Purpose of Nickle plated brass?

[fiberoptik]

Here's a noob question for you: what's the reasoning for nickel plated brass?
Semper Fi!

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[Postell]

Corrosive resistance.. it tends to take much longer to tarnish and grow green than bare brass.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Especially in leather belt loops or other cartridge holders.

[Hickory]

Especially in leather belt loops or other cartridge holders.

This is essentially the correct answer.
Brass cartridges react with the tanning solutions used to tan leather causing to tarnish very badly.

Sorry, Postell I didn't see your post, as it is correct also.

[smokeywolf]

The green gunk that forms on brass that's exposed to tanned leather is called 'verdigris'. Nickel plated brass doesn't react to the tanning agents.

[enfield]

It splits and cracks very early in it's life, so I assume it exists in order to sell more brass.

[DonMountain]

Here's a noob question for you: what's the reasoning for nickel plated brass?

Its also a big help when shooting black powder cartridge loads as it doesn't seem to corrode as easy as brass cases. But I also throw them in a bucket of soapy, hot water after shooting black powder loads in my 45-70 using nickle plated brass.

[Tripplebeards]

I believe they feed better as well. They sure look funny after they've been tumbled 7 or 8 plus times and the brass starts to show through in spots. I have noticed cracking after not too many loadings as well. I just stick to brass for the most part.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I think some kind of spray lacquer would serve their intended purpose just as well, and also seal the primer against water entry. You wouldn't do this without checking whether the thickness of lacquer prevents chambering? No, nobody would do that.

[TheDoctor]

It's pretty! I use nickel plated for my carry loads, better corrosion resistance, and it may feed better. Have heard that, but have not personally seen a difference. All other loads get standard brass cases.

[Soundguy]

It splits and cracks very early in it's life, so I assume it exists in order to sell more brass.

that might be more related to the reloader and handling, and the load level.

I have some 45acp and some 38/357 that is so old that the nickle is transparent or gone in some / most places,and the head stamps are even worn light. It's been loaded countless times.

[MUSTANG]

Ohhhhhhhh Shinnnnny. Ohhhhhhhh Pretttttty. Or at least that's always been my opinion/observation. My experience is that brass life is drastically reduced when nickel plated (Just found several dozens .308/.30-06/xx Mag cases at the range last week; I'll clean & reload the calibers I use - trade the rest - but expect them to have fewer reload lives than standard brass).

[Tripplebeards]

I do find them to be harder as well. At times can hear them grind against the die walls when sizing. I remember years ago posters saying they scratch the inside of sizing dies over time. Even when they are well lubed I have had shavings come off the casings when sizing and have little flakes of it inside my dies. Ive only reloaded nickel in 30-06 and 243 over the years, no pistol casings. I believe the coating makes it more durable but the downside it makes them brittle. I have tossed most of them out being their necks split. I have brass that I have loaded three times over and keep going. It's a coolness factor and I like the looks of Nickel but stay away from them for this reason. I do like the idea above that nickel dose not tarnish in leather loops. It might sucker me back in some day to purchase some.

[merlin101]

I've long wondered if the nickel plating adds to the overall dimensions of the case thus making it a tighter fit. never got around to really checking that out.

[country gent]

Ive had 2 detectives J frames that the cartridges (brass were corroded into the chambers from years of exterior wipe downs with oil and mild solvents). These cartridges had to be pushed out individually with a punch and hammer. Nickel slows this effect down also. Nickel on a brass case is pretty thin its a flash plating process. I will use it but prefer brass cases with no plating. The plating process and nickel seem to make brass more brittle. Nickel plating is also very hard so flaking or cracking in the plating may leave a shape edge that could scratch dies and chambers.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Had some 300 Win Mag nickle-plated, MUCH harder to resize than plain brass casings, after sizing 10 I put the nickle-plated 300's in the 'dire circumstances pile'. 45 ACP and 38 Special work fine.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I only use nickle plated cases for rounds that will be kept in looped/leather cartridge carriers of which I have more than a few. They do tend to remain cleaner than the brass finished rounds and they do fare well less upon reloading. So I limit their use. I have some of them (nickel) with Winchester Silver Tip boolits which do catch the eye.

[Soundguy]

Yall must be loading, hot, max loads and high pressures, and resizing with poor, insufficient, or no lube, and have ragged resizing dies.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I've long wondered if the nickel plating adds to the overall dimensions of the case thus making it a tighter fit. never got around to really checking that out.

I'm sure the thickness used in commercial nickel-plated cases is entirely negligible for this purpose. It would certainly be possible to plate nickel thickly enough to improve the fit at the neck which benchresters require. It is used in engineering to reclaim worn parts. But nickel is a brittle metal, and I don't believe it would stand expansion and sizing.

I can think of just one specialised application in which heavy nickel plating might be viable and useful. Black powder scheutzen shooters sometimes used a single case a very large number of times, with moderate black powder loads and without sizing. The bullet was usually breech-seated separately, or muzzle-loaded with a false muzzle. Neck thickening by plating might do some good in this situation. But while breech-seating or muzzle-loading certainly produced excellent accuracy - the best of all rifles, for a while - I doubt if using a succession of sized cases would have reduced it any.

[curator]

+1 for nickle plated cases in black powder cartridge rifles.Since I do not re-size my .40-65 or .45-70 cases when loading black powder, they seem to last as long as non-plated brass. Black powder residue does not cling to the inside of the plated cases making cleaning a lot faster, just a simple hot soapy water wash then into the vibrating tumbler. I have some early star-line plated .40-65 that have been reloaded at least 50 times in the past 10 years and only washed, reprimed and reloaded without ever being put through reloading dies. The nickle is wearing thin to the point that the cases are taking on a yellow hue. I suspect the corn cob/walnut shell cleaning media is wearing the plating away. I also have noticed decreased case life with .45 Colt and 38 Special/.357 Magnum plated cases, but these cartridge cases get severely resized at each loading.

[ScotMc]

I use Nickle plated R/P .338 Win Mag cases for hunting. I carry extra rounds in a leather cartridge holder. I have reloaded one box of 20 now on their 6th reloading, neck sized only. I have found that thoroughly cleaning the cases by tumbling and a wipe down with a rag, some graphite lube on the neck generally does the trick for me. I have experienced split necks, but generally after a full length sizing. I wont use a Nickle plated case for hunting after the second reload due to the possibility of a split neck causing a flyer.

I like using the plated cases. Their corrosion resistance is great in leather, I believe they feed easier, and they are easier to spot if you drop one. My hunting buddies razz me about my " high dollar cases", I just smile.....

[6bg6ga]

I'm always happy to find some nickle plated brass. The wife likes the color and its easier to find in the grass.

[Finster101]

I have a limited amount of nickel in 9mm and .45 that I like to use for steel shoots. Makes getting my brass back much easier.

[Drm50]

I think the leather deal is the reason. One of the biggest mistakes I have made loading was with
once fired nickel 357 brass. I spent several hours and steps reforming them into a wildcat 22 cal.
I used them because I had 2 boxes from same lot. They loaded up nice, looked fancy with the
plastic ballistic tipps. Second loading, neck size only, lost over half of the 100 to split necks, some
were split from first firing. Learned my lesson- no forming nickeled brass.

[David2011]

It splits and cracks very early in it's life, so I assume it exists in order to sell more brass.

I recently pulled the bullets out of some Super X nickel plated factory loads. Never fired but split at the mouths.

[Soundguy]

That's not saying much.. I have seen superx new with split necks/brass cases 218 Bee, bad right in / from the new/ unopened box!

[Recluse]

Here's a noob question for you: what's the reasoning for nickel plated brass?
Semper Fi!

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Along with the previous answers and in regards to "feeds better," many have also found that it ejects better out of a hot cylinder whereas brass will sometimes stick.


It splits and cracks very early in it's life, so I assume it exists in order to sell more brass.

HA! Could be some real truth in that one.

I use my nickel 38 Special brass for the light 105 SWC loads I load for my wife and daughters. Slight crimp, very low pressure and I get a lot of loads out of them.

:coffee:

[gunwonk]

Nickel plating is also very hard so flaking or cracking in the plating may leave a shape edge that could scratch dies and chambers.
Had this happen. Some nickel plating cracked at the front edge of a .357 case, and scratched the inside of my (non-carbide) resizing die.

Then the die scratched all my other .357 cases, until I figured out what was going on. :(

I trade it, or toss it.

[Traffer]

This maybe an inane noob question. Can it be annealed? I would think if it cracks easily, annealing would be the solution.

[vzerone]

All metals have different properties and different annealing techniques. The concept is to make the metal more ductile without losing strength. Carbon steel is annealed by heating to a given temperature then cooled slowly. Both nickel and brass are annealed by heating to a given temperature then cooled quickly (quenched in cold water). The problem with a nickel and brass combination is the different annealing temperatures. Brass used in cartridges anneals properly at 600 deg F whereas nickel takes 800-1000 deg F (depending on the alloy). If you heat a nickel plated case hot enough to anneal the nickel, the brass will be "over annealed" where it becomes so soft it won't have enough neck tension to hold a bullet and will likely crumple when the case is sized or when a bullet is seated. Likewise, if you heat the neck to 600 degrees, the brass will be fine but the nickel becomes brittle and will flake off when the case is sized or fired.

When nickel plated cases are manufactured, the brass is first annealed at 600 degrees then quenched. Afterwards, the cases are electroplated with nickel at room temperature to maintain the brass properties. The only purpose for nickel plating is to make the cartridge more resistant to corrosion and of course to make them look pretty.

Nickel plated handgun brass becomes brittle when fired and sized, thus reducing the number of times it can be reloaded. Nickel plated rifle brass is not intended to be reloaded, however you can usually squeeze out a few reloads before the necks split.

[Soundguy]

Had this happen. Some nickel plating cracked at the front edge of a .357 case, and scratched the inside of my (non-carbide) resizing die.

Then the die scratched all my other .357 cases, until I figured out what was going on. :(

I trade it, or toss it.

Your ? 56 ? Hardness nickel plated brass scratched your tool steel ( 200-250 ) dies?

[gunwonk]

Your ? 56 ? Hardness nickel plated brass scratched your tool steel ( 200-250 ) dies?
Yep. This was before I knew about hardness numbers. Might not happen today. :kidding:

[gunwonk]

Had this happen. Some nickel plating cracked at the front edge of a .357 case, and scratched the inside of my (non-carbide) resizing die.

Then the die scratched all my other .357 cases, until I figured out what was going on. :(

I trade it, or toss it.


Your ? 56 ? Hardness nickel plated brass scratched your tool steel ( 200-250 ) dies?


Yep. This was before I knew about hardness numbers. Might not happen today. :kidding:

Oops, my apologies. I see I have not communicated well. Here goes again ...

My steel resizing die got scratched, by a chipped front edge on one piece of my nickel .357 brass.

After that, the die scratched all of my yellow .357 brass. (I don't remember whether or not it scratched the other nickel brass.)

Now I prefer not to use nickel brass.

[Steelshooter]

All metals have different properties and different annealing techniques. The concept is to make the metal more ductile without losing strength. Carbon steel is annealed by heating to a given temperature then cooled slowly. Both nickel and brass are annealed by heating to a given temperature then cooled quickly (quenched in cold water).

vzerone, I think you have these confused. Every brass annealer made does not require the brass to be quenched, they can be quenched to stop the heat migration to the head of the case. But is not required to anneal the case.

[Traffer]

Now I am confused. I always thought that annealing brass and copper was just a matter if heating up and letting cool at normal air conditions. I have annealed copper that way many times after it had become work hardened and I have done the same thing annealing 22lr cases for reloading. They become noticeably softer after just heating to the 500+ degree range and let cool. Am I missing something here?

[BNE]

I've long wondered if the nickel plating adds to the overall dimensions of the case thus making it a tighter fit. never got around to really checking that out.


Nickel plating is typically 0.00015" thick. Which is next to nothing. It also will size down to the same size as your sizer die. It is more slippery than brass and harder.

I have been told or read, that Nickel plated brass is used on wild cat loads to help reduce stuck cases. I have no idea if that is true. It would make sense.

[Tom W.]

I fired some nickle plated brass to fireform in my 30-06 AI. Less than half got split necks. Those that didn't split were able to be fired several more times. They do seem to load and eject better. I have a big bag of NP 7mm Rem mag brass that I resized using a Larry Willis die. Those have been fired several times before I sold the rifle, with no defects. It is easier to fireform regular brass, IMO.

[Steelshooter]

Traffer you are correct, althought your temperture is a little low for cartridge brass. Brass can be a different thickness from manufacturers, what you want to do is use tempilac 750 on the inside of the case neck apply heat to the shoulder neck area of the case until the tempilac just starts to melt. Time how long it takes to melt and do the rest of your cases using that time. You only have to use the tempilac on the one case.

[Tripplebeards]

I recently pulled the bullets out of some Super X nickel plated factory loads. Never fired but split at the mouths.

I had a box of one time fired nickel plated federal 243 given to me
All but 6 necks were cracked.

[308Jeff]

Probably not due to the nickel plating, but my only reloading experience with nickel-plated rifle brass was a box of once fired Remington 223. No problems with the case mouths, but the primer Pockets were so loose that I could practically push new primers in with my finger. That was a big disappointment.

[curator]

About annealing nickle-plated brass: Lacking factory .458 WinMag brass and wanting desperately to shot a new rifle, I took 50 range pick-up R-P 7mm Rem Mag nickeled brass cases and carefully annealed then by holding the neck/shoulder area in 600 degree melted lead then dropping into room temperature water. These were loaded with 10 grains of Unique and then filled to the case mouth with Cream of Wheat cereal. They fire-formed perfectly, only loosing two cases to splits. The nickle plating on the neck area looked a bit rough and less shiny, but it was still there. These cases have been reloaded several times at "trapdoor" .45-70 power level with cast bullets with no problems or case loss to splits. I don't use them for full-power .458 Mag loads but they work fine for reduced lead practice rounds and being thinner, seal better at reduced pressure.

[toot]

( VERDIGRIS ) translates to VERDI- GREEN- GRIS- GREASE! voila, now you know the rest of the story! and it is green and terry greasy!.

[toot]

sorry for the misspelling-very, not terry greasy.

[GunStuff]

Has anyone tried coating the leather that comes in contact with the bullet to prevent or slow the verdigris formation on unplated brass? That may be a doable project. Something like clear silicone applied with a q-tip might do the trick.

[BAGTIC]

GRIS has nothing to do with GREASE. The root of the word means "gray'.

[Mr_Sheesh]

We make DIY SilNylon (or SilSilk etc.) by dissolving Silicone sealant in mineral spirits and then soaking the cloth in that solution, then letting it evaporate off, you end up with a waterproof very light fabric. (SilNylon is used in ultralight hiking and for hammock flys etc.)

I'd think SilLeather may not be "authentic old west" gear but it might work :)

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have a box of Winchester "John Wayne" thurty-thurty's with the silvertip boolit and nickle case. It sure do look purty.....and I will probably fire them on WTSHTF weekend. It may come to your neighborhood soon.

IF we have a nation wide power loss that last more than a few days things are gonna get really ugly really fast. Within the first four days all the stores will have nothing to sell in the food or supermarkets area. Gas and Diesel ditto. Civil discontent will rise and then things will get interesting.....

[Steven66]

I have a bunch of as-yet-to-be-loaded .250 Savage cases that are nickel plated. Any idea whether it will last longer/have fewer split necks if I anneal it first?

[GunStuff]

...snip...I'd think SilLeather may not be "authentic old west" gear but it might work :)
If you want authentic old west gear you probably want verdigris on your cases, no?

[fixit]

They do it to appeal to those of us who suffer from ADOS, Attention Deficit...Ooooh, Shiny syndrome. Seeing silver instead of brass really diverts the attention!

[charlie3tuna]

Has anyone tried coating the leather that comes in contact with the bullet to prevent or slow the verdigris formation on unplated brass? That may be a doable project. Something like clear silicone applied with a q-tip might do the trick.


Ballistol will treat the leather and neutralize the acidic tannin in it. Actually, it is the "additives" in the pure mineral oil base which do the work. It will also treat the holster so your gun won't corrode.

That is the good news. The bad news is it will darken the leather. If you don't mind, then all is good....charlie

[Shawlerbrook]

Like shiny fishing lures they get attention.

[Texas by God]

I have a box of Winchester "John Wayne" thurty-thurty's with the silvertip boolit and nickle case. It sure do look purty.....and I will probably fire them on WTSHTF weekend. It may come to your neighborhood soon.

IF we have a nation wide power loss that last more than a few days things are gonna get really ugly really fast. Within the first four days all the stores will have nothing to sell in the food or supermarkets area. Gas and Diesel ditto. Civil discontent will rise and then things will get interesting.....Well that's a Debbie Downer thought (wahwahwah)[emoji6]

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[Moleman-]

I have bought 223 nickel brass to make 6x45 cases out of. Easy to tell at a glance if the case is a 223 or a 6x45.

[Texas by God]

As stated the nickel plated handgun brass lasts fine but I've had Remington and Winchester rifle brass crack necks after a few loads. I don't use it unless I have to for rifle loads.

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[Drm50]

I had a Martini in 22 Ackley Jet a couple years ago. I annealed nickel Federal 357 mags used 4
steps to neck them down a major PIA. I did 100 nickel & 100 brass. Most nickel cases only lasted
fire form and 2 loadings before I had neck splitting problems. The brass casings I only lost 4/100
and loaded them over 6 times before I traded gun.

[toot]

GRIS, excuse me, what about VERDI, am i wrong there two? it is green and very greasy.

[charlie b]

So, urban legend?

Did nickle brass first get produced so people could tell the difference between .357 Mag and .38 spl loads?

[EDG]

Most nickeled rifle brass is nothing but a marketing tool.
If you do not reload BPCR or hunt in a rain forest the nickel does not have any function.

[glockfan]

all i know is they're stiffer than brass,thus they roll rough in my 650.are harder on the resizing dies(while
they don't require much resizing if the loads used are low-medium) , the lever gets hard because harder case walls resist more in the expander die.....and are also not as
friendly as brass on SOME specific extractors. i simply collect them and may exchange them for brass.

[Soundguy]

Most nickeled rifle brass is nothing but a marketing tool.
If you do not reload BPCR or hunt in a rain forest the nickel does not have any function.

I'm quite happy to have nickel brass on my safari brass.

[EDG]

I have no idea why.
I have about 200 rounds of 6mm Rem nickeled brass and would not recommend it to anyone for any reason.


I'm quite happy to have nickel brass on my safari brass.

[Soundguy]

Prevents corrosion..

[EDG]

I probably have 400 lbs of non nickel brass.
None of it corrodes in my use and storage conditions.
When you get around to reloading that nickel junk you will find the interior surface of the necks very rough and those cases will peel metal off of the bullet shanks unless you take special care.
Ideally you need a carbide expander to iron out the roughness.

I have about 75 or so .375 H&H nickel cases that I use for plinking loads. They produce about 50% more drag when sized. They are not what I want in my FL die on a permanent basis. All the nickel 6MM brass will be neck sized in a Wilson bushing die and the necks will be expanded with a carbide expander button to keep from abusing my FL die.


Prevents corrosion..

[Bazoo]

I've loaded a fair amount of nickel cases in 38/357 magnum. It might not last forever like brass does, but I dont see that it loads any differently or gives any trouble. I dont prefer it, but I dont avoid it either.

As many have said, the reason for nickel plated casings is corrosion resistance. It doesnt offer any advantage to plinking ammo, or hunting ammo that wont see extended carry afield. But It makes a lot of sense for carry ammo. I carry constantly, and sweat and oils and stuff corrodes the ammo in my spare mags pretty quickly. I always carry ball ammo for reloads and I shoot it when it starts to corrode. The ammo in the gun doesnt corrode as quickly as ammo that was exposed.

[TMenezes]

I love nickle for 2 very different reasons.

1 I am a Law Enforcement Officer in a salty coastal area. Due to budget reasons we are issued nickol plated duty rounds that we do not use for practice or qualification purposes. We have to unload our duty ammo to qual with the cheaper practice ball ammo. The nickle ammo resists the salt air much better as it can sit in our mags for 6 months or more before it is replaced. For most people this may be a non issue but for us it makes a big difference.

2 As a reloader I noticed it cleans up allot easier as junk doesn't stick to it as well as it can stick to brass, especially in our environment. I did find that it's a bad idea to use stainless steel media tumblers as it can take the nickle off if you leave it too long. Keep in mind that while nickle may or may not be better for you. It may be a God send to others that are in a different environment or a different set of circumstances than you are.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bazoo]

TMenezes, Thanks for your service to the community of which you serve!

I can imagine, if a person was in a remote alaskan hunting camp, where you might be out 2 weeks, that nickelled brass would be a lot better than standard brass.

[EDG]

Just a reminder this is a case forming forum so most case forming topics are going to be about rifle brass.

Nickel pistol brass is way different than nickel rifle brass when you load it. Rifle dies are NOT carbide and the nickel creates a lot more friction and force when you resize it in a long tapered steel die.
Resizing pistol brass by comparison is nothing.

I have never known anyone that carried rifle ammo around in a duty belt to the point of causing corrosion. Not even the USMC does that. If you are in that environment you better have a stainless gun or take good care to prevent it from rusting.

[Tom W.]

I tried fireforming nickel plated brass to an A.I. caliber. Maybe threw away a fourth of them, I don't quite remember. The ones that did form looked really good, the others had little flaws that while maybe were ok, I discarded due to caution.

Regular brass formed maybe 99% of the time.

I did like the nickle brass that I loaded when I had my 7mm Mag. I sized them all with the Larry Willis collet die that my son had. I sure was glad he bought that die....

[Soundguy]

I probably have 400 lbs of non nickel brass.
None of it corrodes in my use and storage conditions.
When you get around to reloading that nickel junk you will find the interior surface of the necks very rough and those cases will peel metal off of the bullet shanks unless you take special care.
Ideally you need a carbide expander to iron out the roughness.

I have about 75 or so .375 H&H nickel cases that I use for plinking loads. They produce about 50% more drag when sized. They are not what I want in my FL die on a permanent basis. All the nickel 6MM brass will be neck sized in a Wilson bushing die and the necks will be expanded with a carbide expander button to keep from abusing my FL die.

I love how your message assumes that I have never reloaded nickel brass. I have 38/357 and 45 nickeled brass that is pretty much JUST brass now it has been reloaded so many times.

I use carbide or TiN pistol dies AND I use lube when I resize all pistol, even though you don't have to for carbide. IMHO.. less wear is less wear, and thats always good. Probably why I'm not getting neck splits and the sky isn't falling like some people report.

My belted magnum nick brass reloads about the same as regular brass. eventually you have to toss it if it starts to get a head separation.

I wasn't talking about corrosion setting in a pristine reloading box or indoors. I'm talking about setting in a leather cartridge belt or holder out in tropical moist weather. Or when i find it at the range after it's been rained on a bit. the nickle doesn't tarnish up like the brass does for range pickup.

[Soundguy]

I've loaded a fair amount of nickel cases in 38/357 magnum. It might not last forever like brass does, but I dont see that it loads any differently or gives any trouble. I dont prefer it, but I dont avoid it either.

As many have said, the reason for nickel plated casings is corrosion resistance. It doesnt offer any advantage to plinking ammo, or hunting ammo that wont see extended carry afield. But It makes a lot of sense for carry ammo. I carry constantly, and sweat and oils and stuff corrodes the ammo in my spare mags pretty quickly. I always carry ball ammo for reloads and I shoot it when it starts to corrode. The ammo in the gun doesnt corrode as quickly as ammo that was exposed.

Some people see nickel and as inexperienced reloaders are frightened by it. internet horror story and myth keeps them up at night, nor have they ever had to truly use the nickel for what it was intended for, corrosion resistance in poor conditions for longer than normal time frames.

[Soundguy]

I have never known anyone that carried rifle ammo around in a duty belt to the point of causing corrosion. .

I carry my safari ammo in 5 round leather holders. some with flaps, some not. If I'm carrying a double, no flaps, I want to grab 2 and go jamb them in.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Case-Gard makes "Rifle Ammo Wallets" (cast plastic) that hold a number of rounds, 9+ usually, no verdegris from leather's chemicals in those - But not as quiet as a Leather pouch, admittedly.

[Soundguy]

Nor as nice looking, nor as small as a 4-5 shot Bando.

One thing I can say about postings for corrosion resistance. I have a box of 45-70, mixed, various types and sources, but all late to very late 1800's. I've broke a few down, so far all is black powder loaded, variety of projectiles from plain base to skirted, even some round ball. All have been balloon primer pocket type. Many of the cases have thinned and patina'd so much from interior and exterior corrosion that the brass is thin as paper with wrinkles. Some of the cases are perhaps for naval use and were tinned? (silvor color plating). Those cases are all perfect. Dull finish, but polish right up with a cloth. Same date range headstamps.

The plated cartridges plain held up better in storage... Some are nearing 129 ys old.

Ps, so far, all the ones I took down had powder that burned well, and primers all poped. I have some cordite loaded early war 303 that's already getting maypop primers.

[Soundguy]

One thing I noticed, maybe there is some miscommunication here on the nickel plated brass.

While I have no qualms about reloading/ resizing NB for the caliber/cartridge it was made in, I wouldn't want to reform that NB for something else. Like no 270 to 30-06 or no 30 rem/6.8spc to 8mm nambu.

I think with any reforms that stretch or shrink the neck, rebate rims, cut extractor grooves, neck turning, etc, you could run into thinning, and loss of the primary reason it was NB in the first place.

I wouldn't want to drop mouth size either.. 30-06 -270, and be left with thick nickel exterior, and thin brass interior from ID reaming. I think you'd get too brittle at the mouth on that kind of resize. Lotsa work for maybe only 1 bang.

[Tom W.]

I did it, and learned a lot. Never had anything actually split, and how does one take a 30-06 and turn it into an A.I. without fireforming it?
As for taking other brass and tweaking and playing with it to make the A.I., I always went up, never down. I tried down with a 300 Win Mag to 7mm Rem Mag and got the donut on the neck. Just tried the one.
The others took a lot of sizing and trimming, measurements and examination, but it was fun and easy enough. And I only have two centerfire rifles , so no chance of them being put in the wrong rifle.
Either way, I did it and enjoyed it.

[EDG]

I love it how you assume loading pistol brass compares to rifle brass. If you loaded much you would never try to make such a comparison.
Of course I have loaded a ton of nickel pistol brass. So what everyone but you knows it does not compare to loading nickel rifle brass.
I am not convinced you have ever loaded a single round of nickeled rifle brass. If you have you do not pay attention to details like the horribly rough neck interior that peels metal off of bullet jackets.
Please let me know what brand of rifle carbide dies you own.
I also love how you live in a tropical rain forest and your brass tarnishes horribly at the slightest contact with rain water. I guess my non nickel brass is superior in quality since it can go through the washing machine without spotting ...

I have never had a single case lost to corrosion in 50 years of reloading. The only cases I have lost were worn out...
I never heard of anyone complaining about losing cases to corrosion except for cases picked up out of the mud and dirt at the range after laying in the weather a year or two.


I love how your message assumes that I have never reloaded nickel brass. I have 38/357 and 45 nickeled brass that is pretty much JUST brass now it has been reloaded so many times.

I use carbide or TiN pistol dies AND I use lube when I resize all pistol, even though you don't have to for carbide. IMHO.. less wear is less wear, and thats always good. Probably why I'm not getting neck splits and the sky isn't falling like some people report.

My belted magnum nick brass reloads about the same as regular brass. eventually you have to toss it if it starts to get a head separation.

I wasn't talking about corrosion setting in a pristine reloading box or indoors. I'm talking about setting in a leather cartridge belt or holder out in tropical moist weather. Or when i find it at the range after it's been rained on a bit. the nickle doesn't tarnish up like the brass does for range pickup.

[Lloyd Smale]

since the dawn of man hes liked shinny things!

[EDG]

So do raccoons.


since the dawn of man hes liked shinny things!

[Soundguy]

I love it how you assume loading pistol brass compares to rifle brass. If you loaded much you would never try to make such a comparison.
Of course I have loaded a ton of nickel pistol brass. So what everyone but you knows it does not compare to loading nickel rifle brass.
I am not convinced you have ever loaded a single round of nickeled rifle brass. If you have you do not pay attention to details like the horribly rough neck interior that peels metal off of bullet jackets.
Please let me know what brand of rifle carbide dies you own.
I also love how you live in a tropical rain forest and your brass tarnishes horribly at the slightest contact with rain water. I guess my non nickel brass is superior in quality since it can go through the washing machine without spotting ...

I have never had a single case lost to corrosion in 50 years of reloading. The only cases I have lost were worn out...
I never heard of anyone complaining about losing cases to corrosion except for cases picked up out of the mud and dirt at the range after laying in the weather a year or two.

.

I never said I had carbide rifle dies. i said I had carbide ( or TiN ) pistol dies.

I reload both nickel pistol and rifle brass. As I have mentioned many times now ( perhaps you can't read more than a few lines? ) that I have a good amount of larger magnum rifle brass that is nickel plated. I care not whether you believe that I have reloaded plated rifle brass. I reloaded rifle before I ever started with pistol. I've not experienced any horrible rough inside diameter neck issues. Perhaps you need to polish your expander ball/expander rod, or use some mica. Heck.. IDN polishing if you managed to buy some really bad plated brass.

I live in florida and our climate tends to the hot / humid side 11.999 months out of the year. And, when you are out in the woods for a week at a time I like to use something that I know has little chance to corrode.

I never said I used nickel plated cases to prevent 'loss via corrosion'. I do it to prevent corrosion. And yes.. I like a shiny clean looking case, not one with tarnish spots. Even patina is ok.. but when it gets dark spots, it makes inspecting the cases for structural integrity more difficult. My rifles and face and hands are worth more than a piece of dark spotted brass that I can't tell is 100% sound. IMHO, a bright case is much easier to visually inspect, both inside and out.

I have and do sometimes recover brass from shooting ranges, and yes.. that means some of them are in the dirt and mud ( Florida - rainshine daily , 87 degrees in the winter, 97 in the summer, and almost always 100% humidity, even at 7am ).

Obviously from reading your posts you are only concerned with believing something you have personally experienced, and nothing anyone else has seen or experienced matters to you. So while I or others like to use nickel plated brass, and you don't, you then feel the need to tell us we are wrong. What a wonderful outlook on life you have. Good day.

[Soundguy]

[QUOTE=EDG;4351551]



https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273399

http://www.handgunforum.net/new-handguns-area/28741-gunbelt-cartridge-corrosion.html

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/brass-leather-corrosion.776545/


All topics on brass corroding, especially in leather rigs.

i could have posted 20 more from that 1 page of hits... but it's alot of work on a phone.

[mcdaniel.mac]

I know.. you have never seen it, therefore it can never happen.. Oh wait.. REAL LIFE DISAGREES WITH YOU:

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273399

http://www.handgunforum.net/new-handguns-area/28741-gunbelt-cartridge-corrosion.html

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/brass-leather-corrosion.776545/


All topics on brass corroding, especially in leather rigs.

i could have posted 20 more from that 1 page of hits... but it's alot of work on a phone.

I know.. I know.. never happened to you.. so you won't believe it.......I'll add, I've had it happen in a loaded magazine. I have a dud 9mm at home that has a corroded fingerprint in it, and a couple mags of .300 BO that I fired through a borrowed Handirifle because they wouldn't feed in my AR once the cases corroded. The same lot was just fine when I loaded and fired that day at the range.

[Soundguy]

I'll add, I've had it happen in a loaded magazine. I have a dud 9mm at home that has a corroded fingerprint in it, and a couple mags of .300 BO that I fired through a borrowed Handirifle because they wouldn't feed in my AR once the cases corroded. The same lot was just fine when I loaded and fired that day at the range.

Agreed! I do plenty of wheelgun shooting and have seen corroded cases at meets that are hard to chamber due to the green corrosion. I personally hate / hate to see someone having to FORCE a cartridge into a gun.

I've never understood the naysayer mentality of "I've never seen it.. but I'll sure tell someone they are wrong"

I load plenty of black powder and black powder subs for older /and breaktop guns, and I absolutely LOVE nickel plated brass for this. If you've never looked into a case that has been loaded with black powder, you may not understand this statement.

[Texas by God]

In my long reloading experience, I have found that nickel-plated brass does not last as long as regular brass in Rifle calibers. That said, I do like to use nickel-plated brass for my special deer hunting loads to identify them on sight. 30 years ago I purchased 20 each of nickel-plated brass for 22-250, 30/30 Winchester, and 25 ought 6 Remington. Of those 60 I have about 7 left in all total. The rest developed splits and cracks over time. I believe (without proof other than my own experience) that the nickel plating makes the cases brittle.

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