Steel In AR15 Story

 As a firearms instructor, one deals with the public. As anyone who deals with the public will tell you, it can be "interesting." This week, this blog will entertain you with 5 actual tales of dealing with people in the gun community. 

For the first installment, let us do some preliminary setup. Here are the four stages of learning: 
1. Unconscious Incompetence — You don’t know what you don’t know and live within unconscious incompetence.
2. Conscious Incompetence — You become aware of what you don’t know and live in conscious incompetence.
3. Conscious Competence — You know and you consciously make the corrections and, therefore, live in conscious competence.
4. Unconscious Competence — This is essentially mastery. You’re not conscious but you’re doing the proper things. It is integrated into who you are and you have become unconsciously competent to the point where you become the thing.

Many funny stories spring forth from the first stage: they just don't know what they don't know. 

A person who was inquiring about a rifle class: "Why can't I use steel casing?" (for an AR15 in a rifle class) "I've shot plenty of it, no problem."

Me: "Absolutely no disrespect intended in this statement.
1. You *may* use steel in an AR.
2. I've seen it on the line many times.
3. Only one rifle ever made it thru the day without malfunctions.
4. I've seen hundreds have malfunctions when using steel.
5. EVERYONE says the same thing - "I've shot thousands of rounds of it without a problem." Yet we still consistently see problems. Every time.
6. Even if you have mastered malfunction clearing, why would set yourself at a disadvantage?
7. It is not accurate. Outside of Hornady steel (the only brand I saw make it thru a class without failure), the best you will see is 6 MOA. This class is designed to teach people to 4 MOA.
8. EVERY major tactical school gives the same warning.
9. ARs were designed for brass. AKs were designed for steel.
But feel free to bring the steel. It will not help you have a good day."

In case you are wondering, here is the verbage from my class equipment suggestions:
"AR15 shooters - AVOID Steel cased ammunition.

AK shooters - USE Steel cased ammunition.
Hand loaded ammunition is best left at home."