Best way to mark/color code brass?

[Jan R.]

I use the red sharpie in the extractor groove. 1+ for shooting with nice people who return your marked brass. It goes fast when we look for each others brass!!

Jan

[Jan R.]

Red sharpie in the extractor groove. Don't like to paint the cases, I've heard of extractor failures as a prior poster noted.

Jan

[Jan R.]

Sorry for the 2X post!

[ignantmike]

how about dotting the bottom of the brass with a bingo marker????.....should work out o.k......and no, i'm not an old guy playing bingo

[sargenv]

If ya shoot moon clips you always get your brass back, in 6's, 7's, or 8's.. and no need to mark it

Otherwise.. I use one of those double stripers from Hosercam..

[NickJ]

I check all my match ammo with a case gauge, then stripe it with a Sharpie. It helps get my brass back. also tells me that it's been checked.

[Parabellum]

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

Hilarious! I was thinking of etching mine but Sharpie seems easier. I have lost so many brass in the grass though... if only brass was magnetic!

[Wendytww]

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

Hilarious! I was thinking of etching mine but Sharpie seems easier. I have lost so many brass in the grass though... if only brass was magnetic!

they have magnetic spray paint....

[bdpaz]

The absolute best way to mark brass is to have someone else do it. I use our receptionist at work. No, it isn't cruel! She likes to have something to do between calls when she is caught up on all her actual work duties.

[Aglifter]

I was thinking about having some kind of stamp made - that way I could put a unique pattern on the brass, fairly quickly - anyone try that?

[GrumpyOne]

There is another post on marking brass, here is how I mark mine.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=103769&view=findpost&p=1185753

[latech15]

I always just figure out what everybody else is marking theirs and do the same. That way I get to steal their brass too.

[Tom S.]

Give Starline a call and tell them you want some brass made with your name as the head stamp. I think you only need to order 100,000.

[pgh george]

I always just figure out what everybody else is marking theirs and do the same. That way I get to steal their brass too.

I think I must be shooting with you.

That would explain it.

[joecichlid]

Although I hand prime all my brass and double check the primers to insure they are seated before I load the ammo I still check them once more:

Loaded ammo goes into *your brand* 100 round ammo box, primers up. Once I insure that the primers are all good to go and the ammo is loaded to the same length I run a sharpy across each row and each col. to get a colored X on each headstamp. it also helps me sort my brass once I get it home.

Black X means local match brass, not TOO worried if I don't get it all back.

Blue or Green X means new brass, once or twice fired and that gets seperated from the Black X

Red X means throw away brass, primer pockets getting pretty loose and not to be used in a match

This works for me, YMMV.

Joe W.

[xcelr8hard]

This is how I do it now.

Cobbled this together from copier parts. The brass spins around, I put the sharpie in the

extractor groove and give it a flick.

Butch

[Jeff686]

I was thinking about having some kind of stamp made - that way I could put a unique pattern on the brass, fairly quickly - anyone try that?

Problem with having a stamp made is that you have to be very careful about the ink. The standard 'stamp pad' ink used on paper DOES NOT work on brass. Yes, it marks it, but doesn't dry! Fingers get all dirty and inky and sticky, and the ink comes off in the box or magazine. Yuck.

[Reshoot]

I put my cartridges in 50 round plastic cases, bullet end down, and "paint" the entire head with a broad tip premanent (red) marker. The guys on my local squad glady return them to me if I miss some. However, the biggest reason I do this is to identify ammo that has been through the case length gage / barrel drop test. A process I usually do not do for rounds I fire here at home. I have a stage on the back of my property . . . . 3 steel plates, 12 poppers, 2 dissappearing paper targets and 2 or more paper targets. So, the only brass on the ground belongs to me

Dave

Edited August 14, 2010 by Reshoot

[Jeff686]

Anyone ever try to put ink into one of those RCBS lube dies, and use it in the last stage of the press?

[gohuskers]

Here are some idea from another thread - including an ink pad on the bottom of the crimp die.

My link

Edited August 17, 2010 by gohuskers

[38SuperDub]

This is how I do it now.

Cobbled this together from copier parts. The brass spins around, I put the sharpie in the

extractor groove and give it a flick.

Butch

Butch - Can I place my order for 1???

LOL Great idea.

[blind bat]

gohuskers - that's a cool idea. How often do you need to "refill" the ink pad?

[Jeff Matzka]

I check all my match ammo with a case gauge, then stripe it with a Sharpie. It helps get my brass back. also tells me that it's been checked.

+1. Been doin' the same thing since the early 90's.

[jmorris]

The only problem with marking the bottom is that it can be hard to spot.

While watching my roll sizer spinning brass down the die a few weeks ago I though a milled slot and some felt would make for one(or more) very fast stripe and it wouldn’t be an extra step.

[BMartens]

Marking brass on the side of the case by hand is just way to slow if you shoot any volume of reloads.

Marking the head is easy and quick and only matters after it is picked up anyway. I'm old enough that once I bend over I'm going to pick up just about everything within reach anyway, and sort it out later.