Nickel plated rifle brass?

[rbernie]

I've always tried to stay away from nickel plated brass for my pistol/revolver chamberings - it just seemed to split at the neck sooner. But a friend has recently been extolling the virtue of nickel plated bottleneck rifle brass. He says that it's stronger and that he gets more reloads out of it than he does with traditional brass (given that he tends to lose brass to case head separations before he does to neck splitting).

Your thoughts?

 

[lev83]

Agreed I like high end nickle plated brass in all my reloads. (45 ACP/ 357 MAG/ 270 WIN) but I have found some problems with Remington Cases and would recommend steering clear of those.

 

[taliv]

i think the reason most people like it (aside from aesthetics) is that it's not subject to the same corrosion in humidity, but that applies equally to pistol/rifle.

i like it because it's easy to pick my cases out of the pile at the range

 

[silicon wolverine]

I use nickel brass in my .375H&H because it lasts about 15 laodings where regular brass lasts abotu 6 or 7. In magnum guns like mine the nickle coating makes the brass harder and more resistant to stretching. If your freind was splitting cases he might want to get that gun checked. he might have abad chamber.

SW

 

[hunt127588]

I shy away from it due to the potential of scratching my dies. I don't really see the benefit of nickel cases when buying quality brass.

 

[larryw]

My experience with nickel plated rifle brass differs from your friend's. Granted, my experience is only with 223 and 308 before I gave up: I found nickel plated brass is good for no more than 2 loadings before the necks start to get dicey. This echoes my handgun experience (357, 44 and 45ACP) and makes sense when one realizes that nickel plating hardens the brass and makes it less resilient to repeated forming (in essence, it is already work hardened).

As I don't seal the neck's inner surface or primer pocket prior to seating, the additional corrosion resistance is of no value to me.

 

[The Bushmaster]

It is if you carry your ammunition in leather loops on a belt. Then nickle plated brass is a god sent... One should have some nickle plated brass for those occasions where corrosion might be a real problem...

 

[rbernie]

Well, all I could get at the moment was the nickel-plated brass, so that's what I bought. Are there any do's and don'ts with this stuff, insofar as trimming, chamfering, etc. is concerned?

 

[The Bushmaster]

No particular special tasks with nickled brass. Just make sure that it is clean and free of dirt on the outside before you resize it. If it is rifle just lube it as with normal brass. If it is pistol/revolver brass no difference. Trimming and camfering is the same.

 

[rbernie]

Trimming and camfering is the same.

I guess this sounds stupid, but won't cutting thru the nickel plating make it flake off?

 

[The Bushmaster]

On quality brass like Winchester, Remington, Federal and other name brand cases there is no flaking of the nickle. But if you see any flaking of the nickle discard the case. Again, I have not seen any. You will notice on the lesser cases and some of the better cases some wearing of the nickle (brass showing through). Other then unsightly (to me) they load just fine.

 

[rbernie]

Okey-doke. Thanks...