Brass vs Nickel Cases

[rockquarry]

Brass is easier to form and nickel looks nicer without tarninshing. But nickel splits. So I use both and toss them when they split.

The nickel cases are brass; they just have a nickel plating. Use them and tumble them enough and the plating starts to wear off, exposing the brass case. But they usually don't last long enough for that to happen.

 

[Model19man]

AJ,

The other way I lost brass was when I noticed the bullet seating easily. If the brass would not resize small enough to hold the bullet well, it got dumped.

Kevin

I notice this - when the brass doesn't resize properly it gets tossed. Most of my brass is just that - don't have many nickel plated cases.

 

[243winxb]

High mileage nickel will not spring back in 357, after firing, as much as plain brass. Nickel harder to extract.

 

[glenwolde]

I've never noticed that nickel is any different. I've reloaded a lot of .38 Special over the decades.

I've got a bunch that the nickel is worn off on most of the top from the resizing die. They look kind of funny with a nickel/brass two-tone finish. Most of the cases I lose are the .38 cases with case cannelures. That's where they blow. Side crack. I lose ten of those to every mouth crack.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

In .38 I always considered nickle as the oddball just like SPP in .45 ACP.

I usually put the nickle .38 cases aside for snakeloads or to denote +P+ loads.

 

[twodog max]

horse dead...beatings continue

 

[Racer X]

One thing that likely comes into play is that standard nickel plating is an electrolytic process involving acid. Probably at least partly responsible for cracking.

 

[Eddietruett]

I use nickel for 9mm, 38 and 44mag. I like it because it seems to size easier and I like the way it looks. Rarely do I pick up brass from semis, so I can't say if they last longer but I see little difference in longevity with 38 wadcutters. No, I'm not rich using more expensive nickel and not picking them up. I'm constantly on the lookout for nickel brass and have found some bulk deals through the years.

 

[TAROMAN]

Most of my 38 Special loading is hollowbase wadcutters.
To avoid squishing the bases, I switched to a 38 S&W sizing die.
Minimal brass work hardening may be a side benefit.

 

[mikld]

IIRC and could be wrong; early nickel cases were electro plated and newer are a chemical wash/electroless plating. I still have cases from the '80s that are still usable after ??? reloadings.

 

[Kallo00]

There is a disadvantage with nickel brass. After many re-loadings, the nickel may start to flake off in your steel sizing die. It may become permanently imbeded and cause scratching of the cases that follow the flaking.

 

[muddocktor]

IIRC and could be wrong; early nickel cases were electro plated and newer are a chemical wash/electroless plating. I still have cases from the '80s that are still usable after ??? reloadings.

I think this must be so. I still have some 38 and 357 nickel cases from the 70s and 80s and they are just now starting to wear out significantly. But around the early to mid teens I bought some nickel Starline cases in 357 and I started seeing significant neck splits after only 3 loadings, with around 10% loss due to neck splits. I'm thinking that something to do with the electroless plating procedure makes the case more brittle than the old process of nickel plating.

 

[Neumann]

Nickel plated cases seem to split more than plain brass, mostly at the mouth. I prefer nickel for high-performance EDC, because they stay bright, while brass tends to corrode.

 

[Model19man]

I was reloading some W-W 45 Colt cases today. Noticed one was cracked. I started loading 357 magnum, then 38 Special, and finally 45 Colt was my third round to reload.

This might be as old as the Reagan administration......

 

[Timothy2700]

There is a disadvantage with nickel brass. After many re-loadings, the nickel may start to flake off in your steel sizing die. It may become permanently imbeded and cause scratching of the cases that follow the flaking.

I had a problem with my resizing die; I called hornady and they recommended a good cleaning every 500 rounds or so. Copper and nickel flakes not a problem any more

 

[Skeet 028]

Nickle cases is what I load a lot of in 45 Auto. some of the cases are losing the nickel and the headstamps are being peened. Very few split. 357 I load in nickel and they do seem to split more often...but the case mouths are not supported like the 45 auto. I have a good bit of nickel 38s in boxes but most were wadcutter 146/148 gr target loads. I just leave 'em in their old boxes as I have thousands of 38 specials in brass.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Have had more cracked cases over the years with Nickel. This is in .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Have had very few cracks in brass cases.