Just finished up hundreds of rounds (grandkids shot it all up) and had some split cases. All but one were the nickel plated cases. Interesting.

One of the many reasons I meticulously inspect
every case I'm going to process and load

I've had new out of the box 44 mag ammo split
down the side and some split all the way through
the case head into the primer pocket.
I was thankful I was using a rifle with a strong
breech. Winchester white box 44 magnum 240 gr JSP

It can happen at any time

normal.

nickel doesn't like to be "belled" and "crimped"

too brittle

IMO

Nickel plated .357 cases are more brittle, less malleable. I usually cull them from used brass lots and resell them to people that think they're better.

I used to just clean them and throw them in a freezer bag in the misc box. A friend that I have been shooting with for over 20 years asked me to load some up for him because he could not find any. He got 100 rounds as a present. He likes the look. They go through his Marlin lever gun. He's saving the brass for a reload. I don't know how many times they can be reloaded. Hoping I don't ever have to trim them.

This thread had me going off taking inventory. I found 5 unopened bags of new Winchester Brass. I may put it in the Classifieds to help out some folks. New .357 brass looks to be scarce. I still have over 300 loaded rounds and all the components for another 200.

Question on brass cases, not nickel coated.

Since the case mouth gets flared opened, then crimped, then fired, is annealing pistol brass case mouths a thing?

Good question.

I've wondered the same. One idea I've had is to dip handgun case mouths about an eighth of an inch in molten bullet alloy for a couple of seconds. I don't know whether that would be effective or if there's too much risk of softening the case head so I have never tried it.

I’ve done it on some 454 cases. I’m not sure if it will make much of a difference.

Op, nickel cases don’t seem to last as long as non-plated cases. There’s no telling how many thousands of nickel plated cases I’ve loaded, but they always seem to be the first to crack. I also mostly load mixed headstamp range brass, so who knows how many times it’s been fired.

I was also idly wondering if brass pistol cases would last longer if they were annealed. I never have annealed one, but just shoot them and reload, and repeat. When they split, I throw them away. They do seem to last a long time. I don’t load the 38’s very hot, but the 357’s are pretty warm.

I think I loaded about 450 38/357 rounds, and there were about 10 split cases, only one was brass.

Never had a 357 split but I shoot 38's until they do.

I doubt annealing would help much in straight walled revolver brass because most failures are splits nearly the entire length of the body. I've had all the calibers split that way on me. They just wear out.

They last such a long time I see no reason to anneal.I flare them as little as possible in order to get the bullet started. Haven't had a split case mouth in a while. When I do, it's just the mouth. Never had a split go very far down the case.

I have never heard of anyone routinely annealing pistol brass as maintenance.

I've had .357 cases split, and they are usually the nickel cases. But it is not much of a problem. It's only an occasional thing, and I see them when I'm sizing.

I picked up the pilots for 357 and 44 to anneal on the AMP but haven’t yet.
I had a bag of new 44 mag that I am now on the 2nd firing. I am going anneal when
I finish 2x for the bag. Only takes a few minutes and can’t hurt. Same with the 357.
These are subs shot in 77/xx rifles