Down side of using nail polish or laquer on primers?

[cheygriz]

Other than your time, there is no downside to sealing primers/bullets.

OTOH, at least IMHO, unless you're preparing the ammo for long term (over 2 years) storage, there is no upside.

For long term storage, I use nail polish that is thinned over the primer, wiping any excess off of the crown of the primers. The thinned polish runs down the sides of the primer for a good seal.

I brush a little on the case mouth and wipe off excess there as well.

Is any of this needed? Probably not. But if I plan to store the ammo for a long period, it gives me the warm fuzzies!

 

[Malamute]

Interesting point. When I load ammo, I generally have little or no idea when it will be shot up. I have some ammo, even some I use for carry ammo in different guns that I loaded as far back as the 1980s. I shoot what very little factory ammo (unless cheap surplus) very seldom. I think I have a partial box of 357s my dad had in the 70s that's part of my carry ammo for that caliber, and I'm using some 30-06 factory ammo he bought in the 70s as my hunting stash. The 200 rds of 180 gr stuff he bought as a hedge against some prospective situation involving a fan somehow, will probably last out my lifetime as hunting ammo. For practice I shoot other stuff. I think my "other stuff" 06 ammo I loaded in the late 80s. Its surplus otherwise.

 

[Sunray]

"...they rub off..." So will nail polish. Mind you, writing on each case is time consuming. So is colouring 'em. Absolutely will not bother anything though. Boxes let you sort the loads easily. You don't take the cartridge out of the box until it's going into the mag.
"...using a toothpick..." Worked on plastic models when I was a kid. So will the brush thing that comes with the nail polish.
"...a belt slide..." Leather? That'll wear anything off. Leather, especially the flesh side, is abrasive stuff. Your .358's a Win? Try a .30-06 stripper clip. Only holds 5 though.
"...trying to look masculine at the Walgreens cosmetic counter..." Dollar store. Way less expensive for the same thing.
"...tend to end up with..." Wait 'til you're older. I have stuff I have no idea what it is or where it came from. snicker.

 

[hdwhit]

Biggest down side is trying to look masculine at the Walgreens cosmetic counter trying to decide among your favorite colors.

If I'm getting my nail polish at the dollar store, I don't worry about about.

If I'm getting a better quality nail polish from the drug store or the cosmetic store, I just my wife or daughter-in-law to pick it up for me.

If I didn't have a wife, I'd get a girlfriend and ask her to pick it up for me - once she knew me well enough to know that I was painting my brass and not my toenails.

If I couldn't get a girlfriend, I'd just put on a pink button-down oxford shirt and tell the lady at the cosmetic counter I just wanted to look "fabulous!"

 

[hdwhit]

"...trying to look masculine at the Walgreens cosmetic counter..." Dollar store. Way less expensive for the same thing.

I beg to differ on this one.

I have been "sealing" primers in reloaded cartridges since the 1980's. Before the dollar stores started, I would get cheap nail polish from mail order catalogs (no worry about looking masculine) and my girlfriend at the time would buy more expensive nail polish at the local Fred's Pharmacy or a department store like Penney's or Dillards.

P.S. figure out where those three chains overlapped in the 1980's and you will know where I was living at the time - give or take 100 miles.​

My experience was that the more expensive the nail polish the more finely ground the pigments. Cheap nail polish (i.e. $1 a bottle) seemed more likely to leave that colored ring on the bolt face I mentioned in a prior post than did a quality nail polish (i.e. $3 a bottle). I don't consider this a big deal since the ring doesn't foul the firing pin and is easily removed with Hoppe's #9. The big difference I experienced was that the expensive nail polishes were less likely to "smear" and discolor the case head.

 

[hdwhit]

Hondo 60 wrote:
If the OP wants to color the primers, let him/her.

Thank you.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Edit: Thanks for ALL the comments about sharpies, that's NOT what Im looking for, as Ive mentioned several times through the thread.....

Are there any known potential down sides or problems with using colored nail polish or lacquer paint on primers? (around the circumference, like .mil loads sometimes are) My primary reason is for identification of the loads. Ive usually used different headstamps for varying loads, but Ive come into a bunch of similar brass I want to use for several different loads and a couple bullet weights of otherwise identical factory loads (or nearly identical). First thought of using colored nail polish (which I already have), can it be thinned a little to make it easier to use without causing problems with primers? Im doubting it would be a problem, but I certainly don't know everything, so am asking.

Since you reworded things, other issues come into play. Yes, you can thin nail polish. Acetone is the proper solvent. You could probably use lacquer thinner, it has acetone in it. Shouldn't cause a problem as long as your primers seat tight.

I'm trying to figure out why you are looking for a permanent marking for a temporary situation. If you only apply the paint to the primer, it will go away when you decap. If you apply the paint in the stamped lettering you won't have to re-apply for the next loading. I know you have your reasons for doing this, I'm saying it's a lot more work than needed. You will not seal the primer with paint or nail polish. This is why most use the markers. A circle around the primer will not rub off, it goes down into the crack too. Just saying to give you something to consider. We all have our kinks when we load.

Isn't it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?

Ain't that the truth!

 

[Archie]

I only put labels on ammo boxes for quick identification on shelves.

I put all the test ammo for chronograph testing in a separate carrier, in boxes marked with caliber type and internal labels identifying the loads for comparison.

For 'production' ammunition, all practice or training ammunition - which shoots with the same velocity and registers on target the same as the 'carry' ammuntion - have round noses. Either RNJ or RNL, depending on the caliber. (Nearly all revolver rounds are lead, most semi-auto rounds are jacketed.)

All 'carry' ammunition is either hollow point, SWC or full wadcutter, depending. Or factory type in specific fifty round boxes. Hunting ammo for rifles is very much the same, except a 'soft point' type bullet.

I don't use colored primer sealant for anything. I don't have any objection to sealing primers, but I don't worry too much about getting wet, personally. If a bit of sealer comes off in the weapon, most guns need cleaning sooner or later. I doubt the nail polish primer sealer will cause a malfunction in the course of a magazine or two.

 

[Malamute]

Its fine if the color goes away when the case is reloaded, it may not be the same load next time.

I had a feeling the higher cost nail polish was a better grade. I asked a lady (customer) in the drug store about that when getting more colors, she thought they all held up the same. I was skeptical, but went ahead and bought cheaper grade for primers. The white base coat and bright orange I use for sights has held up pretty well. If thinning it, the bottle would last longer and may be easier to get to flow out around the primer without as much work. Will have to experiment and see what happens. I'm now armed with toothpicks to try that angle.

The US Mil has used colored lacquer for primers for ages, Ive used .mil 30-06 ammo and foreign 308/7.62 Nato that was decades old and didnt have problems with the lacquer gunking anything up (or coming off before use), even the cheaper quality commie steel case ammo that left a lacquer ring still didnt seem to cause trouble. The original reason to ask was if it would cause trouble with the primer when first put on before it dried, but the stuff dries so fast, even if it would have a negative reaction with the priming compound, I don't think it has time to soak in.

It seemed weird at first looking for nail polish, I even asked one of the ladies that worked at walmart for help, but it didn't bother me very long. She looked curious, or perhaps dubious why I was looking for certain colors of polish, once I told her it was for sights, she seemed to have more enthusiasm to help get the right colors. I ended up with two girls from walmart helping find the brightest orange and whitest white of good grade polish. This is in country where people take their kids out of school to hunt, if you get stopped for traffic tickets, you end up talking hunting and guns with the police officer. Anyway, I ended up with Maybeline for my sights, and the recent polish expedition, whatever looked good for color for primers without consideration of quality. I think Ive had the Maybeline on most of my pistol sights for 2 or 3 years, Ive only had very small corners of the polish chip on guns that get carried daily, including free range pocket carry. If anything, it filled in the sharp serrations on the front sight, I don't think the pockets have been wearing holes as much since coloring the front sight on the J.

 

[Bart B.]

I've never had problems using sealer (Markron, not Maybelline) around the primer: in fact I've always thought that it might help cushion the primers around the flat edges for max loads.

Why do primers need cushioning from maximum loads? Do they bruise easily? Or bent out of shape too much making it hard to reload them with new pellet, seal and anvil after flattening the dent from firing pin impact?

Where on the 'net can I read about cushioning primer's edges? Never heard of such stuff.

But sealing the necks can definitely lead to buildup of sealer in the barrel, I found that out.

.
What problems does that cause?

Military match ammo's had neck sealants for decades. 1/3rd MOA accuracy with Sierra match bullets at 100 yards. Sub MOA at 1000. It's a asphalt base sealer.

 

[cheygriz]

quore

Military match ammo's had neck sealants for decades. 1/3rd MOA accuracy with Sierra match bullets at 100 yards. Sub MOA at 1000. It's a asphalt base sealer.[/QUOTE]

Does anyone here use that stuff???

I found out that Ortho-Gro tree and limb sealant is basically the same stuff, but I'm curious about the best way to apply it.

 

[Malamute]

I finished coloring the primers on a box of factory 357s, it took about 5 minutes with a toothpick for the second half of the box I did. Its OK, I think it will work out well enough for my purposes. Did about 4, wiped them off, did another group. A headlamp and magnifier glasses help. The light isn't great at my desk. The toothpick wasted less polish and didn't take as much clean up.

Thanks for all the comments guys.

 

[hdwhit]

It's a asphalt base sealer.
Does anyone here use that stuff???

No.

I'm not about to use any sort of sealant around a bullet that has to be heated to be effectively applied. I know there are asphaltic sealants that are sold commercially which have been so watered down with solvents they don't need to be heated, but I have never used them as they are not military-style sealants.

 

[Ghost In The Fog]

How about a paint pen? Available at Home Depot, office supply places and even wally world. I have several I have used for writing elevations on block walls and concrete. Never tried them on my brass, but I know they last for years out in the elements.

 

[cheygriz]

http://www.hernon-ammosealing.com/equipment/

If ya gotta have MilSpec