I just read a large group of posts a few pages back on
nickle cases. Don't know if I'm any the wiser, but
interesting. I have used pistol nickle cases without
any problems - can take it or leave it.
BUT if someone wants to send me a few hundred nickle
223Rem free, I'll shore try them out, and report back -
in a year or so.
John L.

Yes I think they were only invented for those that needed
them to carry in leather belt loops. Maybe then "fashon"
took over.
John L.

Cheeky: I am not blaming Lee dies for anything. I do not use them.

I do and have used nickel plated brass though for many, many years in many, many Rifles and dies and I will repeat - I have never had any adverse condition arise with any die or any Rifle or any problems with accelerated barrel wear or difficulty in cleaning a barrel when I have used nickel plated brass in and for them!

Now, way back when I first started using nickel plated brass, there were no "rumors" or observations bouncing around regarding their use. I just simply wanted to have brass that was easily identifiable and thusly kept dedicated to a particular Rifle when I had more than one Rifle in a particular caliber! This system worked well and I have been fortunate over the decades to acquire sometimes several arms of one particular caliber (for instance in 223 Remington I have 7 Varminters presently). I use multiple brands of brass to aid me in keeping the brass dedicated, including very successfully, using nickel plated brass.

I am first and foremost a Varmint Hunter and my Rifles get lots of carefully administered "use". And then they are very carefully cared for after their use. This includes careful barrel, chamber and locking lug area cleanings and inspections. I have never noticed any detrimental condition in any of these areas of the arms I use nickel plated brass in! Take that for what its worth - but be forewarned these are unbiased and long term observations!

I have a great little optical tool called a Siebert Bore Inspection Tool. With proper use and lighting one can very closely inspect the rifling and the leades to the rifling along with the chamber and a careful user can also inspect the rifling near the muzzle of ones firearm. I use this tool often, and again, I have NOT noticed any detrimental conditions what so ever that I can pin on nickel plated brass!

Having said those things I will admit that if I did not know better and having heard these detrimental type "rumors"/observations from folks on numerous occassions I would be hesitant to start using the stuff!

I once heard a "rumor"/observation that nickel plated brass would prematurely "dull" the cutter on ones brass trimmer! Well my L.E. Wilson case trimmer has been cutting brass AND nickel plated brass for a very, VERY long time now - and it still does a splendid (unsurpassed!) job of case trimming to this day!

I would not bet my life on my observations being exactly correct, or even my house, or my dog - but I would bet a new set of Redding dies in choice of calibers on my experiences with nickel plated brass being the norm!

I started loading centerfire Rifle ammo at age 14 (1960) with a Lee outfit but I have not used their gear much since then - with the exception of their fine priming tools. I can not comment on the normal hardness (or softness?) of their dies and such.

I would give this advice though - if the need arises, that one should go ahead and try the nickel plated brass for oneself and be sure and lubricate and chamfer ones cases properly. I don't think any serious problems would be encountered thusly!

More later - as need be!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

PS: I just now answered an off line E-mail that I think was intended to be "humorous" and will answer it publicly as well: No, I do not have stock in a Montana nickel mine! I do not even know if such a mine exists! I do not even know for sure where nickel comes from! I do though hope it is a product of North America (just to help with the trade imbalance!).

Mete, you and several others here have preached common sense and truth, but the ignorant and stubborn still stick to myth and rumour. Somebody even went as far as to say a nickle case had scratched his CARBIDE die! People that would believe that shouldn't be allowed around guns!

This is the second of 3 threads that are currently on this forum, another showed up today. The same crap about how hard nickel is, is being spouted there as well.

323, you must be loading some nozler bullets. I've found that their copper is softer than others gilding metal. I had problems with non-plated brass shaving BT's using the standard RCBS chamfer tool. I sent for a lyman VLD chamfer tool, it solved the problem with it's longer taper.

So everyone on this thread that has had the SAME difficulty with Nickel cases just has a vivid imagination, nothing more. These problems exist only in their mind. YOU have never had the problem, so therefore it can't happen. No one is saying Nickel is harder than Carbide. Or it scratched Carbide. Learn to read. Nickel is extremely tough. I've seen high Nickel alloys DESTROY carbide end mills in minutes. Learn what YOU are talking about before you criticize others. You most likely possess the same knowledge of metallurgy as you do fornicating. Smart ass. Bill T.

I have seen this same thing happen with brass as well...

Try cleaning your dies and cleaning cases prior to reloading and you might solve this ridiculas problem, it's user problems that cause this, even if they won't admit it...

I have used both brass and nickel for years without a problem...

I assure you its grit that scratches steel, not soft nickel..When will you guys learn that brass and nickel is softer than steel, and the soft metal is the one that gives, unless something gritty is in between them....., Metalurgy 101......I suspect half or better of the dies out there have been damaged by grit and dirt and by not cleaning the die before it was ever used....

Now to those that don't like nickel, then the option is don't use it, but don't knock it because you made a mistake.

Yeah, Your both legends in your own mind. Bill T.

Ray is partially correct. When dirt and grit mix with lubricant you then have a crude type of "lapping coumpound". The early settlers found this out when they couldn't understand how a wooden wagon wheel hub could cut through a solid iron axle. The grease smeared inside the wooden hub would become "charged" with grit, dust, and dirt. The abrasiveness of this grit and grease mix would cut through a solid iron wagon axle in no time, especially if the wagon was fully loaded. Keeping things clean will help a lot in preventing this. That being said, enough experienced shooters and reloaders have experienced this to convince me Nickel brass has more detractions than it does advantages. Bill T.

It's no different than shooters blaming the bullet instead of poor shot placement by the shooter themselves. Blame the hardware instead of the "soft"ware!