44Steve
Member
Looking for info on reloading nickle pistol brass. Do's and Don'ts I have been reloading a long time , but no nickle.
Reloading Nickle Brass
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tbury
Member
Do: Lubricate
Don't: over flare the case mouths
Nickel plated brass is more subject to splitting if you over work the mouth with the expanding plug. You can size without lube but light lube makes it very easy and you are less likely to scratch the brass if some grit gets on the sizing die. JMHO
Don't: over flare the case mouths
Nickel plated brass is more subject to splitting if you over work the mouth with the expanding plug. You can size without lube but light lube makes it very easy and you are less likely to scratch the brass if some grit gets on the sizing die. JMHO
I do not teat it any differently but then I do what others stated above. I give all my empty brass a tiny spritz of diluted Lee Lube even with carbide dies. Makes everything smoother.
My only experience is with .38 and .357 nickle brass, in fact I still have quite a bit of Win .357 nickle brass given to me at the range some years ago. Although the case mouths usually do split just a bit quicker than regular brass it still lasts a heck of a lot longer than some would have you believe. Assuming you have carbide dies, just make sure the sizing ring is clean and load them. Although I've never used it, the suggestion of a bit of lube has some merit.
ACP230
Member
I have a fair amount of nickeled .38 and .357 Magnum brass.
Also some nickel .45 ACP.
The .38 and .357 lasts a long time, almost as long as my brass cases.
The nickel .45 ACP brass is more prone to splitting, usually at the case mouth. It still works pretty well, even though some of what I have was first fired in a Reising submachine gun.
I load it all the same way I load brass cases.
I have some nickel .250 Savage rifle brass but haven't loaded it as yet.
Also some nickel .45 ACP.
The .38 and .357 lasts a long time, almost as long as my brass cases.
The nickel .45 ACP brass is more prone to splitting, usually at the case mouth. It still works pretty well, even though some of what I have was first fired in a Reising submachine gun.
I load it all the same way I load brass cases.
I have some nickel .250 Savage rifle brass but haven't loaded it as yet.
David Sinko
Member
I've been reloading nickel plated rifle and pistol cases for a long time and do not give them any special attention. The only problem I ever had was with a batch of 100 new nickel plated R-P .45 Colt. For reasons I still do not understand, the nickel plating started to peel off starting at the case mouths immediatly after the first firing. I could actually grab it and peel it off in large flakes. I guess they made a bad batch.
Dave Sinko
Dave Sinko
campfire
Member
I bought fifty rounds of new Winchester 357 mag ammo in nickel cases over the counter and since firing them they have been reloaded seven times and so far I have only thrown out one split case.
I am very careful that they are polished clean before they go into the Dillon SDB and I only use a minimum of flare to avoid any case splitting.
So far I am happy with the nickel cases but not likely to bother with them once they have all been used up unless someone gives me a batch for nothing (and that’s not likely to happen).
I think I prefer the look of polished brass anyway.
Campfire
I am very careful that they are polished clean before they go into the Dillon SDB and I only use a minimum of flare to avoid any case splitting.
So far I am happy with the nickel cases but not likely to bother with them once they have all been used up unless someone gives me a batch for nothing (and that’s not likely to happen).
I think I prefer the look of polished brass anyway.
Campfire
Ben Cartwright SASS
US Veteran
Someone GAVE me a 5 gallon bucket full of .38 brass, mostly nickel (free), I have a Dillon 550. I clean the nickel brass first in a tumbler and then load in Carbide dies, I don't lube them but they seem to load fine. Out of 600 rounds I loaded last weekend I only split 2 and if they will fit in my Ruger Single Action Vaquero I will shoot them.
Marksman
Member
In regard to nickle plated cases splitting, the reason is something called "hydrogen embrittlement" it is just a problem that comes along with objects that have been nickle plated. It more than sizing is the reason for nickle plated cases splitting much sooner than their non plated counterparts. I only use nickle plated handgun brass for rounds that I am going to carry in a leather cartridge belt, they don't develop the green verdigris that stains the leather. I was using nickle plated rifle brass until I scratched one of my sizing dies rather badly. While nickle looks bright and shiny, it has micro-porosity which can harbor grit that will scratch your dies no matter how well you clean/tumble. Therefore no more nickle plated cases for me.
I treat them and load them the same as regular brass; I have never noticed any difference. I use carbide dies with no lube and do my loading on a Dillon 650.
MR. IHC
US Veteran
my old man always said not to reload nickel cartridges, as they will destroy your dies, so i never do. ( i know he destroyed some .357 dies with nickel brass, but i think they were not carbide dies)
VARMINT POPPER
Member
Trim new nickle cases
The so called nickle plating is not really nickle, but is very much
harder than the lands and groves of the your pistol or rifle and if you look
closely at a new case you may find small globs and flakes of this metal
just inside the case mouth and if not trimmed away will stick to the
bullet as it is crimped into the case,, now fireing the bullet down the
barrel with these flake sticking to the bullet can cause unneeded erosion
and reduced barrel life. I suggest trimming new nickle before use.
Lindy
The so called nickle plating is not really nickle, but is very much
harder than the lands and groves of the your pistol or rifle and if you look
closely at a new case you may find small globs and flakes of this metal
just inside the case mouth and if not trimmed away will stick to the
bullet as it is crimped into the case,, now fireing the bullet down the
barrel with these flake sticking to the bullet can cause unneeded erosion
and reduced barrel life. I suggest trimming new nickle before use.
Lindy
