Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

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Vortec MAX
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Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by Vortec MAX » 04 Oct 2013, 14:37

I want to buy some Starline brass for reloading in 9mm and 45 Auto. The only 9mm I can find is nickel plated.

What is preferable and why?

Thanks in advance for bringing a reloading "newbie" up to speed on this.

Mike

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Vortec MAX
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by Vortec MAX » 05 Oct 2013, 14:15

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?

Mike

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Rapier1772
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by Rapier1772 » 05 Oct 2013, 15:23

Wish I could help but I honestly don't have a preference.

The only reason prefer brass is because once I have enough of it that I can't reload, I can turn it in to recycling. I seriously doubt that I will ever have enough nickle plated cases to warrant that.
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by MrSlippyFist » 05 Oct 2013, 18:29

Meh, its really just preference. If nickel plated was all I could get, and the price was decent then I would. It won't last for as many loadings as regular brass because the process makes it a bit more brittle, but it's still useful. If you load it hot, don't plan on using it more than twice - it will crack or even come off depending on quality.
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by jmz5 » 06 Oct 2013, 09:25

I prefer regular brass, just because it seems to last longer. But I will use whatever I can get.
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by blueorison » 06 Oct 2013, 17:21

I prefer nickel. It is slicker. I like it much more than brass.

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Vortec MAX
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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by Vortec MAX » 10 Oct 2013, 18:48

blueorison wrote:I prefer nickel. It is slicker. I like it much more than brass.

Aids in removal from chamber under high pressures.
How has the finish held up for you after multiple reloads? That seems to be the main complaint.

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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by DarkWater » 10 Oct 2013, 19:08

Nickel is hard and brittle, I would suspect it will flake off after a few resizings...

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Re: Which is better... nickel plated or plain brass?

Post by 500SWfan » 24 Oct 2013, 09:18

I normally prefer nickel plated, just because it doesn't tarnish over time from being handled with bare hands. When I'm loading regular brass I plan to have on the shelf a long time, I wear rubber gloves while I'm loading them. I particularly prefer nickel for revolver loads. However, a few years back I got a deal from Starline on 1300 nickel plated 50 AE brass, and they've given me nothing but problems. I consistently get about 130 fps higher velocity from them as compared to regular brass with the exact same powder, primer, bullet, etc., which tells me they're generating higher pressures. They won't chamber consistently in my DE, my Lee cutter gauge won't fit inside the case, and several other things. I think Starline got the nickel plating a little too thick on that batch. Other than that, I've always preferred nickel. ;)

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