Why is this case so pink? Zinc depletion?

[length_of_pull_1]

I cleaned up some brass I found at the range today and this one case was so pink it stood out from across the room. The head stamp is FM. Do they make pretty pink cased ammo? The primer is pink too! I have seen pinkish brass before, but this looks like it was colored with a marker both inside and out. Does this weaken the brass or is it just cosmetic? It must have looked like this the last time it was fired and it looks fine. You can call me a silly newb if you like but this is new to me. What do you guys think?

 

[Gumby0961]

Might be copper content? I wet tumbled a batch of brass with a couple copper jacketed bullets. Result was all me brass looker copper.

 

[Walkalong]

Copper washed steel?

 

[troy fairweather]

Looks pickled. Or plated/washed steel like said above.

 

[length_of_pull_1]

Yep. I'm a dope. It's steel. So how'd it get so pink? inside and out and the primer too? It's pink inside the flash hole.

 

[RockRat64]

I ran into one of these awhile back and posted about it. It is a copper washed steel case.

 

[FROGO207]

Thin plating and the cleaning ate the zinc out of it. At least they are easy to find. Don't forget to look inside the others to see if they have that internal step either.

 

[rsrocket1]

Does it look like these?



https://www.cdvs.us/product/7-62x54r-steel-cases-berdan-primed/

 

[Dudedog]

Copper washed steel?

All the ones that I have that came out of a batch pink like that turned out to stick to a magnet....

 

[Havok7416]

Yep. I'm a dope. It's steel. So how'd it get so pink? inside and out and the primer too? It's pink inside the flash hole.

Perhaps you aren't familiar with copper washing. The color on the outside is.... copper (or at least a high content of it). Normal for Combloc ammo (which is steel underneath).

 

[cougar1717]

Do they make pretty pink cased ammo?

Get with the times..... the hottest firearms trend is that cases now offered in "rose gold" - haha

 

[Highland Lofts]

Generally when a case comes our odd there is a reason. I toss the odd ball cases.

 

[Average Joe]

I wash mine in citric acid, the brass coated steel shells come out pink, run a magnet over them , I'll bet they are steel.

 

[Dudedog]

OP,
Was it copper washed steel?
Sticks to magnet.

First time I saw one I thought what the heck