So Do Nickel Plated Cases Scratch Dies Or Not?

[Scout21]

I'm getting quite a bit of conflicting info in my research. I'm interested in knowing about both rifle and pistol nickel plated cases. I own both Hornady and Lee dies, so I'll be emailing them to see what they have to say on the matter.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I'm getting quite a bit of conflicting info in my research. I'm interested in knowing about both rifle and pistol nickle plated cases. I own both Hornady and Lee dies, so I'll be emailing them to see what they have to say on the matter.

Not.

 

[Rule3]

Never heard of such??
Whats the hardness of plating vs the hardness of the die steel??

 

[crestoncowboy]

I'm getting quite a bit of conflicting info in my research. I'm interested in knowing about both rifle and pistol nickle plated cases. I own both Hornady and Lee dies, so I'll be emailing them to see what they have to say on the matter.

I can't imagine they would scratch a carbide die and most pistol dies are carbide. Ive loaded a ton of them in pistols and never had an issue with a single die. Both on progressive and single stage presses.

No clue on non carbide dies.

 

[Kaldor]

Nope

Depending on the quality of the plating, the nickel may start to flake off over many reloadings though.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Nope

Depending on the quality of the plating, the nickel may start to flake off over many reloadings though.

You get less loading before splits too.

 

[lightman]

I'm getting quite a bit of conflicting info in my research. I'm interested in knowing about both rifle and pistol nickle plated cases. I own both Hornady and Lee dies, so I'll be emailing them to see what they have to say on the matter.

I'm going to say no. Foreign matter like dirt or grit can get stuck in the die and scratch cases until the die gets cleaned. But scratch the die, I doubt it.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Nyet

From where are you getting this “conflicting” information? Not here.

BTW, I’ve watched as it wears off from much shooting & tumbling but have never ever seen it flake off (off a brass case that is).

 

[N555]

Nickel is fairly soft. That's why they don't chrome plate cases.
Nickel plated cases are a breeze to size.

 

[Varminterror]

In theory - if plating flakes, the flake and/or the remaining jagged edge supposedly can/will scratch dies.

Pretty simple - don’t size nickel plated brass which has began crumbling.

 

[Slamfire]

I cannot find the web page on the lifetime of 45ACP nickled versus brass cases. But I did find one on the reloading lifetime of 38 Special brass, nickled and brass.

Cartridge Case Longevity

I don't remember every trying to anneal nickled rifle cases, maybe someone can share their experience.

I did have one 38 Special/357 die that scratched the nickle coating off cases during sizing. I did get another die and that fixed the problem. If you are concerned about scratching the dies, lube the cases before you size them. You would be surprised how little effort it takes to size any lubed pistol case in a carbide pistol sizing die.

 

[Scout21]

From where are you getting this “conflicting” information? Not here.

I've found some writing on here stating that some members have scratched their dies. Most of these claims are in older threads. I'm also finding claims throughout other forums. I'd say it's a 75/25 split with the majority saying that they've never dealt with a scratch caused by nickel plated brass.

 

[bltmonty]

I ended up throwing away my nickel plated cases in 9mm. 40S&W, and 45 GAP because it takes noticeably more force to run them through the resizing dies (Hornady) and seems to be a bit abrasive. I also had to lube them, and that's not worth the effort. And yes, I clean them before resizing. I don't know the reason, but that's my experience--I don't use nickel plated cases anymore.

 

[CQB45ACP]

In Lee’s second edition they claim no dirt, grime, etc found on a case can scratch the carbide. (I could find the direct quote if doubters are doubting but I won’t.) That’s not to say something else can’t scratch it but…

edit: it’s on page 52. It says can’t “damage”, not “scratch”.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I would love to see a real life photo of nickel flaking off a brass case. My inner Missouri wants to be shown.

I am also anxious to see what both Hornady & Lee have to say.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I cannot find the web page on the lifetime of 45ACP nickled versus brass cases. But I did find one on the reloading lifetime of 38 Special brass, nickled and brass.

Cartridge Case Longevity

I don't remember every trying to anneal nickled rifle cases, maybe someone can share their experience.

I did have one 38 Special/357 die that scratched the nickle coating off cases during sizing. I did get another die and that fixed the problem. If you are concerned about scratching the dies, lube the cases before you size them. You would be surprised how little effort it takes to size any lubed pistol case in a carbide pistol sizing die.

Well that’s really interesting (at least from what I can see on my little phone screen). In 45acp, I’ve never loaded a brass case anywhere near 28 times but wager I’ve loaded nickel plated ones at least 10.

Have had only one split mouth so far and it was a brass case far less than 28 reloadings.

 

[wcwhitey]

I have never heard of it being considered a problem!

 

[mdi]

Not. I've been reloading nickel plated 38 Special and 357 Magnum brass (police range pickups) for many years and my plain old Lee dies are not damaged by the nickel plating. I have reloaded some cases so many times the nickel has worn off in spots. My nickel plated brass seems to have the same life span as a plain brass case...

 

[CraigC]

No but if the nickel flakes off, it can get embedded in your sizing dies, which will scratch all your cases. Been there, done that.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Not. I've been reloading nickel plated 38 Special and 357 Magnum brass (police range pickups) for many years and my plain old Lee dies are not damaged by the nickel plating. I have reloaded some cases so many times the nickel has worn off in spots. My nickel plated brass seems to have the same life span as a plain brass case...

Thats straight wall with little or no crimp usually. Other than out of spec chambers or cylinders ive never seen a straight wall pistol case split unless it required a ton of crimp (460/500 or air weight guns with heavy bullets) . The case necks of bottleneck cases split faster in nickel in my experience.

Nickel is softer than carbon steel or carbide. Brass is softer. Any flakes should damage the thin brass. Not the die.

But idk. My 40 brass is 10k or so once fired LE nickel plated given to me and ive loaded most of them several times. The ones I didn't lose or get messed up by extractors. Never an issue.

 

[mdi]

FWIW; I have my T-Rex Killer loads (44 Magnum 240 gr LSWC over max load of WC820 with an extra heavy profile crimp [or a heavy collet crimp] loaded in Federal nickel plated cases. So far with 8 or 10 reloads no splits, cracks, flaking or peeling...

 

[CraigC]

I used a bunch of Speer nickel plated cases until the finish just wore off them. There's no telling how many times I loaded them before I got a few cracks. It was one of them that eventually flaked and embedded in the carbide sizer. I had to replace the die.

 

[Thomasss]

You really should clean them first and then you don't have anything to worry about. I clean mine first using walnut in a vibrator. By cleaning them first you prevent a lot of problems. It's always a good idea to keep dirt and sand out of the dies. Crud does build up in them and they should be cleaned like once a year, but why allow stuff to get in there in the first place that could cause problems. For example, if you would de-prime first, and then clean, there is a chance you can get stuff caught in the flash hole.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I used a bunch of Speer nickel plated cases until the finish just wore off them. There's no telling how many times I loaded them before I got a few cracks. It was one of them that eventually flaked and embedded in the carbide sizer. I had to replace the die.

Very small flakes I presume? Didn’t notice them before sizing obviously. So did cracks themselves appear like cracking paint? I’m trying to figure warning signs.

 

[CraigC]

Small enough to not notice, obviously. Took me a while to figure out what was scratching my brass. The cracks were at the case mouth, those were obvious.