nickle vs. brass

kamakazi_kid · February 25, 2006, 05:11 PM

I am thinking of getting into reloading I have been shooting winchester balistic tips out of my 308 for the last few years and like them they are the ones with the silver looking casing and the black bullet with a gray tip.any how I just got a sako finlight 300 wsm and I was thinking about getting some of those for this caliber so I can start saving brass but I was just wondering how those nickle casings hold up to reloading or should I buy a different factory ammo to save casings.(I am doing this instead of buying unprimed brass becasue i have to wait to get reloading stuff.also I used to have lots of fmj .308 shells around but can't find any are they illegal in canada?I know you can't hunt with them but can you buy the bullets?how many times do you guys ussualy reload your mag rifle casings?

jclaude · February 25, 2006, 08:48 PM

Boxer primed, brass cases are reloadable, nickle plated or not. The nickle plating does seem to embrittle the cases slightly, and shorten their life somewhat. I would lean toward non plated cases for reloading, but I use them either way.

Your cases can be reloaded until they begin to show signs of failure, at which time you discard them. Some of the failure indications to look for can include any of the following:

Case Mouth Splits.

Case Wall Ruptures

Case Head Beginning To Seperate - Look For Shallow, Circumferential Ring Around the Case Walls Just In Front Of The Case Heads.

Primer Pockets Beginning To Loosen Up - You'll Notice This if The Primers Begin To Feel Like They Are Going In Too Easily.

30 Cal FMJ projectiles are readily available for reloading, either in new versions from a variety of manufacturers or from numerous surplus component dealers. The surplus ones are usually pretty cheap, and tend to shoot reasonably well.

bjmanersr · February 25, 2006, 10:02 PM

Brass

DAVID NANCARROW · February 26, 2006, 04:38 AM

Its been my experience that plain old brass cases are the way to go. The nickel plated cases do not last as long, and are more expensive.

It might just be academics, but I have heard that because nickel is a bit more slippery, you get increased bolt thrust with the "pretty" cases.

Case longevity is going to be determined on how hot you load them. I reload for 270 winchester and 308. Both are loaded near, but not at max and I usually get about 15 firings per case. Get good brass-the cheap stuff is cheap for a reason. I use winchester or remington and have not had problems with either. You can buy loaded ammo and neck size for accuracy, but with 300 WSM, I bet a box of of ammo is kind of pricey. Might be cheaper in the long run to buy empty cases and prep them.

For new brass, I full length resize to make sure they are all dimensionally similar, trim and chamfer the case mouths, deburr the flash hole and ream the primer pockets to a uniform depth. That might be getting nit picky and some folks do not do all of that, but when I am finished, the only thing I can blame on a missed shot is ME!

Foxman · February 26, 2006, 02:37 PM

You cant get higher bolt loading with nickel cases, just like polished cases either. but the nickel can and does flake off and can damage the chamber of the rifle, use them once and trash them, go for plain brass for reloads.
Bolt face load is a function of the pressure generated in the firing of the charge of powder, the case does not "grip" the chamber walls and couldn't do against the sort of pressures generated anyway. If that were the case taper cases would be worse than straight cases and they aren't. The only thing required of the case is to obturate at the mouth and seal the gas pressure from leaking backwards, one reason to re-anneal the case mouth every so often.

February 25, 2006, 05:11 PM	#1
kamakazi_kid Junior Member Join Date: February 25, 2006 Posts: 9	nickle vs. brass I am thinking of getting into reloading I have been shooting winchester balistic tips out of my 308 for the last few years and like them they are the ones with the silver looking casing and the black bullet with a gray tip.any how I just got a sako finlight 300 wsm and I was thinking about getting some of those for this caliber so I can start saving brass but I was just wondering how those nickle casings hold up to reloading or should I buy a different factory ammo to save casings.(I am doing this instead of buying unprimed brass becasue i have to wait to get reloading stuff.also I used to have lots of fmj .308 shells around but can't find any are they illegal in canada?I know you can't hunt with them but can you buy the bullets?how many times do you guys ussualy reload your mag rifle casings?

February 25, 2006, 10:02 PM	#3
bjmanersr Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2005 Location: Tennessee by way of AL. Posts: 161	Always and forever Brass __________________ B J Maner sr

February 26, 2006, 02:37 PM	#5
Foxman Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2005 Posts: 466	You cant get higher bolt loading with nickel cases, just like polished cases either. but the nickel can and does flake off and can damage the chamber of the rifle, use them once and trash them, go for plain brass for reloads. Bolt face load is a function of the pressure generated in the firing of the charge of powder, the case does not "grip" the chamber walls and couldn't do against the sort of pressures generated anyway. If that were the case taper cases would be worse than straight cases and they aren't. The only thing required of the case is to obturate at the mouth and seal the gas pressure from leaking backwards, one reason to re-anneal the case mouth every so often. __________________ Better the man suspected of being a fool keep his mouth shut, than to open it and remove all doubt.

February 25, 2006, 08:48 PM	#2
jclaude Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Coastal North Carolina Posts: 157	Boxer primed, brass cases are reloadable, nickle plated or not. The nickle plating does seem to embrittle the cases slightly, and shorten their life somewhat. I would lean toward non plated cases for reloading, but I use them either way. Your cases can be reloaded until they begin to show signs of failure, at which time you discard them. Some of the failure indications to look for can include any of the following: Case Mouth Splits. Case Wall Ruptures Case Head Beginning To Seperate - Look For Shallow, Circumferential Ring Around the Case Walls Just In Front Of The Case Heads. Primer Pockets Beginning To Loosen Up - You'll Notice This if The Primers Begin To Feel Like They Are Going In Too Easily. 30 Cal FMJ projectiles are readily available for reloading, either in new versions from a variety of manufacturers or from numerous surplus component dealers. The surplus ones are usually pretty cheap, and tend to shoot reasonably well.

February 26, 2006, 04:38 AM	#4
DAVID NANCARROW Senior Member Join Date: November 5, 2000 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,761	Its been my experience that plain old brass cases are the way to go. The nickel plated cases do not last as long, and are more expensive. It might just be academics, but I have heard that because nickel is a bit more slippery, you get increased bolt thrust with the "pretty" cases. Case longevity is going to be determined on how hot you load them. I reload for 270 winchester and 308. Both are loaded near, but not at max and I usually get about 15 firings per case. Get good brass-the cheap stuff is cheap for a reason. I use winchester or remington and have not had problems with either. You can buy loaded ammo and neck size for accuracy, but with 300 WSM, I bet a box of of ammo is kind of pricey. Might be cheaper in the long run to buy empty cases and prep them. For new brass, I full length resize to make sure they are all dimensionally similar, trim and chamfer the case mouths, deburr the flash hole and ream the primer pockets to a uniform depth. That might be getting nit picky and some folks do not do all of that, but when I am finished, the only thing I can blame on a missed shot is ME!