. brass ?

[Buffalow Red]

so is nickle plated 44-40  brass pieriod correct
my boy has an orignial S&W thats nickle plated so i would think some brass was nickle plated but dont know

[St. George]

Not remotely close.

Nickel-plated brass came about far after the curtain had closed on the Frontier West - well into the 20th Century.

Nickel-plating was common on revolvers during the latter 1880's and beyond,  but never as good as it would get as procedures and metallurgy improved in time.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Buffalow Red]

so then is nickle brass outlawed in NCOWS events

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Buffalow.......
NCOWS time period ends at 1899....so no it would not be legal for NCOWS use.

Bill

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Bill & St. George are right, but it has NEVER been made into an issue.  Few people simply load using the nickle-plated brass.  It isn't specifically outlawed in the rules, probably because of the odd time that someone has to buy factory-loaded rounds ... because they don't reload ... and the ONLY thing available at that time and place ... is nickled brass rounds.

[Irish Dave]

Jeff and St. George are both correct. Even though it isn't correct for the period, no one to my knowledge has ever made an issue of it -- for obvious reasons.

While it isn't recommended (obviously), if we actively prohibited nickeled brass many of our shooters would be unable to finish a match. Most folks, especially reloaders, generally shun the nickeled cases anyway as they are more brittle and do not hold up as well for multiple reloadings.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

While it isn't recommended (obviously), if we actively prohibited nickeled brass many of our shooters would be unable to finish a match. Most folks, especially reloaders, generally shun the nickeled cases anyway as they are more brittle and do not hold up as well for multiple reloadings.

Indeed!

[River City John]

Jeff and St. George are both correct. Even though it isn't correct for the period, no one to my knowledge has ever made an issue of it -- for obvious reasons.

While it isn't recommended (obviously), if we actively prohibited nickeled brass many of our shooters would be unable to finish a match. Most folks, especially reloaders, generally shun the nickeled cases anyway as they are more brittle and do not hold up as well for multiple reloadings.

During our recent Ruckus at Raccoon Forks three-day shoot I had the opportunity to man the unloading table on several stages. There was one shooter who was using a mixed bag of both brass and nickel cases, and every stage that I was watching him unload he regularly chucked half of his nickel cases into the trash because of split cases. No idea how many reloads he had been getting out of them, but obviously not as many as with the brass.

[Dr. Bob]

When I have worked the loading and unloading tables at NCOWS shoots the only nickel cases I can remember are .38/.357.  See lots of them at times.

[Irish Dave]

I agree, Bob. I think the .38/.357 is where most of the nickeled cases are found these days. There's a crapload of 38/357 brass out there and significant percentage of it appears to be nickeled.

On the bright side, with its attrition rate as high as it is, eventually it'll be uncommon in those calibers, too, I suspect.

[Dedwood Dave]

Bill & St. George are right.

Jeff and St. George are both correct.

Reverend!

[Montana Slim]

Some military cartridges were treated with a mix called "stanic stain"....essentially a tin coating. The idea was to improve corrosion resistance, particularly when carrying ammunition in leather belts or cartridge boxes. It has been used into the present day with military "proof" cartridges, used for identification purposes.

Regards,
Slim