VII. Reloading Information 
     E. Miscellaneous
	4. What is the Benefit of Nickel Plating Brass?

by David Putzolu (dputzolu@cs.uiuc.edu)

Once I began noticing many reloading supplies shops listing nickel
plated brass, I began to wonder what benefits it gave. I posted a query
onto reg.guns and the majority of the replies said that
nickel plating makes the brass wear out faster, mostly due
to the fact that the nickel was stronger than the brass &
it would constrict it upon firing. Some said that nickel
plating would even reduce the useful life of brass by 1/2.

The primary use of nickel plated brass (apart from the fact that it
does not tarnish & thus is more shiny than regular brass) is when
you will be carrying brass in leather holsters or will be letting
your bullets be exposed to the elements, in which case regular
brass can corrode quite a bit, whereas the nickel plated brass
seems to hold up rather well.