painting brass for easy location

[TennJed]

i am new to reloading and shoot and load mainly for revolvers. i do have a couple 9mm auto i load for.

i have a (what i am sure is a stupid) question. is there a neon or high visability spray paint i could use on the brass before reloading them that would no affect the powder and primer and would also be say on my dies?

i have chasing brass

 

[MtnCreek]

Propably not a good idea.
Pollish the crap out of them so they shine in the sunlight; this will help in locating the spent brass.

 

[Blue68f100]

I found that paint impacts the fit to chamber unless yours is on the loose side.Also will cause it to stick in the chamber. You will have problem when you reload too. I built and use a Brass Catcher for my autos. It's a little more trouble to get everything setup but I do not have to chase brass and it saves my knees. I used mosquito netting from Hancock fabric, it has held up exceptionally well, 3+ years and counting. I have also at times lay out tarps to catch the brass, just depends on where you shoot and how much room you have.

 

[cfullgraf]

Get a painter's drop cloth, a big one, and spread out to catch the brass.

Most of my 9mm drop brass in about the same place, although it varies per gun. Easy to see and collect.

380 ACPs not so good. Mixed results with 40 S&W. M1911s pretty good. 38 Supers pretty good.

I don't think paint would be a good idea and besides, it would be a pain to keep up. Paint would probably need to be re-applied at each reloading.

 

[Walkalong]

Many years ago I worried and fussed until I found every piece of brass. I gave that up some time back. It is just not worth it. I find enough good once fired 9MM, .40, & .45 ACP that it's just not worth worrying about it.

.38 Super, .400 Corbon? Well, I still put in a little more effort to find most of them, but I still don't crawl around looking for the last two or three.

.32 ACP? Dang pistols throw it all over creation, and it's tiny and hard to see, but I still don't sweat the last couple of missing cases.

 

[MtnCreek]

Walkalong,
Just don't drive the wife's truck in the area where you shoot. I've learned that it is possible for a 9mm to land, head down and it can find it's way into a tire (wife's tire of course). Tire store tells me 'Hay, you got a bullet in your tire'; A bullet?; 'Yea a bullet'; then they hand me what's left of a 9mm case.

 

[highlander 5]

You'd probably have to repaint the cases as when you resize the brass the paint would be scraped off. A large tarp,old flat bed sheet or something similar is your best freind.

 

[dbarnhart]

I shoot at a range where you are only allowed to retrieve you own brass, and some of the staff can sometimes get pretty overbearing about it. I use a red sharpie and put a mark on the head of every case. It comes off the next time I tumble the case.

This is an actually conversation I had with a Range Safety Officer (RSO):

RSO: "Excuse me sir, you cannot collect brass."

Me: "Where does it say that?"

RSO (leading me to the sign and reading the first part aloud): "All brass is the property of the range. You may not collect brass"

Me: "Now read the rest of the sentence."

RSO: "Except your own."

Me: "All this brass is at the two-o'click position from my shooting table, it's all 223, and it has a red mark on the head. Yup, I'd say it's my brass."

 

[Sam1911]

I shoot with a guy who has done this frequently and I think still does. Spray paints the heads of each box of .45ACP bright red.

Unfortunately, that red paint scrapes off and ends up all over the breech, extractor, firing pin channel, etc. of his nice 1911s, and I've seen him disassemble a gun to clean it out after the build up caused malfunctions on a tight gun.

Sharpie markers work great for identifying your brass, but I wouldn't paint the case at all.

 

[Ultravox]

I also read somewhere that you can use a stamp pad and just press the head of each round onto it.

I'm going to hit the office supply store and pick one up to try.

I'm pretty sure you can get them in black, red and purple at least.

 

[jcwit]

I tried spraying my relosded ammo with florescent orange 2 times, it didn't work, came right off, not sure if it was because of the high heat or what.

 

[Powderman]

I have seen an actual brass treatment that colors the brass. Can't remember exactly what it is called, though.

Now, you can also invest in a brass catcher. For AR15's, a number of these are available that strap right onto the rifle and cover the ejection port.

Or, you can get a bit inventive....

I would recommend some closely woven nylon mesh cloth. For the sake of expedience, you can sew some two-sided velcro tape at relatively close intervals around the perimeter of the cloth. Make the piece of cloth BIG, as well.

Now, obtain something to make the frame work from. Again, for expedience, I would recommend PVC pipe, in a small diameter. Make lengths with couplers so that you can simply slide it together. Connect the mesh to the PVC with the velcro straps. You can make a stand to put by a shooting bench, and make it big enough to extend below the bench, and overlapping to the front and rear.

You're in business! You now have a good brass catcher, and you can blast away with a glad heart and a clean conscience. You can be very versatile with this design as well.

Make it long and shallow, and you have a good catcher for prone shooting.

You can get enough to catch brass while shooting from the standing position as well. It would have to be pretty big, though.

 

[Bush Pilot]

I also read somewhere that you can use a stamp pad and just press the head of each round onto it.

I'm going to hit the office supply store and pick one up to try.

I'm pretty sure you can get them in black, red and purple at least.

Just get a Sharpie in some odd color and mark the bottom of the cases while watching TV. I wouldn't screw around with an ink pad.

 

[mikeadams]

Coloring Brass

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/powder-keg/24363-colouring-brass.html


Mike

 

[MtnCreek]

Mr. Adams,
That is pretty cool. I wouldn't say it here, but post #9 on the link is pretty funny.
Thanks.

 

[gamestalker]

I can't believe it happened to someone else. A couple of months ago I got one in my tire and thought how unusual, guess not?

 

[Greg Mercurio]

Sharpies are made in a ton of different styles. There a some that have very wide tips for use in pallet and other marking tasks. Get a wide one and use it on the heads of the cases in bulk boxes. The ink is super thin after the solvent flashes off and does not come off without a lot of work.

 

[rondog]

Wow, and I thought I was anal.....

 

[mikeadams]

#9

Hey MtnCreek.

Yah, #9 isn't exactly THR!

Hmm, just noticed I've never posted on this particular forum before. Long time reader, even before I finally registered. Learn a lot reading from the old timers.

The question by the OP has been brought up a few times and i've been meaning to try coloring the bass, just haven't had the chance.


Mike

 

[AZ Chuck]

I use a layout dye it is called DYKEM it goes on thin and is very bright & stay that way after shooting.Come in red or blue

 

[BBDartCA]

Use the Sharpie method too. Really helps locate them.

 

[daorhgih]

Thought I saw it there once upon a time.

Whitney / Warshawsky used to have Brass-magnets pretty cheap. Just put one in the crank-case to pick up tiny shavings. Worked on molybdenum and aluminum, too. Might get an old catalog and check them out. DAO. (lol)