Inventive idea for brass sorting

.unless you only do batches of once shot, twice shot, etc.,
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That is in fact what I do but on larger lots then 20 . I won't even work up a load with different brass unless I have at least 110 pieces and most of the time I have 200+ of the same head stamp .

Why 110 ? I generally load in 50rd batches and I like to be able to have at least 100rds of any one particular load . Anything under that and it will not give me a whole days shooting . The extra ten pieces is just to be able to replace damaged or lost pieces .

So I'll have a bag of lets say 250 pieces and I'll just keep loading from that lot as needed untill they are used up while keeping all the spent cases in another bag . When that lot as been used I then prep all at once and start over .

I have a 400+ lot of 308 LC-14 I'm going through now and a 600+ lot of 5.56 LC-14 I'm going through . I also have a few other 250+ct lots of other head stamps and calibers . I use a lot of LC cases and tend to allocate specific loads to specific year head stamps .

I keep them all in Ziplock bags with a note inside describing head stamp , times fired , times annealed , and some have bushing size used and case head space length . There are a couple firearm specific lots as well .

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Not to put too fine a point on this,
But instead of having the firearm stamp the brass, why not have the reloader stamp the brass?
It's MUCH easier to have the press mark the brass than your firearms...

Having a hole or 'Divot' or 'Scratch' on the head/rim the firearm makes would require either headspace issues or a 'Cutter' to make that mark on the brass.

A 'Divot' in the bolt face would require loads sufficient to form the brass to the void in the bolt face,
While a rim mark would require a cutter of some sort.

A 'Bump' on the shell holder while in the press during sizing would make your 'Mark' on the headstamp without issue, creating a 'Divot' in the headstamp, much like ejectors often do.

This would make for a very pronounced mark on the headstamp without weakening the case, and it's as simple as drilling the shell holder for a pointed 'Pin' that would mark the case/headstamp just a few thousands of an inch.

A progressive press could do the same thing when the primer is installed, so this wouldn't be an issue either.

The small chance of an overlapping stamp in a 360 headstamp, and you are looking for about 10 loadings, doesn't seem like it would be a big issue for most.
 
I thought of utilizing the press, as well, to do this. Question is...those of us who already sort our brass, in our own methods, would some kind of product like this be marketable? Do you think reloaders would purchase an item like this, as described, or is pursuing such an idea a wasteful endeavor?

I ask, because, such a marking mechanism will only tell the reloader how many times a piece of brass has been fired/sized. And as a reloader, if, one is to go to the lengths to bag and sort brass and list # of times fired, most likely, we are also sorting by headstamp. Possibly firearm fired in (I know I only neck size some brass for particular bolt actions)...brass vs. nickel plated, weight, annealing, trimmed, etc....so on and so forth.
 
If your shooting semi's maybe because you need to go retrieve your brass . At that point you need to see which brass it is unlike shooting bolt action where I place the case from which it came never really needing to look at the case to see where to sort it .

I sort my brass and it's one of the things I like the least . If the method is designed to force me to look hard at each head for a specific marking each and every time I sort them . I would not buy in to that method . As of right now when I shoot my AR . I use the bag that attaches to the firearm and catches the brass . I often leave it un-zipped and my brass just falls at my feet for easy pick up . FWIW I love these bags . Not once have the cases failed to eject from the upper . When I first got one It sure looked like it would interfere with ejection but installed correctly mine work great .
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...M06GTTaFHIsBqeHpc3PpQy4TyFhxvNmWu8aAv8v8P8HAQ
 
If at some point in your reloading you have the cases with the headstamp up try a light center-punch strike. The automatic type a somewhat adjustable so as not to move too much metal and would take no more time (if not less) then most marking techniques mentioned. If the case is large enough you could even distinguish between neck sizing and full-length (for those cases amenable to such things) by marking the primer or rim side of the base.
 
I like the earlier reply about a mark on the case, as in a simple dot, point or slash being imprinted on the rim or base, but that'll never happen unless you have a custom gun made. Likely best reasonable solution is an accurate written log, as I use:
- MTM Handloaders Log: This is a large 3-ring binder that includes 5 types of log sheets and 4 sets of targets, in 9 divided sections. I just got this and will use it to make notations each time I reload. Over the course of time it will be nice having all of that info organized in one place.
( http://www.ammoboxes.com/hl-95.html )
 
My 1911 has a step in the breech face similar to this...

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It leaves a mark on the head of the brass every time and I can clearly see how many times it has been fired through my gun.
 
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F. Guffey
 
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I was going to post a picture when I discovered the picture was too large. And then I got the wife involved, she said she could reduce the size of the picture so I emailed it to her (and then) that did not work so I had her to use her camera (it's a smaller camera).

She emailed her pictures to me and I down loaded and then I attempted to post the picture. I did not get the notice the picture was too large; the next noticed I received claimed there was a token missing.

F. Guffey
 
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