drjterrell
Member
Can you safely reload nickel casings? Particularly interested in .45 and 45-70
Brass question
- Thread starter drjterrell
- Start date
- Status
josephbw
Member
The only issue I've had with them, is that sometimes the nickle will start to flake off.
Nickle plated brass has a tendency to split a bit earlier than regular brass, but reloads just fine. It can be tough on trimmers and de-burring tools, since nickle is harder than brass. It doesn't react with leather, making it desirable for rounds to be kept in leather ammo belts and holster rigs. Nickle plating peeling or flaking is a problem long since gone.
Many of the "premium" defensive rounds use nickle plated brass, with some claiming it is slicker and feeds better. Looks purty anyway.
Many of the "premium" defensive rounds use nickle plated brass, with some claiming it is slicker and feeds better. Looks purty anyway.
drjterrell
Member
Thanks guys. On another forum I frequent some were saying they would only be reloaded once or maybe twice because of splitting. I was hoping that was wrong since I just bought 500 of 'em!!
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Usually. Conventional wisdom is that the plating process makes them brittle and that leads to cracks and splits. It makes them harder to resize. Sometimes the nickel flakes off and can imbed itself in your sizing die, leading to scratching the rest of your cases.
That said, I have some Remington .38Spl cases that often do not survive the second firing. Conversely, I have some Speer .44Mag cases that have been used countless times, to the point that the nickel is actually worn off from tumbling. I have also had to send a carbide sizing die back to RCBS because some nickel flaked off and imbedded itself in the carbide ring.
I would suggest using them sparingly. They are particularly useful where they will be inserted in the loops of a leather cartridge belt. IMHO, unplated brass is best for most purposes.
That said, I have some Remington .38Spl cases that often do not survive the second firing. Conversely, I have some Speer .44Mag cases that have been used countless times, to the point that the nickel is actually worn off from tumbling. I have also had to send a carbide sizing die back to RCBS because some nickel flaked off and imbedded itself in the carbide ring.
I would suggest using them sparingly. They are particularly useful where they will be inserted in the loops of a leather cartridge belt. IMHO, unplated brass is best for most purposes.
Grumulkin
Member
Flecks of nickel, if they come off the case and they can, will imbed themselves in your sizing die and then you have a die that will perpetually scratches your brass.
I also dulled an $18 cutter head on a Redding case trimmer to the point of being unusable for trimming .308 caliber cartridges after trimming only a few pieces of nickel plated 308 Winchester brass. Now if I need to trim nickel plated cases I use a file and trim die.
I also dulled an $18 cutter head on a Redding case trimmer to the point of being unusable for trimming .308 caliber cartridges after trimming only a few pieces of nickel plated 308 Winchester brass. Now if I need to trim nickel plated cases I use a file and trim die.
Patocazador
Member
I've had a higher percentage of my nickle cases split at the neck than the brass ones but I prefer them when loading pistol cases with a carbide die.
MachIVshooter
Member
I prefer nickel plated cases; They don't tarnish. And while conventional wisdom says they don't last as long, that hasn't been my experience. Most of my nickel stuff is Remington or Starline. I don't really keep track of how many times a case has been loaded, just inspect them before reloading. I figure a lot of my nickel 10mm has been loaded at least 5 or 6 times, and I load heavy; Haven't had to pitch very many.
- Status
