How Do You Mark Cases to Recover at Range?

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jmorris said:
Well I didn’t make those devices. I am the guy that shows up at the range the day after the sanctioned match after everyone has picked up the easy cases with tools like the bag a nut and nut wizard but neither can get all the cases that fall into cracks in the ground.

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The nut wizard does a little better on uneven ground but still leaves a lot behind.

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So I made a manifold that would seal to two 5 gallon buckets and connected a leaf blower/mulcher connected to the rear bucket. On the end I machined a hunk of aluminum to use the quick connect shop vac hose I had with a PVC extension to keep my back straight.

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Set the throttle high enough light debris like grass and dirt, stay in the air stream and exits through the mulcher back to the range. Low enough it won’t pick up heavy debris like clods of dirt or rocks and then the brass gets sucked up and drops out in the buckets. You get it all at that point, like you were on your hands and knees picking them out with needle nose pliers.

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On the drive home you think more about cleaning the 17 gallons of brass you just sucked up than marking them for next time you leave them on the range.
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Amazing! You got me.

But! Did you make a separator that humanely removes the moles, voles, and shrews? Or are they used for your new organic case lube?

BTW, I found the DAA thing but it’s 119 Euros? and only works on progressives. Where does the manual stripper come from?
 
I often use a thin tip white paint pen to trace the recessed edge of the primer pocket once loaded. Survives a few cycles of reloading when cleaned in the ultrasonic without agitation and I've yet to see any other shooters using white paint. There is some risk of fouling the gun, but for the past few years I've only found traces and it cleans up easily.
 
SingleActionAndrew said:
I often use a thin tip white paint pen to trace the recessed edge of the primer pocket once loaded. Survives a few cycles of reloading when cleaned in the ultrasonic without agitation and I've yet to see any other shooters using white paint. There is some risk of fouling the gun, but for the past few years I've only found traces and it cleans up easily.
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Now we’re talking.
 
I hadn’t seen this one yet but it would be pretty easy to throw together.


This device was sold to lube cases on their way from the collator to the case feeding device.

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Once everyone at the range is putting stripes around their brass, the linear stripes would be more distinguishing. :)
 
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The ultimate brass marking. This guy is a automation and machining genius in Europe. Apparently there is a legal requirement to mark all reloaded ammunition sold wherever he lives. So he's built this system that works with the output from his press using a sort of brass sorter, and shoots the output into the laser etcher. He can also program it to etch whatever he wants on them. I find this guys work to be unbelievably fascinating. I'll add a piece about another thing he built, a brass collator and sorter by headstamp..he built it from scratch, modeled after the big Mark 7 Case Feed system. He has the output into an optical recognition system hooked up to a laptop. It takes an image of each headstamp and compares it. Based on headstamp, it opens a solenoid to a given chute that puts it in the right bucket. Then he has one for unknown.


laser-etching-2.jpg laser-etching.jpg
 
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No indoor ranges anywhere close to me and only one outdoor one. Finding my brass is no problem as the brass scrounges keep everything clean. In warm weather I get there before dawn and they are out with flashlights collecting.
 
Fortunately my range discourages scroungers and will confront them. They ask that you only pick up your brass. Though I usually end up with more 9mm brass and less .380 brass (I think .380 brass goes to the same place socks hide). The RO normally come in and sweep most of the brass on the range as it accumulates, but if you tell them you're keeping your own brass they won't sweep around your area. Prevents the issues the issues with the range scroungers.
 
Scroungers are not an issue at either indoor range I use—you’re allowed to collect your own brass only. And, never over the firing line of course and if strictly enforced not out side your “box” but usually not strictly enforced.

And you’re supposed to sweep your box clean (over the firing line) if you don’t collect.

My goal is simply to ensure I can clearly distinguish between my brass and that of any other collector who happens along.
 
EricBu said:
The ultimate brass marking. This guy is a automation and machining genius in Europe. Apparently there is a legal requirement to mark all reloaded ammunition sold wherever he lives. So he's built this system that works with the output from his press using a sort of brass sorter, and shoots the output into the laser etcher. He can also program it to etch whatever he wants on them. I find this guys work to be unbelievably fascinating. I'll add a piece about another thing he built, a brass collator and sorter by headstamp..he built it from scratch, modeled after the big Mark 7 Case Feed system. He has the output into an optical recognition system hooked up to a laptop. It takes an image of each headstamp and compares it. Based on headstamp, it opens a solenoid to a given chute that puts it in the right bucket. Then he has one for unknown.


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Special order: if found please return to: P.O. Box 123
 
While the brass chickens are out, I actually am at the berm getting lead. I wait until everyone has had their fill before I go after brass.
 
Mine are easy to spot because they have load development on the side of the case 90% of the time. That would not be a good answer if your competition shooting because your load is already dialed. Speed is important in volume situations so I would sharpy down the side of the case because everyone else marks the heads.
 
I sharpy the whole head, occasionally just a stripe if I'm in a hurry or to distinguish some special load. Few other people do this here.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
I use sharpies as well for my ladder and seating and whatever else I’m doing at the time. Most of my load review or testing is at 500 yards and beyond so I color the ogive if each incremental load that transfers to white freezer wrap that’s easily identified when I drive down and connect the dots
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When I'm looking for accuracy I just shoot different + marks on the one target. I take a picture on my phone & use the marker function to put the powder gr weights on it, then add it to my file on my computer.

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If that's whiteout, I'd worry about it flaking off into the gun. I've had the thought too it might impact headspace, but I'm leaning that won't be a problem.

As long as you use a marker on your brass, I doubt you'll fight with someone with the same mark that often. I shoot bullseye and simply having an X with black sharpie 45deg from each other. BE folks mark brass a lot, and I rarely find anyone with that mark. On top of that. there is the 50/50 on the primer color too!
 
For some situations, I just reload handgun brass straight from the range. For most situations, I stick with one headstamp, and keep each batch together, so all brass has been fired the same number of times.

To keep track of the number of loadings, I use Sharpies to make a ring around the primer.

Silver for annealed and trimmed.

Black for once fired.

Red for twice fired.

Orange for three times fired.

(Skip yellow. Too hard to see.)

Green for four times fired.

After that, back to annealing and trimming.
 
Soupy44 said:
If that's whiteout, I'd worry about it flaking off into the gun. I've had the thought too it might impact headspace, but I'm leaning that won't be a problem.

As long as you use a marker on your brass, I doubt you'll fight with someone with the same mark that often. I shoot bullseye and simply having an X with black sharpie 45deg from each other. BE folks mark brass a lot, and I rarely find anyone with that mark. On top of that. there is the 50/50 on the primer color too!
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I did say but not clearly it was a sharpie paint pen. Thinner and presumably more sticky than white out.

Until last week I too doubted I’d get another reloader immediately next to me AND shooting 45acp AND using marked cases AND the markings were mostly black sharpie Xs like mine.

It’s the problem with probabilities. But as long as I’m marking cases, my inner contingency planner tells me to plan for another black swan event and make the marks as unique as reasonably possible. So I’m using the dots but think I’ll try a painted ring inside the extractor groove as I learned here so everyone can quickly ID my cases as they lie in the floor.
 
I don't mark my brass for personal identification, as somebody said above 9mm is lose a penny, find a penny. As long as there is nobody shooting 9 Major nearby.

I am shooting .45 ACP indoors where everybody else is shooting 9mm or maybe .40, so I get nearly all of it back, others even help.

I have some .45 Small which I will use on a once - through basis. Everybody curses it but I have found an application.

I mark primers and bullets for color coding of trial loads. Fire the shot and the markings are gone, ready for the next cycle.

Rounds that are marginal in the cartridge gauge get marked "PD" for Pop and Drop, I won't bother loading those cases agin.
 
Until last week I too doubted I’d get another reloader immediately next to me AND shooting 45acp AND using marked cases AND the markings were mostly black sharpie Xs like mine.
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I shoot Bullseye and see a lot of people using a black sharpie to mark the rim with an "X". It was one reason I opt to use a color sharpie and only marking a secton of the rim to stand out.

Then again, there are times I think of recovering my brass is like playing a slot machine. Shoot five rounds and pick-up four. On the other hand, if I really wanted to find all my cases, I would mow the grass in front of the firing line.
 
bummer7 said:
I shoot Bullseye and see a lot of people using a black sharpie to mark the rim with an "X". It was one reason I opt to use a color sharpie and only marking a secton of the rim to stand out.

Then again, there are times I think of recovering my brass is like playing a slot machine. Shoot five rounds and pick-up four. On the other hand, if I really wanted to find all my cases, I would mow the grass in front of the firing line.
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On a formerly typical day (no one competing for my brass) I would lose 10% ahead of firing line or into some black hole or elsewhere and I hate that.

I don’t want to lose any for any reason and since 45acp is uncommon when/where I’m shooting, I never get anyone else’s to balance it out. A first world problem to be sure.
 
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