Can you reload nickel plated brass?

[WNY_Whitetailer]

OK...Seeing that I have not gotten into reloading yet I think this question is not too rookie...

Can you reload nickel plated brass...i.e 40S&W?

I want to pick up a Glock or Springfield XD 40 cal in the future and I was wondering about reloading in 40cal.  A couple police friends of mine can get me all the 40cal brass I want but it is nickel coated.  

Can any of you reloaders out there give me a heads up? :wink:

[raynor]

Yes, many guys prefer nickel plated as it cleans up easier than brass.

[Flash]

yes, it reloads fine but is generally harder to resize than unplated brass.

[ricciardelli]

Yup...you sure can

[WNY_Whitetailer]

Good to hear...I'll have an almost unlimited supply once I pick up a 40cal to shoot with.

[bgjohn]

Nickel brass works fine. Get carbide or titanium nitride dies and you'll be even happier. Forget the Glock & get the XD-40.
JM :wink:

[WNY_Whitetailer]

BGJohn...I was actually leaning toward the XD-40...OF course all my police buddies are trying to sell me on the Glock.

[Redhawk1]

BGJohn...I was actually leaning toward the XD-40...OF course all my police buddies are trying to sell me on the Glock.

Go with your first choice. The Springfield XD is a great gun. I am not a glock person. I don't like the feel or the look of the glock. My buddy has 3 XD's and loves them.  

[longwinters]

Personally I really like my Glock model 23.  I have always liked the looks and feel of the Generation 3 glocks so when it came time to buy one that is what I got and I am very happy with it.  But like anything else, it can be hard to really know unless you have opportunity to shoot different ones before buying.  And as we all know much of our opinions tend to be a little on the subjective side.   Best of luck.

Long

[Yukon Gold]

3 things to keep in mind about nickle plated brass:

1)  Due to the plating, they tend to be somewhat more brittle, so their useful "reloading life" is somewhat shorter.  I tend to get split cases with less reloads.  When buying, I prefer brass only - but if you can get them for free - who cares?

2)  Don't leave them in the tumbler too long - will wear away on the nickle plating - if you want to maintain the shiny silver finish.  However, even as the nickle starts to wear off, reloads and shoots just fine.

3)  One advantage of nickle plated brass is when storing rounds in leather (holster etc.).  Brass has a tendency to create a green waxy substance (exactly what it is, I don't know) when brass comes in prolonged contact with tanned leather.  Something in the leather causes the reaction with brass.  I never had the same problem with nickle plated brass.

[SAWgunner]

Ehhh...The Glock is like the Military HMMWV...it is ugly & built to beat the he11 out of.  I know of no Military on earth that packs a Springfield -glock- XP.  Sure they are nice, but the glock will shoot everytime as long as the round cooperates and you have no broken parts.  Of course, realting to the above miltary scenario, I hated carrying the M9 (Baretta 92F) and I did not like the weapon.

SAWgunner

[while99]

I've used nickel-plated brass for both rifle and pistol.  I like it.  I don't load a lot of pistol ammo but I like the Winchester nickel-plated 10MM auto brass.  I've also used the Winchester nickel-plated .280 brass because it is easy to tell it from my .270 loads at a glance.  I like the  Remington nickel-plated .300 Savage brass in my 760 pumps.  It feeds, chambers, fires, extracts, and ejects slicker than a toad's belly.
Keep your gun-hand ready and your eyes peeled.

[rbwillnj]

I think nickel plated brass is fine, but I don't mix regular brass with nickel plated.  I think the two behave a little different from each other resulting in larger group sizes if they are mixed.

[kmystry]

YukonGold said it the way I feel...it's brittle.  It's all personal preference, but I "launch" nickel plated brass in the garbage when I come across it, I just like the longevity of traditional brass casings better. I only get about one or two reloads out of nickel before it starts to split...not so with yellow brass.

[Troyboy]

I am buying nickel brass . It is easy to see on the ground when you pick it back up, cleans up better, looks good. jmo

[Tom W.]

I think the green waxy stuff is called verdigris...