Nickle cases vs. Brass cases

fishfurlife · Mar 27, 2011

Hey guys, I acquired a pretty good amount of once fired Nickle plated rifle brass and plan on using it. I have done all of my load testing and zeroing with regular brass. Will I notice any differences with the same loads out of the Nickle cases? My assumption is that there will be a small difference in how the bullet is released from the case but most likely not substantial. I will say that the nickle seemed to size a bit easier than the brass.

I have read a little on nickle and found that some think the nickle can be hard on equipment over time. Can anybody weigh in on this with personal experience?

rebelracer79 · Mar 27, 2011

I just started loading them up, they have the same zero as the ones I loaded with regular brass cases. the only bad thing I've heard is that the nickel doesn't stretch as much as the brass, therefor will start cracking with fewer reloads, mine was once fired when I got it and I have shot a few of them and all the cases still look to be in perfect condition.

dennishoddy · Mar 27, 2011

I shoot a lot of range pick up brass/nickle, and have never really noticed much if any difference. Pistol ammo is loaded with carbide dies, and the brass/nickle won't ever bother those dies.

Can't say for sure in rifle cases. Haven't done a lot of reloading of nickel cases.

oneof79 · Mar 27, 2011

I haven't reloaded many nickle rifle cases except for a few 30-30 cases I have yet to shoot. I have loaded tons of .38 special and .357 mag cases that were nickle plated. Some of those cases the nickle is wearing off to the point you can see the brass underneath. I have also heard that the nickle is hard on dies, I think about the worst that could happen is that it might enlarge the size of the sizing die after several thousand rounds. Dirt will scratch a die if you don't clean your brass and sometimes will leave scratch marks in resized brass if the scratches in the die are deep enough.
I wouldn't worry about resizing nickle cases unless you are going to load thousands of rounds.

natgas · Mar 27, 2011

I don't worry about any differences; all I've ever heard was that the nickel cases will crack earlier than just brass

dennishoddy · Mar 27, 2011

oneof79 said:
I haven't reloaded many nickle rifle cases except for a few 30-30 cases I have yet to shoot. I have loaded tons of .38 special and .357 mag cases that were nickle plated. Some of those cases the nickle is wearing off to the point you can see the brass underneath. I have also heard that the nickle is hard on dies, I think about the worst that could happen is that it might enlarge the size of the sizing die after several thousand rounds. Dirt will scratch a die if you don't clean your brass and sometimes will leave scratch marks in resized brass if the scratches in the die are deep enough.
I wouldn't worry about resizing nickle cases unless you are going to load thousands of rounds.

Are you sure about not resizing any cases? I may be missing something. Resizing is the first operation.

Oklahomabassin · Mar 30, 2011

Dennis, I think he was meaning not to worry about hurting resizing dies with nickel brass.

whiskeysnoot · Mar 31, 2011

I personally like nickel. Anything that I hunt with or carry I want nickel. You don't hear it often but nickel will generally feed better due to no tarnish. I've loaded many,many nickel cases and can't make discern any more wear and tear on equipment. Even if it does to a small degree, I will continue using nickel because of the benefits.

In nickel plated rifle cases I expect to get 1-2 less loadings than with brass. This is my experience with .270 Win, .223, 30-06, & .300 RUM. Nickel pistol I've actually had last longer than brass.

You mentioned resizing seemed easier. Yes. Nickel is slicker. Can "almost" size .223 with no lube. Not advised, though. Can certainly tell on my progressive when a nickel case goes through.

oneof79 · Mar 31, 2011

dennishoddy said:
Are you sure about not resizing any cases? I may be missing something. Resizing is the first operation.

Actually cleaning the brass is the first operation, (big grin). Oklahomabassin was right, I didn't mean you don't have to size the brass. I meant don't worry about hurting the dies while resizing nickle plated brass.

NikatKimber · Mar 31, 2011

I use nickel for carry rounds, so I pick them out when I'm processing brass. The reason I do this is because the nickel cases won't tarnish like brass will after being handled and carried for a while.

I've *heard* the same as other posters: that they will not last quite as long, but I'm not worried about it. I've actually seen more brass cases wear out than nickel, but mostly because I load so many more of them though.

Nickle cases vs. Brass cases

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