Nickel plated brass is the best?

Bluedog

Bluedog

Member
What are the advantages and disadvantages of loading with nickel plated brass, versus the plain? Is the case life longer with the nickel?
Thanks.
 
Bluedog. My experience with Nickle is it is harder and won't last as long I only have used it in my .17 centerfire. I get 3 to 4 loads and the necks crack out and the nickle is harder than your chamber so if you get sand or grit in there it will scratch your chamber rather than your brass I hope this helps .
 
The only nickle brass I have used was in my 45 LC. Bought 1000 pieces of remington nickle brass a few years ago and noticed about 1 out of fifty would crack on the first load, weather they were light loads or hot ones.After that I continued to find at least 1 cracked case per 50 while reloading the same brass. Was told nickle plating makes the brass brittle. I wont buy anymore nickle brass.The only advantage I see in the nickle is it cleans up easier and quicker.
 
The only advantage that I can see to use nickel plated brass is to seperate it from brass brass. I have a couple of 22-250's. I use brass brass for the rifle that I expect true accuracy from and the nickel plated brass goes into rifles that I don't expect and can't get quite as much accuracy from. My calling rifle (a Ruger #1) is plenty accurate for a calling rifle but gets my Nickel brass (besides the shinny brass is easier to find in the grass). The two types of brass are much easier to keep seperated.

Truth is, I would not purchase any new nickel brass, but in a moment of unclear thinking I got several hundred pieces and am way too cheap to get rid of them.

For an interesting theosis on the sins of nickel plated brass can be found on Varmint Al's web page.
 
Nickel plated brass offers no appreciable advantage over regular brass cases. My experience is that they tend to crack and split at the case mouth. I think the nickel plate is very brittle and does not lend itself well to the resizing process.
 
I use nickel in one of my 25-06, and brass in the other 25-06. Just an easy way if you have two rifles of the same caliber, as Michael stated. I don't think I would buy any more. I like brass brass better.
 
Thank you so much for the info. I had considered buying some of the new nickel brass to give it a try but I believe I will stay with what I am using. I use Federal brass, and have had real good luck with it. Just looking for ways to get where I want to be, if ya know what I mean. Thanks again. Peace...and good shooting! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Ya know I think that it's funny. People usually start out reloading as best they can using what ever is available. Then lots of them get to thinkin' that they are getting this reloading stuff down and want to look like it so they buy nickel plated brass. The theory that the stuff looks good so its gotta be good. Little do they know that the folks that really know what they are doing (I do not necessarily fall into this category) hate nickel plated brass. Nichol (rifle) brass is a sign of a rookie reloader that wants to look good in my book.

Not long ago I had someone argue with me that he needed the nickel plated brass because it does not corrode like brass. My response is, "this is probably true but if you have brass laying around long enough to worry about corrosion then you are not shooting enough." He did not follow my logic and I guess that says something in itself.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
If you would read the origional post, there is no mention of "looking good". I have loaded some nickel brass for my pistol, but it was once fired, and I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. My question was purely concentrated on performance. I have only been reloading for a couple of years, and I am sure I don't do near what you do. I feel it is a legitimate question and one that I appreciate having answered. If you have a hang up because someone is less experienced than you, well sorry, but not everyone is an expert reloader, but one step at a time, someday they may be. The only stupid question is one that isn't asked. Peace...
 
Bluedog, you need to get that skin thickened up a little bit. I don't think anybody was attacking you or your question.

That said, nickel plated brass should be thrown directly in the trash can.

The nickel is harder than the reloading die and that tends to scratch the dies rather badly.
I found out the hard way with a RCBS resizing die for 357Sig. Yeah, yeah...I know, the brass was a little dirtier than it should have been. But that nickel plating just chewed up the die something awful. With unplated brass, the case will take the damage instead of the die if you happen to get a stray piece of grit in the works..

Besides, ya look like a New Orleans pimp using that stuff.

BTW, I have a couple hundred once fired pieces of nickel plated cases in 357Sig if anybody wants them. Pay the shipping and they are yours.
 
Bluedog - Oh man buddy I wasn't insulting you at least I didn't think that I was. Your question was a good one. Please note that I wrote that I also have and use nickel plated brass and I was also at least trying to indicate that most of the comments were pointed towards Rifle brass. Pistol brass is a whole different matter. Handguns are filthy little buggers and the ease of cleaning is a definite plus with handgun brass. I would not purchase nickel handgun brass especially but have and will use it if it is available.

And lets not get all wound up with the comment about looking good. Lots of folks really like the looks of nickel brass, I don't believe that there is anything wrong with that. If someone says that he uses nickel brass because he likes the look of the brass, well that’s cool with me, but some folks believe that brass that looks good is in some way better than brass that is clean but not shinny. That is simply not the case. Neck turning and base turning does not produce pretty cases. Then there is the issue of tumbling. It does not make sense to take very carefully preped brass, brass that is perfectly cut and squared to length, carefully chamfered, sized in hand made dies to perfect symmetrical perfection and throw them into a tumbler that will push rattle and scrape them until every bit of tarnish is removed. But is all that care necessary for the average good shooting factory rifle, NO not at all. In these rifles nickel brass is just fine.

I'll give some information that I got from Varmint Al's web site. (This is not a Quote) Nickel is much harder than brass or copper. For this reason All the nickel should be removed from inside of the neck of a case. This is necessary because the nickel will HEAVILY scratch the bullet as it is pressed into the case mouth. These deformed bullets will not shoot as well as clean shinny bullets. There is also a big issue if you neck turn your cases. Nickel does not neck turn, it will chip off and will not look good at all. Then as Mike McDonald and others have pointed out Nickel being hard will allow the debris in your chamber to scratch and damage your chamber. The list will go on and on. For these and other reasons you will not see Nickel cases being used in serious competition.

Now to dispel something else. I am not a great reloader and I do not have all the equipment necessary to be a great reloader. But lately I have hung out with several people that I think are great reloaders and I listen to what they have to say.

(Ohhhh man your right it isn't nichol its nickel)
 
Didn't take it as an insult, just a misunderstanding is all. If there is a performance advantage to any aspect of this hobby, then I would like to give it a try. I have definately saved a lot of time, money and heartache by asking this question, than if I had simply tried it and found out the hard way. Didn't mean to step on any toes, I was just hoping I could answer a question that I have been wondering about for some time. The beauty of it, is that this is the place to get collective information that will help all of us be better at what we do. Peace... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Blue Dog, Good question and I'm with you, plus you can spell nickel. Don't use the stuff, it will screw you dies up and is to hard to work with.
Snout.
 
The only time I have used nickel plated rifle cases was in a .223. These were once fired, Winchester Supreme cases. I resized with the same dies I use on my plain brass, no crimp. Three bullets set back into the cases due to recoil, to the point powder spilled into the action, not good. I pulled the bullets by hand, apparently the harder case neck did not resize enough to hold bullet tension. Luckily the cartridges hung up on the feed ramp before chambering. If the rounds had chambered and fired ....
 
Welcome to the board Bluedog and Snout!!

Nickel is not the way to go in my 30 plus years of reloading book. Handgun cases are better than the rifle ones but none are as good as the brass type in my experience.
 
Bluedog,

I have used it only to differentiate between rounds used in two different 223s that I have. No difference in performance perceived. Got the nickel brass out of factory rounds. I have experienced no problems as yet. One of those topics that have opinions on both side of the coin.

Dave
 
In my experience nickel brass has one advantage. It's pretty, and that's about it. It's usually quite brittle, splitting easily, especially at the neck. It's hard on resizing dies also. I personally avoid it like the plague. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal
 
Looks like I agree with just about every one else-throw it away.
Nickel casings will not expand right in your chamber and that is why no one really likes it. You will get head-separation quicker because the casing is "slicker", it can not grip the chamber wall like the Brass casing
Also much harder to detech pressure signs with the Nickel.
 
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