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Not sure to go with standard brass or the shinier nickel plated cases? We’ll go over the pros and cons of each with regards to ammo and reloading.
Why Brass?
Brass is an alloy made from a mixture of copper and zinc. It’s the primary case material for most cartridges for a couple of reasons:- Cheap
- Soft enough to expand and fill a chamber
- Not soft enough to split
- Does not scratch gun parts
- Does not spark with other metals
- Reloadable many times
Cons of Brass Cases
We went over the numerous advantages of brass cases, but the one large con of brass cases is that they tarnish, especially when repeatedly handled, stored in adverse conditions, or kept in leather holsters.
What is Nickel Plated Brass?
Advantages of Nickel Plated Brass Cases
There’s a reason that many high end defensive ammo such as the Federal Hydra Shok 9mm above have gone towards nickel plated brass:- More corrosion resistant
- Lower coefficient of friction which allows slicker feeding in semi-autos (easier sliding rounds on top of each other in the magazine)
- Easier loading/unloading in revolvers
- Looks pretty/different which allows easier identification of brass at the range or designation of a special load
Disadvantages of Nickel Plated Brass Cases
- More expensive than regular brass
- More brittle so may neck split/crack after fewer reloads
- Different metal properties may require modification of reloading dies (check length and crimp)
- Plating may flake and get into dies where it can scratch die and future rounds
14 Leave a Reply
I have a question for you. I just started annealing my 223 brass, what about the nickel case. Should they be annealed also. I have done a couple but I wasn't real excited about the way they looked afterward. Also I was concerned that the case may have been damaged. I used the same period of time in the heat as the brass cases.
I have a question for you. I just started annealing my 223 brass, what about the nickel case. Should they be annealed also. I have done a couple but I wasn't real excited about the way they looked afterward. Also I was concerned that the case may have been damaged. I used the same period of time in the heat as the brass cases.
If you are a one in the chamber self defense owner then a brass cased round can jam hard with corrosion in the chamber of an AR15 after 3 days. Not so if you leave a nickel plated casing round in the chamber. So buying 20 nickel plated rounds of each caliber is one way to go; then load the nickel plated round in the chamber.
Very informative. I had ordered a few hundred rounds of Sig Sauer 9mn and it has nickel casing. I don't reload bullets so I feel better after the read of your article. Thanks a ton for the clarity!
I've reloaded for years. You are better off reloading with the best components. New brass and best powder. Eric has become a "must read" in my email.
Your work is great sir,l hope for a lucrative exchange of knowledge.
Muchemwa Between
You forgot a big difference in reloading. If you wet tumble, and you mix brass and nickel, you can end up with discolored brass. This is especially so with missing a few aluminum or steel casings, which are liable to ruin the appearance of both the nickel and brass casings. Bottom line, use a magnet to find the steel casings, you can't afford to miss a single one, and clean your nickel and brass separately.
I bought some used brass from a range and after I did a pre-wash is when I noticed like 5 nickel plated ones out of a thousand. However it was hard to notice them unless you looked right at it and they didn’t stick to a magnet. So it can be a bit tricky to find them.
Do you know of any particular brass that is just better made for reloading? Or worse to reload? I have found that Federal primer pockets are often tighter which makes them harder to reload without swaging.
I've found all manners of commercial 9mm to be fine for reloading, but I like PMC for 223 and do NOT like Wolf. .308 I like Winchester for a cheaper option through the AR-10 and for my precision rifle I like the good stuff...Lapua all the way.
What did you say sorry I was hoping you’d stop talking long enough to know what your talking about. You love to hear yourself no doubt!
Who puts down Lapua!! Lol
I’m sure there’s some great info from experience and all, but you need paragraphs, otherwise it’s just a big puddle of words, and too difficult to read!
Damn, the first comment you made was so long, then you did it again.