I've been reloading for a little while now and am just wondering what the long time reloaders prefer?. cost VS durability and reloading accuracy. I have found nickel to be a pain to resize. Nickel cases are to hard to pull the expander ball through sometimes. I noticed you get about 2 more reloads out of each case before they crack,over brass ones. I would love if some body made nickel for my 30-378,cause I only get 3 reloads before the belt blows out. just a curious question.

Please explain in detail what happens "when the belt blows out".

The major concern is safety. This is not a trick question. Measure up the belt with a mic. on new and once fired cases please. What are your loads by the way?

As to cracked necks. Your dies may be working the cases too much. What brand do you have and what are the diameters of loaded rounds, fired cases and sized cases all measured at the necks?

I don't thing nickel is the answer to your concerns.

Well let's see, I love nickle cases. They feel a bit slicker in the die, I've never had any trouble with the expander ball in nickle and the only time to replace is when the primers get loose. Then I crush them and throw them away.

I also use them as a way to tell deer loads from elk loads.

Mike

I don't like nickel. It is hard on chamfer tools and can scratch dies. I have used nickel quite a bit, but won't any more unless using factory stuff.

Chuck

A big plus for Nickle cases, you can find them in the grass.
Other than that everything that has been said seems right.
Good luck!

shaydorosh, not to get too far off topic here but like Savage 99, I need more info.

Unless you have a problem with the chamber on your gun or you're overloading the rounds way too much or something similar, there's no reason why you should only get two reloads to a case. I've loaded hundreds of rounds for a 30/378 which I then had rebarreled into the 338/378 that it is now, and I think I get 5-6 reloads on average before I either get loose primer pockets or excessive stretching causing the cases to get thin in the web.

If I had to guess, I'd say you're checking a dimension on the case that you shouldn't really be worrying about and it's making you think you need to cull the cases. There should be any reason why you can't get 5+ reloads out of those cases. The only two things you should worry about are the items I mentioned above. Loose primer pockets, and the cases getting thin in the web. The first of which will show up when you try to reload, the second you can detect with a pick.

Regards,
Tom

Chuck, it is only an urban myth that nickel cases scatch dies.Steel dies or carbide dies are far harder than any nickel plated or brass ,they can't scratch the dies. What scratches dies is dirt or sand. Clean your cases before you size them.

Still won't use them. They dull stuff in short order and the nickle flakes and leaves sharp edges. Also, RCBS will not warranty dies that nickel cases have been used in.

chuck

Shay-

I have been handloading for 24 years now and I do have some observations regarding Nickel and regular brass.

However, before we get into that discussion, let me address some of your observations. Much like Savage has discussed, I agree that the expander ball may be working your brass too much. There is a simple solution. Take the expander ball assembly from your die and chuck it up in an electric drill or and electric screwdriver and use some very fine abrasive and polish your expander ball. You can use something like Flitz and steel wool or 600 grit emery cloth or wet/dry sandpaper. Takes about 5 minutes start to finish and you'll be amazed at how easy resizing becomes. Be sure to clean your expander ball before reassembly. This hopefully will offer you some improvement.

Next comment, nickle plated brass has the reputation, and rightfully so, of having "rough" internal necks. I believe that droplets of nickel in the plating process adhere to the inside of the necks leaving them rough. The cure is much the same as above. Take a bore brush and some steel wool or wet/dry sandpaper again and perform basically the same function to the brass.

Further, Savage is also right in that you need to measure the belts of your virgin brass, 1st fired, second fired and so on to determine the expansion occuring at the belt. It would seem that your load is "over-pressured" causing your belts to expand to the point that you're getting sticky extraction.

As to nickel versus brass, I like nickel brass for certain purposes. I like them especially for high pressured or "over pressured" loads. Hence, I use them in my .300 RUM and .300 Weatherby. I could not use the load in my .300 Weatherby without Nickel brass and get any kind of brass life. As it is I get only about 3-4 loadings out of them anyway.

Lastly, from an accuracy standpoint, the benchrest community would steer you away from nickel plated brass as it would not be as consistant from a weight standpoint as regular brass and thus the nickel stuff would be more prone to inconsistant pressures. I think this is only an issue if you are trying to shave a few hundredths of an inch off of your group.

Good luck

If you blowing the belts off you need to go back to Reloading 101, your are over sizing your cases and working your brass unnessairly.....

I suggest that you size the neck just enough to let the round seat in the chamber with a wisp of pressure on bolt closing....

Nickel brass is not a problem if you are properly resizing it..nickle is softer than steel so tell me how it scratches dies which are hardened steel?? perhaps someone needs to clean their dies from time to time...

I like nickle for my solids if they are available then I know at a glance a solid from a soft....

One can always trim the nickle off the neck as in outside neck reaming, it is a very thin coating...