Driftwood Johnson
New member
How nice for you, sonny.
Youth is fleeting.
Some day you will understand that.
Starline Nickel Plated 45 Colt Cases?
- Thread starter sixgunnin
- Start date
How nice for you, sonny.
Youth is fleeting.
Some day you will understand that.
I've only used nickel in "regular rotation" with 357 Magnum - no other chamberings. As almost all 357 factory ammo is loaded in nickel cases (I don't know why - tradition, I suppose - from back when 357's were popular among law enforcement, storing ammo in the belt loops? Just a guess.).
I digress.
Anyway, I have lots n lots of 357 Mag nickel cases going back several decades. And it has been my casual (non-scientific) observation that the nickel brass tends to want to split at the case mouth more than the non-nickel variety.
But, 357 Magnum is a pretty harsh environment for cases. Pressure is high, and crimps are robust. That's gotta come into play.
That said, it seems my non-nickel (what few I've used) 357 seems to hang in there better. 44 Magnum brass is rarely nickel plated (never seen them, actually). And 44 Magnum has a similar harsh environment - and I don't see nearly the same incidence of case mouth splits with 44 Mag. Not even close. I'm still loading the same 44 Mag cases I started acquiring from factory ammo back in 1983. I bet I've pitched maybe - maybe - a dozen cases with mouth splits since then. They seem to last much longer.
Just my observation.
P.S. Over the last few years, I bought 500 R-P and 2000 Starline 357 cases new - both are non-nickel. But I haven't had a need to put them in rotation - yet. I expect them to outlive me
I digress.
Anyway, I have lots n lots of 357 Mag nickel cases going back several decades. And it has been my casual (non-scientific) observation that the nickel brass tends to want to split at the case mouth more than the non-nickel variety.
But, 357 Magnum is a pretty harsh environment for cases. Pressure is high, and crimps are robust. That's gotta come into play.
That said, it seems my non-nickel (what few I've used) 357 seems to hang in there better. 44 Magnum brass is rarely nickel plated (never seen them, actually). And 44 Magnum has a similar harsh environment - and I don't see nearly the same incidence of case mouth splits with 44 Mag. Not even close. I'm still loading the same 44 Mag cases I started acquiring from factory ammo back in 1983. I bet I've pitched maybe - maybe - a dozen cases with mouth splits since then. They seem to last much longer.
Just my observation.
P.S. Over the last few years, I bought 500 R-P and 2000 Starline 357 cases new - both are non-nickel. But I haven't had a need to put them in rotation - yet. I expect them to outlive me
I have commercial 44 magnum ammo in nickel cases and I purchased 44 Magnum nickel by Starline through Graf. I use it in a bandolier for my mag rifle.
The topic for another thread, but now I am on the hunt for a gunbelt that has cartridge loops sized specifically for 44. The TripleK bandolier is snug and works well, but belts that are 44/45 are too loose to be trusted to retain the cartridges. A quick measure shows 45 Colt cartridges OD at .475, while 44 Mag is .450. My 44-40 reloads are about .460 nominal. Of course, a great deal depends on the flexibility of the leather, but it needs to start out tight.
The topic for another thread, but now I am on the hunt for a gunbelt that has cartridge loops sized specifically for 44. The TripleK bandolier is snug and works well, but belts that are 44/45 are too loose to be trusted to retain the cartridges. A quick measure shows 45 Colt cartridges OD at .475, while 44 Mag is .450. My 44-40 reloads are about .460 nominal. Of course, a great deal depends on the flexibility of the leather, but it needs to start out tight.
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Driftwood Johnson
New member
When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
Mark Twain