brass vs. nickel case with same headstamp

[dahermit]

Quote:
Then there are those of us who always tumble/clean our brass before reloading.

Are you suggesting I don't clean my brass? If you are,then you don't know what you are talking about.

When you clean the grti off your brass in the tumbler,where does the grit go?

Do you change your media after every use?

My brass never strikes the ground. I shoot from inside a "shooting shed" that has the right side modified with a swing-out 4x8 panel that holds a blue tarp pouch to catch all auto casings.

The majority of my shooting is revolver (K38), and the empty cases are dumped directly into a plastic freezer container where they stay until dumped into my Frankfort Arms tumbler, walnut media.

So in neither case, does any of my brass pick up "grit" from the ground, therefore the tumbling is only to remove carbon and any bullet lube (using up the very last of bullets NOT lubed via powder coat), that happens to be on the cases. Given that my cases never hit the ground in the first place, your questions are moot in that there is no "grit" on them in the first place.

 

[HiBC]

dahermit,thats all well and good.

We started off with folks wondering about nickel vs brass die wear. I was passing on knowledge.

You came back with "Some of us clean our brass" It reminded me of the sort of comment a former acquaintance might make. He was a jerk.

Anyway,good for you. I agree. I never skip cleaning brass before running it in a die

Now you have a clean room to shoot from. That's nice. Good for you. Most folks don't shoot that way,but I'm happy for you.

Anything else you would like to add?

 

[Bottom Gun]

Much of the ammo sold for self defense uses nickel plated brass. In addition to not reacting to contact with leather, it stays cleaner and the nickel plating has a natural lubricity which reduces friction and can aid functioning of semi autos.

 

[reynolds357]

Has anyone loaded brass and nickel cases with the same head stamp with the same load? I assume the result will be the same.

In rifle brass, you may notice a slight difference in pressure. Its not due to nickel. Its due to dealing with different lot number brass

 

[BJung]

reynold357. Thanks for commenting about rifle brass. I happened to have a lot of 7RM Federal Nickel brass. The significance between casings of the same brand but different lot much be less than brass from different brands.

 

[44 AMP]

Rumor I heard was nickel pistol cases were put on the market because they don't turn green in leather cartridge belt loops.

For the most part,thats a single action wheel gun thing.

Generally,these days,ammo lives in a speed loader or magazine.

Its not a rumor, its a fact, nickel plated cases were made for their longer life in leather belt loops. And while TODAY its a "Single action thing and most ammo is in a speed loader or magazine" for the majority of the past century, leather belt loops were a cop and a sportsman thing, as well as a cowboy thing.

There was a time when nickeled revolver ammo was common and nickeled semi auto ammo was not. This was also the era when factories loaded lead bullets in revolver rounds and only FMJ in semi auto rounds.

I have used brass laps to slightly enlarge holes to fit a pin,ansd brass laps with diamond paste to polish mold cavities Why do you suppose we use brass?
Because the grit embeds in the brass.It does not just sit on the surface.Grit embeds and becomes a cutting tooth.

I gave this some thought, and of course, you are right about the grit embedding in the brass, but there is another reason to use brass for some applications, including ones where polishing grit is not involved. Its a matter of wear and cost. Brass, being softer, wears faster than steel. And, if you don't have grit contamination when you rub brass on steel the brass wears, not the steel. Where the stress allows for it, using one part (or a tool) made of brass extends the life of the steel parts. brass part wears, steel doesn't and when worn too much you only need to replace one part, the brass one.

 

[Bart B.]

My comparison was with Federal 308 Winchester cases.

All brass ones had shoulder setback about .0035" as the rounds fired.

Nickel plated ones shoulders setback was about .0065" as the rounds fired. And nickle plating began flaking off after 5 to 6 reloads. They're more slippery and easier to reload in rapid fire matches.