Restamping brass?

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Some method of marking is useful when forming cases from a different cartridge.


And please, let's not reply, "Why don't you just buy the right brass, then it will have the right headstamp." If forming cases isn't our cup of tea, we don't have to criticize those who do. :)
 
I wasnt really following the idea, until you posted Ants.

I think that if the cartidge is similar enough that you couldnt tell by looking at it that it was reformed, I would probably just use a punch and mark the face of it. A simple single mark would be sufficient I would think.
 
When I form 8mm Mauser from 30-06, I use military brass without a caliber on the headstamp. People always ask me where I get Lake City 8mm brass...

The hardest part of remarking would be removing the existing marks without weakening or damaging the case, or altering the rim thickness too much. IMHO, an "XXX" out with a punch stamp would suffice to indicate it's not the same caliber if necessary, and using any empty room to restamp if the new stamp is small?
 
A simple single mark would be sufficient I would think.
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you're probably right. my perfectionist instinct led me to think remarking the whole thing would be the right thing. but now that i've had the time to think it over, a simple mark would be quicker.

in my case, several years ago, i got a smokin deal on a scoped m77mkii in 260rem for $350. the utter lack of factory loads and the outrageous price of the stuff available led me to reloading my own. at the time i didn't use the internet much, and was new to handloading and shooting in general, i simply bought what was available localy. i ended up using 243win and 7mm-08 brass. now i have perfectly good 243win, 260rem, and 7mm-08rem brass all necked to several different calibers. i was wondering if anyone had a way of marking them to easily distinguish them apart.

i've thought about either throwing them away or returning them to their as marked calibers. it's hard to through away perfectly good brass, and i was afraid of a high attrition rate during resizing. eventualy they'll wear out, and i won't have to worry about it. but 'til then...?

of course this all led me to think of all the times it would be handy to mark or remark brass to their correct headstamps. considering all the atrocious things we do to brass around here, improving, blowing out, moving necks, up sizing, down sizing, trimming, shortening, lengthening, i thought someone would have devised a way to restamp their brass. perhaps not.
 
The hardest part of remarking would be removing the existing marks without weakening or damaging the case, or altering the rim thickness too much. IMHO, an "XXX" out with a punch stamp would suffice to indicate it's not the same caliber if necessary, and using any empty room to restamp if the new stamp is small?
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i think this is right on the money. removing the original stamp isn't really what i had in mind.

perhaps a way of filling in the original and stamping over it?
 
"...a way of filling in the original and stamping over it?..." Not that'd be easy, cheap and stay put. Use a different bullet type.
A small centre punch would do. Put a wee dot on the headstamp. You'd want a solid base for the case to be on to stamp anything. A hunk of suitably sized bar stock in a vise will give you that. Wouldn't cost much either.
Mind you, most altered cases are identifiable just by looking at 'em. A .30-06AI is decidedly different than a .30-06.
 
Well, when you make 9mm Makarov cases out of 9mm Lugers, they're hard to tell apart since they're only 1mm different in length. Only way I can tell is to stand them all up on a flat surface and look for the short ones. It would be nice to mark them somehow, but I haven't thought of a good way to yet.
 
What I do is mark a line with a Sharpie permanent marker along the bottom base of the row of newly-reloaded Makarov cartridges in the box. The line holds up to firing ok, and that way I know that the fired brass is Makarov, not Luger.

The line obviously disappears during tumbling and must be remarked after they are reloaded.
 
If there is room on given Head stamp for more figures/characters...one could use very small Numeral or Alphabet Stamps or Punches, and, literally 'Stamp' additional figures/characters.


One could 'fill-in' existing Stamps with Silver Brazing, and Machine back...but, it'd anneal the Case base...
 
Annealing the case head is not recommended. It must remain hard. If you anneal it you must harden it.
 
Back in the late 70's, I saw some brass that had a circle stamped on the head equidistance between the primer and the edge. This mostly obliterated the original headstamp (you could still tell the caliber). My mentor at the time said that was done by an old commercial reloader to show that his cases had been reloaded. I don't know how he did it, but the cases were uniform and looked to be machine stamped. I bet one could modify a lube/sizer to do what you are talking about.
 
George Nontes book, Modern Handloading has a chapter telling how to do exactly what you want to do.

It involves turning a shallow ring in the case head with a lathe or drill press fixture & fly-cutter to remove the old stamp, then re-stamping with 1/16" metal number/letter stamps while the case is supported internally on a steel mandrel.

Before everyone gets their panties in a wad about the lathe turned ring weakening the case, some foreign military brass used to be made that way from the get-go.

rc
 
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"please, let's not reply, "Why don't you just buy the right brass,.."

Ditto. Those who want, or need, to reform brass should be respected for whatever reason they wish to do so. IF reforming was a real "hazard" due to a misleading head stamp there would be NO WILDCATTING!

Personally, I reform a LOT of stuff. I make .22-250, 6MM International, .243, .244, .250-3000, .260, 7-08, .308, .270 and .35 Whelen from .30-06 fairly often and couldn't care less what anyone else thinks of it. Back when I first got a small lathe I did turn the ring RC mentions but only did that a few times, never bothered to re-stamp anything. But I agree that anyone who has to check the headstamp before he knows what he's chambering shouldn't do it.
 
And we wouldn't have half the cartridges we do if no one mutilated cartridges in order to improve performance.
 
And please, let's not reply, "Why don't you just buy the right brass....."
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Thanks for posting this. I see replies along the lines you alluded to far too frequently.
They might as well reply with "why don't you just buy factory ammunition in the caliber you require".
It's all about reloading. The pleasure and satisfaction of doing something most others feel un-necessary or outside their capability.
I've been trimming and reforming 9mm Parabellum brass to 9mm Makarov lately.
The method I've been using is to take a triangular file and make an "X" across the case head to differentiate them from "regular" 9mm.
A better method of remarking would certainly be more appropriate.
 
"...make an "X" across the case head to differentiate them from "regular" 9mm."

Confused. You modify or reform cases for non-regular 9mm?

Is that 9mm pistol?
 
Ranger, what he's talking about is after he trims his 9mm x 19 Luger brass to 9x18 Makarov length, he takes a file and makes an "X" across the case head (and headstamp) so that it can be "easy" to pick out the Makarov brass from a handful of 9mm brass. I wish every Makarov loader did that, it's a real PITA to pick out the Mak cases one by one when you are sorting... :)

I have at one time lined up cases in a styrafoam block from the original brass factory box and used a Dremel tool with a cut disk to make a shallow line across the entire case head. Works pretty quick, just stick 50 unprimed cases in the loading block then run the Dremel across each line quickly. Makes a shallow scrape/scratch and you can visually tell the case is different.
 
I would think that a simple scratch made by a sharp knife across the case head would be mark enough. Not sure you'd have to make it very deep.
 
Hmmm. Interesting question. I'm thinking a use for RCBS's Trim Mate's Military Crimp Remover tool...you know, the one that puts a wide chamfer on the case, might just be a possibility.

For example, decrimped .308 military stuff to remain .308 could be "swaged,"(left case)while decrimped .308, necked down to .243 or what ever, could be reamed with the very obvious chamfer as on the right case head. Both of these are seated exactly .007" deep...believe it or not.
IMG_0324-1.gif :cool:
 
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Hmmm, I wish I had a little bench-top lathe! That's a good idea to just plunge cut a shallow ring on the headstamp, right through the existing lettering. Very quick and easy to do too. I may have to look for one on Craigslist.
 
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