Building cartridge display

dbuss358 · July 1, 2013, 02:15 AM

Hey everyone. I'm in need of single rifle cartridges. I am taking on a project of building a cartridge display. I still need to go through and inventory what I have but help is needed. It would be awesome if I could get some feedback. THANKS!!

BigJimP · July 1, 2013, 01:03 PM

I'm not sure what your question is....but go to any gunshow ....and you'll find some oddball rifle cartridges for sale...

Sevens · July 1, 2013, 01:33 PM

When I was younger, I always wanted to do the same thing. I'd collected -many- different pieces of brass to that end... although my "collection" is different headstamps of fired brass while it sounds like yours is going to be loaded rounds with a bullet as part of the display.

One of the main things that dropped my interest in it is that new, shiny brass is really attractive, but old, worn, dark brass isn't nearly as attractive. And brass cartridge cases seem to act like Grandma's silverware in that...if you aren't actively cleaning them, they tarnish and darken when open to the elements. And I don't mean sitting on a rock outside in the weather. I mean simply sitting on a shelf in your house.

It seems to me that if you wanted to build a really nice and attractive display for different cartridges, you may want to investigate some manner of coating or shellacking them to preserve the bright, attractive brass.

The other problem you may run in to is where you draw the line at what is "different" and what is "needed" for your display. Different bullets can make many cartridges look wildly different. As an example, find a .30-06 with a 150 or 180 grain spitzer bullet and it will have a classic, historic look. Now find a .30-06 with a heavy-for-caliber 200 or 220gr round-tipped soft-point slug and it'll look different. Find one with a 55-grain .224" "Accelerator" on it and it'll look MUCH different. Find a purpose-built .30-06 blank for grenade firing and that's nicely different.

You can really get caught up in something like this.

That's not to say you shouldn't do it, I'm just trying to share some of the pitfalls that occurred to me when I used to ponder the project.

These days, I simply have a slew of entirely different empty cartridge cases that I keep in a box from when I chased them back in the 80s. I also have a collection of fired .38 Special brass of each different head stamp I've happened to come across, and IIRC, that's going to be over 200 different pieces. (truth be told, I'm probably not even half way to whatever the answer might be!

)

Neat stuff? For sure!

Jim243 · July 1, 2013, 05:14 PM

I think you'll find what you are looking for at the gun shows.

Jim

July 1, 2013, 02:15 AM	#1
dbuss358 Junior Member Join Date: June 18, 2013 Posts: 1	Building cartridge display Hey everyone. I'm in need of single rifle cartridges. I am taking on a project of building a cartridge display. I still need to go through and inventory what I have but help is needed. It would be awesome if I could get some feedback. THANKS!!

July 1, 2013, 01:33 PM	#3
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,775	When I was younger, I always wanted to do the same thing. I'd collected -many- different pieces of brass to that end... although my "collection" is different headstamps of fired brass while it sounds like yours is going to be loaded rounds with a bullet as part of the display. One of the main things that dropped my interest in it is that new, shiny brass is really attractive, but old, worn, dark brass isn't nearly as attractive. And brass cartridge cases seem to act like Grandma's silverware in that...if you aren't actively cleaning them, they tarnish and darken when open to the elements. And I don't mean sitting on a rock outside in the weather. I mean simply sitting on a shelf in your house. It seems to me that if you wanted to build a really nice and attractive display for different cartridges, you may want to investigate some manner of coating or shellacking them to preserve the bright, attractive brass. The other problem you may run in to is where you draw the line at what is "different" and what is "needed" for your display. Different bullets can make many cartridges look wildly different. As an example, find a .30-06 with a 150 or 180 grain spitzer bullet and it will have a classic, historic look. Now find a .30-06 with a heavy-for-caliber 200 or 220gr round-tipped soft-point slug and it'll look different. Find one with a 55-grain .224" "Accelerator" on it and it'll look MUCH different. Find a purpose-built .30-06 blank for grenade firing and that's nicely different. You can really get caught up in something like this. That's not to say you shouldn't do it, I'm just trying to share some of the pitfalls that occurred to me when I used to ponder the project. These days, I simply have a slew of entirely different empty cartridge cases that I keep in a box from when I chased them back in the 80s. I also have a collection of fired .38 Special brass of each different head stamp I've happened to come across, and IIRC, that's going to be over 200 different pieces. (truth be told, I'm probably not even half way to whatever the answer might be! ) Neat stuff? For sure! __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

July 1, 2013, 01:03 PM	#2
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I'm not sure what your question is....but go to any gunshow ....and you'll find some oddball rifle cartridges for sale...

July 1, 2013, 05:14 PM	#4
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	I think you'll find what you are looking for at the gun shows. Jim