300BlkTalk

I was sizing (not forming) brass last night, about 3-400 pieces, and there were a couple of those new Noveske ones in there from the 220 grain glow tips. Probably went through 300+ pieces without a hitch, then of course the rim pulled off the Noveske case. Pulled off really easy, like with the same amount of force that a normal case would come out with. This is my first stuck case, so I'll have to figure that out, but what I found odd was the look of the underlying metal. It doesn't really look like brass, more of a mustardy color with a very rough texture. I'd post a pic, but I mangled it with pliers trying to get it out (and breaking my decapping rod in the process).

If it's not brass under there, and the rims are weak, who's to say my extractor doesn't pull one off at the wrong moment, like when I really need that case out of my chamber?

Anyone have a way of figuring out if it's brass or not?

Is it magnetic? If so then it's a steel case that's been plated. Scape at it and if it's still yellow in the scrape then it should be brass. The alloy could be a bit off with the tin and copper or the heat treating may have gotten to the base during annealing. Forgot to add it could be contaminated by mercury maybe as that will degrade brass. Doubt that one but trying to think of any and all possibilities. There's probably a more obvious one that I'm forgetting. Sure the case hasn't been reloaded hot multiple times?

Here's something odd. No way are they magnetic, right? $2+ a round premium stuff from Nosler/Noveske. So I stick a magnet to a strip of the rim, and it sticks, kinda. Makes me think the plating is magnetic, as sometimes it'll stick, sometimes it won't. Either way, that rim came off way too easily, think I'll probably scrap the remaining glossy black cases and stick with a proven material.

It's supposed to be black nickel plated brass. In theory, it should act the same as regular nickel plated but evidently it does not. Maybe the extra step of the black nickel weakens the brass?

Or they use cheap brass to begin with but being Noveske/Nosler, you wouldn't think so. Maybe you just hit a bum case, or did they all fail?

A couple were difficult to pull out, but so were some of the LC, GFL, and R-P cases, so I'll attribute that to One Shot being uneven. I wouldn't think N&N would use cheap brass either, but then again I got a box of Nosler CC 77s during the panic that would be seconds for sure these days, and I paid full price, so maybe they were just trying to get product out the door. I drilled and threaded the primer hole to pull the case out with a bolt, and ended up breaking the bolt off in the case body, so that part of the "brass" is certainly strong. Could be a fluke, who knows.

I tried reloading this but was unhappy with the results. Upon the first sizing (full length), the black coating rubbed off the neck area so now the case looks "distressed". The nickel finish shows through the scratched up black coating. I guess it's fine if you don't care about the appearance, although wiping the case lube with a paper towel left a lot of black residue on the towel - not sure what that would do to the gun, or the die, in the long term.