Nickel vs Brass whats the difference?
- Thread starter LilPewPew
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Emerson Biggies
New member
There is a disadvantage with nickel brass. After many re-loadings, the nickel may start to flake off in your steel sizing die. It may become permanently imbeded and cause scratching of the cases that follow the flaking.
Machineguntony
New member
People say that nickel brass cases and brass cases have no practical difference. This is absolutely not true.
I used to love nickel brass, and would use it just for the look. Also, if you go to a range that doesn’t like/allow reloads, then nickel brass looks cleaner and newer than brass cases. It’s way easier to make nickel brass look ‘new’.
The main downside with nickel brass is that the nickel is just electroplated onto the brass. Electroplating means that there may be as little as a few molecules worth of nickel on the brass. After a few reloadings, it will flake off into your dies and also your gun chambers, potentially scratching your dies and chambers. Electroplating is very easy to rub off, just carry around an electroplated trinket on your keychain for a couple of weeks and watch it wear off. Now imagine that material being pressed into your dies or blasted into your chamber.
But it makes for a pretty round, though.
I used to love nickel brass, and would use it just for the look. Also, if you go to a range that doesn’t like/allow reloads, then nickel brass looks cleaner and newer than brass cases. It’s way easier to make nickel brass look ‘new’.
The main downside with nickel brass is that the nickel is just electroplated onto the brass. Electroplating means that there may be as little as a few molecules worth of nickel on the brass. After a few reloadings, it will flake off into your dies and also your gun chambers, potentially scratching your dies and chambers. Electroplating is very easy to rub off, just carry around an electroplated trinket on your keychain for a couple of weeks and watch it wear off. Now imagine that material being pressed into your dies or blasted into your chamber.
But it makes for a pretty round, though.
locknloader
New member
Do they only start flaking in the die/chamber of gun? Would it be noticeable during wet tumbling? I have a bunch of nickle 9mm cases and don't want to toss them unless they are going to cause damage.
I have never got nickel to peal, I have tumbled it to the point the brass case was visible.
And then there was case forming. I wanted test cases that maintained that new case look so I formed 280 Remington nickel plated brass to 35 Whelen, 338/06 etc.; when necking and forming I never experienced pealing.
BUT! 50% if the cases split when necked up when using new cases as opposed to using new over the counter never fired 30/06 cases.
F. Guffey
And then there was case forming. I wanted test cases that maintained that new case look so I formed 280 Remington nickel plated brass to 35 Whelen, 338/06 etc.; when necking and forming I never experienced pealing.
BUT! 50% if the cases split when necked up when using new cases as opposed to using new over the counter never fired 30/06 cases.
F. Guffey
Difference is about $20 per thousand more for nickel plated. Literally. Midway wants $149.99/1,000 for Starline brass .38 Special. $169.99 for plated.
Like Emerson says, plating can come off. I've found the case mouths crack faster than brass too. Otherwise, they're both loaded in exactly the same way.
Like Emerson says, plating can come off. I've found the case mouths crack faster than brass too. Otherwise, they're both loaded in exactly the same way.
The advantage of nickel plated cases is that they do not as readily tarnish as un-plated brass. And don't overlook the fact that they look cool. All of my 45 ACP self-defense loads are in nickel plated cases loaded with Hornady XTPs. I reserve the plain brass stuff for the lead semi-wadcutters.
Straight-wall cases have a very long life when reloaded carefully and since the nickel plating is added onto the brass case, it may start to crack or the nickel may start to flake off sooner than an un-plated brass case will start to split.
chris in va
New member
I have found they split quicker than brass after a few reloads.
I started reloading in '69 using brass I scrounged from the local Police range. About 50% were nickel plated. I reloaded them just like I did nekkid brass because this was pre web and I only used common sense and my reloading books rather than relying on a forum for information. I started reloading "heavily" in '88 and processed/sized some of those nickel plated cases so much the nickel wore thin enough for the brass to show through. The 38 and 357 cases did not split any sooner than the plain brass and I haven't seen a "flaking" nickel case I can remember. I understand older cases were electroplated and newer ones are a "chemical wash", but I have some newer plated cases that seem to be holding up pretty good. I have a box of Federal 44 Magnum nickel plated cases that have been used only for my heavy 44 Magnum loads (265 gr. LRNFP over near max loads of WC820) and so far I have about 10-12 reloads on them and they look like new.
Just my experiences, no speculation or online hearsay...
Just my experiences, no speculation or online hearsay...
This has been pretty much exactly my own experience with nickel-plated and brass pistol cases over about 45 years of reloading. I did have one small batch of Remington cases that started flaking around the case mouth on their first reloading, so I tossed those and haven't had any problems with any others. I hear the comment about cases splitting so often that I have to believe it's real, but I just haven't experienced it.