Nickel plated cases...
- Thread starter bjm42
- Start date
oldandslow
New member
bj,
I like nickel plated cases as they stand out on the range gravel more than the uncoated brass ones and makes it easier to find. They also seem to run more smoothly through my resizing dies than the brass ones.
And pertaining to Kahr's recommendation not to use reloads- this is pretty much standard lawyer talk from all gun manufacturers as they don't know your reloading skill level. As long as you're using published loading data you're fine with reloads.
best wishes- oldandslow
I like nickel plated cases as they stand out on the range gravel more than the uncoated brass ones and makes it easier to find. They also seem to run more smoothly through my resizing dies than the brass ones.
And pertaining to Kahr's recommendation not to use reloads- this is pretty much standard lawyer talk from all gun manufacturers as they don't know your reloading skill level. As long as you're using published loading data you're fine with reloads.
best wishes- oldandslow
Nickel plated cases come from the era when ammo was carried in leather cartridge loops (usually on a belt). Ammo was often left in the loops for long periods of time, and brass cases corroded from the acid residue of the leather tanning process. Nickel will also, but it takes much longer.
Nickeled cases are a little "slicker". The downside is the nickel wears, can crack and flake off, and some say it makes the brass more brittle than plain brass cases. I have never noted that to be the case with any of my reloads.
Today, the primary advantage to nickeled cases is ease of identification. Some of us use only nickeled cases for certain loads, so its easy to know what the round is, just by looking at it.
Also, as mentioned, they're a little easier to spot on the ground.
Nickeled cases are a little "slicker". The downside is the nickel wears, can crack and flake off, and some say it makes the brass more brittle than plain brass cases. I have never noted that to be the case with any of my reloads.
Today, the primary advantage to nickeled cases is ease of identification. Some of us use only nickeled cases for certain loads, so its easy to know what the round is, just by looking at it.
Also, as mentioned, they're a little easier to spot on the ground.
Many gun mfg's ( like Sig Sauer ) say your warranty is void, if you shoot reloads...but I do anyway. You'll have to look at the fine print in the Kahr manuals.
Like others said, nickel is a little more corrosion resistant ...but they are more brittle ( from a reloader standpoint, they tend to crack or split before brass cases ).
Like others said, nickel is a little more corrosion resistant ...but they are more brittle ( from a reloader standpoint, they tend to crack or split before brass cases ).
g.willikers
New member
If enough of them are bundled together, you can see your reflection well enough to shave by.
Just load 'em like always.
I do separate them from the regular brass cases, but only when I have nothing better to do.
Just load 'em like always.
I do separate them from the regular brass cases, but only when I have nothing better to do.
g.willikers
New member
Can't imagine what is going on with those cases.
I've used nickel plated cases in many pistol calibers over and over, so many times I've lost count.
For 45acp, generally a 200 grain swc at at least 850f/s.
Not real hot, but not light, either.
No problem.
Are yours splitting at the mouth?
If so, maybe you're working the cases too much somehow, like over flaring and then having to do a lot of crimping.
Just a guess, though.
I've used nickel plated cases in many pistol calibers over and over, so many times I've lost count.
For 45acp, generally a 200 grain swc at at least 850f/s.
Not real hot, but not light, either.
No problem.
Are yours splitting at the mouth?
If so, maybe you're working the cases too much somehow, like over flaring and then having to do a lot of crimping.
Just a guess, though.
My experience has been the same as g.willikers.
I bought my first centerfire handgun, an original (not MK III) .357 Colt Trooper, back in the early 70s. It came with some reloading equipment, including a couple hundred Super Vel (remember them?) nickel-plated cases that had clearly been fired at least once, more likely several or more, times. I foolishly sold the gun some years later, but still have the cases and have been reloading them over and over again since that time. The plating has pretty much worn off on many of them, and I've lost only a very few to case mouth splits. They clearly have lasted every bit as long as brass cases, which has been my experience with nickel generally.
The sole exception was one small batch of Remington cases where the plating started flaking off the first time I resized them, so they got tossed. Otherwise, I've seen no difference in longevity with any of the several calibers I reload that have both brass and nickel-plated cases.
I bought my first centerfire handgun, an original (not MK III) .357 Colt Trooper, back in the early 70s. It came with some reloading equipment, including a couple hundred Super Vel (remember them?) nickel-plated cases that had clearly been fired at least once, more likely several or more, times. I foolishly sold the gun some years later, but still have the cases and have been reloading them over and over again since that time. The plating has pretty much worn off on many of them, and I've lost only a very few to case mouth splits. They clearly have lasted every bit as long as brass cases, which has been my experience with nickel generally.
The sole exception was one small batch of Remington cases where the plating started flaking off the first time I resized them, so they got tossed. Otherwise, I've seen no difference in longevity with any of the several calibers I reload that have both brass and nickel-plated cases.
lee n. field
New member
Every manufacturer does. I handload for everything I own.
Nothing in particular.
I have noticed that nickel plated cases tend to split more than plain brass. (That observation is from my experience with .38 special brass. With 9mm, IMHO, you're likely to loose the case before you wear it out.)
"...why Kahr advises against using reloads..." It's a CYA thing for them. Voiding the warrantee protects 'em against frivolous law suits. Think I terms of some idiot reloader loading over max, blows the pistol and sues Kahr. Same as McPuke's being sued for some stupid woman dumping hot coffee on herself.
"...splitting at the mouth..." Normal with any pistol case.
Nickel cases look cool on your gun belt. Doesn't apply to 9mm though.
"...splitting at the mouth..." Normal with any pistol case.
Nickel cases look cool on your gun belt. Doesn't apply to 9mm though.
The Nickel cases I see split the most are .357 Mag and .44 Mag... / yes, they split at the case mouth. ( But I see a few in 9mm and once in a while in .45 acp split at case mouth too ) - but for semi-auto calibers, I sweep up floor at my local indoor range, and clean and reload whatever ends up in my lane...no way to tell how many times they've been loaded.
In .357 Mag and .44 Mag...I'm careful to make sure I'm picking up all my own cases.../ ...and sure, if I had to guess, they may have been loaded 50 or more times - maybe a lot more, I don't count either....but when I start to see a few crack, I seem to get a lot of them cracking ( which makes sense). Every now and then I will see a brass case crack as well ...but not nearly as often.
I'm not overbelling them .../ I bell just enough to set the bullet on station 4 so it doesn't fall out. Yes, I do load them toward the top end of the published recipe..but not at the max / Hodgdon TiteGroup in both revolver calibers / 158gr JHP Montana Gold in .357 and 240gr JSP Montana Gold in .44....
Every now and then I see someone renting revolvers at my local range...and tossing out their .357 Mag brass, so I'm usually hanging around and offer them a few bucks per box, if they will just keep them and let me have them. I had a guy the other day refuse my $ 5 ...and he gave me the brass anyway - which I appreciated.
My memory is about as sharp ...as a chewed up axe blade...so maybe some of those nickel cases are way older than I think they are...( I've been reloading for 50+ yrs.../ and I've been dragging some of that stuff around with me for a long time )...
In .357 Mag and .44 Mag...I'm careful to make sure I'm picking up all my own cases.../ ...and sure, if I had to guess, they may have been loaded 50 or more times - maybe a lot more, I don't count either....but when I start to see a few crack, I seem to get a lot of them cracking ( which makes sense). Every now and then I will see a brass case crack as well ...but not nearly as often.
I'm not overbelling them .../ I bell just enough to set the bullet on station 4 so it doesn't fall out. Yes, I do load them toward the top end of the published recipe..but not at the max / Hodgdon TiteGroup in both revolver calibers / 158gr JHP Montana Gold in .357 and 240gr JSP Montana Gold in .44....
Every now and then I see someone renting revolvers at my local range...and tossing out their .357 Mag brass, so I'm usually hanging around and offer them a few bucks per box, if they will just keep them and let me have them. I had a guy the other day refuse my $ 5 ...and he gave me the brass anyway - which I appreciated.
My memory is about as sharp ...as a chewed up axe blade...so maybe some of those nickel cases are way older than I think they are...( I've been reloading for 50+ yrs.../ and I've been dragging some of that stuff around with me for a long time )...
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FairWarning
New member
Other than being slick, the most obvious advantage, of course, is that they look very snazzy, especially with a lubalox coated bullet! 
Must very greatly? I have somewhere around 50 nickel plated .45acp brass mixed in with about 500 brass ones. Been reloading that lot for many years now without a problem.
I like how smooth the nickel plate resizes in the die. Other than that positive, no difference what so ever.
Nickel plating on cartridge cases is purely cosmetic, mostly for show and to get higher prices. When police used to carry ammunition in belt loops, nickel plated cartridges kept the brass from turning green in the belt, keeping the shift sergeant happy and smiling. (And you wanted that sergeant to be happy and smiling, believe me!)
Today, that factor still is involved, but for civilians is not usually important.
FWIW, the plating does appear to weaken the brass; my own experience is that nickel plated cases have much shorter life than plain brass ones. (But that beady-eyed sergeant may still be around, so be careful!)
Jim
Today, that factor still is involved, but for civilians is not usually important.
FWIW, the plating does appear to weaken the brass; my own experience is that nickel plated cases have much shorter life than plain brass ones. (But that beady-eyed sergeant may still be around, so be careful!)
Jim
walnut1704
New member
You can put me in the "no difference camp". I too have nickel .38 brass I've loaded so many times it's no longer nickel. I've noticed no difference between nickel vs plain brass.
I did have a problem with some nickel Remington cases blowing out quickly, but that was due to the deep case cannelure, not because it was nickel.
I did have a problem with some nickel Remington cases blowing out quickly, but that was due to the deep case cannelure, not because it was nickel.
Since I don't reload (anymore), I don't care what the case looks like after it's fired and ejected. Still, I've never experienced a nickel plated case splitting. The only cases I've ever seen split were my reloaded 22-250. After about 3-4 times, they split. I thought that was just a built-in indicator telling me when they were done!
Bill DeShivs
New member
Nickel plating causes a phenomenon called "hydrogen imbrittlement." It can be minimized with the proper heat treatment. Nickel itself is much harder than brass-therefore more brittle also.