Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles how do you keep brass separate for say two 223 cal rifles?

I just came into a Tikka Lite in 223 Remington and now am loading for 2 of the rifles at the same time. Instead of tumbling brass for one rifle and then do the same for the brass for the other rifle I would like to limp them together and cut down tumbling time.

Do you guys color-code mark brass? Where do you mark the brass? Will tumbling remove marker color on brass?

I know I have a box of Black Hills 223 Rem loaded with 50gr Vmax and could use that exclusively for one of the 223 Rem but I have plenty of Winchester brass so might as well use them and this is why I am asking...

I segregate by headstamp. L.C. For one rifle, RP for the other.
Colored marker will come off in the tumbler if you leave it in very long.

It's less of a pain just to keep stuff separate as you shoot it up.
I baggie my ammo and keep it separate by using two bags, and taking the time to tumble. Loads and an empty bag go in the baggie, the empties go in the empty bag. Once shot, it goes in the storage bin until there's enough to tumble or the entire batch is shot up.

Valad: I recommend your using either two different brands (headstamps) of brass one being dedicated to one Rifle and the other being dedicated to the other Rifle - or one using regular brass and the other using nickel plated brass - this latter makes it even easier to separate once shooting or tumbling is done!
That's how I started out anyway.
Now I have 15 (fifteen!) Rifles and one pistol in caliber 223 Remington and I have run out of brands and finishes to keep them separated - so I have be more careful when shooting and when processing brass to keep them separate (dedicated to one Rifle).
If I recall correctly I have/use six different "brands" of 223 brass and two finishes in some of those brands. So I am out of easy options.
Good luck to you and it is worthwhile to keep those brass separate and dedicated.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I try to keep it segregated as I shoot them. You can also use a felt tip marker to color the extractor groove and it stands up pretty well in a tumbler.

I guess it would depend on what kind of loads I am putting together.

If I am making target loads, or working up for accuracy I like to keep everything separate.

If I am out shooting varmints I could care less, as long as I am not on the ragged edge of velocity.

I share brass in two rifles. I cut both chambers with the same reamer to the same gauge.

Lol.

100 round lots kept in MTM 100 round boxes. Only way to fly.

http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/rifle/ammo-boxes-rifle-r-100.html

Write the load on the top of the box and which gun it's for on the front.

Got sick and tired of having 11 rounds here and 33 rounds there of God only knows what, I copied Stick's method and haven't looked back. Got rid of all the 50 round boxes as well except for a few for long action cartridges. Hate the 50 round boxes especially the .223 size.

Tally marks inside the lid to keep track of firings.

I have a bunch of .223 rifles. Several ARs, Tikka, H&R, and a Ruger #1V. Al but the Ruger like the same load, LC brass, full length sized, H335 and 50 gr. Dogtown HP. The Ruger is a special case. It only likes brass that has been fired in it before and neck sized with a Lee Collet die. I bought 500 rounds of Winchester brass that only gets used in the Ruger. All other brass is LC and goes in the other rifles.

I also have a couple of .30-06 rifles. The Garand gets brass colored brass, the bolt action gets nickel plated brass and is loaded to higher pressures. As long as I keep the nickel plated brass out of the Garand, everything is OK.

That's what I do too. I have also painted the case heads with different colors of nail polish, rubbed off while wet leaving the lettering and primer ring with an instantly recognizable color code. The stuff is fairly (but not perfectly) immune to average tumbling.

With a bazillion colors of polish, that's not a bad idea, G.

You can always use a spring punch in the rim section to identify lots.

Spend the coin on another tumbler, & buy different colored MTM boxes for each.

I don't keep the brass separate, I resize all of it on small base dies...fits in every rifle. Each rifle likes a different load usually, so I keep the loaded ammo for each separate...by marking the reloading label.

I load for 5 different 223's, and I like to keep the brass separate because I usually neck-size only.
Keeping the brass separate is certainly not difficult since no matter how good the shooting PD/gopher shooting is I am still only shooting one gun at a time and only have one box of ammo open, I simply put the empty back into the box.
I use the MTM or Midway ammo boxes and label the lid with which rifle it is for. Boxes are cheap and make life simple.

drover

I feed 8 different 308 rifles and I keep the brass separate. I use a Sharpie to write directly on the plastic ammo boxes to indicate which rifle they serve. Common 90% isopropyl cleans the ink right off when it is time for a change.

I've used all the methods mentioned here, and they all work--as long as the shooter's mind works too.

I've had to keep a closer watch on myself lately.

I use small base dies for 223's. Load them all the same. I have five 7 Rem mags. I full length size. I load 64 grains IMR 4350 for all of them. I have three 264 Win mags. Same program. Separate loads for each is too much trouble. They all shoot sub MOA. That's good enough to hunt with. Since I have 7's and 264's I really like the color coded Nosler ballistic tips. I'm guessing bad things happen if a 7 mag is lit off in a 264.

I use 100 round MTM boxes with the load info on a sticker on top of the box. My Wife gave me a label maker for Christmas that I'm expecting to work very well for this, but have not used it yet.

On my two rifles of the same caliber . I use nickel on one and brass on the other. R-P brand. Hasbeen

Win brass for one, RP for the next and LC brass for the third. If I get another I may be in trouble..........

No, not at all - you can segregate your LC brass by year stamp, I have 5 223's and that is the way I do it.
It is initially a bit of a pain to separate the brass by year stamp but it is only a one time thing.

drover

I too separate my LC brass by date stamp, but I'm here to tell you it's a PIA for me. I have to do it while wearing magnifying goggles because LC-15's start looking like LC-16's pretty quickly.

Screw the Golden Years.

I hear you on the initial separating being a bit of a pain. I have a lighted magnifier lamp on my bench for doing things like that, it is amazing just how often it comes in handy. They are fairly inexpensive and IMO a great investment for the loading/work bench.

p.s. - Once separated I keep them in their individual MTM box with the LC date written on it and when shooting just drop my empties back into the box - up for a miss and down for a hit, pretty easy way to track the days percentages.

drover

Why don't you justn set the die to size case's that fit in both chamber's. I don't like having two of the same cartridge around at the same time. Of course you could use to different brand cases. Throw a couple hundred in the the cleaner at the same time then separate them one at a time by head stamp and you might get rid of one of them!

well I have decided that I have three plastic jars from food waste and I label these jars with names for s specific rifle like my son's .223Rem, my .223Rem and a Tikka .223Rem. that will work. and I generally tumble for an hour so I will just clean 50 cases at a time for each rifle along with brass for other rifles that we are working with. My only issue is tumbling the brass. Other than that the reloads for a specific rifle is kept in the case ready to shoot. I think my problem is the lesser of an evil than some of those who may have 7 .223Rem rifles and they all are shot on a rotational basis.

I read somewhere where someone who gets a new rifle to them (new or used rifle) always bought new brass for that rifle. I do not buy new brass but I will use once-fired brass for a specific rifle and label them in the cartridge dump and only use that brass for the rifle.

I understand some folks have multiple rifles for the same caliber that they use at the same time, especially in dog towns or whatever. So I was just checking how ya'all keep your brass sorted. Of course this comes with dies that need constantly readjusted for each rifle reloads. Unless you are able to set up the die for multiple rifles and chambers of multiple rifles are nearly the same.

One set of dies and a set of Skip Otto's shims (although they are called something else now but are available from Brownells). I am too lazy to go to the reloading room right now but I believe the shims are sized .003 through .009, they fit under your sizing die. When full length sizing I set my die for the 223 that has the shortest headspace, then
for the rounds with a bit longer headspace I put the appropriate sized shim under the die. I keep a note on my loading data as to which thickness shim to use with each rifles brass. It sounds more intensive than it is because once you establish the length you want it is very simple - I like to full length size so that I am just shy of a slight resistance when chambering a round. I have 5 223'3 and only one set of dies and have found that this works quite well for me anyway.
Hope that is understandable.

p.s. - I usually only full length as needed, I just use a Lee collet neck sizer until the brass needs full length resized.

drover

I just use baggies for the empty brass and MTM boxes for the loaded. Write on the baggies with a Sharpie indelible ink marker. Boxes get a stick on label.
I mark my work up loads on the head with numbers using a sharp point Sharpie. It comes off after a tumble or two.

Very simple answer. Sell one 223 rifle!

This.

Very simple answer. Sell one 223 rifle!

I don't have time for all that sorting, easier to load your shells like a factory load. On size fits all. If I was target shooting it would make sense to separate, but I'm just a deer hunter.

I have an Axis and R700 223 and 3 ARs, I FL size it all and use the same pet loads for the bullet weights and load them all to fit an AR magazine. I have 2-R788, 222 Rems, the new one (which is older) gets new winchester brass and the old one (which is newer) gets everything it's been fed for the last 35 years (FC, RP, resized LC, etc). It's hell to have several rifles of the same caliber and get to the range and find out what you brought doesn't fit the gun. Always a good idea to check your cartridges in the gun to be used before the hunt as well. I loaded some 270s at one point and ran them through the rifle to check for fit and they were fine, a few months later when in NWCO for deer I discovered only one round would fit in the magazine, the length was to long. I attribute this to them being compressed loads, fortunately I always have a backup rifle and that year I had a new 30-06 Weatherby Vanguard that had never tasted blood. Whatever your system of segregation, stick to it and always bring a backup.

Sell one of them?

I shoot factory ammo only through my AR and save the brass for loading for my bolt gun.