Nickle plated vs regular brass

[308boltgun]

I just started loading for 300 win mag. I got a bunch of once fired brass from another hide member. Most of it was regular but about 40 rounds is nickle plated. Do most people prefer one over the other? Do you have to load them different? Does one last longer than the other?

 

[ArmyJerry]

You will get a different POI with between the two with the same loads.

 

[nuclear_shooter]

Also be aware that nickle plated develop cracks in the neck sooner.

 

[wilecoyote]

when trimming is needed, could happen the peeling off of some portion of the plating,at the neck's end_
if the same peeling would happen when the brass is chambered, at the closing of the bolt, you would risk to embed some tiny peeled nickel part somewhere around, and that would be really disturbing_

 

[DT1]

Nickel plated brass smokes pole. I bought some 300WM nickel a few years back and ended up throwing most of it away for the reasons noted above. Don't waste your money.

 

[former naval person]

Use the nickel for hunting loads. If lost, no big deal. If you recover it...it is easier to see on the forest floor. I find it will kill dies and chambers. Cracks and peeling of the hard metal is bad. However...I have some .357 Nickel brass with 15 reloads that is still great. I have some .45 LC brass /nickel that is peeling after 2 loadings. Bottom line...you can ruin your dies...sometimes. Just have caution.

 

[scudzuki]

I've got some nickel plated Remington brass (.243 neck sized to .260) that's been fired a few times.
Not seeing any of the issues described above.
It's pretty nice to work with, it stays clean, resists tarnishing, looks good (if that's important to you).
Only neck sized it 3 times so far so with a Lee Collet Die (which works the brass less) and it could definitely fail on me down the road, but that's my experience so far.

Joe

 

[damoncali]

The nickel wears off during sizing (and probably firing), which is bad I suppose. Not that magnum brass lasts that long, but I've seen nickel .357 cases where the nickel was completely worn off except for the case head. I believe it's there to aid extraction of the larger magnums, or maybe for marketing. Not a big deal, but I wouldn't choose it on purpose.

 

[red hawk]

nickel plated is hard on your dies,brass is much better !

 

[Silverbullet2]

I have pistol brass that is nickel plated, and I have fired it so many time, and ran it through my tumbler so much, that it is actually almost gone. I bet some of that 45ACP brass has been fired, and loaded 25+ times! But, rifle brass that is nickel plated, no thanks, I'll pass. J

 

[BuzzBoss915]

I think the issue depends on your application. For instance, nickel works fine for handgun applications.

Where the problem shows up is handloading bottleneck rifle cartridges. First of all, you will probably damage your cutting tool when trimming to length or in just chamfering the case necks. The plating will chip and this is not good, for the cases and for the tools because the plating is brittle and much harder than plain brass.

Where I think you could use it to advantage is maybe when exposed to salt water and storage that would leave your brass cases in a sorry state. Think brown bear hunting in coastal Alaska from a boat, as a guide. So, if you are interested in handloading virgin cases and storing them in a hostile environment for long periods....then nickel cases are great. And, you are not salvaging the fired cases!

Otherwise, it really has very little utility, stick with brass cases. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. BB

 

[SquarePizza]

I use it in pistol brass, and at times it develops cracks very quickly, a lot of my factory loaded remingtons split on their first fire, whereas some older winchester super x nickle is still going strong.

Recently I switched all of my 357 brass over to nickle. I used to run 38 special brass all the time, just changed the ball between the 38s and the mags, and I also marked the boxes. But since my girlfriend got into shooting, I decided it was time to load 38 in 38, and 357 in 357 brass, that way there is no confusion for her, and safety is upheld. I bought the nickle to make it easy on me to tell the 357s from the 38s when I am pulling them out of the tumbler.