When it comes to reloading -- is their any advantage or disadvantage to using Nickel coated vs. full brass cases?

usually the nickel starts to fall off after not too many firings. at least w/ remington. i think it's just a cosmetic difference. maybe i'm completely wrong.

Nickel will not tarnish badly in a leather belt.

Nickel stays cleaner longer than brass and is easier to clean.

Nickel is a good way to color code some rounds.....such as your .257...brass for varmint and nickel for hunting rounds.
It's got uses....but isn't at all necessary.

Is the Nickel any harder on the dies?

quote:

Originally posted by AI22-250:
Is the Nickel any harder on the dies?

Can be if you don't clean tbem up very good before running them through your sizing die. When properly cleaned they run through just like plain brass cases. Greg

If the nickle is flaking off the cases you shouldn`t run them through your die. The nickle is hard and can scratch. This is the only down side I`m aware of.
I`ve loaded a lot of handgun brass that was coated though and flaking was not a common occurance.

All brass for nearly 45yrs now has been polished with wallnut shells. I used to be a chemical engr. in the oil industry. I had access to 50lb bags of wallnut shells in fine, med and coarse staked all over my warehouses.
All primer pockets have been cleaned on each and every round, wheather pistol or rifle. Each case is checked inside and out after each load, trimmed as necessary. Debured inside and out.
Annealed as necessary also. Some 22-250 lasts around 15 reloads, a few less if max loads. Occasionaly I find a split neck, or some other sign of use and throw a few away.

I still have 1000 or so ball brass cases laying around that I use for my 270 or 30'06, takes a little more work, primer pocket and capacity, etc.

I was simply concerned about wearing out some 357dies. about 3/4's the old brass is nickel and I had heard that nickel was hard on dies....

The nickle does not scratch the die. What happens is that flakes of nickle stick to the die and scratch the brass. Nickle is softer than the die, but harder than brass. Think about it if the brass is scratched the die must have a projection, not a groove. Most of the problem will be avoiled if you champher the mouth of the case. Nickle is easier to find in the grass,
Good luck!

If you were going to buy a couple of thousand cases for a Springfield XD40 sub-compact, would you spend a few bucks more for nickel brass?

I just replaced my old RCBS press, been a good press, with a Dillon RL 550B. I bought new Dillon dies for the 40S&W.

I think that of more concern is that a bullet seated in a nickel case will be more abraded by the harder metal and will perhaps take some of the harder metal with it down the bore. I like the way nickle cases look but I don't buy them any more.

I'm with "hawkins" on this one. I really like nickle cases but had the galling problem in a .357 MAG. I'd clean the die as best I could and it would be OK for about 5-6 cases and start galling the brass again. Going to a carbide sizer eliminated the problem.

The only advantage I could see with nickel plated cases is corrosion resistance. I live near a gas plant and all the trace Sulphur, they tell you isn't in the air, tarnishes brass cases and bullets very quickly.
Grizz

Besides the corrosion resistance that nickle provides, it should provide easier extraction. Some believe that cases should stick to the chamber walls, but this is based on bogus advice given by 70's vintage shill gunwriters. The closer your cases are to frictionless, the less they get stretched and the easier it is to extract them.

I recycle 38 special cases until they split. I have some nickle plated 38 special cases that have been sized so many times that the brass is showing. As long as I use a carbide die for pistol brass, I have had no problems.

I use nickel plated 30-06 cases to "color code" ammunition loaded for my 30-06 Semi-Auto, other than that?


AllanD

What Vapodog said! capt david

Nickel cases don't corrode much at all, but in my experience they are tougher to resize in larger calibers. My .458 Win brass cases resize pretty easily, but I have to push on the handle a LOT harder with the nickel ones.

There is a guy over on LRH, says nickle cases give more velocity because nickle is slipperier.
He also says holding your rifle tighter yields more velocity.

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
There is a guy over on LRH, says nickle cases give more velocity because nickle is slipperier.
He also says holding your rifle tighter yields more velocity.

Can't prove it by me. I load all hunting rounds in nickel cases and do so because I found no differences from their unplated counterparts. Same velocity spread, same POI. As to the second statement, probably his kids have been smoking dope in one of his meerchaums.

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
There is a guy over on LRH, says nickle cases give more velocity because nickle is slipperier.
He also says holding your rifle tighter yields more velocity.

If you grit your teeth and put a real mean look on your face you also get more velosity.

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
There is a guy over on LRH, says nickle cases give more velocity because nickle is slipperier.
He also says holding your rifle tighter yields more velocity.

Nah -- vastly better to cross your toes -- but not true when your toe nails are painted
G