Nickle cases

[mag_01]

Why do Nickle cases seem to split quicker than brass----one would think they where stronger----cases where 357s------and whoa is me last night I lost my first case in 7.5x55 swiss only fired 3 or 4 times---I know its not a big deal but I only had 40 now 39---(wish that was my age) I'm going to have to check with Grafs to see if they have cases for it----flier said they do but you cant always believe what you see------Mag.




Gold baby no no Lead Lead:castmine:

[C A Plater]

I've noticed the nickle pistol case crack easily too. I got cracked mouths on some .44 Magnum brass that I was shooting special level loads. Seem each loading cost me a few cases. Last I checked Graf's online they were out of the Privi and Norma was $20 a box of 20. Cheaper to buy loaded Wolf/Privi and shoot it. Cole distributing has a decent price on boxer primed loaded 7.5x55 FNM ammo from Portugal.

[jhalcott]

since the nickel IS harder it breaks from repeated use.Brass can be reshaped quite a few times more before it gets too brittle and splits.

[porkchop bob]

IMO - Since the OD of the case is the same, the brass case before it is nickel plated has to be smaller/thinner and hence not as strong. Brass is more flexible than the nickel and when it does flex, the nickel will develop stress cracks. Later the brass will split at the stress cracks in the nickel as the support there is less than in the adjacent area.

Bob

[ron brooks]

Bob has it. The Brass is thinner because it is to be plated and the OD has to stay the same.

I have never had the flaking problem, this is with 45 ACP and carbide dies, that some speak of although I have had some nickel cases where the nickel was wearing off and the brass was/is showing through.

Ron

[XRING363]

I
have no experience with nickel rifle brass but Revo brass that must be crimped is a differint story. Case mouth cracking is very common with nickel. I have 20 year old brass I still use for my .357 While I don't think I have a full box of nickel thats 5 years old. FWIW, I'll pick up free nickel at the range but when I buy, it's BRASS.

[mag_01]

Thanks guys all makes sense-----Mag

[BruceB]

The "nickel" plating is microscopically thin and offers no structural strength to the case. Nor is the plated brass any thinner before plating than regular unplated stuff. It is purely an anti-corrosion and "prettifying" measure.

The plating process apparently causes a phenomenon known as "hydrogen embrittlement" which changes the physical properties of the brass in the case by altering the atomic structure slightly.

Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that it drastically affects the life of at least some brass lots. Except for occasional freebies found on the range, I don't use it. This is as a result of bad experiences in the past.

[ron brooks]

BruceB,

Okay, I always thought it was thicker than that, although what you say makes.

I've always heard that the reason that nickel plated brass was made was so that the brass didn't corrode on the leather of the belt loops.

The only nickel cases I have are either from range pickups or buying large lots of brass, I don't care for it.

Ron

[versifier]

In rifles, I only use it for hunting loads, where its corrosion resistance is important to me, and I will buy 40 or 50 at a time and load them up. I will shoot three rounds before deer season to check my POA/POI, then whatever I actually shoot at the critters in question. Some years that's none, so the boxful lasts for years before I have to load it again. I have three rifles I like to hunt deer with, so it could be ten years for one batch before I reload it. All my development and practice is done with regular brass cases. Because of the way I use them, I have no idea how many loadings they would last, nor do I know how they would respond to anealing. Has anyone tried?

In handguns, I have gotten decent case life with nickeled .357mag cases, some have gone more than 20 loadings. I occasionally find a split neck and toss the case, but the brass ones split, too, and no batch that gets heavy crimps for revolvers is immune to it. The lightly crimped loads for my Contender last virtually forever, nickel or brass, even though they are much hotter than the revolver loads. The more you work them, the shorter their lives.

[Dale53]

A friend and I once, many years ago, bought a large quantity of "first nighter" used brass. It was almost half brass and half plated (.44 magnum). I took delivery and separated it. I chose to keep the nickel. I had serious brass failures, early and often. The worst part of it was it flaking off and plating the insides of my carbide dies which then SERIOUSLY scratched every case run thru it until I removed it mechanically. Flat out bummer!!

However, I have been using mixed brass and nickel .32 S&W L cases (have several thousand) for a long time with hardly a problem. The plated cases seem just about as durable as the brass. I just must have had a bad batch of nickel .44's.

Dale53

[No_1]

I have to agree with Bruce about the nickel being microscopiclly thin. I would assume it is just electroplated.
Some years back my brother, dad and I did a group buy of nickel FC (I think) headstamped 45 ACP (about 14k). After I divided their part I deprimed mine and started tumbling my share before storage. By the end of the night I was pretty tired and left about 500 or so in the running tumbler overnight. Needless to say the next morning I was very surprised to see the nickel coating was almost tumbled off. If I remember tonight when I get home I will measure a case that still appears to have the full nickel coating against the ones that the nickel is worn off and report back.

Robert


The "nickel" plating is microscopically thin and offers no structural strength to the case. Nor is the plated brass any thinner before plating than regular unplated stuff. It is purely an anti-corrosion and "prettifying" measure.

[Buckshot]

..............I will never again buy, nor do I have any intention to use nickle plated cases again. All my experience has been bad with them and all have been R-P headstamped. I had bought 100 ea, 45-70, 444 Marlin and 500, 45 Colt cases in a relatively short span of time.

Both the rifle cases soon ruined the sized dies (Hornady) via nickle flaking at the casemouth and occasionaly in spots on the body. I had thought that maybe it was due to adding a bit of paint thinner while tumbleing after sizing, but was assured that paint thinner would have nothing to do with it. The 45 Colt cases began splitting/cracking at the casemouths at their 1st firing. Some cases at their 2nd or 3rd firing would crack their walls.

They were all shot in a Ruger Vaquero and a Lee carbide die was used for sizing so the die wasn't hurt. There was no undue sizing and casemouth belling going on either. Regular brass cases I had have been fired and sized up to 6 times since I've had them and they weren't new when I got them.

I think it is shoddy plateing that is the problem. Like most everyone else who shoots at ranges, I have umpity bazillion 'range pickup' 38 Special cases. A sizeable part of them are nickle plated and of assorted headstamps, including R-P. None of them have this problem. Some have been fired and resized so often the nickle is worn down like an old Zippo lighter with the brass showing through.

I've also found flakes of nickle floating around in the tumbleing media. For me buying nickle plated cases anymore is a non happening event! I don't care WHO makes it.

.................Buckshot