Reloading Brass Nickel Plated

Question

How many times can you reload Remington Brass 308 Winchester Nickel Plated Brass (new)? And must you size the new case or just neck size it? The ammo would only be used in a Remington 700 in .308 and as it is I'm just starting to get into reloading and I'm only placing my orders for the reloading press and dies in the next to days so any help would be great.I ask about the Nickel Plated Brass because its hard to find brass cheap in .308 (all out of stock). Thank You for any help.

Answer 1

New brass should be full length re-sized on the first loading. If it will only go back in the same rifle it will be fire formed to the chamber and neck sizing from then on is fine. Keep the loads below maximum for brass longevity.

I don't know why but I don't like the look of nickle rifle brass, I like the yellow brass color(?).

Answer 2

You should be able to get several firings out of a case, if you aren't loading it to maximum.

Neck sizing is the way to go since you will only be using the brass in one rifle, especially since it is a bolt action. Neck sizing will also extend the life of the case.

But you will also need a full-length sizing die, because you may find some cheap or free brass that needs to be full-length sized before it will fit your rifle's chamber. Also, after a few firings while being neck sized only, the cases may become hard to chamber and extract, necessitating full-length sizing to bring it back to spec.

What I do is buy a full set with the full-length sizer, in whatever brand I like for that round (different brands have different attributes for a given chambering, as you will no doubt learn), then buy a Lee collet die for neck sizing, and perhaps a Lyman expander die for cast bullets, etc.

The collet die squeezes the neck onto a mandrel, minimizing working of the brass (a large part of what wears your cases out) and eliminating the need for sizing lube.

By neck sizing only and keeping my loads below maximum, I have gotten well over 10 loadings from a bolt action. OTOH, full-length sizing, oversized chambers, hot loads and springy actions can make even one reloading of a case iffy.

Answer 3

My experience with nickel-plated brass is that it tends to split more than plain brass, and won't last quite so long, but there isn't a huge difference. Perhaps mine would have lasted longer had I been religious about annealing.

I'd suggest full-length sizing your first time out. Every now and then you'll get new brass that doesn't fit specs but slips through quality control, and it isn't any more trouble. After they're once-fired, then neck sizing is the way to go, even more than with plain brass (but maybe you should think about my annealing comment).