The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 31, 2011, 10:29 AM   #1
Marquezj16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 3, 2011
Posts: 2,088
Reloading nickel plated cases

I picked some 45 acp cases up at the range the other day and was wondering, is it safe to reload nickel plated cases?

I mostly reload rifle brass and new to pistol reloading. Starting out with 45 acp first.

Thanks in advance.
Marquezj16 is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 10:47 AM   #2
theycallmeingot
Member
 
Join Date: February 3, 2011
Posts: 54
yes, it's perfectly safe.

nickel tends to work harden, and wear out quicker in my experience, so i prefer brass. however, 45 is much more forgiving in this manner, as opposed to 9mm, for instance, and i can still get several loadings out of one 45 nickel case before it shows signs of extreme fatigue.

that said, i've never had a nickel case outlast a brass one, and i'm a little OCD, so if i pick up brass and find only one or two nickel cases, i dont' mix them with the rest. not from any safety standpoint... purely cosmetic OCD. :P

the choice to reload 45 is a good one. it's very forgiving in almost every way. good place to start.
theycallmeingot is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 10:50 AM   #3
Unclenick
Staff
 
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,013
I've got a lot of nickel cases that do just fine. Often they are a bit more brittle and case mouth splitting happens sooner. The only nay-say with reloading them has to with the fact some manufacturers do a better job of plating than others. Some have nickel that wears away gradually, and those are no problem at all. Other have nickel that flakes off, and those occasionally can embed a nickel flake in the sizing die and cause it to scratch all cases thereafter. I've even had that happen in a carbide die, so I assume the flake or splinter found a gap in the carbide and embedded in the metal matrix holding it together. Steel wool buffing seems to cure it.

Do make sure you have nickel plated cases and not aluminum Blazer cases. The latter are duller looking and weigh a lot less, so they are easy to distinguish even if you don't look at the headstamp.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member
CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor
NRA Certified Rifle Instructor
NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle
Unclenick is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 01:07 PM   #4
dahermit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
Posts: 6,501
Quote:
...nickel tends to work harden, and wear out quicker in my experience, so i prefer brass...
Brass "work hardens", Nickle is already harder than the brass it is plated on.

http://www.nickel-alloys.net/commerc...re_nickel.html
"...Nickel, like gold, silver and copper, has a relatively low work hardening rate, i.e. it does not tend to become as hard and brittle when it is bent or otherwise deformed as do most other metals..."
dahermit is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 05:24 PM   #5
Marquezj16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 3, 2011
Posts: 2,088
Thanks for the info, I think I will try a small batch and see how they work.
Marquezj16 is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 08:32 PM   #6
CherokeeT
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2008
Location: Medina, Ohio
Posts: 273
I've been using nickel cases for years, never had a problem with any, and they seem to last a long time too.
__________________
God Bless America
US Army, NRA Endowment
TSRA Life, SASS
CherokeeT is offline  
Old July 31, 2011, 09:00 PM   #7
T. O'Heir
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 12,453
Nickeled cases are just plated brass. You load 'em just like any other case. Like Unclenick says, they don't seem to last as long as plain brass.
__________________
Spelling and grammar count!
T. O'Heir is offline  
Old August 1, 2011, 08:20 AM   #8
BigG
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 1999
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 4,334
Nickel Cases

I've reloaded 45 ACP (WW and R-P) in nickel and brass and with target loads they last indefinitely. I think I lose them before I wear most of them out.
__________________
o "The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching." Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC

o "In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain

o "They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?" Paul Harvey

o TODAY WE CARVE OUT OUR OWN OMENS! Leonidas, Thermopylae, 480 BC
BigG is offline  
Old August 1, 2011, 08:30 AM   #9
Hammerhead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2,432
I like nickel for auto pistol cases, easy to find. If you don't over flare or over crimp they last a good long time. They clean up quick and easy.
Hammerhead is offline  
Old August 1, 2011, 07:39 PM   #10
Kestrel4k
Member
 
Join Date: March 29, 2011
Location: The Willamette Valley, in Oregon
Posts: 89
I have ~500 38Spl. cases (mixed) that have been loaded dozens of times, less than half of the total are nickel-plated brass. Every loading cycle, I lose a half-dozen or so to case mouth cracks, but 90+% of the cracked ones are the nickel-plated ones.
Kestrel4k is offline  
Old August 1, 2011, 08:50 PM   #11
Twinsig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2009
Location: East Alabama
Posts: 235
Man, listen! They're crap! Send all of em over for proper disposal...
__________________
I also have Fire Extinguishers, hope I never need those either.
Twinsig is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06551 seconds with 9 queries