Reloading Nickel vs Brass Cases

[CoElkHunter]

Only on a .357 or .38 load.

These are the only Nickel plated cases I have loaded.

I was under the impression the Nickel plating helps when passing through the die. Well I’m sure that’s what I read many years ago.

I have some factory .243 ammo that’s nickel plated. Haven’t needed to use it as I load for our rifles

.243 ammo? Townsend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[Goat416]

The only caliber I have that doesn't get crimped is 45 ACP. All others that I have get, or had, got crimped. Whether brass or nickel case, standard or magnum caliber. Especially calibers with moderate and heavt recoil, and firearms having tube magazines.

Crimping is to keep the bullet from being pushed back into the neck of the case and from coming loose with recoil.

I typically only crimp the large calibers, anything 375 and over, but I have only ever loaded brass cases. I have a few boxes of larger factory loaded nickel cartridges in 416 Remington and 45-70 Gov't, and neither have a crimp. Maybe coincidence, but was curious if there was a reason for that.

Thanks for the information.

 

[Goat416]

Only on a .357 or .38 load.

These are the only Nickel plated cases I have loaded.

I was under the impression the Nickel plating helps when passing through the die. Well I’m sure that’s what I read many years ago.

I have some factory .243 ammo that’s nickel plated. Haven’t needed to use it as I load for our rifles

Like you I have plenty of brass cases and not in the position I absolutely have to use the nickel cases. My thought process was to preserve the brass cases for my hunting loads and use the nickel cases for practice loads.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Goat416
I've only ever loaded nickel plated cases in 223 and 270.
Never noticed any difference in the way I loaded to normal brass classes or any increase in due wear. Never loaded that many as they are hard to come by tho.
If I could get nickel plated cases for my Whelen and 303 cases for my 25 I would use them without hesitation.
The reason being is to me they make the round look a lot more classy and are easier to find if you drop them. A nice nickel plated Whelen case ripped with a pretty accubond or Woodleighs solid would be very sexy. My 25-303 with a nickel plated cases ripped with a nice black Nosler combined technology silver tips would be really cool.
Just my thoughts as a complete rifle loony and old fart.
Bob

Reloading Nickel-Plated vs. Brass Cases: Which Do You Prefer?

I have a large number of nickel-plated cases in magnum calibers that I'm considering reloading. While I’ve reloaded for years, I have limited experience with larger dangerous game calibers and none with nickel-plated cases. I’ve encountered mixed opinions on the pros and cons of reloading nickel-plated cases, so I’m hoping to hear from those who have experience with both brass and nickel-plated cases, especially in DG calibers.

In addition to general insights on these two case types, I'd love to know more about:

• Any differences you’ve noticed in the reloading process itself,
• The relative lifespan of each type,
• Whether nickel-plated cases seem to be harder on your dies,
• And if the wear signs for nickel differ significantly from brass.

Are there any additional factors or tips you’d recommend when working with nickel-plated cases?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have reloaded many nickel plated cases in cartridges like .222, 7mm-08, .308, 30-06, 7x64 .35 Whelen etc. but nothing larger.
Mostly, it is just the same as regular all-brass cases. clean, lube, resize, load and shoot.
I did find it a bit harder on the cutters of my case trimmer. Seems to dull them sooner. Carbide cutters work better than carbon steel when trimming plated brass.
When resizing, a small series of burrs may develop in the loading die, which is actually flakes of nickel sticking to the shoulder/neck junction of the die. Happens more when resizing newly trimmed cases. This may scratch the necks of the resized cases. I thought I had ruined my dies, and the scratches were annoying until I learned to clean the dies once in a while. But this stuff is easily cleaned out with a bore cleaning brush wrapped in a little fine steel wool and chucked in an electric drill.
Lifespan is the same in my experience. The only early failures I had was when trying to expand nickel plated 30-06 to .35 Whelen dimensions. If I annealed the case necks first, no problem.
My cases are almost always retired when the primer pockets expand too much to hold the primer snugly. I have found no difference in that limit to case life with nickel plated cases.

@Longwalker
I'm jealous I want some nickel plated Whelen cases. I think they would look so cool loaded with some nice big 310gn Woodleigh sprn or solids.
Bob

 

[Firebird]

I really like nickel cases. They don’t tarnish and are “slick” moving into and out of the chamber. There isn’t enough different loading them to worry about, but as mentioned, clean those dies.
One thing I’ve noticed is they shoot faster out of my two rifles. I assume it’s a pressure factor and it’s maybe 30 fps compared to my brass loads.
I don’t reload them enough to have experienced cracks or separations. I don’t burn through .375 brass like I do the smaller calibers-

 

[Goat416]

@Longwalker
I'm jealous I want some nickel plated Whelen cases. I think they would look so cool loaded with some nice big 310gn Woodleigh sprn or solids.
Bob

They do have a great look.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Longwalker
That bright ring is also a pressure ring. The closer to the head of the case the higher the pressure, not necessarily a sign of case head seperation. I have loaded some case with said bright ring about half an inch from the base over ten times with narry an issue. You may have been throwing cases out that still had plenty of life.
Bob

I tried the paper clip method of inspecting cases many times. I wasn't to skillful enough for that method to work for me. I now simply throw out cases if they are suspect, or if they show a bright ring where a potential case separation looks like it's developing.
If I really want to get fancy, I use my RCBS® Case Master gauging tool. The RCBS tool has a pointed feeler that works in conjunction with an accurate dial indicator. It actually tells you the thickness of the brass at the web and case wall. If the brass is thinning at the base, the reading on the dial indicator will tell you for sure, so you don't have to rely on guesses by "feel" .

E

 

[Doug3006]

Do you crimp the nickel cases? How does that effect the nickel plating? What bullets are you reloading?

Hi Goat416. I don’t crimp my target loads but I lightly crimp my hunting loads. Honestly, I think crimping is not all that necessary on 375 cartridges. I practice with a full magazine, and I’ve never encountered bullet setback on any of the rounds in the magazine. Just to be safe, I do lightly crimp my hunting rounds. The crimp hasn’t changed velocity or accuracy enough to even consider and I can’t see any difference in case life. I find the H&H the easiest cartridge to hand load.

 

[Goat416]

Hi Goat416. I don’t crimp my target loads but I lightly crimp my hunting loads. Honestly, I think crimping is not all that necessary on 375 cartridges. I practice with a full magazine, and I’ve never encountered bullet setback on any of the rounds in the magazine. Just to be safe, I do lightly crimp my hunting rounds. The crimp hasn’t changed velocity or accuracy enough to even consider and I can’t see any difference in case life. I find the H&H the easiest cartridge to hand load.

I have had success with both crimps and no crimps on the 375 H&H, but again always in brass cases.

I have nickel cases in 416 Rem and 416 Wby that I could reload, but I have always crimped those cartridges.

 

[hunt4fun]

I recently had a couple of deformed case mouths after I seated the bullet on nichol cases for my 375 H&H. I looked into the die and there were some gouges inside the die. I call RCBS and they told me that this is probably from using nichol cases. I sent the die back to RCBS and they polished the scratches out. So, I have decided to only use brass cases from now on.

 

[Longwalker]

see my post previously:

When resizing, a small series of burrs may develop in the loading die, which is actually flakes of nickel sticking to the shoulder/neck junction of the die. Happens more when resizing newly trimmed cases. This may scratch the necks of the resized cases. I thought I had ruined my dies, and the scratches were annoying until I learned to clean the dies once in a while. But this stuff is easily cleaned out with a bore cleaning brush wrapped in a little fine steel wool and chucked in an electric drill.