My Colt M16 has never seen a steel case. I'm the second owner -- the first was an LE agency -- so I'm confident of that.

When I bought it in '94, it was a $2k gun, so I ran a lot of the then-common-and-cheap brass-cased South African milsurp ammo.

By Y2K it has become a $5k gun, so I switched exclusively to Federal and IMI. Every few years I'll find it on sale for cheap and buy 10 cases or so. By now, I've put way more than 50,000 rounds through it, and have never broken a single part. How long do extractors last with steel ammo?

I run pretty much anything through my Uzi, because it's indestructible. Worst-case would be a bulged barrel, and I've got lots of spares.

A few years ago at the Hernando MG shoot, the shooter to my immediate left was doing mag dumps through his M16, so I had stepped back two or three feet to wait until the rain of brass subsided. So I was watching him when there was a tremendous "CLANG!" and his upper receiver disintegrated, blowing the mag out, too. He was shooting reloads (don't know if he loaded them himself or bought them).

Fortunately, no people were hurt. Can't say the same for his M16, though: The upper was in pieces; the magwell had suddenly become about 1/4" wider.

There's a thread here now about "who insures MGs for damage during shooting?" and of course, the answer is no one.

If a bad batch of ammo blows up your $25k gun, and an expert forensics guy has proof, Federal or IMI are going to replace it, or settle a lawsuit. Both have significant assets in the U.S.

Try getting Wolf or Tula to replace your $25k transferable.

I don't run retreads on my Camaro SS, even though the way I go through tires it would save a lot of $$$. But like my M16, I just won't risk it.

You Mileage May Vary.

It got fixed, and last I heard or saw, it was still shootin' away.