Keeping Track of your reloaded Brass, How do You do it?

[JMayo]

I shoot 100 - 200 three times a month.
If i didn't keep up with it I'd shoot some to failure while others weren't getting used at all. (300 cases in two calibers)
I want the "same" as much as possible.

I want to know the getting close toward failure time & start looking closer for any signs.

 

[Longtrain]

…I use a small 3 corner file and put a notch in the rim…

I do this to segregate batches. My Dasher cases last a long time, culling them out when primer pockets loosen.

 

[NBPRP]

Probably not the most sophisticated system but it worked for me.

I use the MTM Case Guard in green color for 200 yd. slow/rapid fire and the tan color for 300 yd. rapid and 600 slow fire. That gives me 4 boxes that I would take to a match. On the outside of the box, under the handle I put a sticker that says either 200 slow/rapid, 300 rapid or 600 slow. So that way I can disseminate between the stages of fire when looking only at the two color of boxes.

On the inside cover is a sticker from Sierra, Speer, Hornady etc. that has loading data on it including the date it was loaded. They overlap ever so slightly so the 'top' sticker is the most current. Since I was averaging about 10 matches a summer, not including the Nationals, the 400 rounds would last me about half the summer. That being said each case would get loaded 3 times at most during an average shooting season.

The loaded rounds would be put nose up in the case and the fired ones are mouth down, At the time I reload the cases are inspected to include case length and they are trimmed if needed. Any case that shows the potential for separation triggers a closer inspection of all those cases in the MTM box and those that don't measure up get tossed into the brass recycle can.

New cases that I acquire are placed in old 20 round cardboard 'white' boxes and those get placed in ammo cans for future use. The date they were obtained, who from and for how much $ is written on a sticker and placed on each 'white' box.

The new cases usually start out in the 600 yd. box and after 2-3 firings go into the 200 yd. boxes which is the same for the 300 yd. box. If I get a good deal on 400-500 cases then I may be inclined to start fresh in all four boxes.

The older cases get loaded for practice and get placed in old 20 round cardboard boxes with stickers that show loading data. Those get put in metal ammo cans.

Any brand of case that seems troublesome such as separation at the web (a bummer in rapid fire), or splitting of the neck from the mouth down, after a few reloads, I tend to shy away from. Those are approached with trepidation and are reserved for practice 'ONLY' or they get tossed.
.

 

[michaeljp65]

if only someone could make a small cheapish laser engraver to number each case so as to enter it into a excel spreadsheet to keep track of individual cases.

 

[Longtrain]

For example, all my Dasher brass is segregated by head stamp, i.e. Peterson, Alpha, Lapua. The Lapua is broken into 4 batches, batch with no file mark on the rim and the others with a mark in a specific spot to designate that batch. Batches may contain 200 to 300 pieces of brass. All my brass is the same, all turned .0125 for .001 neck tension. As the batches are fired they are deprimed and placed in a plastic basket. Only when all cases in that batch are fired, they are then tumbled clean, annealed, sized, mandreled, trimmed if needed and chamfered. That batch is then ready to load. If I run across a loose primer pocket, that’s tossed aside for fouling ammo and eventually tossed into the recycle bucket, which when full is processed for money at the scrap yard.

 

[rlporter507]

I keep my brass in 50rd boxes with this label i made. It has the complete history of what has been done to the brass. the box is labeled on top with a number, and i have a notebook to make further notes on each loading for that box.

 

[enrique]

I load 100 round boxes and reload 15 times, check for loose pockets or split necks. Anneal every other and then buy and keep new boxes of 100. If paying 150.00 per 100 rounds it breaks down to 10.00 a box (even cheaper if 223 brass). This method, if unsure, is a lot cheaper than loosing an eye or an emergency trip. Save the old brass for end of times if you like because they are likely still good. Use the analogy of paying for an Uber or taxi is WAY smarter and cheaper than a dui, hurting yourself or someone else. When you try to be too cheap is usually when bad things happen. Shooting is about having fun and not worrying that you are going to hurt yourself or a loved one shooting your gun

 

[Ccrider]

With my Amp.

 

[Hoot]

I took an inexpensive push punch, removed the pin and chucked it in my hand drill. With it spinning, i laid it to a spinning fine grinder wheel to produce a sharp point. After each shooting, I press a small microdot into the extractor groove. You don't need to push hard, given brass' soft nature, to leave an indelible dot.



The ones pictured have been through my vibratory tumbler several times.

Hoot

 

[quest450]

Masking tape and a pen……simple

 

[Bill Norris]

Since I started reloading I've tried to figure out good ways to keep track of how many times I shot pieces of brass, in which gun, and so on, and separate them accordingly. Most of my focus has been on tracking brass as I developed loads in various rifles. I've used zip-lock bags with a piece of paper inside with details. Then I started using plastic jugs which I label, for larger bunches. (I realize I also have too many brands for each, and that just makes it all more complicated).
View attachment 1312546

But for hunting, I finally found a "final load" that my CZ 17 Hornet likes, a lot. So I decided to load up a Bunch, in anticipation of helping a lot of Sage Rats sluff off their mortal coils this coming spring.

I realized I had a variety of brass I intended to load, including Hornady brand which was 0x shot ready to load, 1x shot which I had turned the necks, 2x shot, and then I had some Federal that was 1x and 2x shot, both with turned necks. I decided after loading all these 0x and 1x and 2x times shot brass I'd just mark the outside of the cases with a thin sharpie: a red 0, a black 1 and blue 2. that way I don't have to segregate them while shooting, or track which box they came out of while tending to the little fellers! When I get back home I will just put all the 0's and 1's and 2's together, and that solves the sorting issue (I think).

What do you guys do?
I know competition shooters and such probably have a lot more they track, (x shot, annealing, nick turning, etc) just curious.

When I first begin with a new set of brass I place them in either a 100 or 50 ct. box by weight. The assigned place in the box will be home for that piece of brass. When loading and/or processing brass I keep each row separated from the next. If at any time a row gets mixed then I simply re-weigh each piece. If two or more pieces weigh the same I still know it is placed back into that same row which is close enough for me.

 

[searcher]

I put all brass in MTM or similar cases and, where the volume is too high (for varmint shoots), I keep them in large plastic jugs with labels on them, noting everything about the brass, such as for which gun, # times fired, whether sized, trimmed, for which load (as I used different sizing bushings on different loads), last time annealed, AMP code settings, batch # for weighed lots, etc.. For brass I may not use for some time, I place them in heavy duty zip lock bags I buy on Amazon which are much thicker than the "standard" zip lock bags. A note with all pertinent data goes inside the bag or container with the brass. Based on prior use where I'm going to be using the same load over and over, I also note how many firings to put on the brass before discarding it. I can't write down too much info on brass - as I'm getting to where I can't remember something from the day before, let alone five years ago.

 

[rlporter507]

When I first begin with a new set of brass I place them in either a 100 or 50 ct. box by weight. The assigned place in the box will be home for that piece of brass. When loading and/or processing brass I keep each row separated from the next. If at any time a row gets mixed then I simply re-weigh each piece. If two or more pieces weigh the same I still know it is placed back into that same row which is close enough for me.

thats what I did, weighed 200 rounds of same lot brass. put in 4, 50 round boxes, each 1/4 of the bell curve. so each box is .2 of a grain. if a match is 60 rounds + sighters, i would use box 1 and 2. keeping the brass weight as close as possible. I dont go to that trouble for the gas gun, I just pick 2 boxes loaded the same number of times. all brass is the same lot though.

 

[dblizzard]

I took an inexpensive push punch, removed the pin and chucked it in my hand drill. With it spinning, i laid it to a spinning fine grinder wheel to produce a sharp point. After each shooting, I press a small microdot into the extractor groove. You don't need to push hard, given brass' soft nature, to leave an indelible dot.

View attachment 1602786

The ones pictured have been through my vibratory tumbler several times.

Hoot

Hmmmmm... well thought out! I will give your idea a try. Thx

 

[jelenko]

Not sure if what I do is helpful as it's for a kinda unique situation. Just mentioning it in case it is helpful for someone.

I shoot only 223 Wylde thru a AR 15 'spacegun'. I put all fired brass in a 5 gal bucket with a label indicating the number of firings. When the brass is processed, it goes into another 5 gal bucket with a label with the number of firings and the process step that has been completed.
I use only the same headstamp of brass at a time with 4000-6000 cases in the lot.

Note: I usually have 2-4 uppers that I'm using at any given time. All the chambers are 1-2 thousandth over SAAMI go gauge => all brass is resized to max SAAMI go gauge.
My accuracy requirements are < 3/4 MOA.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

I made these in word and 6 or 9 fit on an 8.5x11, can't remember. I print a bunch and cut them. This paper stays with the brass for each loading cycle. I keep the brass in bins until it is loaded, then I put the loaded rounds in MTM cases. At the end when the loaded rds go in the cases I fill out duplicate slips as needed. I don't just check them off either. Like for FL Size I will put the headspace measurement or for bullet I put the projectile type and CBTO measurement.

 

[Cfshooter]

Ziplock bag and write cartridge/rifle, piece count, and times fired on bag with a sharpie. Erase with alcohol rag when need be.

KISS and takes up minimal space.