"silver rifle cases" i.e. brass

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sifurob

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I've read alot about reloading steel cases but i'm wondering about the silver cases such as Winchesters premium ammo. It seems to run fine through the sizer but also seems much harder than brass when reaming. Does anybody have any experience with this.
 
Winchesters "premium cases" are nickel plated brass,not steel.They are harder on dies,esp if either aren't perfectly clean.(cases or die)
 
They are nickeled brass, not silver or steel.

They shoot the same, but the nickel flakes earlier, and it wears out much quicker.

I use them for when I might be shooting where the brass would be hard to find.

What do you mean by reaming? Primer pocket reaming?
 
thanks

I figured it would be similar to the old tinning process on copper wire conductors. The process definately seems to harden the surface wich would definately lead to the flaking you describe.

Also by reaming i meant a quick turn of the case neck with a reaming tool to aid in bullet alignment
 
Ah, ok. I always called and have heard that called Chamfering and deburring.

chamfering nickel cases will not damage the tool you use to chamfer, so go ahead and load up.
 
Nickel plated brass is not worth reloading...Send it to me and I'll properly dispose of it...:D

I have never had nickel brass "flake". I have worn the nickel off exposing the brass though. And if you properly clean your nickel plated brass and you normally keep your dies clean there isn't a problem there either. Nickel is NOT as hard as steel or carbon steel dies...

Sifurob...Load it just like you would standard brass. The rifle brass that is nickel plated I use for my hunting loads as it is not bothered by any extremes of weather like plain brass is...
 
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Yep i dont come across nickel that much but i learned from busmaster long ago that its some pretty good stuff. alos if you leave your brass in leather belts holsters the cases will not tarnish or turn green like regular brass
 
I have a lot of nickel 38 and 357. I bought 1600 rounds of 38 and 357 from a guy on a board and didn't ask if it was brass. No idea on the number of reloadings I have 3 times on some of the stuff. Most of the stuff had been reloaded before. I have some cases worn down to brass but no flaking. Have had a few cracks.
 
I personally avoid using the plated brass because the flakes can affect a non-carbide die. That stuff is hard. It can scar the neck sizing area of the die especially, and will forever leave marks on regular brass. If you trim the length, it just gives it a place to start flaking. Just passing on my experience, because it's your call to use it or not.

NCsmitty
 
I clean and inspect ALL brass brass before it passes through my resizing/decapping die and have had no problem with flaking even after trimming. The key word here is INSPECTION of ALL brass and nickel plated cases...

Thanks Scrat. I forgot the need for nickel cases when used in conjunction with leather...
 
All my hunting cartridges are Nickel-Brass. Reason: it does not tarnish under adverse conditions and feeds more smoothly than brass in all actions.

Although a few tend to neck split after only a few loadings, I have never seen the "flaking" others talk about.
 
By flaking, I was referring to the small shards of nickel plating chipping off around the case mouth. It is really sharp and easy to prick your finger on.

I think it was misunderstood to think that flaking was all along the case.
 
Notice the mention of tinning - in some examples of plated cases and jacketed bullets there have been odd neck tension effects over time - not so much as to ruin hunting loads but certainly enough to ruin benchrest accuracy.
 
I don't believe they intended nickel plated brass to be used for bench rest shooting in the first place. Mostly to prevent corrosion in leather belt loops.

Then it was found that they load and extract smoother in hunting rifles in all kinds of weather conditions. And didn't become water stained in wet climes when hunting for extended periods...
 
I think blanket statements about nickeled brass are generally inaccurate. I have had nickeled brass that flaked almost immediately, and I have nickeled cases that split upon the first firing -- from factory loads.

I have also had nickeled cases that held up beautifully and lasted a dozen or more reloadings.
 
I personally avoid using the plated brass because the flakes can affect a non-carbide die. That stuff is hard. It can scar the neck sizing area of the die especially, and will forever leave marks on regular brass. If you trim the length, it just gives it a place to start flaking. Just passing on my experience, because it's your call to use it or not.

NCsmitty
Click to expand...

Correction, NC, that stuff is HARDER. Harder than plain brass, but not nearly as hard as a good alloy steel loading die. Certainly not hard enough to cut into the die, thus creating a burr, that could scratch subsequent shells.

Further to anyone about to say the "flaking" nickel being dragged down a barrel with a bullet, cutting the rifling, I say BS! Again, it's not hard enough to do that either.

I sometimes order new brass for various loading projects, SPECIFICALLY ordering nickel plated. Especially if those rounds will be used for hunting. I see no signs of reduced life because they were plated.

Problems associated with nickel plating has become more myth that fact. Use it if you want, it'll work well. Or believe what others have said as fact, don't use it. But don't keep spreading untrue he-said, she-said without your own direct knowledge.
 
Problems associated with nickel plating has become more myth that fact. Use it if you want, it'll work well. Or believe what others have said as fact, don't use it. But don't keep spreading untrue he-said, she-said without your own direct knowledge.
Click to expand...
I suggest all the naysayers check their sizing dies if they have used nickel plated cases, before denigrating someone who has experienced the scarring of a die due to this issue. I have personally had a Herter's die in 22-250 become grooved from using plated cases that flaked. This occurred in the mid seventies when I was using plated cases in my Remington 40-XB. I tossed the batch of plated cases and have used nothing but brass cases since. MY knowledge is based on my experiences and not fallacies based on possibly flawed opinions. I sure you will come to realize this as I continue to post on this site. :)

NCsmitty
 
1970's...Hummmm. Time has changed and plating has improved a whole lot. And so has the hardness of rifle dies, not to mention the vast improvments in pistol dies...

Like I said before. If you don't want the nickel plated stuff. I'll pay postage and you can send it to me...I WILL properly dispose of it...
 
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Sorry NC, it wasn't the nickel that scratched your die. It was likely some sand that got embedded in/on a case that got run through the die. As I said, nickel is just not hard enough to do it.

The 70's era cases WERE electro plated, now they're electoless plated which results in a MUCH thinner coating of nickel. So thin, that it can be worn off by tumbling too much. Continued use can wear the coating off too. It's much too thin to flake like the older electro plating could.
 
my nickel cases don't seem to last as long before cracking, but they are easier to find in the leaves. (.357's)
 
It's been my experience that premature mouth splits are far more problematic than flaking. It's been a long time since I had to discard any cases for flaking.

It's also been my experience that splits plague certain lots of nickeled brass and not others, even among the same brand. I have had some lots of nickeled brass that split immediately and others went until they had to be discarded for primer pocket looseness or other -- non nickel related -- problems.

The only exception has been Starline, upon which I depend for every caliber I , at least for which it is available. I cannot remember ever having discarded a Starline case for nickel related problems.

HTH!
 
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