Was sitting in the shop today priming a bunch of .357 Magnum brass. Nice thing about priming, it don't require much thought. Ki.Inda like the man employing a crew of blondes to lay sod. No great knowledge just keep shouting out the window, "Green side up".
I was thinking about .357 brass. Just dug into my stash and sent Ben's grandson some. It's amazing to me that most .357 is nickel plated. A lot of .45 ACP is too as is a large percentage of .38 Special. I wondered why?
Okay, my dad ran a prison in NC when I was a kid. I was use to being around guys carrying shotguns and .38 Specials. Back then the brass was nickel plated because it got wet and rode in leather holders which caused corrosion. The nickel still corroded but not as fast as the unplated. My dad inspected and regularly replaced the .38s and paper shotgun shells. I got the 12 gauge buck for my SS 12 gauge. Worked well for turtles and feral dogs at the dump. In those days the Highway Patrol carried the .357 Magnum and used plated ammunition for the same reason other LEOs did. Protection from the elements.
When Law Enforcement fell in love with the 9mm, then .45 ACP, 10mm and finally the .40 S&W 20 years ago, this trend continued.
My thoughts today is why do the ammunition makers still make so much nickel plated ammunition. Carrying spare magazines is the thing and no exposure to the elements.
The cost to nickel plate brass cases seems to me that it would be a huge drain to the manufacturer's bottom line when it's not needed. For sure nickel plating shortens the life of brass caase as it makes them brittle and splits.
Just wonder if anyone can explain this to me./beagle
I was thinking about .357 brass. Just dug into my stash and sent Ben's grandson some. It's amazing to me that most .357 is nickel plated. A lot of .45 ACP is too as is a large percentage of .38 Special. I wondered why?
Okay, my dad ran a prison in NC when I was a kid. I was use to being around guys carrying shotguns and .38 Specials. Back then the brass was nickel plated because it got wet and rode in leather holders which caused corrosion. The nickel still corroded but not as fast as the unplated. My dad inspected and regularly replaced the .38s and paper shotgun shells. I got the 12 gauge buck for my SS 12 gauge. Worked well for turtles and feral dogs at the dump. In those days the Highway Patrol carried the .357 Magnum and used plated ammunition for the same reason other LEOs did. Protection from the elements.
When Law Enforcement fell in love with the 9mm, then .45 ACP, 10mm and finally the .40 S&W 20 years ago, this trend continued.
My thoughts today is why do the ammunition makers still make so much nickel plated ammunition. Carrying spare magazines is the thing and no exposure to the elements.
The cost to nickel plate brass cases seems to me that it would be a huge drain to the manufacturer's bottom line when it's not needed. For sure nickel plating shortens the life of brass caase as it makes them brittle and splits.
Just wonder if anyone can explain this to me./beagle