junk”. Some also criticize it for being a dirty firing ammo and for smelling bad. Well, I guess you’ll just have to take 5 more minutes to clean you firearm. Oh yeah… by the way… all ammo smells bad when you get a whiff burning powder while shooting.

Then there is the little matter of the cases being made from steel instead of brass. Some have said that steel cases will cause undue wear and possible breakage of small parts like an extractor claw. However, I am sure the steel used to create the casings is a very low grade. The steel used in the manufacture of firearms should be significantly stronger and not adversely affected by the steel of the casings. This is a debate that occurs weekly in the various internet forums for firearms enthusiasts. Many people have a friend who has a friend who saw some guy at the range blow up a $2,500 Wilson Combat Custom 1911 because he used Wolf ammo in it. Maybe it did happen? Who knows?

Some people have changed their stance regarding Wolf ammo due to recent improvements in the Wolf “formula”. Previously, the cases of the ammunition were coated in a laquer to prevent corrosion during storage. This laquer supposedly had a habit of melting when firearms got hot and gumming up the works. Extraction and feeding problems were reported. Well, Wolf has addressed this problem (after several years of criticism) by formulating a different coating. Old Wolf ammo had shiny olive drab colored coated steel cases – new and improved Wolf ammo has a grey case. The primers are still drenched in red sealant which has a habit of getting all over the inside of breech face, but I don’t think enough can accumulate to cause any problems with function.


An old Wolf cartridge is on the left... new and improved Wolf on the right

I started out with Wolf ammunition a few years ago when I used it to “break in” my first firearm… a Kimber Custom TLE II. The people on the message boards were horrified that I would feed my upper middle class 1911 such junk during its maiden voyage. I was scared away from Wolf ammo, even though it seemed to work just fine. I moved on to other brands like Winchester (the cheap kind known as “Government” or “White Box”), PMC, Sellier and Bellot, UMC (Remington) and CCI Blazer Aluminum. I decided to try the last ammo on the list for a few reasons. First off, it was cheap. I couldn’t argue with $7.00 a box plus shipping. Ammo prices have been going up and I needed to change brands to save some money. Also, the cases are made from relatively soft non-reloadable aluminum. I had no worries about wear and no problems throwing them away. I have been saving my brass since I started shooting. Although I do not reload, I have a real hard time throwing out perfectly good cases that I can give to someone I may meet some day who may reload them. Ammunition manufacturers actually charge more for the brass cased ammo because you can reload it. Technically, I have been throwing money away by buying brass cased ammo all this time.

So why am I switching back to Wolf? Well, the Blazer is loaded a little hot. Whatever powder they use creates a little more recoil than I like to experience when I am out for a day of fun at the range. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like the kick of a +P self defense round. Still, it is a little more than I like. Although it is controllable and I can handle it, it seems unnecessary. Why should I have a sore hand for an hour after I leave the range if I can avoid it? Then there is the price: $6.45 for .45ACP… that’s like $3.50 cheaper than other brands. The Wolf cases are not realoadable either, so I can toss ‘em with a clear conscience. I think I am going to stock up on some 45ACP and some 9mm soon.

[Nuts! I just checked the price and the .45ACP is now $7.19 a box. When you see a deal on ammo DON’T WAIT TO BUY IT! Buy a bunch and save it for later! Your wallet will thank you.]