Tracking Number of Loadings on Brass

[Lee Q. Loader]

I need to do a better job keeping track of the number of loads on my brass. I really wish there was a way to mark the brass that wouldn't be removed during tumbling.
I didn't realize until I started shooting a ton of 6.5 Grendel, that this is important so I can keep my rounds as accurate as possible. Prior to the Grendel I have never loaded rifle brass more that 3 or 4 times.

How do you guys keep track? I'm hoping for a bunch of suggestions so I can decide which will work best for me.

 

[Click_Here]

labeled ammo carriers. Pull from then put fired case back.
For wet tumbling I separate fired# brass using small laundry mesh bags all tossed into one session.
I could have 100-1x, 20-2x, 20-3x fired in one tumble. keeping the 2x and 3x brass in their own mesh bags.

 

[AJC1]

I mark the box and wet tumble batch brass and range pickups. Those 50 Norma or lapua cases are easy to identify. I don't mix 1x and 3x Hornady 308 in the cleaner at the same time.

 

[Kaldor]

I shoot until I run out of brass, then I process the entire batch on stuff that I care about number of firings, then mark the box they are all in. Rise and repeat. Trying to track 2-3 different numbers for amounts of firings would be maddening for me

 

[Show Me]

Until I get marked box's of brass mixed up. A case head jumping out and landing on the table is a good clue

 

[Targa]

I just shoot, reload, repeat.

 

[Walkalong]

I mark the case head on PRS ammo with a magic Marker (Permanent marker), tumbling doesn't take it all off.

Pistol cases? I don't worry about them.

Rifle cases other than match ammo? I do like others here, shoot until the batch is all fired, rinse and repeat. I do track the firings though.

Sticky notes are my friends.

 

[JohnMc]

It goes into bags or buckets, sorted by caliber and labelled by the number firings and current state (resized, trimmed, annealed, etc.) if it's not in obvious need of cleaning.
Only brass with the same number of firings goes into the FART together.

 

[Otto]

I scribe a mark on the head using a tungsten carbide engraving pen, $5.

Amazon.com

 

[Atavar]

The easiest method I have considered is getting a variety of different colors of primer sealant (roygbvgwb) . Then while decapping it would be easy to sort to count bins and when priming seal with the next color.

 

[CQB45ACP]

They all come pre-marked--it's called a headstamp

Separate by headstamp, pick a number (say 100) you're going to shoot always and then shoot/load/reload/rereload only those of that headstamp/caliber and always shoot ALL of those. Don't deviate.

Pick as many different headstamps as you wish but you must follow same drill.

Provided you follow the drill, no record keeping is necessary except a calendar to recall when you went to range.

 

[Chuck R.]

I keep my rifle brass stored in either 50 or 100 rd "lots" by caliber/rifle. Each "Lot" has a 3x5 card that remains in it's box and tracks:

Rifle/caliber
Anealling
How it was sized; bushing and mandrel
Trimmed length
How many times fired/loaded
Primer Pockets uniformed & inspected

For fired/loaded, annealed and trimmed I just run a series of letters on the bottom of the card like so:

A, T, L, L, A, T, L

Once the initial card is completed, it takes seconds to keep it updated with a pencil.

The lots get cleaned by themselves or with another caliber. For match brass that might get mixed due to firing more than one lot. I take a dremel and lightly index the case heads with "clock" lines; 9 O'clock, 3 O'clock etc. and annotate it on the 3x5 card.

 

[Lee Q. Loader]

I scribe a mark on the head using a tungsten carbide engraving pen, $5.

Amazon.com

Ok, this really sounds like what would work best for me. Could you please post a picture of your brass with the markings?
Thanks for the amazon link as well.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I file a groove in the case head for a lot. In my reloading notebook I keep a record of the # of times that brass has been reloaded. If cracks or splits star to show in a batch, the whole lot gets thrown out.

 

[nettlle]

I have tried keeping track of my rifle brass but failed miserably. I am good about inspecting each piece of rifle brass after each firing and after they are tumbled. I check the primer pockets, case necks, and for case head separation.

 

[Captain*kirk]

I did this for a while, tracking each batch of brass with meticulous note taking, etc
But after a while, pulling out defective cases and such got it all mixed up anyway, and since every case goes through a rigorous inspection before loading, I decided it wasn't worth the effort. YMMV.

 

[nettlle]

When loading for a M1A it's kind of important to avoid a stuck case.

 

[Bazoo]

I keep batches separate and track them. I keep an index card with the load data and batch number for the brass with the loaded brass and the baggie for the empties. If it's a large batch that has some unloaded, some loaded, and some fired, I generally work through it before I process the fired brass. I generally work with smaller batches though, 100, or even 50.

 

[HowardC]

I set up a handloading book when 1 started initially and have maintained it pretty religiously. Later I created a book for each rifle. At the same time, I started separating brass by head stamp and delegating that lot to a specific gun
in lots of 20 or 50 with a few 100 rd lots. Each lot was/is assigned a chronological number and description in both the main book and respective rifle book. Then, any lot carries a 'suffix' number denoting how many times that lot has been reloaded after first firing. A lot of new brass has a suffix of zero. Example: new brass: lot # 126-0, next time it's loaded: lot # 126-01.
Range brass starts out with 01, eg: 134-01. I keep my brass in X-PLOR plastic boxes mostly, and a few other brands.
I also make a specific detailed box label for each reloaded box each reloading.
Works pretty good, ya just gotta be sure to do the paperwork each time, like other jobs..
-West out

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I segregate rifle brass. Each rifle has its own batch.

Sometimes it's only 50 or so for rifles not shot all that much (Mrs Thunkits' Howa 223).
Sometimes it's 200 Lapua for a rifle fired at least monthly (my Finn M39; the Sako with the serial# ending in 9292).

But, each rifle has a batch. I don't keep track of total firings, but I do keep track of things like times fired since FL resizing (as opposed to neck size only), or times fired since annealed. Each batch has a card kept with that batch.

When individual pieces in the batch start failing, I consider replacing the entire batch.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I don’t waste time tracking it. Then again, I’m not into precision shooting. If I was, I suppose I’d do better at tracking its firing.

 

[Blue68f100]

I have a business card that I generated that contains all the info with each batch of rifle brass. This is what I use to keep up with the number of firing and what stage of brass prep the lot is at. Each card on the flip side has load data for that particular lot. On high volume pistol I use a rotating bin system. and just keep rotating the stock, I don't keep up with firing. When it fails it goes into the scrap bin, the others are used till failure. Now I have over 10k pieces of brass, so I use small lots 1000 or less, saving the rest for as needed.

Edit: To add photo. I have several different data for the back. I mix and match if I don't need the counter.

 

[HowardC]

I added a pic to post #19 showing box label for a reloaded box of ammo.
-West out

 

[Bwana John]

I saw someone who used a spring loaded center punch to make a “dot” on the case head to determine number of times the case was reloaded.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I can’t imagine sustaining the level of effort many have described here.