Nickel vs brass cases

cdoc42 · January 24, 2021, 10:06 AM

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to nickel vs brass cases?

edfardos · January 24, 2021, 10:09 AM

Nickel cleans up much easier... crud doesnt seem to stick. easier to see on the ground.

buddyd157 · January 24, 2021, 10:15 AM

not really in my mind. they cost nearly the same, and if one or the other is available, i buy it, even steel.

jetinteriorguy · January 24, 2021, 11:16 AM

Brass will last longer due to being less brittle and less prone to cracking from work hardening. I’m saying this in regards to straight wall revolver type brass. I have some .38sp brass that’s 30 years old and literally reloaded so many times I have no idea how many cycles they have on them.

pete2 · January 24, 2021, 11:23 AM

I have had no problems with 38/357 nickel plated brass but I have some Win and Midway nickel .45 ACP that fouls my sizing and taper crimp dies, a particle of nickel sticks to the die and then scores the cases. I prefer Brass cases. Prolly could lube it but life is too short.

ballisticxlr · January 24, 2021, 11:26 AM

Nickel is slicker. You find it on some big game hunting ammo and a LOT of personal defense pistol ammo. I personally detest the stuff.

FlyFish · January 24, 2021, 11:52 AM

I've loaded brass and nickel-plated cases interchangeably in a wide variety of pistol calibers, and a few rifle calibers, for over 45 years. Some of my .357 nickel cases are so old and have been reloaded so many times that most of the nickel has worn off. I can't say I've ever noticed that the nickel case mouths split sooner, but I've heard that so many times from so many posters that I have to believe it must happen, at least sometimes with some brands. I did have one batch of Remington nickel brass where the plating started flaking off around the case mouth, so I pitched those, but otherwise no problems. They do seem to resize a bit more easily, but the difference is minimal in my experience.

Bob Willman · January 24, 2021, 12:10 PM

If you carry cartridges in a leather belt, nickel cases will not be stained by the leather loops like brass will.

Bob
WB8NQW

Sevens · January 24, 2021, 02:05 PM

Quote:

I personally detest the stuff.

Can you expand on this?

I definitely agree and have seen that a mouth or longitudinal split is more prevalent with nickel plated brass. But I have always found that the slick nature of nickel has always been helpful and never harmful when it comes to use especially in revolvers. It promotes fast, easy and slick ejection.

I like everything about nickel plated brass, but if I were buying it in some rare or obscure chambering where brass life is absolutely key, I would choose brass rather than nickel plated.

Shadow9mm · January 24, 2021, 02:23 PM

always understood it was more weather resistant and generally used in higher end hunting loads and defensive ammo for increased reliability.

cdoc42 · January 24, 2021, 02:40 PM

I asked the question because the majority - probably 90% of my handgun cases are brass and it's perhaps a personality quirk, but I simply don't like to see mixed cases in the same 50-round loaded box. I separate them and load 50 nickel cases. But when I collect them at the range after having fired 100 rounds, they're all mixed up again. So I thought of just trashing them. Unless there was really an advantage I overlooked.

I can add this. it's rare for me to find either case with a cracked mouth. This includes .44 Mags that have reloaded for 20 years. Most often I find loose primer pockets in 9mm, .38 special and .357 mag that cause me to discard them.

Marco Califo · January 24, 2021, 02:45 PM

Nickel better resists tarnishing from handling, loading, unloading, carrying as work gear.
Generally all LE and game warden Bought New In Box ammo is nickel plated brass for this reason.
From a reloader's perspective, you probably don't need it. But, I did once purchase ALL nickel brass in 40 SW and love it. But, in a mix, No.

**44 AMP** · January 24, 2021, 04:18 PM

Nickel handgun brass came from the era when police (and about everyone else) carried rounds in leather belt loops. The chemicals used in tanning the leather would, over time, corrode brass cases left in the loops. Takes longer in dry places than in wet ones, but does happen.

I, personally have never found nickel cases to be any more prone to cracking than my brass ones. Both seem to fail at about the same rate, in the same calibers and load levels.

If you have "good" nickel cases, the nickel doesn't crack or flake off. Of course, the only way to know that is by using them over a period of time. I've got .38 and .357 stuff from the 60s, still going strong.

I had some .45acp stuff from Federal bought in 1980 where the loaded rounds were chambered so many times over 20+ years there were brass stripes worn through the nickel. Never any problem with them (and never any bullet set back, either)

One of the advantages of having nickel cases is if you have both a rifle and a pistol in the same caliber (such as .357), and you load one level of loads in brass and another in nickel, you can easily tell which is which at a glance.

I would never toss nickel cases just because they are nickel. If you don't want them, SELL THEM, someone will be happy to buy them, and if they are range pick up, its all profit, right??

markr6754 · January 24, 2021, 04:34 PM

I bought 1000 .223 Rem cases specifically to use for .300 AAC Blackout. They are harder to cut and trim than brass, but they also don't stretch when sizing or firing...at least they haven't yet. By harder I mean it takes more effort, probably wearing out the blades and bits faster as well.

As edfardos commented, they fire clean, and any soot that does stick to the case after firing wipes right off. I clean my cases anyway, but I've been tempted to forego cleaning my nickel cases...though I have yet to yield to that temptation.

Marco Califo · January 24, 2021, 05:20 PM

If you are going to convert brass, forget nickel. You immediately lose plating on the cut end and cant fix it.

Reloadron · January 24, 2021, 07:56 PM

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to nickel vs brass cases?

Nickel plated brass is just brass with a nickel plating. Not like the cases are made of nickel. Typically I want to recall the nickel plating is only about 0.001" thickness. The plating doesn't add to case weight enough to matter or change case volume enough to matter. The main advantage is a cartridge case a little more corrosion resistant. Another plus is as mentioned it is slicker making for easier feeding than brass.

I have never noticed it being any more difficult to resize likely because the plating is so thin. Since the plating is just plating and thin the nickel will flake off after several loadings (resizings). I think somewhere stashed around here I have a pile of new Remington 30-06 nikel plated cases. Can't recall where they even came from.

Ron

USSR · January 24, 2021, 09:06 PM

My observation has been that nickel plated brass will show splits in the case mouth before most brass cases.

Don

rodfac · January 24, 2021, 10:44 PM

The only positive thing I can say about nickel cases is that in .38 Super, my pet load throws them all over hell's half acre. The nickel ones are easier to find.

In handgun calibers, I find nickel cases split far sooner than brass, and in rifle, I suspect they're harder on the cutters I use to even up my case mouths.

All in all, they're not worth the added expense. YMMv Rod

RC20 · January 25, 2021, 01:54 PM

I tried to size 9mm nickle cases, when I was reloading that caliber. almost impossible.

Gave up and went to brass.

FrankenMauser · January 25, 2021, 02:06 PM

I have no problem with nickel plated brass.

The only disadvantage for me is that nickel-plated cases don't like being formed into other cartridges. The loss rate, due to neck splits (necking up) or neck collapse (necking down) is far higher with nickel.
But that is an easily avoidable situation, and I rarely use once-fired brass for case forming any more, anyway.

fan_of_flux · January 25, 2021, 02:29 PM

Nickel feels stiff and brittle in the sizing die. Brass has a smoother feel because it is more malleable than nickel. However, nickel sure does look pretty with black bullets.

Average Joe · January 25, 2021, 02:29 PM

No, I fine no difference, other than color.

Carmady · January 25, 2021, 08:18 PM

Ime, at least 9 out of 10 cracked case mouths are on nickel (handgun) cases.

Edit: I should mention that the over 90% of cracked case mouths being on nickel plated brass happens with brass which is mostly (80+%) not nickel plated.

Last summer I bought two boxes .357 Mag Fed 158gr JSP specifically so I'd have 100 NON-nickel .357 cases for weaker reloads. I always use .357 brass for .357 reloads to help prevent build-up in the charge holes.

Dead-Nuts-Zero · January 27, 2021, 09:57 PM

I have a lot of once fired LE range nickel 38's from the 70's & early 80's.

Recently got back into shooting 38's & reloading them. Found the old nickel were hard to prime & went back to brass.

Could have been a primer issue or maybe the specs on vintage nickel, I didn't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out.

I also believe the old 38 nickel I loaded split easier (more frequently) than brass, but again it's vintage nickel & I had all I wanted after range sessions so it really was not an issue for me.

Overall, for shooting (not reloading) I would probably choose the nickel over brass if price & performance were equal.

Carmady · January 28, 2021, 06:14 AM

A little off topic, but a year or two ago I bought some used Winchester .38 brass off GB, and some had primer pockets that were too small to accept Federal small pistol primers. I searched around here (iirc) and found that some are made with smaller (metric?) small pistol primer pockets. That was the first and only time I ran into that.

January 24, 2021, 10:06 AM	#1
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	Nickel vs brass cases Is there any advantage/disadvantage to nickel vs brass cases?

January 24, 2021, 11:52 AM	#7
FlyFish Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2009 Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley Posts: 1,723	I've loaded brass and nickel-plated cases interchangeably in a wide variety of pistol calibers, and a few rifle calibers, for over 45 years. Some of my .357 nickel cases are so old and have been reloaded so many times that most of the nickel has worn off. I can't say I've ever noticed that the nickel case mouths split sooner, but I've heard that so many times from so many posters that I have to believe it must happen, at least sometimes with some brands. I did have one batch of Remington nickel brass where the plating started flaking off around the case mouth, so I pitched those, but otherwise no problems. They do seem to resize a bit more easily, but the difference is minimal in my experience. __________________ NRA Benefactor Life Member NRA Certified Instructor: Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, PPIH, Metallic & Shotgun Shell Reloading; RSO Pemigewasset Valley Fish & Game Club

January 24, 2021, 02:23 PM	#10
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,977	always understood it was more weather resistant and generally used in higher end hunting loads and defensive ammo for increased reliability. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.

January 24, 2021, 02:45 PM	#12
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,602	Nickel better resists tarnishing from handling, loading, unloading, carrying as work gear. Generally all LE and game warden Bought New In Box ammo is nickel plated brass for this reason. From a reloader's perspective, you probably don't need it. But, I did once purchase ALL nickel brass in 40 SW and love it. But, in a mix, No. __________________ ............

January 24, 2021, 04:18 PM	#13
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,860	Nickel handgun brass came from the era when police (and about everyone else) carried rounds in leather belt loops. The chemicals used in tanning the leather would, over time, corrode brass cases left in the loops. Takes longer in dry places than in wet ones, but does happen. I, personally have never found nickel cases to be any more prone to cracking than my brass ones. Both seem to fail at about the same rate, in the same calibers and load levels. If you have "good" nickel cases, the nickel doesn't crack or flake off. Of course, the only way to know that is by using them over a period of time. I've got .38 and .357 stuff from the 60s, still going strong. I had some .45acp stuff from Federal bought in 1980 where the loaded rounds were chambered so many times over 20+ years there were brass stripes worn through the nickel. Never any problem with them (and never any bullet set back, either) One of the advantages of having nickel cases is if you have both a rifle and a pistol in the same caliber (such as .357), and you load one level of loads in brass and another in nickel, you can easily tell which is which at a glance. I would never toss nickel cases just because they are nickel. If you don't want them, SELL THEM, someone will be happy to buy them, and if they are range pick up, its all profit, right?? __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

January 24, 2021, 10:09 AM	#2
edfardos Member Join Date: April 4, 2016 Posts: 84	Nickel cleans up much easier... crud doesnt seem to stick. easier to see on the ground.

January 24, 2021, 10:15 AM	#3
buddyd157 Member Join Date: April 14, 2020 Location: New England Posts: 40	not really in my mind. they cost nearly the same, and if one or the other is available, i buy it, even steel.

January 24, 2021, 11:16 AM	#4
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,182	Brass will last longer due to being less brittle and less prone to cracking from work hardening. I’m saying this in regards to straight wall revolver type brass. I have some .38sp brass that’s 30 years old and literally reloaded so many times I have no idea how many cycles they have on them.

January 24, 2021, 11:23 AM	#5
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	I have had no problems with 38/357 nickel plated brass but I have some Win and Midway nickel .45 ACP that fouls my sizing and taper crimp dies, a particle of nickel sticks to the die and then scores the cases. I prefer Brass cases. Prolly could lube it but life is too short.

January 24, 2021, 11:26 AM	#6
ballisticxlr Member Join Date: April 25, 2020 Posts: 83	Nickel is slicker. You find it on some big game hunting ammo and a LOT of personal defense pistol ammo. I personally detest the stuff.

January 24, 2021, 12:10 PM	#8
Bob Willman Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2018 Location: Bowling Green, Ohio Posts: 111	If you carry cartridges in a leather belt, nickel cases will not be stained by the leather loops like brass will. Bob WB8NQW

January 24, 2021, 02:40 PM	#11
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	I asked the question because the majority - probably 90% of my handgun cases are brass and it's perhaps a personality quirk, but I simply don't like to see mixed cases in the same 50-round loaded box. I separate them and load 50 nickel cases. But when I collect them at the range after having fired 100 rounds, they're all mixed up again. So I thought of just trashing them. Unless there was really an advantage I overlooked. I can add this. it's rare for me to find either case with a cracked mouth. This includes .44 Mags that have reloaded for 20 years. Most often I find loose primer pockets in 9mm, .38 special and .357 mag that cause me to discard them.

January 24, 2021, 04:34 PM	#14
markr6754 Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2018 Location: Centerville, OH Posts: 347	I bought 1000 .223 Rem cases specifically to use for .300 AAC Blackout. They are harder to cut and trim than brass, but they also don't stretch when sizing or firing...at least they haven't yet. By harder I mean it takes more effort, probably wearing out the blades and bits faster as well. As edfardos commented, they fire clean, and any soot that does stick to the case after firing wipes right off. I clean my cases anyway, but I've been tempted to forego cleaning my nickel cases...though I have yet to yield to that temptation. __________________ “Draw me not without reason, sheath me not without honor.”

January 24, 2021, 05:20 PM	#15
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,602	If you are going to convert brass, forget nickel. You immediately lose plating on the cut end and cant fix it. __________________ ............

January 24, 2021, 07:56 PM	#16
Reloadron Senior Member Join Date: June 8, 2016 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Suburbs Posts: 1,750	Is there any advantage/disadvantage to nickel vs brass cases? Nickel plated brass is just brass with a nickel plating. Not like the cases are made of nickel. Typically I want to recall the nickel plating is only about 0.001" thickness. The plating doesn't add to case weight enough to matter or change case volume enough to matter. The main advantage is a cartridge case a little more corrosion resistant. Another plus is as mentioned it is slicker making for easier feeding than brass. I have never noticed it being any more difficult to resize likely because the plating is so thin. Since the plating is just plating and thin the nickel will flake off after several loadings (resizings). I think somewhere stashed around here I have a pile of new Remington 30-06 nikel plated cases. Can't recall where they even came from. Ron

January 24, 2021, 09:06 PM	#17
USSR Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2017 Location: Finger Lakes Region of NY Posts: 1,442	My observation has been that nickel plated brass will show splits in the case mouth before most brass cases. Don __________________ NRA Life Member NRA Certified Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor

January 24, 2021, 10:44 PM	#18
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,624	The only positive thing I can say about nickel cases is that in .38 Super, my pet load throws them all over hell's half acre. The nickel ones are easier to find. In handgun calibers, I find nickel cases split far sooner than brass, and in rifle, I suspect they're harder on the cutters I use to even up my case mouths. All in all, they're not worth the added expense. YMMv Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

January 25, 2021, 01:54 PM	#19
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	I tried to size 9mm nickle cases, when I was reloading that caliber. almost impossible. Gave up and went to brass. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not

January 25, 2021, 02:06 PM	#20
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,427	I have no problem with nickel plated brass. The only disadvantage for me is that nickel-plated cases don't like being formed into other cartridges. The loss rate, due to neck splits (necking up) or neck collapse (necking down) is far higher with nickel. But that is an easily avoidable situation, and I rarely use once-fired brass for case forming any more, anyway. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

January 25, 2021, 02:29 PM	#21
fan_of_flux Member Join Date: November 9, 2020 Location: Walnut Cove, NC Posts: 26	Nickel feels stiff and brittle in the sizing die. Brass has a smoother feel because it is more malleable than nickel. However, nickel sure does look pretty with black bullets.

January 25, 2021, 02:29 PM	#22
Average Joe Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2005 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,325	No, I fine no difference, other than color.

January 25, 2021, 08:18 PM	#23
Carmady Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: on the lam Posts: 1,736	Ime, at least 9 out of 10 cracked case mouths are on nickel (handgun) cases. Edit: I should mention that the over 90% of cracked case mouths being on nickel plated brass happens with brass which is mostly (80+%) not nickel plated. Last summer I bought two boxes .357 Mag Fed 158gr JSP specifically so I'd have 100 NON-nickel .357 cases for weaker reloads. I always use .357 brass for .357 reloads to help prevent build-up in the charge holes. Last edited by Carmady; January 26, 2021 at 08:41 AM.

January 27, 2021, 09:57 PM	#24
Dead-Nuts-Zero Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2004 Posts: 579	I have a lot of once fired LE range nickel 38's from the 70's & early 80's. Recently got back into shooting 38's & reloading them. Found the old nickel were hard to prime & went back to brass. Could have been a primer issue or maybe the specs on vintage nickel, I didn't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. I also believe the old 38 nickel I loaded split easier (more frequently) than brass, but again it's vintage nickel & I had all I wanted after range sessions so it really was not an issue for me. Overall, for shooting (not reloading) I would probably choose the nickel over brass if price & performance were equal. __________________ . . BANG------------ >>> !

January 28, 2021, 06:14 AM	#25
Carmady Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: on the lam Posts: 1,736	A little off topic, but a year or two ago I bought some used Winchester .38 brass off GB, and some had primer pockets that were too small to accept Federal small pistol primers. I searched around here (iirc) and found that some are made with smaller (metric?) small pistol primer pockets. That was the first and only time I ran into that.