Best way to mark/color code brass?

[Wild Gene]

I have seen guys that will paint or mark their brass so that after a stage, theirs can be identified for return to them. What is the best way to do this? I have seen stuff that is red or maybe black across the head, but what do they use to do this? Paint could gum up the action or breechface, maybe even the fireing pin, if you use the wrong stuff. What kind of paint would work? Will a marker work? Fingernail polish? What do you guys use? Is it better left alone?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Gene

[BritinUSA]

I put my loaded rounds into a Dillon ammo case, then use a Sharpie to mark the case, next to the primer. I just leave a small black mark next to the primer, some people use two different colors and just draw lines right across each line of ammo in an 'X'.

[beginner shooter]

+1 A sharpie works great for this and they come in a variety of different colors.

[juan]

At our range it seems every body marks thier 45 brass

so I claim the unmarked ones

[fastarget]

Sharpie, get a couple of colors so it does not look like just a line like everyone else....

[Corey]

i may have to do this. any problems running the sharpie over the top of the primer?

[edison]

i may have to do this. any problems running the sharpie over the top of the primer?

Not for me. I used to color Fed. SPP Black, Fed. SRP Red, and Wolf SPP Green with a Sharpie. So if I get light-strikes/blowby/pierced/flattened primer, I'll know which brand.

They do make your striker(glock) colorful though =)

[dbxdm9]

Purple Sharpie. Draw a line across the primer and brass.

[Corey]

ive got like 15 different colors of sharpie at home. time to start coloring! its gonna look like a rainbow coming out of my sun at motches, haha

[MichiganShootist]

I bought a "tool" here on the Enos Forum which I don't believe is available any more. It allows you to sit your cartridge on it and spin it which circles the case with one or two lines drawn by sharpies that the tool holds.

It adds some time to the process for sure..... but I use it 100% of the time because it not only marks the case... if there is a split in the case it will bind on the sharpie tip letting you know something is wrong and if you have a high primer the case will wobble. I use various colors based on the load of cartridge so it serves a lot of purposes.

I never reload during the summer (That's what long Michigan Winters are for)so if it takes a few seconds more per cartridge.... it doesn't bother me. Especially at indoor ranges I get a VERY high percentage of my cases back

[fastarget]

Neat tool, who was making these?

[Chris Keen]

Hosercam.com

[Wild Gene]

Chris, this was on www.hosercam.com:

"I am no longer making or selling Brass Master Double Stripers.

I am no longer making or selling HoserCam systems. I will continue service and repairs until October 2008."

That is too bad, it looked like a really good deal.

Thanks to everyone that has answered. A Sharpie it is.

Gene

Edited April 27, 2010 by Wild Gene

[Pat Miles]

I set the loaded round in a small V block, give it a quick spin and put the red stripe in the extractor groove. Cake walk! I'm using a Pilot Broad Super Color Marker in red which I buy at a local artsy fartsy store. Very easy to ID when laying on the ground. I've found my brass a month later. I probably get 99.9% of my brass back.

Regards,

Pat

[Chris Keen]

Make your own. I made one out of a block of wood, in which I drilled a couple different size holes by using a cone-shaped step-bit, 1 hole for 9mm, 1 for 40, etc. the I figured out a way to strap one of those giant marks-a-lot markers to it, and did it myself.

Cheaper, easier, and no shipping involved!

[Chills1994]

do a search for my screenname and "stripe" or "striper" I'm sure my old thread will come up with pics of the gadget I made.

[gfmun]

I have a small hobby vise that uses suction cups to hold it to the table. I put a two large sharpies in it ( different colors ) and spin each cartridge and end up with contrasting lines all the way around the cartridge. The only trick is to angle each sharpie so both lines will work at the same time. I also wear latex gloves to keep the colors off my hands. Mine is easy to see on the ground.

George

[Scott Steele]

You may look into DYKEM. It's a layout fluid used for scribing. Drill some holes into 4x4, set rounds in holes and paint one or both sides lightly. It's worked fine, no problems. It's made in red and blue that I know of.

It's the easiest way to identify your brass on ground, the brass looks like it's been candy red coated.

[Romey]

I use a sharpie as well, once I have the ammo in box I run red line through them. One line for 230 gr , a "X" for 200gr and so on just so I can quickly dbl check Im into the right box or right mags. After awhile others at the range I compete with quickly learned what my brass looked like as well.

Some use nail polish, some use other marking methods, another shooter uses a sharpie with a different color ect.

[CenTX]

i may have to do this. any problems running the sharpie over the top of the primer?

No problems at all. Sometimes I will mark Winchester primers before priming the cases and never had a problem. You would see the color on the breech face, but just cleaned it off when cleaning the gun.

[blind bat]

I can't wait until someone comes up with a Easter egg coloring kit for ammo.

I don't bother marking my brass since most of what I shoot is 9mm which is plentiful at the ranges around here. I generally toss marked brass since I know where it's been.

Edited April 28, 2010 by blind bat

[MemphisMechanic]

A single blue sharpie stripe across the back of the center of the case and primer for me.

I'm not going to mark thousands individually. But striping 10 rows in a 100rd box is really quick.

[LPatterson]

Hosercam Brass Master, red stripe because it shows up in the grass better. Two colors for special loads until they pass accuracy and chrono tests.

[Bob DuBois]

Sharpie line across a 100 count ammo box, also checks for high primers, super comp cases I missed during 38 Super reloading. I tumble loaded rounds and spin them in a media separator to see if any primers are loose in the cases.

I might drop them in a cardboard box to take to the match but check them in an ammo box.

We'll use different colors and I usually get most of it back. Not uncommon for shooters three or four places back hand you your brass that you missed or for me to give someone else theirs.

Shooting IDPA we usually pick it up after the match and split it. Mine is marked, old habit. I seldom get mine back but usually come out ahead.

[CocoBolo]

Dykem on 38Super Comp because newbs don't drop them like 40 and 9 mm. 2x6 drilled with a 100 holes (used drill press) throw them in the holes put a strip of masking tape on the primer side then give them a squirt with either read or blue.

I cover the primer side because even though folks that have been doing this since the 80's said it would not gum things up, wrong, stopped my AFTEC, stopped the firing pin but other than that for us near sighted folks it makes it easy to find brass, see one the others are close.

I tried the sharpie, not enough for me to see and too time consuming. When you shoot with other good shooters they return your brass.

I've been looking before and found nada, then I see someone with a hand full of them, mine, easy to spot the red on a white palm.