Nickel really that bad??

[Mikecr]

Among the hardest & best brass we've had was Lapua Brown Box.
You can see in the table below that it's alloy is high in zinc (Muntz Metal).

You can also see here that OP's observed softness of Federal makes sense.
And while Norma makes some of the sweetest cases ever made, it's not very hard, and for many it does not last well. I've seen that myself & gave up on Norma long ago.
Winchester is harder,, even than blue box Lapua today.

 

[Mikecr]

Among the hardest & best brass we've had was Lapua Brown Box.
You can see in the table below that it's alloy was high in zinc (Muntz Metal).
View attachment 199483
You can see here that OP's observed softness of Federal makes sense.
You can also see that while Norma is some of the sweetest cases ever made, it's not very hard, and for many it does not last well. I've seen that myself & gave up on Norma long ago.
Winchester is harder,, even than blue box Lapua today.

IMO, OP's problem won't be solved with soft brass.

 

[iclick]

The problem with Nickel plated brass is you can't anneal it. Nickel hardens with heat which causes it to flake away from brass as the brass softens.

 

[jdyoung]

The problem with Nickel plated brass is you can't anneal it. Nickel hardens with heat which causes it to flake away from brass as the brass softens.

I don't use nickel plated brass, but I have seen the nickel flakes in the actions of others that use it. What happens to the flakes in the chamber ? Does repeated use/firing cause the buildup of nickel in the chamber ?

 

[Alb Greg]

Why not Winchester reloading brass?

I've never had a good experience with Winchester brass in .300 WSM. The primer pockets seem extremely loose.

 

[redneckdan]

Among the hardest & best brass we've had was Lapua Brown Box.
You can see in the table below that it's alloy is high in zinc (Muntz Metal).
View attachment 199483
You can also see here that OP's observed softness of Federal makes sense.
And while Norma makes some of the sweetest cases ever made, it's not very hard, and for many it does not last well. I've seen that myself & gave up on Norma long ago.
Winchester is harder,, even than blue box Lapua today.

I noticed this when shooting across the course. Win brass seemed to hold up better in the long run. Loopa wasnt widely available at the time. I had some preferred lots of LC brass, some of that stuff was harder than wood pecker lips. I'm curious what the chemical composition of that stuff was.

 

[Privi457]

I've gotten 8 full power loads from WW 270 plated brass with no problems.
Also made a bunch of 280 AI from plated 280 Rem brass with no failures.

 

[charlesasmith]

I have used Federal nickle brass in one gun for years without any problem including annealing (hard to figure out flame dwell time).

Chuck

 

[nocannons]

I'm getting a little tired of using federal brass in my 300 WSM. I've done all the brass prep I can think of, it shoots consistently, but it is super soft. No matter the load I get ejector marks. It's just something I've become accustomed to with it. I'm on #4 loads and haven't lost a pocket yet, but I feel like I'm leaving some performance on the table?
After using ADG, Lapua, and Norma in all my other guns I need to search for better WSM brass. This leads me to the browning nickel brass that they use in their factor ammo. First, who on earth makes it? Tried doing a google search and couldn't find it. I know a lot of people don't like nickel, but if it's better than the federal stuff maybe it's worth a shot.
I have 40 once fired cases right now that I figure I'll give a shot. All cases were trimmed, flash holes de-burred, and sorted by weight. Out of 40 cases high weight was 228.0 grn and low was 223.2 grns. This is pretty high compared to other brass I've weighed so I filled each (high/low) with water to see the internal volume. Surprisingly the light case was at 80.9 grn H2O and the heavy case was 80.5 grn H2O. Pretty dang close! So I took a few more and randomly weighed the internal volumes. All were within +- 1.1grn. Works for me.
So now I have a ladder test loaded up 181 hammers and RL26. We'll see how they shoot. Why doesn't someone make better brass for the WSM family?!??
View attachment 199465
View attachment 199466

Grafs reloading has Hornady and nosler brass

 

[LVJ76]

I don't use nickel plated brass, but I have seen the nickel flakes in the actions of others that use it. What happens to the flakes in the chamber ? Does repeated use/firing cause the buildup of nickel in the chamber ?

It does not build up, on my 7mm-08 for Silhouette competition I used it for years and never had issues with build up, or in the dies either, I do clean my dies though but not too often.

 

[ntsqd]

I wonder what the end result of soaking plated brass in white vinegar for 20-30 mins would do to the brass itself? I know that the plating would be gone. What I don't know is if it would affect the base brass in a negative way.

EDIT: A little research took me to this extensive thread: http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?83572-Citric-acid-brass-cleaner I've not read more than the first page, but I'm encouraged to try this on some nickel plated cases that I have.

 

[Valek]

I used to reload with my favorite nickel plated brass - until I noticed what damage it was doing to my RCBS reloading dies. Fortunately, RCBS replaced the set (but advised me not to reload nickel irrespective of brand if they were not carbide). Good luck with your search.

 

[redleg1013]

Why not Winchester reloading brass?

Last time I bought a bag of Winchester 300 WSM brass four necks were pre-split for me, and another seven had hydraulic dents in the shoulder, and when I say dent I mean they were buckled.

 

[redleg1013]

I can't speak to rifles when it come to nickel plated brass, but with pistols ALl of my premature case failures have been with nickel plated brass. I haven't looked into why, I just give my once fired nickel brass to a buddy who doesn't care. My suspicion is akin to what we see sometimes with hard-chroming, and that is hydrogen entitlement. I don't know specifics as all our plating and anodizing for parts gets sent out.

As to the question of availability, who knows? Maybe Olin Corp. wants too much for royalties, or lack of demand, aliens...