Nickel or Brass (.357 odd score)

I, personally, treat nickel the same as brass.

I also expect to lose some earlier than unplated with mouth/body splits.

Doesn't always happen but I just accept it if it does.

I tumble in fine walnut, a little shot of Nu-Finish car polish and some cut up used dryer sheets.
 
Was talking with my brother, he say they don’t get as much loadings but the nickel is there so you can load some P+ .357 without it getting stuck in the cylinder. They are slick as snot
 
It really depends on what you will use as a bullet. Nickel is stiffer when you flare the mouth. For me jacketed and wc loads were the easiest. I had trouble loading my hand cast 158 grain SWC for a while, even when resizing and lubing them. I was shaving lead when setting the bullet. Some bullets work better than others.
 
Back in the day, they started nickel plating brass so the the cartridges would not corrode when in contact with leather. The tanning chemicals left in the leather will corrode brass cases.

I load nickel just like brass although if the cases are dirty, you will get scratches in the nickel even with using carbide dies.

I find nickel cases have a shorter case life than brass but it is hardly noticeable.

In my 38 Special wadcutter ammunition, I’ve got some nickel cases that have been reloaded so many times that much of the nickel plating has worn off.

Load ‘em up, shoot ‘em, rinse and repeat. Enjoy.
 
Mark_Mark said:
Was talking with my brother, he say they don’t get as much loadings but the nickel is there so you can load some P+ .357 without it getting stuck in the cylinder. They are slick as snot
Click to expand...
The nickle plating has nothing to do with it being able to handle full power .357 without sticking in the chambers, although in a sense he is right, since they are indeed slicker.

Load them like uncoated cases. The nickle is a little tougher on trimmers if you trim, which I do. Shoot them enough you can wear the nickle off.
 
I generally prefer nickel, but almost entirely due to cosmetic reasons. (It is true that they are better for cartridges to be stored in leather, but that almost never comes up me for me any more.) If nothing else, nickel cases - even ones used with blackpowder - come shiny clean after a few hours of dry tumbling, where as plain cases often become so stained that no amount of dry tumbling will bring the shine back.

As for loading, I treat them just like any other cases - and as @Walkalong notes, that they don't stick in the chambers to the same degree as plain brass has nothing to do with safe pressures!

I have noticed that nickel doesn't always last as long as plain, but in my experience that is generally true only of certain lots. I normally find that some lots will have many failures very early on, but that any lots which make it through the first few loadings will generally go on to live about as long as plain.
 
Some of my very first 38 Special and 357 Magnum used nickel plated brass I scrounged from my local PD range (way pre web). I treated then just like nekkid brass although I kept them separate. I cannot say I have found any flaking or excess neck splitting and noticed no excess die wear. I have reloaded some cases enough to wear the plating off to the brass body showing. I keep a box of Remington 44 Magnum nickel plated cases separate for my "T-Rex Killer Loads". 265 gr, RNFP over a very heavy charge of WC820. Still look good after 12+ reloadings. I may be wrong but I believer there were two different methods of nickel plating cases; electro plating and "chemical wash". I'm not able to identify which is which, but there may be a difference in life expectancy...

I kinda like 45 ACP nickel brass because they are easier to find in the dirt, rocks, trash, etc, at the "range"...
 
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CQB45ACP said:
I cannot believe no one has commented about tumbling in rubbing alcohol. Where’d you learn that one?
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just kidda made it up during the Plandemic years, when I bought a lifetime supply of rubbing alcohol only to find out if not good for your health if you use too much.

Was tumbling and my car wax was clumping. So I was like…. Rubbing alcohol as a bindder, make a Alcohol wax slurry. Works great, no dust, and brass is sterile
 
FWIW; I have used a bit of 98% rubbing alcohol to "refresh" some corn cob blast media. It was on the bench, the tumbler was idle, so what the heck, dump a half shot...
 
I clean my die before loading Nickel, and I use some lube. It just works a little bit better.
FWIW- Nickel brass makes for some great "long term" storage loads as it doesn't really tarnish.
In the old days, nickel first came out for Law enforcement officers because cartridges for their revolvers were loaded into leather holders on the belt, and the tanned leather has an acid in it that will accelerate tarnishing raw brass.
 
mdi said:
FWIW; I have used a bit of 98% rubbing alcohol to "refresh" some corn cob blast media. It was on the bench, the tumbler was idle, so what the heck, dump a half shot...
Click to expand...
Carful with rubbing alcohol poisoning! it absorbs thur your skin. Heard a radio show about it, Coast to Coast, without going into too much off topic, Take a shot of Whiskey after handling rubbing with your bear skin. safest way to remove it from your organs
 
Palladan44 said:
I clean my die before loading Nickel, and I use some lube. It just works a little bit better.
FWIW- Nickel brass makes for some great "long term" storage loads as it doesn't really tarnish.
In the old days, nickel first came out for Law enforcement officers because cartridges for their revolvers were loaded into leather holders on the belt, and the tanned leather has an acid in it that will accelerate tarnishing raw brass.
Click to expand...
well since I do have a ElPaso Rig coming in ! I know what to do with the Nickel cases!!!
 
Palladan44 said:
I clean my die before loading Nickel, and I use some lube. It just works a little bit better.
FWIW- Nickel brass makes for some great "long term" storage loads as it doesn't really tarnish.
In the old days, nickel first came out for Law enforcement officers because cartridges for their revolvers were loaded into leather holders on the belt, and the tanned leather has an acid in it that will accelerate tarnishing raw brass.
Click to expand...
not kidding, I have a set of silver plated 45 LC no powder rounds! came with my Colt Set
 
I have reloaded a ton of 38spl and 357mag.
I did have a few nickel cases split.
Hardly and brass cases split.
I've reloaded the nikel cases so much the nikel plating wore off of the cases.
Shoot them until they fail then scrap them.
 
Highland Lofts said:
I have reloaded a ton of 38spl and 357mag.
I did have a few nickel cases split.
Hardly and brass cases split.
I've reloaded the nikel cases so much the nikel plating wore off of the cases.
Shoot them until they fail then scrap them.
Click to expand...
thank you!
 
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