Nickel 9mm brass?

[mousegunner]

So I might have a line of some free once fired nickel plated brass. I've read the pros and cons but the zero cost factor is the main appeal. Although I have regular brass I'd like to use the nickel in out of town matches where I may not be able to scrounge my cases.

I figure I'd cull out the ones where the nickel is scratched, clean good with walnut, lube to make it easier to size and make sure my dies are clean prior to sizing. Will nickel scratch carbide dies?

Any thoughts from you guys that have used nickel brass? Also does the nickel shoot the same with the same components in brass cases? Thanks for looking.

 

[Just Say Moe]

Free is good. I haven't seen any difference with what I have that is mixed in with regular brass and my pistols can't tell the difference. Is this a faux pas?

 

[ebb]

If you run the nickle plated brass in the vibratory tumbler it comes out clean shiny and slick as glass. ive used it in 38 special only and it shoots the same as the naked brass cases.

 

[Globaltjb]

Guy i shoot matches with uses it exclusively. He gets it from work and the price is right. Hes running it through an xl650

 

[cem]

I'd say there are no cons. After long use and many reloads nickel cases aren't as pretty in a duty belt as they once were but that's about it.

" [D]oes the nickel shoot the same with the same components in brass cases?"

In my experience brass doesn't shoot the same with the same components in brass cases. That is over many years time some cases are thinner, some cases are thicker if you prefer and neck tension varies so I will use different dies and expanders for best results. In particular thinner cases with less tension may lead to bullet setback. Only rarely an issue but I haven't noticed any consistent differences attributed to nickel cases. Time was long ago there were some consistent differences between Winchester and Remington cases. These days I find inconsistent differences within brands.

 

[riflewoman]

Get it and shoot it until you lose it all.

 

[Oso]

You won't notice any difference reloading the nickel versus brass. Because they are easily identifiable, I separate out the nickel cases to use for special reloads, such as hunting/self defense loads.

One word of caution - run a magnet through all nickel cases. I recent years there have been a couple of ammo makers who decided to nickel-coat steel cases in order to save a fraction of a penny I guess. Freedom Munitions is one that comes to mind. They'll bind to the magnet just like Russian steel cases.

 

[tommeboy]

It sticks in all of my powder thru dies. You have to be careful as it will spill some powder out of the case from lowering the ram. 9mm, 45acp., 357 mag all do it. I give it all away or sell it.

 

[D-4297]

My Glock can't tell the difference between brass or nickel cases . The target can't , either . I do load the nickel cases "grouped" by Mfg. , and make adjustments to the Die settings for consistency though .

 

[powderbrake]

For handgun loads, the nickel cases shoot the same as brass cases.
The nickel cases will crack in the neck long before the brass cases, due to the plating process, which can make the brass brittle. (hydrogen embrittlement which needs to be heat treated).
I would not hesitate to use nickel cases, just inspect them as you reload them, and throw away the cracked ones.

 

[riflewoman]

For handgun loads, the nickel cases shoot the same as brass cases.
The nickel cases will crack in the neck long before the brass cases, due to the plating process, which can make the brass brittle. (hydrogen embrittlement which needs to be heat treated).
I would not hesitate to use nickel cases, just inspect them as you reload them, and throw away the cracked ones.

Copper and copper alloys are not easily susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Nickel is more susceptible but I believe the propensity of nickel plated brass to crack is more mechanical. The plating on the brass is stiffer and the reloading process induces different stresses microscopically on the brass. These extra stresses lead to the early cracking.

 

[powderbrake]

Copper and copper alloys are not easily susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Nickel is more susceptible but I believe the propensity of nickel plated brass to crack is more mechanical. The plating on the brass is stiffer and the reloading process induces different stresses microscopically on the brass. These extra stresses lead to the early cracking.

Well I have always specified heat treat after plating to avoid hydrogen embrittlement, and I let those thoughts carry over to the nickel plated brass question.
After your reply, I did some research on the subject, and you are correct that brass is not as susceptible to H embrittlement, and cracking of the nickel can create stress risers. I stand corrected, and appreciate the facts.

I did have about 1000 nickel plated 38 special cases , mixed in with 3000 brass ones, and I shot them regularly in my S&W Model 52, and models 60 and 28. The nickel cases split 5 to 10 times more often than the brass cases. This was generally shooting a mild load of 2.8 gr of Bullseye over a flush seated 148gr HBWC.

As a side note, many years ago, wanting the "easy clean" aspects of nickel plating, I electroless nickel plated a couple hundred 7 IHMSA cases which I used in my Wichita pistol, shooting IHMSA. It worked out very well, easy to wipe off the carbon when reloading.