- May 29, 2017
- 7,788
I got some 40 sw and 9 mm defensive ammo. They all have silvery metal color casings instead of brass. Are they aluminum? Are they allowed in shooting range?
"Nickle" plated cases are actually cadmium plated .
Works fine in factory ammo , for all practical purposes can't be reused.
I got some 40 sw and 9 mm defensive ammo. They all have silvery metal color casings instead of brass. Are they aluminum? Are they allowed in shooting range?
The plating process does make them slightly more brittle than otherwise identical plain brass ( but lots of other factors for that ) . Not an issue for factory loaded ammo , but reloaders will sometimes find neck splits occurring after fewer loadings than plain brass , but lots of other factors again ).
I have found that the nickle plated cases split sooner (after 7 - 10 reloads)...
I've never heard of a shooting range prohibiting ammo based on the case metal. They usually prohibit ammo because of the bullet metal to reduce the potential for ricochets, air borne lead or remove incendiary and explosive ammo. That said, I'm sure someone at some time has run across an over zealous range employee who denied them use of their ammo because it was attracted to a magnet regardless of whether it was the case or projectile.
As others have already said your ammo sounds like it is nickel plated vs. Al.
This has been my experience as well, mostly observed with my 38spl reloads. Brass cases last a lot longer than the "nickel" plated ones when it comes to rim splits. I did my best to mitigate this by flaring the case mouth as little as possible.
Part of the conundrum for range employees is that ammunition that utilizes steel cases (i.e. Tula or Wolf from Russia) often has steel in the bullet as well. I think some ammunition ("Bear" from Russia?) may have steel cases that has a copper wash on it, making it appear to be a brass case, and perhaps thereby giving the impression that a magnet reaction must be from the bullet. The range employee cannot allow steel bullet ammunition on the range, as it damages the range and has a higher danger of ricochets, but only has a magnet for testing. The range employee does not have the time or the tools to pull a bullet and cut it open to look for steel in the core. The efficient solution then is to just forbid ammunition that attracts a magnet.
"Nickle" plated cases are actually cadmium plated . Yes , the original intent was to reduce tarnishing, and other degradation the brass . Nickle cases left too long in leather loops Will get funky , but take longer to do so .
Nickle cases have lower coefficient of friction than plain brass ( slipperyier ) , which in theory might make them feed smoother in semiautos.
The plating process does make them slightly more brittle than otherwise identical plain brass ( but lots of other factors for that ) . Not an issue for factory loaded ammo , but reloaders will sometimes find neck splits occurring after fewer loadings than plain brass , but lots of other factors again ) .
Yes , there are such things as aluminum cases, you will imeadately tell them from the weight. For consumer market , they were pioneered by CCI's Blazer line of low cost ammo . Very early ammo had occasional sticking in pistol cal leverguns , but in a cpl years CCI worked it out .
Works fine in factory ammo , for all practical purposes can't be reused.
I have reloaded thousands of 9mm, 38 Sp & 45 ACP nickle plated cases & have never had a problem loading or shooting them, BUT...
I have found that the nickle plated cases split sooner (after 7 - 10 reloads)...
Load them if you have them...
Let me qualify that by saying all my dies were made by Dillon and are Carbide Steel (Tougher & Harder than regular steel dies)