Nickel plated brass??

[BoshTank]

i wrote about my son wanting to use them and me reloading them earlier..
I FL resize them with RCBS dies and have loaded some .243 4x and havent seen and problems and my dies are not scratched just checked that because
reading this post was the first time i have heard that...

I perfer brass but to keep my boy in the woods if it takes the "Chrome" bullets we will do it..

 

[Ridge Runner]

well think about it

You have soft brass, thats coated inside and out with a hard brittle steel coating, as you work it the nickel resists the sizing operation, springs back bad, while the brass is malable and wants to form as brass should, it does eventualy flake off, and what about the nickel inside where the heat and pressure does its thing.
nickel steel is harder than your chamber or your dies so it will scratch them up (bet those flakes from the inside works wonders on the throat)
nickel is good if ya use it for its intended purpose, load it and carry it under any conditions and it doesn't tarnish, but I won't reload it anymore, I've saw it flake, it works hard, and I'm not risking it.
ya want pics of win 25 wssm nickel cases with brass necks?
its ok, but not for a reloader, they use nickel steel rods to weld stainless and cast iron, that should tell ya somethin.
RR

 

[woods]

I had a bag of 280 rem new nickle brass and I always uniform the neck with a Lee Collet Neck Sizer. The neck ID on the new brass was smaller than the collet mandrel and this is what it did to the mandrel

Now the collet mandrel is probably not the hardest die material out there and it may not even be case hardened, but brass cases do not do this.

So if you are sizing a case the first thing that hit the inside of the die is the mouth opening and it is forced smaller into the die neck. I would bet you would get wear there.

Here is what Varmint Al has to say about it

Varmint Al's Handloading/Reloading Page

not that he is always right but just some additional info

 

[Forester]

The only real upside is it looks good, no neck turning and most of all no annealing ruins it for me. I anneal now after every firing just for the consistency and have seen gains in every caliber because of it.

The only place I use nickel brass is in carry ammo for a pistol. It resists corrosion well and is slicker too which never hurts in a semi-auto.

 

[comfisherman]

I didnt have much exposure to it until I aqquired a fairly large lot of nickel 375 h&h. It sized with less resistance than uncoated brass, however it took a considerable amount to trim and chamfer the case mouths. When the nickel does start to tarnish or corode, it gets a rougher finish than brass. I like them for keeping in a boat rifle, but definitely think that for standard shooting they are worthwhile. Judging by the added resistance from case lenght triming and chamfering, I would surmise neck turning is out of the question.

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

I'm in for an answer as well. I have 100 or so 7mm RM cases from Winchester Supreme factory ammo.

I asked this question for pistol ammo once and heard that if you tumble it for long periods, the nickel can become thin or wear off. I have loaded some .38/.357 nickel plated ammo and never had a problem. Using a carbide die to size (no lube), the plated cases felt "slicker".

 

[sp6x6]

This is a ? for me also, My son shot up a box of ammo antelope hunting, messed up the trurret. So I had to do some last minute reloading, and I shot the same 10 brass a bit getting dialed. 325 WSM, I had some split necks after 2 sizes, I dont like it for this reason, and my 340 WM SIZES just as easy and have had 10 size on same brass. Im going to get brass, only bullets sold local are nickle

 

[LewisH]

My gunsmith does not approve of Ni plated brass, especially with high intensity cartridges like the 22-250 AI.

Bore scope examination has shown that the Ni (that inevitably flakes off) can and will damage the barrel throat.

 

[elkaholic]

I really appreciate all of your responses! I've decided that it does make good sense that something harder than a stainless steel barrel should not be used. Thanks again/Rich