Nickled handgun ammo cases, when?

[Texas Star]

Earliest Date For Nickled Cases?

Do any of you ammo collectors know when manufacturers first nickel - plated .38 Special cases? Other calibers?

I'm guessing maybe the mid 1930's? Were the original .357 Magnum cases nickled?

Thanks,

T-Star

 

[mkk41]

Good question! I've seen nickeled factory 38-44 rounds. I've always been told that nickeled cases were brought out so cartridges would not corrode in leather loops on policemans gunbelts. But what about the old cowboys? I have some old Frankford Arsenal USGI .45 revolver , 45-70 and 30-40 Krag rounds with 1880-90s headstamps that are tinned. Supposedly for issue in damp climates.

 

[Texas Star]

I thought of this awhile back, while writing a fan fiction about some people in a Brazilian jungle, in the 1920's. Couldn't recall if they might have had nickled cases, so didn't mention them.

But nickel-plating has to be a boon to avoid tarnish in humid areas. I think you're right about cops letting ammo tarnish in belt loops. I've seen some brass cases that had verdegris so bad they probably wouldn't chamber in the gun. So much green that you could plant a garden!

 

[nicky4968]

I had been led to understand that nickel cases were introduced to differentiate between .38-44/.38 Special and .38 Super/.38 Auto cases.

 

[handejector]

I think earlier than the mid 30's, but I don't know how early. Old ammo catalogs would be a good source of data.

At least some of the first year 357 is plated, but I don't know if all of it was.

 

[smith17]

I just went thru all of the boxes in my .38 Special ammo collection and can't find anything before about 1935 with nickel.
I did find a Remington .357 box with a stamp inside the flap indicating that, due to the nickel shortage, the cases inside the box were brass. I assume this was during WWII but the box doesn't have an R prefix on the code. That might indicate the R was dropped during the wartime years -or- the nickel shortage continued after the war. Don't know.
Ed

 

[desi2358]

not sure when handgun ammo commonly became available plated, I have some full boxes of Western and Remington 38's that date to the 1940's. I do have some military 45-70 and 30-40 with 1890's dates that are plated so it could have been available much earlier than the 1940's if the manufacturers felt there was a demand for it.

 

[Texas Star]

Bumping this up in case anyone has the answer.

Thanx,

T-Star