If your AR won't run steel cases there is either something wrong with it or you don't clean it more than every 20,000 rounds or so...
If you are really concerned you can go to your local auto-parts store and buy a can of carburetor cleaner to give a squirt down the gas pipe every time you clean the rifle. There is a significant difference in price between steel and brass cased ammo, enough to pay for a new barrel or even a new rifle pretty quickly.