Ronniefromalabama
Member
The title asks the question.
Why do you prefer one or the other? Advantages or disadvantages?
Does it matter what caliber?
Why do you prefer one or the other? Advantages or disadvantages?
Does it matter what caliber?
Nickel vs Brass?
- Thread starter Ronniefromalabama
- Start date
- Status
JimKirk
Member
I have shot lots of both in rifle and pistol ... I've never had any problems with either ...
I will say that nickle plated is easier to clean and is much easier to find when shot out of a semi pistol ... my range is grass and brass & grass blend together much easier than grass and nickle ...
I will say that nickle plated is easier to clean and is much easier to find when shot out of a semi pistol ... my range is grass and brass & grass blend together much easier than grass and nickle ...
I use both in pistol and rifle calibers. I think most reloaders tend to prefer brass over nickel but until it causes me a problem I'll continue to load it. I have noticed some 357 Magnum nickel plated brass is thinner than on 9mm and 40 S&W.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Nickel plated ammo harks back to the days when cops wore their spare ammo in belt loops -- brass would interact with the chemicals in the leather and turn green. In days gone by, the only nickel plated ammo was .38 Special and .357 Mag.
Nickel plated ammo IS easier to clean, as JimKirk says. On the other hand, after a couple of trips through the sizing die, it tends to flake off.
I was reading a novel by a guy who is supposed to be an expert on firearms, and he has his hero neck-turning nickel-plated cases "inside and out."
.
Nickel plated ammo IS easier to clean, as JimKirk says. On the other hand, after a couple of trips through the sizing die, it tends to flake off.
I was reading a novel by a guy who is supposed to be an expert on firearms, and he has his hero neck-turning nickel-plated cases "inside and out."
.
This is only what I like doing.
I use nickel in 357, 9, and 45 usually with loads that I have thoroughly tested and am happy with. I tend to use xtp's and other premium bullets with mid to high level loads that I like. Maybe just me but with 357 I trim to be able to get a good uniform heavy crimp and it seems like they do not trim, debur and chamfer as well as brass but I like the shine.
I have only very few in rifle. In 223 they do not seem to trim as well either but my sample size is very low. I would like to find some in 6.5x55 swede to load up for deer but haven't found any.
I use nickel in 357, 9, and 45 usually with loads that I have thoroughly tested and am happy with. I tend to use xtp's and other premium bullets with mid to high level loads that I like. Maybe just me but with 357 I trim to be able to get a good uniform heavy crimp and it seems like they do not trim, debur and chamfer as well as brass but I like the shine.
I have only very few in rifle. In 223 they do not seem to trim as well either but my sample size is very low. I would like to find some in 6.5x55 swede to load up for deer but haven't found any.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I like nickel in .357 Magnum brass because it cleans up easier. I can also quickly know if it's a magnum round instead of a .38 Special which I make with yellow cases. It's supposed to be more corrosive resistant but I'm not in an environment where it will matter. IMO use what you have and find.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Shoot both, the nickel more in handgun. The advantage I guess is nickel is more corrosion resistant, as Vern points out. Somewhere around here I have a box with about 200 to 300 new (new 25 years ago) Remington 30-06 nickel plated brass. Maybe someday I'll load them. I really don't have a preference one way or the other.
Ron
Ron
J2FLAN
Member
I take a batch of brass and load that batch over and over, until it is useless.
The difference I noticed is that, the brass cases will outlast the nickel by quite a few trips. This is with target loads for 45acp. Other than that, I can`t tell any difference.
The difference I noticed is that, the brass cases will outlast the nickel by quite a few trips. This is with target loads for 45acp. Other than that, I can`t tell any difference.
Taroman
Member
I prefer nickel for my premium or competition loads.
It does crack sooner, but there's plenty more where it came from.
It does crack sooner, but there's plenty more where it came from.
dredd
Member
I used to be afraid of using Nickle because of the stories I read about it flaking, messing up dies etc.
I decided to really push the envelope and did the following.
I have had zero issues so far with the Nickle flaking off.
I wanted to ID my subsonic 300BLK cases easily.
(Making cases out of .223)
I chopped them.
Deburred them.
Annealed them using Tempilaq.(No need to argue about the properties of Nickle here. There is not enough on the cases to change the true hardness.)
Stainless tumbled them to clean them inside & out.
Sized them.
Stainless tumbled again for a bit to remove the lube.
Trimmed them.
Deburred them.
Loaded them.
Shot them.
I have done this twice so far with about 200 pieces.
Most are Winchester.
I also understand that this is not set in stone, so I will always keep an eye on the stuff.
Hope this helps.
I decided to really push the envelope and did the following.
I have had zero issues so far with the Nickle flaking off.
I wanted to ID my subsonic 300BLK cases easily.
(Making cases out of .223)
I chopped them.
Deburred them.
Annealed them using Tempilaq.(No need to argue about the properties of Nickle here. There is not enough on the cases to change the true hardness.)
Stainless tumbled them to clean them inside & out.
Sized them.
Stainless tumbled again for a bit to remove the lube.
Trimmed them.
Deburred them.
Loaded them.
Shot them.
I have done this twice so far with about 200 pieces.
Most are Winchester.
I also understand that this is not set in stone, so I will always keep an eye on the stuff.
Hope this helps.
243winxb
Member
High mileage nickel cases will not spring back like brass. They keep gripping the chamber wall, causing hard extraction. Mine was 357 mag. They have no body taper to aid extraction.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
We have had several threads on the subject like this one, and this one. There are more, I only linked to two.
Out of curiosity does anyone know how thick the nickel over brass plating is?
Ron
Out of curiosity does anyone know how thick the nickel over brass plating is?
Ron
Ronniefromalabama
Member
Wow, great info.
It sounds like nickel is what I need to use with my .45 LC Vaqueros. Brass ammo turns green very quickly when hung in the loops of my fast draw holsters. (I am not a fast draw or cowboy shooter, just like cowboy guns).
Has anyone ever seen or know of a source for .45LC in nickel?
It sounds like nickel is what I need to use with my .45 LC Vaqueros. Brass ammo turns green very quickly when hung in the loops of my fast draw holsters. (I am not a fast draw or cowboy shooter, just like cowboy guns).
Has anyone ever seen or know of a source for .45LC in nickel?
I've shot a lot of Federal nickel plated .308 Win cases and they all performed as well as brass ones. One exception.
When I was testing .308 cases for shoulder setback from firing pin impact (primed cases without powder and bullet), the nickel plated ones had about .001" more setback than the brass ones at .002" to .003" setback. I therefore assumed they were more "slippery" than brass cases. The new nickel plated ones were loaded with 39 grains of IMR4064 under 168's. New cases headspaced at 1.628" and fired in a chamber with 1.630" headspace. When fired, their primers were backed out about .006" past flush with the bolt face. With 41 grains of powder, primers were flush with the case head and case headspace was 1.629".
All this convinced me that nickel plated bottleneck cases headspacing on their shoulders should not be used with reduced loads more than about 10% below max.
When I was testing .308 cases for shoulder setback from firing pin impact (primed cases without powder and bullet), the nickel plated ones had about .001" more setback than the brass ones at .002" to .003" setback. I therefore assumed they were more "slippery" than brass cases. The new nickel plated ones were loaded with 39 grains of IMR4064 under 168's. New cases headspaced at 1.628" and fired in a chamber with 1.630" headspace. When fired, their primers were backed out about .006" past flush with the bolt face. With 41 grains of powder, primers were flush with the case head and case headspace was 1.629".
All this convinced me that nickel plated bottleneck cases headspacing on their shoulders should not be used with reduced loads more than about 10% below max.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Oh I agree. The reason I frequently link to older threads, sometimes years old, is because they frequently contain good material the newer thread may not contain. Making a newer thread a more well rounded and informational thread, Some topics I recall and others predate me.
Ron
Patocazador
Member
I shoot improved (rifle) calibers and found an unacceptably high number of split cases when fire-forming new nickel cases.
It's brass for me.
It's brass for me.
Last edited:
Wreck-n-Crew
Member
Upon suggestion from a fellow loader i bout my 10mm in nickel because they would stand out in a crowd of brass casings and make spotting them much easier.
Well it works well. For 10mm i will buy nickel in the future. As far s everything else i load for it is brass with a few nickel mixed in pistol calibers by chance.
Well it works well. For 10mm i will buy nickel in the future. As far s everything else i load for it is brass with a few nickel mixed in pistol calibers by chance.
Back in the days when steel resizing dies were the norm and carbide dies were the rarity, I found nickel plated cases would be more likely to cause the situations to scratch cases during resizing.
This is probably where the fear of nickel cases damaging resizing dies came from and things like this seem to die hard in the reloading world.
Not an issue with a carbide resizing die for the most part. Tumble clean the cases before resizing to get rid of all the abrasive stuff attached to a fired case and it definitely is not an issue.
Like others, I find nickel plated case life to be a bit shorter than brass but that does not stop me from using it. When I buy new cases, I do tend to buy only brass cases for the most part.
As Vern said, leather ammunition loops will corrode brass cases but not nickel plated.
This is probably where the fear of nickel cases damaging resizing dies came from and things like this seem to die hard in the reloading world.
Not an issue with a carbide resizing die for the most part. Tumble clean the cases before resizing to get rid of all the abrasive stuff attached to a fired case and it definitely is not an issue.
Like others, I find nickel plated case life to be a bit shorter than brass but that does not stop me from using it. When I buy new cases, I do tend to buy only brass cases for the most part.
As Vern said, leather ammunition loops will corrode brass cases but not nickel plated.
SmokingFrye
Member
I use both, but usually for nothing more than separating paired weapons. For example, I load .357 Mag for both lever rifle (hunting) and revolver (everything). I use the nickel plated brass to separate the lever gun loads from the revolver loads. Performance wise, never noticed a difference except for the previously stated case life, which is still very long.
I always use Nickle for pistol! I shoot 9mm and 45acp. My buddies stupid worthless 40 brass always gets mixed in with my cases when we are shooting. Even with careful sorting I always miss a fricken 40 case and it lodges in a 45 case and jambs my press. Since I started using all nickle separating my Nickle cases from their brass cases is MUCH easier!
If they ever switch to Nickle 40's I will stop shooting with them!
If they ever switch to Nickle 40's I will stop shooting with them!
Advantages or disadvantages?
I form cases, I make transfers and standards; there is an advantage to nickel when it comes to handling cases. I have a big problem when necking 280 Remington nickel cases up to 35 Whelen and 338/06 cases. The failure due to split cases is as much as 50%.
Like Bart B. I have experimented, I use rifles with killer firing pins. I have measured failure to fire cases that have been hit 5 times in three different rifles with out shortening the case from the shoulder to the case head. To verify the results I pulled down the fail to fire ammo down including removing the primers. After installing the primers I used one of my M1917s to test the primers. The primers were crushed and the case did not shorten between the shoulder and case head and the primer did not protrude. Meaning the firing pin did not drive the case forward until the shoulder contacted the shoulder of the chamber.
F. Guffey
I form cases, I make transfers and standards; there is an advantage to nickel when it comes to handling cases. I have a big problem when necking 280 Remington nickel cases up to 35 Whelen and 338/06 cases. The failure due to split cases is as much as 50%.
Like Bart B. I have experimented, I use rifles with killer firing pins. I have measured failure to fire cases that have been hit 5 times in three different rifles with out shortening the case from the shoulder to the case head. To verify the results I pulled down the fail to fire ammo down including removing the primers. After installing the primers I used one of my M1917s to test the primers. The primers were crushed and the case did not shorten between the shoulder and case head and the primer did not protrude. Meaning the firing pin did not drive the case forward until the shoulder contacted the shoulder of the chamber.
F. Guffey
nettlle
Contributing Member
I use both for 45acp. The brass has a little longer life but the difference is so small it's not a consideration for me.
- Status
