Thoughts on reloading nickel plated brass

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Kevlak

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Hey all,

As many of us, having trouble finding brass. I happen to have some once fired winchester supreme nickel played brass, and was just curious what people thoughts are on reloading it? Any input would be great!

Kevin
 
Nickel plated handgun brass in a carbide die is no problem, nickel plated brass in a steel sizing die can cause the inside of the die to become scored.
This has happened to me, and buffing out the neck area of the damaged die might or might not help after it happens.
For me, it allowed me to use the die but it continued to leave marks on cases till I changed dies.
 
It's hard on sizing dies. And trimmer. Nickle flakes off and damages dies. I did tons but now I stay away. It's not really worth the wear and tear. In my opinion. If you do load it make sure you spin the inside of the necks with steel wool or Emory cloth. That nickle gets inside there from the manufacturer. It scours the bullet when seating. Making the groups, open up.
 
ReloaderRick said:
It's hard on sizing dies. And trimmer. Nickle flakes off and damages dies. I did tons but now I stay away. It's not really worth the wear and tear. In my opinion. If you do load it make sure you spin the inside of the necks with steel wool or Emory cloth. That nickle gets inside there from the manufacturer. It scours the bullet when seating. Making the groups, open up.
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^This! Hard on the trimmer. I avoid them for this reason alone with bottleneck rifle brass. Normal straight wall handgun calibres; 38, 45 Acp?
Less of an issue IMO.
 
Have reloaded pistol and bottle-necked rifle. Never had problems myself, but To be honest, most of it was .357. Never saw any flaking on the .270.
 
I find it odd that some have issues while others have none, maybe the scratching and flaking happens because if sand or grit in the die perhaps?
 
Kevlak said:
I find it odd that some have issues while others have none, maybe the scratching and flaking happens because if sand or grit in the die perhaps?
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Some people with issues care about scratches on their brass and die interiors. Others don't care as much, and don't have issues. It isn't the presence of sand or grit.

NormB
 
Does anyone know why they plated them in the first place? Is there some advantage to nickel plating? Or is it just a case of making them even more "shiny" in order to sell better?
 
stevebc said:
Does anyone know why they plated them in the first place? Is there some advantage to nickel plating? Or is it just a case of making them even more "shiny" in order to sell better?
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I believe they are more corrosion resistant, but I also suspect and can attest to it being prettier.

I love the Winchester / nosler combo.
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I've loaded a bunch of 25-06 in nickel plated brass about a half dozen times each. ( +/- 600 cartridges )

No problems whatsoever. Treat them the same as conventional brass.

No problems with either the RCBS case trimmer or RCBS FL dies.
 
For Pistol
I'm reloading nickel plated brass only if I know that I'm not getting that brass back (i.e. IPSC match). I do not like using it as I've found that it cracks (splits) at a much-much higher rate than brass-brass.

Many times when shooting nickel-brass I've noticed the 'tincan sound' that a splitted case makes when hitting the concrete floor at my range, and it very rarely happens with unplated brass.

I believe that it has to do with the fact that nickel is harder and more brittle than brass, and it makes a composite material where cracks will propagate to the brass. (Feel free to correct my theory if it's wrong)

For Rifle
I'm only using nickel-plated brass on my hunting rounds, and this is solely for corrosion resistance. Hunting cartridges will get exposed to high humidity, rain and water.

One thing though, since I've notice a 'cracking' problem with pistol brass, I've never reloaded nickel-plated rifle brass more than once, so I cannot attest of it durability.
 
Might be corrosion resistance, but how long do you normally leave your ammo underwater? Personally, I think it's marketing-driven, from the same people who bring out 'new and improved' calibres each year.

That said, I use only nickel-plated brass for one of two standard .270 loads I use; makes it easier to be sure whether I have a 130gr or a 90gr.
 
Don't like it, and don't use it for any bottle-necked rifle cases.
357 Mag, I have used it a bit, but the majority of those are also non-plated.

Have seen the flaking mentioned, and have seen scratched dies from them.

Regards, Dave.
 
I like nickel plated brass, but it really does not matter to me one way or the other. I have several thousand nickel plated brass 357Sig brass and they go into my dies just fine. Have not run any yet since I'm still waiting for the barrel to come for my glock, but the brass is good to go.
 
I have reloaded nickle plated brass for years too with no problem, if I did ever find one flaking I would just toss it. Never had a problem trimming either but I have a carbide cutter for my trimmer.
 
I have read where they say they are a ##### to form in the dies. I took very careful notice when I reloaded a bunch and found some, very few, just a little harder to full length size but overall the same.
 
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