Starline Nickel Plated Brass

[jski]

What are the pros and cons with Starline's nickel plated brass?

It comes at a premium; is it worth it?

I'm primarily interested in reloading for my revolvers + M1 Carbines.

[Drm50]

Nickel plated brass of any manufacture has a shorter case life than yellow brass. Was popular with
Police because it would resist corrosion better in the shell loops in duty belts. Some people just
like it because it's pretty.

[NSB]

I guess it might be shorter life......? I'll have to wait to find out. Some of my 357mag brass is about thirty years old and loaded over a dozen times and it's still good. In fact, out of the several thousand pieces I have on hand I don't recall any of it going bad yet. You'd have to shoot a lot more than I do to find the difference, and I shoot quite a bit. I'm not sure about the belt loop theory, I think it goes through the sizer die a lot smoother than the plain brass and that's why they make it.

[54bore]

No way i would pay more for Nickel plated brass, i like it in my carry gun just for the corrosion resistance. But I despise it in Centerfire Rifle, it doesn't show wear like yellow brass, everything looks fine when sometimes it's not

[Drm50]

I have found that when Nickel brass is loaded, especially with cast, the working of the case it will
develope parallel wear marks to the case mouth. In cases like 357, 44mg that is where you will
see them fail. When you set the bullet you will feel the resistance go to 0. You can bet the case
mouth has split. Use in auto loaders speeds the wear. Bottle neck center fire cartridges are the
worst for this. I never waste my time forming cases out of Nickel plated cases. Necking them down
must put internal cracks in the nickel or separate it from the brass, I don't know but they have a
very short life.

[30calflash]

All of the above true. However I think it can be easier to clean, via tumbling, dry or wet, or shaking up wet in a sealed container with a good cleaner.

It also can be better if storage conditions are not great, humidity variations for one.

[Petrol & Powder]

All of the above.
When used for a Self Defense cartridge there's the benefit of resistance to corrosion and some claims that it helps the cartridge to chamber in a dirty gun. Not sure I buy into the latter. For a factory loaded cartridge that's going to be carried for long periods of time in a self-defense firearm, there may be some benefit.
I reload nickel cases when I have them but I never intentionally purchase them. The ones I do reload don't survive as many reloading cycles as the plain brass cases.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Don't use ceramic media for tumbling nickel brass.

[54bore]

Don't use ceramic media for tumbling nickel brass.

Nope, it will wear the finish off. In my opinion Nickel plated brass is nothing more than a nuisance, i buy a couple boxes of a good brand ammo for my .357 Magnum, and i always get it in Nickel plated finish for the corrosion resistance. I don't reload it anymore, yellow brass is the only way to go in my opinion

[Harry O]

I use nickel plated brass to separate two different cases that look almost the same. I started out with .38 Special with brass cases. When I went to .357 Magnum, I decided to get nickel plated cases. I started shooting 44-40 first, so it was with brass cases. When I went to 38-40, I decided to get them in only nickel plated cases. It is VERY easy to see the difference between them. The nickel plated cases do split more often, but the difference is not worth worrying about.

[psweigle]

I use nickel plated brass in 25 auto, because it is easier to find amungst all the 22's at the range. I also use it for 38special, because I am putting it in a leather ammo belt, and it doesn't corrode like the brass cases do. I shoot 357 magnum in a rifle, several revolvers, and a coonan, and have reloaded the cases many times over, and I did notice that the nickel will split more often than the brass. I only shoot cast, so I atribute that to expanding the case mouth over and over.

[osteodoc08]

I like the way it looks. No doubt about that. I like nickel for my handgun hunting rounds. I've had way too many split case mouths despite minimal belling. I lost 10-15% of my 41 mag after 3 loading. Called Starline and was told normal. Love Starline brass. Love nickel just not as long lasting as plain brass.

[gtrpickr]

It seems like this is one of those topics where if you like it use it. If you live where corrosion can be a problem then it might have some benefits for you.

[Tom W.]

When using plated brass to fire form brass for my 30-06 ai I had mixed results. A lot of split necks, way more than regular brass. For my 7mm Mag it was just wonderful. For all of the .357/.38 that I have loaded over the many years there is a slight number of split necks more so than regular brass. I may not buy it on purpose, but if the price is right.........

[Love Life]

I very much enjoy nickel plated brass. I have Starline 454 Casull brass that has 15 reloads on it, using very heavy doses of 2400 in my Freedom Arms. Brass is a consumable, and when hat brass wears out, I'll just buy some more.

[fecmech]

Like Harryo I use the nickle plated brass to keep my ..357 mag separate from my .38 spl brass. I shoot a lot of both and that keeps things simple. If it's silver it's mag and if it's brass it's a .38.

[30calflash]

Thought of this looking at some 45-70 plated cases, when loading BP it would clean up a lot faster and without discoloring.

[Blackwater]

The only place I like nickeled brass is for ammo I'll likely carry in a set of ammo loops on a ctg. belt. Other than that, I much prefer plain brass. The nickeled stuff doesn't form verdigris from the reaction with the acids and waxes in leather loops, so stays MUCH "cleaner" for a MUCH longer time in those loops. Some like its looks, but I look to the performance of my loads, and seldom consider how they "look." But keeping brass looking half way shiny does seem to elongate its effective service life. Storage of brass can make a difference in how long and how well it serves you too. FWIW?

[Driver33]

It shows up in the grass a little better but not enough to justify the higher price

[EMC45]

I have some nickle brass that is on it's way back to brass. Finish is very worn and still soldiering on. I have noticed in my experience that brass cases will split at the mouth where nickle cases will crack down the sides, like a lightning bolt. Not sure why, just something I have observed. I wouldn't pay extra for nickle cases. In fact every time I buy brass I find it for free online (PIF etc) or someone local to me gives it to me. It has happened multiple times. I like to wait it out and more often than not it shows up.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I just fired 400 nickel cartridges last weekend and got about a half dozen split cases. Most split down the side. I don't think I'd have had as many split cases if I was using my brass cases. These were low pressure .44 Specials fired in my Colt's SAA's with oversized factory chambers. I'll bet fewer cases would have been split if I was using my custom cut tight cylinders. The game was loading on the clock and targets were close so the factory cylinders were used.

[54bore]

I just fired 400 nickel cartridges last weekend and got about a half dozen split cases. Most split down the side. I don't think I'd have had as many split cases if I was using my brass cases. These were low pressure .44 Specials fired in my Colt's SAA's with oversized factory chambers. I'll bet fewer cases would have been split if I was using my custom cut tight cylinders. The game was loading on the clock and targets were close so the factory cylinders were used.

Had these been Reloaded before, or Factory?

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Loaded before, I won this big bag of brass at a match. It looked like it had been fired and cleaned.