Is there any difference in using regular brass or nickel, or is it just for looks. I have always used regular winchester brass for my 22-250 rem but I do have alot of nickel so I was just wondering. I know it cost a little more if you buy it, so is it better.

I have shot Nickel brass in the past and have found that it is harder than regular brass and has a tendencey to scratch your sizing dies. The only thing that I can say good about nickle is that it's easier to find in the leaves and when loaded with Ballistic silver tips they sure are purday. Myself I would stay away from Nickel brass becaues of the scratching problems and after it's loaded a couple of times the nickle starts flakeing off.

I threw all my nickled brass away. I pulled the bullets from a brass case, and a nickle case to see the difference in the bullet. The one from brass was smooth, the one from nickle looked like it had been sanded with 80 grit. It was also a lot harder to pull, leading me to wonder about chamber pressure. And the nickle is a lot harder to re-size, much more pressure needed. I'll never use it again. My $.02 worth.

Nickle sure is purdy!

My father is shooting nickle 38 and 357 brass that the nickle is wearing off. It looks kinda' neat and these cases have gone through a ton of loading and shooting!

Nickle also cleans up "perfectly."

Now, on to my experience with nickle in my .22-250. After firing brass and nickle cases one day, I put a bullet in the mouth of fired, un-sized brass and nickle cases. The bullet was free in the brass cases, just as it is supposed to, but could not even be inserted into the nickle plated ones. After that, I haven't used nickle. My nickle cases don't show any more indication of pressure than my brass cases do, but my thinking is that the tighter neck would elevate pressure.

Just to stop the "bible thumpers" before they start preaching about pressure signs, my brass cases don't show any pressure signs, and likewise, neither do the nickle cases.

I have not found any accuracy difference between the brass and nickle cases. If the necks weren't tighter on the nickle, I wouldn't have a problem using them.

I haven't seen nickle flake off, but have seen it wear off.

[ 04-28-2003, 21:59: Message edited by: Trapdoor ]

Some people like Fords, some like Chevies. All have some personal reasons for doing so, but both are basically sound transportation.

I am still using some 200 rounds of
Federal "Match" nickel .308 brass which came with a used Remington 700-BDL Varmint rifle I bought 1979. Using that brass, that rifle reportedly won 7 straight Hunter benchrest matches in the hands of Ward Bailey, just before I bought it. (Had a rare, original, Remington 12-groove barrel too!)

I am also still using U.S, military brass which I bought in 1960 for, if I recall correctly, $12/1,000. Have made everything from .244 Remington to 9.3x62 from it, with lots of different cartridges in between.

Both kinds of brass have worked well for me.

One caution with nickeled brass....do not use ammonia-type bore cleaners to clean nickeled cases. Ammonia is included in bore-cleaners specifically to "eat" copper/brass from the bore. Therefore, anywhere the cartridge brass is exposed to "ammonia-dope" by a scratch through the nickel or by trimming to length of the cases, there is the possibility of having the nickel start to separate from the brass at that point.

Best wishes,

AC

The only reason nickeled brass would scratch your reloading dies is if it were either dirty or improperly lubricated. I've had no trouble loading it with conventional dies, but like the Lee Collet sizer best.

As far as the bullet failing to reinsert into a fired case, nickel brass is like any other -- it can have necks that are too thick and must be inside reamed. Also, nickeled brass seems to have more "spring back" than unplated brass, so you may have perfectly acceptable throat clearance but it may not appear so with the old re-insertion test. "Springier" brass won't affect pressures.

The insides of the necks of SOME nickeled brass (mostly Remington in larger calibers) tends to be rough. I run some steel wool twisted on the end of a drill stem into any cases exhibiting rough inside necks, and this fixes them up (the insides shouldn't be rough to begin with, but you can work with them successfully).

As far as being difficult to work, or having a tendancy to flake, I necked some .308 Federal Match down to .243 in one stoke, didn't loose a case. They made perfect .243 cases without any fuss, and the necks were the right thickness without any reaming.

Billions of pistol cartridges have been reloaded and fired dozens of times. Pistol shooters seem to prefer nickel. Why should it be any different with rifles?

BTW, the myth of nickel particles tearing down the bore to destroy rifle barrels is just that -- myth.

I prefer brass

The nickle are often to hard and can't be annealed adn are PIA to reform.

In fact, nickel cases are not my favorites and I tries to avoid them all the time if possible

/ JOHAN

I've used nickel cases in a couple of rifle loading. Don't use it any more, for most if not all of the aforementioned reasons. Don't mind using it at all in hangun rounds.

I'd be more than happy to take Nickel Plated Brass you want to unload in 223, 25-06, or 270.

Dave

I like the regular brass. Nickel plated is for the corresion resistance. Lots of big game shells are marketed this way. Slides in and out the of the chamber better.

I think it is harder to resize than standard brass.

It does look cool and it does clean up nicer.

Hcliff

I do find it easier to trim. Seems the nickel is more brittle and kinda chips away instead of cutting away. Don't know if its good or bad.

Can't say I'm too thrilled with nickle brass. I find it hard on my case mouth beveller and also on my case trimmer. I can feel the difference. I've heard but can't confirm that it also scratches the inside of sizing dies pretty badly. It's a very attractive finish, but I still avoid it. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I started using Nickle brass a few years back and have had not problems what so ever.

For straight wall cartridges I have gone to NB exclusively. If I find these are scratching my carbide sizer dies, I will send the dies back to the mfg and demand my money back, since they would have to be junk. No brass or nickle plated brass will scratch and ruin the inside of a hardened steel sizer or a carbide sizer. If it does, then the brass has not been properly cleaned prior to sizing. Because it is not the brass doing the damage, it's foreign matter from pick up brass not being cleaned.

Just my little .02

HBL

I use both, and prefer nickel-plated brass while hunting when the humidity is high.

Before I size any brass (nickel or brass), I always brush the inside of the cases with a soft nylon bore-cleaning brush to remove any dirt that may get trapped inside.

[ 05-02-2003, 06:54: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I have never had a problem using Nickel plated brass over the last two decades and continue to do so today. The main reason I use it is for ease of dedication for brass to a particular Rifle! I have and load many calibers that I have 2 or three Rifles in that caliber. (222, 223, 22 Hornet, 243, 22-250, 220 Swift etc.). Some calibers I have duplicate Rifles in they do not make Nickel brass for so I have different brand names of brass to aid in dedication.
Every time I have heard this die scratching assertion I go down and check my dies and they do not seem to have any scratches in them I can see. I am not gonna do that this time though.
I can't reccommend anyone use Nickel over plain brass as I have never done any testing in that regard but I have used it so much and for so long I am sure under my usage the Nickel plated brass does no harm to my dies or Rifles. The slight extra cost of the Nickel plated stuff over the life of the brass is negligible for me. I do not load for pistols so no insights there either.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I find nickle brass to be more brittle. This problem is especially bad in my .444 Marlin. The .444 nickle cases are hard to size and they have scratched my sizing die. The necks seem to split on them before the priming pocket loosens too.

Plated brass may be harder on dies and more costly to buy. I don't care to use it since I get the results I want fom quality standard brass cases. Some use it, most reloaders don't, and it would be interesting to know why they ever started making nickel plated brass. I don't see it performing any posotive resluts to any reloader, like fluting a rifle barrel.