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BruceB
07-17-2006, 10:58 PM
Test loads from my shop are placed in 50-round Midway ("Frankford Arsenal") plastic boxes. These boxes aren't as durable as the MTM make, but only cost a bit more than a dollar each, which is much cheaper than MTM. I must have well over a hundred of them by now. They do not resist dropping very well, often springing open on impact.

Test loads are made-up in batches of ten rounds, so five recipes go into a 50-round box. I MARK every single cartridge, and the "why" is illustrated by the box that fell out the back of Der Schuetzenwagen a week or so back. During the drive to the range, this box had moved on the benchrest until it leaned on the rear door. Open the door, and CRASH....fifty nice once-shiny experimental rounds all mixed-up in the dust.

Each 10-round batch takes up two rows in the box. On the outside of the box, adjacent to each batch, I place a plain 1/2"x 2" stick-on label with some rudimentary load info. ALSO on each label is a smear of felt-marker color, and that same color is placed on the primers of all the rounds in that 10-round batch. Markers usually come in sets of four colors, so I have blue, green, red, black and unmarked primers in each box of 50.

It took me only about five minutes to re-establish the proper order in the box that fell, once I got all the rascals picked up. Without the primer markings, I would only have had fifty widely-varied plinkers. With the markings, the experiment was still "on track".

It only takes seconds to do this marking, and I've found it to be a very valuable use of a very small amount of time.

454PB
07-17-2006, 11:12 PM
I have used your method for many years, and it works great.

kodiak1
07-17-2006, 11:25 PM
X2 Only way to go and have much the same accident.
Ken.

Vegas Vince
07-18-2006, 12:45 AM
I have not had that problem so far but i now know what to do. Thanks for the info.

Mk42gunner
07-18-2006, 12:54 AM
When I do work up I use a fine tip sharpie to write the load on the side of the case. This also works well for mark in the type of boolit in the dummy rounds i set my seating dies with.

Robert

andrew375
07-18-2006, 04:17 AM
If the round is big enough I write the load on the bullet. That way I don't have to get the ink off the cases. All you need is one digit per load and a matching list of keys and loads in your note book. Also try a large elastic band to keep the box closed.

Buckshot
07-18-2006, 11:51 AM
"................ ALSO on each label is a smear of felt-marker color, and that same color is placed on the primers of all the rounds in that 10-round batch. Markers usually come in sets of four colors, so I have blue, green, red, black and unmarked primers in each box of 50."

...........Heh, heh, I'd have a heckuva time keeping up with those markers. I've had such as you mention happen to me before. Makes the time casting, inspecting, lube-sizing, and reloading a waste. Not to mention the components. I do mark off inside the lid on 50 rnd boxes or on the side of 20 rnd boxes the pertinent load data with a Sharpie.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to draw a line across the bases of one load, and an X for the next, then a 'O' and then color the primer, etc. At least I'd only have ONE pen to keep track of that way!

...............Buckshot

Bob S
07-18-2006, 12:04 PM
Those Midway (now "Frankford Arsenal"?) boxes will also shatter if they fall on a hard surface, like the concrete floor of my shop. The material is very brittle. I have some MTM boxes that have been in continous use since circa 1970 that still function like new. I had Midway boxes with broken hinges after only two years. I have some boxes labeled "Berry's MFG" that seem to be somewhat better than Midway/Frankford Arsenal, but not as durable as the MTM.

I have also used felt markers ("Magic Marker" in the old days) to distinguish between load variations, or to mark cartridges with something "not quite right", like more run-out than I want to use for record firing. It's also helpful to have a distinctive marking on YOUR cases when firing in a match, esp if the guys on either side of you are also using LC 82 NM brass. With the single shots, I always filed a notch on the rim of the case, so it could be oriented in the chamber the same way each time.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

klausg
07-18-2006, 12:19 PM
Bruce-
I have been using pretty much the same method for a number of years, I get the big 8-pack of Sharpies, the yellow one is pretty much worthless, but the rest work well. When I have a LOT of loads I start with rims, then primers, then contrasting rim/primer. Of course I have no kids so keeping track of 8 pens is fairly easy. The only problem I have had with this method is of my own doing. I put a 3X5 card, "cheat sheet" in the box, in the past this was the only record. Now I put everything in a notebok also. This came about when I loaded 100 rds for my nephew to try out and got the report back that "...the green ones shoot best.". AAARRRUGH!! Oh well, live & learn.

-Klaus

imashooter2
07-18-2006, 12:47 PM
Same system except my labels are masking tape and I write the color name instead of putting on a splash of it.

cropcirclewalker
07-18-2006, 12:49 PM
Back when I belonged to a well visited range club, I would go barrel diving into the trash. Collected innumerable of those little red plastic holders with the belt loops on them that hold 10 rounds of Federal Ammo.

On each little plastic thingy, I felt tip mark 1-10.

I went to Wally World and bought a pack of those little rectangular garage sale stickers like 1/2" x 3/4". Then with a ballpoint pen, I write the boolit on one sticker, the powder and charge on another and the COAL on the third.

Those little red plastic thingys grab the cartride well enough so that they don't fall out and the numbers let me track even the seqence of loading.

I also like to buy the little round garage sale stickers to use to cover boolit holes.

Makes it easier when in the final tweaking, the boolit seems to want to go through the same hole. :drinks:

You know, "was that last shot orh or a flier?"

jhalcott
07-18-2006, 02:36 PM
Dunno why you don't use sandwich bagies.Ten rounds AND the sticky note fit easily. A rubber band will keep the bullets together EVEN if you crash the car! There is little chance of grabbing a WRONG shell in the middle of a great string,as there is only ONE bag on the table at a time! Our range is windy sometimes and the grit lays all over every thing.I don't lay out 5 rounds for a string lest I get sand thru the barrel.
Of course you OLD guys might NOT get excited when the first3 rounds go into a single hole! I am happy to just hit the 4" black most times.!