Starting to reload for .357 Magnum; which do you folks recommend? Pros...cons...? THANKS!

i use both and really do not have a prefrance.
with carbide dies both size like butter.
some like the nickle because it purty.
Load and shoot

Nickel has some cosmetic advantages in that it will go for more reloadings without the case looking dirty and tarnished. However, brass cases can be returned to factory-new shine with only a few hours in a case tumbler. The real advantage of nickel is that it can be carried in leather cartridge loops indefinately without acquiring the grungy blue-green corrosion that leather causes on the plain brass cases.

I find nickel and brass cases convenient for identifying and keeping segregated brass that I use for two different guns of the same caliber. This is more applicable to rifle than to pistol, however.

I load jacketed bullets in nickel plated cases
and cast bullets in plain brass cases.

I follow a similar pattern for all my pistol reloading.
plain brass for cast bullets and nickel plated brass is set aside for jacketed loads.

For 38special I no longer load jacketed bullets, I just don't see any point. so my own home cast SWC-GC's I load those in brass cases in the plain brass I load commercially cast LRN.

AD

quote:

I find nickel and brass cases convenient for identifying and keeping segregated brass that I use for two different guns of the same caliber.

Far and away this is the best use for nickel.....it identifies a load immediately as "XXXXXXXX" and the brass loads are "YYYYYYYY"

I have been loading nickel cases for all my long range shoots. For 600-1000 yards. I use a 30-06 for the 1000 yard and .308 for the 600 yds
Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 and Winchester 70 International Army in .308 matches.It is easier to identify which rounds go to the match for the event.