How do you mark batches of brass?

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SigScirocco

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Hello Reloaders,
I was wondering how you mark batches of brass when reloading? I can only imagine markers will rub off. I was thinking of using an engraver on the lightest setting and mark low on the brass, where I would consider it the strongest? Your input would be appreciated,
Thanking you in advance,
Shawn
 
sharpies are great for a couple of reasons. you can write the load on the side and you can change colors for each time the case has been reloaded. It doesn't extend the life of your brass but it makes it easy to keep track of when to re anneal them.

I also color code the boxes with the same color as the base.
 
The question has to be, why do you want to mark your brass?
I keep my lots separated, but by keeping them in their own containers with a record label so that I can keep track of which lot I am using.
If I have to mark a few, such as when I am working up loads, I will use a permanent marker on the case. It gets cleaned off when I tumble them after firing.
 
I can't see that being practical for more than batches of 50 to maybe 100 cases. After that it becomes super tedious to mark the brass in any manner.

One thing is for sure. Engraving anything on the sides is a real no-no. Even a reloading newbie like me has a feel for how wrong such a thing would be.

Some of the headstamps I've seen don't leave much room for extra markings to be stamped in. Even if they do I'm a little loathe to use a punch since that tends to displace metal and that may cause fit issues. If the punch marks don't bulge the rim they at least raise a light ridge around the punch mark and for some extremely demanding uses may interfere with the headspace or bolt face lockup or something such as that.

If I were to ever want to mark my batches of brass I think I'd use a jeweler's magnifying hood and cut very small notches into the rim with a fine cut jeweller's triangle file. One light stroke would produce a very small notch that would be only just barely visible as a notch compared to a scratch. And if the notches were indexed to the same spots using something on the headstamp as a place indicator you could use a binary code to track up to 8 batches of cases with only three notch positions which may be marked or not to indicate a "1" or "0" respectively. With small enough notches I can't see it interfering with the operation of the cartridge and because the file stroke is strictly removing metal there's no displaced metal to interfere with any othe aspect of the chambering that I can see. And being on the rim it's not subjected to the internal pressure like the sides are so no issues with creating weak spots there either.

From there just log the times they are used. And when a batch reaches its "end of life" retire all the brass in that batch to the scrap bin and mark a new batch with that binary code and record it in the log book.

Yes, I guess I am a computer nerd.... :D
 
I'm unsure what you're marking on them as well.

For me, I get a group of brass (for rifle generally 2-300, pistol is in the 5,000 range). I shoot it until it can't shoot any more (logging number of firings & trimmings), chuck it, get new batch.

For load development, it's sandwich bags with sharpie on outside.
 
I use MTM boxes and post it notes over each row of test loads or a sierra load sticker on the box if it's a proven load. I used to mix it up and not track it, but you end up throwing out good brass that way. If I haven't got any other way a sharpie color in the primer(I use mostly CCI or Fed, so they are silver) black or red and you can seperate a few that way. As was mentioned you may not see some danger signs that way.

JT.
 
That would be my method as well. If I didn't load the entire batch at one time I'd just keep separate boxes for the once fired and twice fired until the "once" box is empty due to the last reloading session. At that point it would become the "thrice fired" and so on.
 
BCRider said:
That would be my method as well. If I didn't load the entire batch at one time I'd just keep separate boxes for the once fired and twice fired until the "once" box is empty due to the last reloading session. At that point it would become the "thrice fired" and so on.
Click to expand...

Large freezer baggies work very well for this and they have a spot for using a marker on them. So far, I haven't found it an issue to keep batches of brass in a group, like most of the guys here.

Mark
 
Many of the die-hard BPCR shooters cut a small notch in the rim and have their bullet molds marked so that they can align the bullet in the brass the same everytime and then align the case in the chamber the same for every shot.

A notch in the rim or a light stamp on the head are both safe and easy. Bit of a pain if you were to do 500 or something though.

I find it helpful for dealing with some of my brass because you do not have to clean only 20 or 50 at a time to keep them from getting mixed up. Handy when you have 200 dirty and need to get them loaded the next day.
 
I throw once fired rifle brass in a box. After its been reloaded and shot, I throw it in the 2x box, and so on. I'm going to go through all my 223, 308 and 300WM brass that way. Handgun I just shoot it till it cracks. Special loads just get placed in separate MTM boxes or if I only loaded a small number, they get segregated at one end of the box and I mark something on the box with masking tape.
 
Thanks for the input

Thanks for your input. The reason I asked this question is the Lyman Reloading Handbook 49th editon pg. 52 states "Caution: With each trimming you may remove from 0.0005" to 0.0015" of material. After the fourth trimming, a total of as much as 0.060" of material will have been removed...............Therefore, never trim a case more than four times. When a fifth trimming is needed, discard the entire lot of cases."

I was kinda disappointed by the "mr.darwin" remark to my suggestion of lightly engraving the base of case aka the head. So I then emailed Nolser bullets and put forward the same question:

"G'Morning,
What are the acceptable ways of permanently marking batches of brass? Markers will rub off after cleaning. Is there any location on the shell that can be lightly engraved? can you scratch a mark on the base or lower section of the case? Thanking you in advance,
Shawn"

Within 12 hours I received this reply from Nolser, "A slight scratch or notch in the rim."
So thanks again for the input. I'll go ahead with the notch in the rim.
Shawn
 
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