How best to mark cases

[jonnnyboy]

i have started reloading 223 and 300 blk after reloading pistol for more than 25 years.  I am also a member of a small range where very few pick up their spent brass so I often spend more time just scrounging brass than shooting!  LOL!

I have been working on small lots of Lake City brass preparing them for my rifles.  After shooting, I find that my prepped brass is mingling with the other brass that's already on the ground.  It's hard to tell which have been prepped by me and which were already there.  Here's my question: how do you all mark your brass so you can easily identify it from others?

I could try one of the brass catchers but they don't have universally great reviews and even more costly, I would have to have one for each gun.

How do you guys mark your brass?

thanks, j

[Caster]

I hate rifle mounted brass catchers.  I use one that sits next to the ejection port.  Dolomite built one a few years ago from pvc pipe and a pillow case and it worked VERY well.

I've never really tried to mark it but you could take a black sharpie and color in the primer and case head.  It's will remain intact well enough to ID them.  

Flying brass is yet another reason i sold my bench AR and bought a bolt action.  

[superduty]

I use different colored Sharpies. That way,  not only do i know what brass is mine, i also know what batch of reloads each case belongs to and how many times it's been fired.

[ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ]

I found this article:

The Coloring of Brass

by Royce W. Beal

written on 17 March 1995 specifically for the readers

of the rec.guns newsgroup.

questions should be directed to me at SLQZ4~CC.USU.EDU

Read this entire essay before attempting any one treatment. If you choose to just "cut and paste" part of this, please make sure you get the safety instructions and warnings after the recipes. Under no circumstances do I consider myself liable for any accidents which occur while using any of these chemicals. Also, I do not consider myself an expert in this field and am still doing research for the FAQ. This will be a temporary article. Because I am still experimenting, I cannot vouch for all of these colors.

Concentrations and conditions Do matter. (Concentration is more important than actual volume, so if you want to use less, make sure that you use proportionately less of each ingredient) If you want good results follow the recipes closely. Above all it is important that the brass

surfaces be clean. This means an extra hour or so in the tumbler for the cases and then touch them only sparingly.

I have tried to collate recipes which will require the acquisition of the more common chemicals. I have also tried to steer clear of the really hazardous arsenic and cyanide salts (which you probably can't get anyway) If you feel that you've been cheated by this, please refer to the references section of this report and find the books for yourself in any well stocked library. It is my understanding that these are all surface coatings and should not damage or weaken the brass. obviously you will want to do this treatment with unprimed brass. Do NoT USE METAL UTENSILS (ok maybe stainless steel) Glass or Plastic containers are the preference. If you are really worried about what this is going to do to your brass, refer again to the reference section below.

TIFFANY GREEN:

Copper Sulfate................. 8 ounces

Ammonium Chloride......... .....4 ounces

Sodium Chloride........... .....4 ounces

Zinc Chloride............. .....l ounce

Acetic Acid............... .....2 ounces

Water..................... .....l gallon

 

VERDE:

Copper Nitrate................. 16 ounces

Ammonium Chloride.............. 4 ounces

Acetic Acid.................... l quart

Water.......................... l gallon

 

GREEN:

Iron ( ferric) Nitrate......... 2 ounces ( Fe(III)(No3)3)

Sodium Hyposulphite............ 8 ounces

Water.......................... 1 gallon

(use at boiling temperature, brass can be immersed

or the solution may be "painted" on)

 

HARDWARE GREEN:

Iron (ferric) Nitrate.......... l ounce (Fe(III)(No3)3)

Sodium Thiosulfate............. 6 ounces

Water.......................... l gallon

(use at 160F)

 

RED:

Iron (ferric) Nitrate.......... 6 ounces (Fe(III)(No3)3)

Sodium hyposulphite............ 6 ounces

Water

(use at 170F will speed up this reaction)

 

BLUE:

Sodium Hyposulphite............ 8 ounces

Lead Acetate................... 4 ounces

Water.......................... l gallon

(use at boiling temperature)

or

Lead Acetate................... 2 to 4 ounces

Sodium Thiosulfate............. 8 ounces

Acetic Acid.................... 4 ounces

Water.......................... l gallon

(use at 180F. This color will change if

not lacquered [Do NoT LACQUER FIREARM CARTRIDGES]

Take your chances with the color change.)

 

BLUE BLACK:

Copper Carbonate............... 1 pound

Ammonium Hydroxide............. l quart

Water.......................... 3 quarts

(Add the water after the carbonate and hydroxide

have been mixed. There must be excess Copper

Carbonate. Use at 175F. This color can be fixed

(made more permanent) by quickly dipping in a 2.5%

Sodium Hydroxide solution.)

 

BLACK:

Ammonium Hydrosulfide........... 2.25 ounces

Potassium sulfide............... 1 ounce

Water........................... 1 gallon

(use at room temperature or COOLER for best results)

 

BROWN:

Potassium Chlorate.............. 5.5 ounces

Nickel Sulfate.................. 2.75 ounces

Copper Sulfate.................. 24 ounces

Water........................... 1 gallon

(use at boiling temperature)

SAFETY:

1. NEVER taste any of these chemicals.

2. Keep very far out of the reach of children.

3. Most Nitrates are good oxidizing agents and should not be stored with anything flammable.

4. Acetic Acid has a VERY strong pungent odor. Use in well ventilated areas. This acid can be airborne in vapor form. If you feel that you have breathed enough of it to feel uncomfortable, leave the area and drink a carbonated soft drink. "Have a Coke" Do not underestimate this chemical.

5. Many of these chemicals may stain your skin or clothing. Wear rubber gloves and protective clothing including glasses of some sort.

6. Steam can cause serious burns. Solutions of salts can actually exceed the boiling point of water. The steam from these solutions can be very dangerous. BE CAREFUL WITH STEAM AND BoILING SoLUTIoNS.

7. Feel free to change concentrations for experimentation purposes but do not change the ingredients in any one recipe.

8. Always be fully awake and alert around chemicals.

CONVERSIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS:

Ounces are assumably troy ounces, even when dealing

with liquids or solutions. Do not use fluid ounces.

1 ounce = 31.103 grams = 480 grains

1 quart = 0.25 gallon = 946.4 mL

1 gallon = 3.78S L

REFERENCES:

Meyer, Walter R. title: Plating and Finishing Guidebook ninth edition - 1940 pp.72-75 (cited)

Metal Finishing Guidebook-twenty-eighth edition - 1960 article by Hall, Nathaniel

Title: Coloring of Metals pp. 477-479 (cited)

Krause, Hugo title: Metal Coloring and Finishing

Hiorns, A. H. title: Metal Coloring

Field, S and Bonney, S.R.

title: Chemical Coloring of Metals (not cited)

[Caster]

I have to wonder what that does to the brass's metallurgy.  There's a reason you do not use Brasso or other ammonia based cleaners on brass and that is why.

[leroy]

We used to put a paint dot on the primers... Pretty big headache for AR shooters...

I've got (...but have not tried...) this brass deflector   http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx

I planned to use the deflector and a ground cloth...

 

leroy

[Raoul]

Perhaps you should pick up before you shoot since you're probably already scrounging the brass anyway ( I always do...lol)

[deadeye111]

We use a king sized sheet to lay on ground to catch brass from AR shooting from bench. 

[frankmako]

i put a mark across the primer area with a black sharpie.  cheap and easy,

[jonnnyboy]

I'm leaning toward using the Sharpie to mark the cases across the bottom.  Also, I'm contemplating a fine-mesh fishing/landing net that could be mounted somehow to catch the flying 223 brass.

[Jamie Jackson]

I'm in the marker crowd.

I shot IPSC way back when, and we collectively policed our brass between stages. I used a green marker and recovered 90+% of my brass and that's with 30+ shooters. Other folks did similar. The color actually lasted for a couple of reloadings.

[The mailman]

Best way I have found to use a brass catcher is unzip the bottom of the bag so the casings will fall through.  Then lay a towel under it so the case will not roll away.  The bag doesn't get heavy with brass and pull out of position that way.

 

[Spiffy]

On 5/20/2016 at 2:45 PM, superduty said:

I use different colored Sharpies. That way,  not only do i know what brass is mine, i also know what batch of reloads each case belongs to and how many times it's been fired.

I use purple for mine and when I did a detail cleaning on my Glock I had a purple firing pin, but it wiped right off.

[jonnnyboy]

I spent a few minutes this afternoon shooting and began by marking my brass with a purple Sharpie.  Ended up only losing one piece of brass and I'm sure that one was hiding in the grass chuckling at me as I looked high and low.  It's nice to look at a brass case and immediately know if it's yours or not.

I may also try the unzipped brasscatcher.  Thanks Bluemailman.