How to mark your cases

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I0sens

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Hi guys

How do you keep track of how many times you have reloaded a case ?

So far I have used sharpy tick- marks, but I wonder if there is something better.

Thanks
 
I dont keep track. I guess if I were shooting benchrest or something of that sort, I would. But for IPSC pistol and rifle, I just dont do it. I inspect every case after tumbling, if its bad, it gets tossed, if not it gets reloaded.

Bass
 
I just load from a bucket and use another bucket to put the ones I just shot in. When the bucket got empty, I just switched buckets. I never counted but they all got shot on a rotating basis.
 
Since I have all my cases from the same lot I typically load all of them and store them in the 50 round boxes. When I have shot out all 50 of one box I move to the next. If I am in between, like 3 of one box before it's done I mark those three on the primer with a black marker and then slip them into the butt cuff on my .243 to keep them separate. To keep track of how many times it's loaded I count the primers as I only use federal 210 match in my .243. My .223 cases I just keep reloading them till the case is done, some of them I know are on 12-14 loadings. 30-30 cases and my shotgun hulls are the same way.
 
I keep track with a whole bunch of the 79 cent plastic shoe boxes from the Dollar store or Wallyworld. One for prepped brass for each rifle, another for shot cases and a couple in between for 'in-process' like sized, not trimmed, then trimmed not deburred, etc. If I start a new brass batch before tossing out all of an old one, it gets its own set of boxes. This works for guns that see a lot of use. Once the brass has been used in one rifle, it stays with that one for its useful life.

/Bryan
 
If you're shooting benchrest, put the empty case back in the box where it came out of. Keep them separate so you never mix up cases. That way you always know how many times the case has been fired.

Otherwise, don't worry about it. Shoot, clean, resize, inspect and reload. When the primer pocket gives up or the neck cracks means it's time to scrap that case.
 
I mostly shoot range pick up brass, so I have absolutely no idea how many times it has been fired already. I can probably assume the 9mm is once fired...

The one time I purchased used brass (.30-30) the primer pockets seemed loose and I suspect they had been reloaded to near end of life already.

Inspection and knowing what doesn't look/feel right is my approach...

loose primer pockets
bulges,
paper clip test,
split necks,
low neck tension
gouges or deep scratches in the side wall
really dark patina or green corrosion

I don't reload nearly as much as others... just about ready to toss those .30-30 cases.

can't be so cheap as to hesitate long over trashing suspect brass
 
The only categorizing I do: if a primer seats even a little bit easy, I mark the base of the cartridge with a sharpie, so if I pick it up at the range after shooting, I don't reload it again. That's it.
 
Tracking number of times a case is reloaded

I don't track ALL my 9mm cases, but I do have one that I colored the whole head stamp with black permanent marker.

Every time it comes through the inspection process I mark it on a calendar.

On reload number 6 now.

Other than that, cases come and go as they wear. I always try to pick up a little more than I shoot at the range each time to keep a steady reserve on hand.
 
Most of my brass is once fired range pickups. I re-load the whole batch three or four times and then it goes in the scrap barrel.
 
I loaded some 9mm and 38spl brass around 30 times, and decided to stop tracking pistol brass. For rifle, I toss when necks split and case heads separate, and primer pockets become loose. I don't really care how many times the brass has been loaded, just so that it hasn't failed.
 
Thanks guys, that was helpful, I will keep my tick marks for now.
( And I will get more boxes.)
 
For pistol I don't keep track. For rifle I just put a note in the box where the fired cases are going.

I have boxes of new to me once fired brass simply marked "once fired" After they get reloaded and shot, they go in a box marked "twice fired".

If it is a batch I am shooting until it is worn out, I also mark it "batch one" etc. I like to keep two batches of .223 plinking ammo going so I am never out.

I just scapped some .223 & started two new "batches".

One says "batch two" - "mostly LC 91 & LC 93" - "once fired" - It's loaded and waiting its turn.

My batch number one right now is marked "batch one" - "assorted LC" The loaded rounds in the ammo box are marked "once fired" The fired rounds in the box in the shed are marked "twice fired"



My accuracy brass will be sorted by headstamp and marked accordingly.
 
For pistol brass, I too don't track the number of firing (I pick up range brass so counting firing won't help).

Instead, I do quality control checks. I look for obvious case damage, extractor marks, rim/neck damage, etc. If I have any concerns about a case, it gets tossed for scrap.

When hand priming, loose primer pockets get X mark with marker and get tossed for scrap after shooting/sorting.
 
Pistol brass, I don't bother keeping up with it after the first load.

Rifle brass:
First load - black stripe
Second load - red stripe
Third load - green stripe
Discard before fourth loading if previously loaded in semi-auto gun (which is all I reload for rifle)
 
For pistol I don't keep track. For rifle I just put a note in the box where the fired cases are going.
Click to expand...

Similar to what I do. The box has a label on the outside with the load data. I keep track of "how many" by making hash marks on a card inside the box with the cartridges.
 
I use plastic hardware storage bins that you can get from the harware stores. I mark them with adhesive labels. I just keep track of which # of loadings each run is on, and store it in the right bin. They stack together well and don't take up too much room.
This method gives me a rough idea of how each brand of brass will do through its life span.

I am sure that I will abandon this method once I really start getting into reloading.
 
Interesting comments.
Click to expand...

Has anyone on THR done an endurance test for case reloading?

I generally load my reloads to 90-95% of max (40/45) and 95% of max (9mm) using jacketed/plated/lead bullets and have cases that's been reloaded over 50 times. I think some over 100 times (I stopped counting - too many 5 gallon buckets).

Another interesting thing is, back in late 90s, I would get split 45ACP cases here and there from shooting HS6/WSF in 45ACP. Since I have been shooting W231/HP38 primarily, I can't recall getting a single split case.
 
For the rifles I usualy buy 500 cases at a time. Then I shoot all 500 before I load case number one again. Takes a while to wear out that many even if you shoot a lot.
 
This is a copy of the label that goes with each brass batch. After it's processed and ready to shoot, I Sharpie color the bases to keep track until the next cycle.

Source ____________

Hx _______________

< > Deprimed
< > Tumbled
< > Resized
< > Pockets
< > Flash hole
< > Deburr
< > Chamfer
< > Tumbled 2

Note ______________

______________

/B
 
I use fifty round plastic boxes and attach the reloading data to the box using labels. I include primer info, powder weight and type, brand of brass, velocity of the load, bullet weight, brand and type. I also indicate date loaded and the number of times the brass was reloaded. I have some 222 brass on it's seventh reload.
 
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