Marking different loads in a single caliber

[roscoe]

I use the same case and slug for my light and hot loads in several pistol calibers (.38, .357, and .45 LC). I was thinking about using red and black Sharpie (maybe around the neck) to mark the different loadings, but thought folks must already have a system.

I am aware that some people put them in differently marked boxes, but outside the range, using speedloaders, in the bedside safe, etc., this is not really practical.

Any ideas?

 

[Charlie98]

I could see using a colored Sharpie and put a ring around the primer or something... that way if you opened the cylinder you would be able to immediately see what was in the pistol.

Personally, I use different brass... my full-house maximum loads go in nickel brass.

I don't understand why different boxes or labels are 'impractical.' I don't run around with loose ammo and such, and if it's in the pistol or in speedloaders... it's meant for defense and will be full power.

 

[roscoe]

I could see using a colored Sharpie and put a ring around the primer or something... that way if you opened the cylinder you would be able to immediately see what was in the pistol.

Personally, I use different brass... my full-house maximum loads go in nickel brass.

I don't understand why different boxes or labels are 'impractical.' I don't run around with loose ammo and such, and if it's in the pistol or in speedloaders... it's meant for defense and will be full power.

My wife uses light loads for self-defense. I want her to be able to pick them out easily.

 

[LoonWulf]

I personally like the idea of using a different color case to designate which is which. Faster and easier than looking for a sharpie mark that could get rubbed off thru handling. I know this because I use a black sharpy line across the back of my cases to indicate a difference in test loads, and even thru boxing, unboxing, and loading sometimes I'll rub most of thr markings off.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I use colored markers and color the primers. Why the primers? Because when you decap there are no left over marks for the next loading. It works very well for me.

 

[hdwhit]

roscoe wrote:
...was thinking about using red and black Sharpie (maybe around the neck) to mark the different loadings, but thought folks must already have a system.

Use different colors of fingernail polish. Put a dab on the case head and wipe off the excess with a folded paper towel. It will leave a vibrant colored ring around the primer. It will not flake off and foul your gun (at least I've never had it flake off in the 38 years I've been doing it). You may get some residual color on your bolt face, but Hoppe's #9 has never failed to remove it completely. Plus, it will almost always pop off with the primer when you decap the brass so you can mark the reloaded round a different color.

In the rare event the fingernail polish ring doesn't come off with the primer, a quick twist with a chamfer/deburr tool has never failed to remove it.

 

[buflow]

I mark the case head with nail polish, tumbling will remove some when cleaning cases, polish remover will take care of the remaining polish with one wipe. The polish stays on during handling, showing the color at a glance. My granddaughters like to mark and clean the cases for me.

buflow

 

[roscoe]

I mark the case head with nail polish, tumbling will remove some when cleaning cases, polish remover will take care of the remaining polish with one wipe. The polish stays on during handling, showing the color at a glance. My granddaughters like to mark and clean the cases for me.

buflow

I like this idea!

 

[Jesse Heywood]

I use sharpies. Combine different colors with different markings when testing. If you really want the ammo loaded just for your wife to stand out buy one color of boxes just for her.

 

[MikeInOr]

If you want to permanently mark the cases it is really easy to copper plate brass. The cases I plated for full strength loads have gone through a few rounds of tumbling and reloading without the plating wearing off.

 

[Walkalong]

I normally mark the primers. I have been doing this since the first time I had identical, except for the powder, loads fall out of their boxes and get mixed up.

 

[Salmoneye]

I do the same as Walkalong...

 

[WestKentucky]

If I’m making ammo in bulk and want to distinguish it beyond how I sort by headstamp, I will just load what I want to load and take a sharpie and go across all of the bases. The metallic sharpies really stand out surprisingly well.

 

[Blue68f100]

I normally put them in different rolls with blanks in between and mark the load on the bullet with a sharpy. I've had too many times the box gets knocked over and get them mixed up. Some one picks up a round to look at it and it does not make it back into the same place. Plus it allows me examine the brass knowing what load was shot in it.

 

[GBExpat]

I usually just mark the primer and/or primer annulus with a color to differentiate loads.

I have two sets of Sharpies (one/ea Fine and Regular) for this purpose.

 

[brewer12345]

I normally use different bullets for.different loads. In shotshells where that doesn't work, I color the primers with permanent markers.

 

[tcj]

I only use coated bullets any more so use a different color for each load. Likewise I use different colors for 38 spl vs 357 mag so that I can easily tell the difference.

 

[sbwaters]

Wide sharpies of different color swiped along the base of the case in the box. Mark the primer with a fine point Sharpie with the wt in grains when laddering a load.

In addition to load info outside the box, also have masking tape on the inside of the box lid to section off loads if laddering.

 

[Patocazador]

Mark the primer with a fine point Sharpie with the wt in grains when laddering a load.

I must not understand what you intend since there is no way I could fit the weight of the load on a primer.

When attempting to get an accurate load, I load 3 or 5 cases with that load and then increase by increments. For example I don't see how I could get 52.8 or similar on a primer.

 

[Toprudder]

You could use nickel for one load, brass for the other.

 

[GBExpat]

For those who may not know, alcohol will remove Sharpie ink.

OT, but in the same vein ... a method to resurrect dried-out permanent markers (alcohol-based) and highlighters (water-based): immerse the former, tip first, in alcohol and the latter, in water.

 

[someguy2800]

I do not load anything with 2 different loads for the same bullet. I like to be able to know what load a round is just by identifying the bullet. For example my LC9s shoots best with a rather light load that won't reliably cycle my other 9mm's so I load a different bullet for that gun than my other 9mm's. I label all the boxes anyway but you could dump all my ammo into a bucket and I could sort them all out visually.

 

[Walkalong]

I do not load anything with 2 different loads for the same bullet

When testing I imagine you do. That is when I mark primers. Load 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 or whatever with the same bullet and go test. Nothing like spilling those and they are unmarked to spoil your day.

 

[someguy2800]

When testing I imagine you do. That is when I mark primers. Load 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 or whatever with the same bullet and go test. Nothing like spilling those and they are unmarked to spoil your day.

Yep, when load testing I put them in plastic boxes marked in columns. So column 1 is this charge, column 2 is that charge ect... I used to write the powder and charge on them with a sharpie but I stopped doing that since I shoot at home now and just have to walk out to the bench.

 

[Walkalong]

when load testing I put them in plastic boxes marked in columns. So column 1 is this charge, column 2 is that charge ect... I used to write the powder and charge on them with a sharpie

I used to do pretty much that. Separate by column and mark it on a note, but nothing on the cases. Then one day I spilled them. No joy in Mudville.