Doc Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 I saw some nickel-plated brass for my .222 and .22 Hornet that is on sale at Midland. Question: Any up-sides or down-sides to nickel plating as far as ballistics, reaction to chambering, effect on re-loading dies, case life, etc.? Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Only thing I'm aware of is case life...the nickel plated brass should last longer than standard brass. I'm sure it "hardeneds" the brass some, but I'm not sure if that has any merit for being better or worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 I would caution you to work up your loads again. This is something you should do when ever you change any component. Changing brass type definitely qualifies. Some nickel plated brass has less powder capacity than standard brass. This can result in significantly higher pressures than you experience with plain brass. Case life varies per cartridge and loading. No surprise there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coles Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 i used to use nickle plated brass for my 7mm-300Wby but had problems with the necks cracking after reloading them a couple times. found that they were a little harder to chamber than standard brass too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Yeah, that's the kind of info I was looking for. I know that nickel plated pistol rounds are quite common, but then they don't have to go through some of the harsh re-forming activities that shouldered rifle rounds may encounter. The problem is that I am just guessing at a lot of this without having one ounce of actual experience with them. That's too bad, because they sure would make for some pur-r-r-rty cartridges, and the idea of tarnishing would become a concern of the past. Also, I believe that nickel has almost a quality of lubricity about it that I figured might be a little easier on dies. But sometimes what looks like an advantage can turn out to be more of a liability. Actually, if the process of plating negatively changes the formability of the brass, I would guess that I really don't want to have anything to do with them. No body wants cracking necks! Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coles Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 i didnt have a whole lot of negative experience with them but i did find myself goin through two boxes of ammo i loaded to make sure they would all chamber easily the night before our annual week long elk huntin trip 16 miles back in the mountains on horse back. only found a couple that wouldnt feed reliably. they do make for better looking cartriges though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'm thinking I might just spring for a bag of 100 just to see what happens. It's not like I'll have to mortgage the house to buy them. The sale price at Midway is only a few cents more than what I would pay for unplated brass. I think that as long as I run them through the sizing die first, there should not be any issues with them chambering properly. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 the nickel plated brass should last longer than standard brass. I'm sure it "hardeneds" the brass some, but I'm not sure if that has any merit for being better or worse. I have re-loaded thousands and thousands of pistol rounds. I have found out the nickel plated brass does NOT hold up that well! The nickel cracks along with the brass inside. In autos, they do tend to help with the chambering and ejecting slightly better. But not a super noticable difference! If your going to re-load them often, use the normal brass. JMO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowtech Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Nickle brass is also harder on the dies ... be sure to use some type of lube when sizing them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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