Nickle Plate versus Brass??

[Foto Joe]

Hey all, you'll have to excuse the intrusion but I wandered over from the Black Powder side to ask a question.

I recently started loading 38 S&W cartridges with 10gr 3f Goex. The only "Brass" I had on hand was nickle plated and I'm curious. When I see advertising for "Once Fired" brass, the ad usually states that it contains "No Nickle".

I've loaded these three times so far and I can't see what the big deal is about not using nickle. They clean up good (Black Powder is not friendly on your brass). Obviously I'm missing something so fill me in. Why not nickle???

I'm using Lee Carbide dies if it makes a difference.

Thanks for your help.

 

[TH3180]

Eyes on this thread I have been wondering the same thing. The only differance is I'm loading 9mm.

 

[kutter]

As I understand it, the nickel coating can flake off and it can damage the inside of the die or cause stuck cases.

 

[billybob44]

Nickle plated brass??

Not a lot of real differences in Nickle/Brass.
Most of the premium SD factory loads are made with nickle plated brass. They claim that the nickle is "slicker" than the brass, and avoids dirt sticking to the outside of the case. This is one reason that your BP loads do not dirty as much.
The downside to nickle plated brass is that the case mouth will usually split quicker with nickle plated brass, than with brass. This is especially true on revolver loads where a roll crimp is used. The nickle will not flex as many times before it will split the case mouth.
With this said-I do have quite a lot of .38/.357 nickle brass that I have loaded enough times that the nickle is almost completely worn off of, and they still shoot.
The bottom line is that the nickle plated brass looks prettier but will not last as long as the brass cases.

 

[CraigC]

Depends on the cases. Conventional wisdom is that it makes the cases brittle and that they are prone to cracking long before their time. I've got some Speer .44Mag cases that have been loaded 20-30 times and I think I've lost one to a split. However, if you ever see the slightest hint of flaking, discard the case because a nickel flake will imbed itself in your carbide sizer and ruin it.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

The nickel plating causes the brass to harden, which promotes cracking and shortens case life. How much is the question. I load both, but pay a bit more attention to the nickel plate cases for neck cracks. With low pressure loads and limited case sizing you will probably never notice a difference.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Many reloaders "feel" Nickel Brass won't last as long as the yellow Brass, I don't find that to be true. I actually prefer the Nickel stuff when reloading .357 Magnum ammo because they tend to burn more than .38 Specials but that soot doesn't stick to the Nickel as it does to yellow Brass. You are probable better off with the Nickel when loading BP also....

 

[evan price]

Nickel plated brass cases can wear through the nickel, especially in the case mouth area, and flake pieces of nickel which can get stuck in your dies if not kept clean. THis can cause cases to be scratched. Also it is my experience that nickel plated cases tend to split more often than nonplated ones in revolvers where a strong crimp is used. However nickel plated cases also do not oxidize or corrode like unplated cases do. I personally do not bother sorting nickel cases out of my revolver reloads, but I do for semi auto pistol brass. This is because I load my versions of self defense ammo for practice in semiauto caliber cases that are nickel to tell them apart.

I sell a lot of brass and remove the nickel because there are those who do not want it at all. That just means I get more nickel brass for myself! I actually like it, it feels slicker to me, and it won't corrode.
I've got a gallon jar of nickel plated 45 acp's and it's like a treaasure chest of jewels to look at it!

 

[jr_roosa]

I understood that it was a carry-over from back when cops kept bullets on their leather belts. The salts in the leather eat brass, and the nickel prevented corrosion.

I have 1000 .38spl brass that were a hand-me-down, and they do seem to crack at the mouth prematurely. When they split lower, it's a really long crack rather than the little hole that shows up in plain brass.

I have so many that I don't really care. It will take me years to split them all.

They certainly do look a lot cooler, which is the most likely reason that the high-end SD ammo uses it.

-J.

 

[dakotasin]

i don't like nickel because it sizes and trims harder than yellow brass. if you size a nickel case and size a brass case right behind it, you can certainly feel a tremendous difference - especially in non-carbide dies and bottleneck dies. you will also note a difference in trimming the cases - the nickel is harder to trim.

as for function, i have not noticed a case-life difference, but the only thing i load nickel for is the 50 ae because yellow brass is hard to come by.

 

[Curator]

Most of my nickle plated brass lasts as long or longer than yellow brass shellss. I was convinced it was better until I started shooting a couple of .32-20s. With these, yellow brass noticeably outlasts nickle witch gets longitudinal splits after only 4 or 5 loadings. This without full length sizing as well! In fact, I use a Lee collet die to only size the neck enough to seat a cast bullet, no more. This puzzles me as I have some .45-70 and .40-65 nickle brass that has been loaded 25-30 times (black powder) without so much as a case mouth crack.

 

[OldMac]

Nickel plated does seem slicker and cleans better. I have some that started to flake where it was worked many times at the mouth. When you see that, just toss it. It is a great indicator that the brass is ready to recycle. I personally like it better.

 

[Walkalong]

I have not had any flaking problems, it does stay cleaner, but it also tends to split sooner. I do buy some, but prefer regular brass for most applications. I have some that I have tumbled so much half the nickle is worn off, but no flaking.

 

[rbernie]

Nickel plated brass does MUCH better at BP loads than yellow brass and in general cleans up with far less effort for reloading, and is OK to keep in leather shell loops (unlike yellow brass). For my plinking loads, it's terrific since I cycle through so much of it that the reduced cleaning needed is a real time saver.

I also have cases that have been used so many times that the nickel is half worn off, but I've never had an issue with nickel flaking off (much less causing issues in my dies). Nickel is too soft to cause scratching in steel or carbide dies themselves, and I've never had it find a way to stick inside a die and cause scratches on the brass itself.

 

[CraigC]

Forgot to include the fact that I've used the above-mentioned Speer .44Mag cases so many times that the nickel plating is wearing off.

I had to replace an RCBS carbide sizer die because a flake of nickel plating had embedded itself in the carbide ring and caused scratches in my cases. It could not be removed.

 

[rbernie]

Nickel is an order of magnitude SOFTER than carbide - how is it that the carbide ring could be deformed sufficiently to allow the nickel to get embedded in it?

I have no doubt that you had a die issue, but I cannot wrap my brain around how that could be attributed to nickel flakes.

 

[CHEVELLE427]

been loading nickle for many years and nothing out of the norm, on 50ae about all you can find is nickle.

i like to use nickle on special loads easer to keep up with, as for splitting ,flaking , whatever, nothing here.

they do clean up better and there brass inside anyway at least the nickle i turned down to 8mm last night has brass shavings coming off it

 

[Jimfern]

I haven't noticed a reloading life issue between the two. I have some nickel that has been reloaded enough times to wear down the nickel plating, so it's not quite as pretty as brass would be. That would be my only complaint.

 

[SSN Vet]

I load my versions of self defense ammo for practice in semiauto caliber cases that are nickel to tell them apart.

I do the same.... in my ammo. cabinent, nickel means loaded to near max. with a quality HP and each charge individually weighed.

I've got a gallon jar of nickel plated 45 acp's and it's like a treaasure chest of jewels to look at it!

Share the wealth brother I consider the few nickel plated 45 acp cases I find as prized posessions. This summer I swapped out two 8 round mags of my nickel plated SD loads with my plinkers for use in a USPSA match, only to leave them on the range.... and I'm still depressed

I have some that I have tumbled so much half the nickle is worn off

Same here... though I sometimes ponder whether the reason my nickel cases are "yellowing" isn't because brass from the other cases is being deposited on the nicke ones.

I've never had an issue with nickel flaking off

I've had just a few with the nickel flaking off and it was as if something (a form of corrosion) caused it all to come off at once. It hasn't caused a problem with my dies because I didn't reload them

Just as an FYI... all of the nickel cases I've processed seemed to be thin walled. This may be because most of them are RP and RP tends to be thin walled anyways, or there may be some other reason.

I like nickel... they resist corrosion and so maintain a slick finish longer.

I use them as "special purpose" ammo., so I don't reload them as many times anyways.

 

[918v]

One additional benefit of nickle is in terms of bullet pull. Nickle grabs on to copper much better than bare brass does. If you clean the insides of your cases, you will experience more bullet pull and better consistency of ignition. This is especially important when loading the 357 Sig with that short neck.

 

[DickM]

I've never noticed any difference between the nickel and brass cases in the several pistol calibers that I reload. I have some .357 cases that, as others have mentioned, I've tumbled so may times that the brass is showing through, and some Super Vel (remember them?) .357 Mag cases that I've been loading continuously for nearly 40 years with very few neck splits.

I did come across a batch of Remington nickel-plated brass that started flaking almost immediately, so I just tossed those. Otherwise, no problems and no differences that I can see.

That said, I hear the "nickel cases split sooner" claim from those whom I trust often enough to believe there has to be some truth to it, just not in my personal experience.

 

[THe Dove]

I just bought 700 total pieces of used brass from a friend (.38 Special mixed brands). 300 nickle and 400 brass. I went through the cases and here is what I found. Out of 400 brass - 2 were corroded to the point I tossed them (none had splits, dents or other obvious issues). Out of 300 nickle, - 12 had splits and 4 had flaked.

Now keep in mind, I am almost certain these pieces were gathered at several ranges in the local surroundings but I know nothing about how many were prior reloads or once fired. Just thought I'ld chirp on this topic.

The Dove

 

[ReloaderEd]

Nickel Plated Brass

I never had any problems with nickel coated brass. However, your reload die must be clean and not scratch the brass otherwise the nickel will flake off. I have never had it happen but loading more than 5 times for me is too many times.

 

[pcwirepro]

Many reloaders "feel" Nickel Brass won't last as long as the yellow Brass, I don't find that to be true.

That's been my experience as well.

 

[FROGO207]

I got some many times reloaded 38 SPL brass, mostly nickle and have reloaded them hundreds of times without any major problems other than a few split cases. Most now look like regular brass as the plating is worn off. The only way that you can tell is that the stampings in the head still have the plating within the stamp. I wish I had counted loading them as I really want to know how many times they could really be reloaded before they fail.