Painting Ammo?

peluo1 · August 5, 2009, 07:11 AM

Hey all. I was reading the mall ninja forum and there was a comment made that you would qualify as a mall ninja if you painted your ammo. I might have read it wrong, I'm not sure.

Regardless, is that something that people actually do? Isn't that dangerous? I am talking about painting the round (casing and/or bullet). Any comments or personal experience welcome...at own risk

hoytinak · August 5, 2009, 07:56 AM

I know a couple people that paint the bottom of their brass different colors so they can tell who's brass is who's at the end of matches, I don't see how it would harm anything.

peluo1 · August 5, 2009, 08:11 AM

What if you paint the whole thing? There is a mini explosion that occurs when the trigger is pulled on a gun, so wouldn't having a layer of paint on the round be dangerous? I may be giving too much credit to how a gun works but I figure there is a reason that ammo has a very "simple" casing of metal and nothing more.

With the way things are now, you'd figure custom painted ammo would be everywhere, right? Nothing like shooting rounds with a picture of the family on them

CortJestir · August 5, 2009, 08:31 AM

^^ Well, assuming the paint layer is not thick enough to prevent chambering a round (or full battery issues on an auto), I would imagine you would gum up your barrel and chamber pretty darn quick and that could lead to a whole host of other problems. It gets pretty hot in the barrel and the kind of paint used needs to resist the heat generated, friction, and rifling.

But what do I know. I've never painted ammo and don't plan to!

Marking case heads to ID brass for reloading is one thing - I've seen that at the range plenty of times. But fully painting a cartridge just seems like a Darwin Award waiting to happen.

This is a purely academic discussion, right?

peluo1 · August 5, 2009, 08:44 AM

Haha well for me it is. I am very respectful of what happens in the barrel when the trigger of a gun is pulled, and tampering in any way with that can lead to a youtube video or a news headline so no thanks. Like I said, I saw it on the mall ninja forum and it was an aspect of guns that I had NEVER thought about and actually wondered why I had never thought about it and became curious.

If it could be done safely and somewhat inexpensively...wouldn't shooting ammo with the casing custom painted your own way be kinda cool? You could put a picture of something on there, paint a logo, just one flat color paint, etc. And if you reload, then it would be easier to find the shells. The possibilities would be endless. Very mall ninja-esque I know. But something I have never heard discussed before.

NavyLT · August 5, 2009, 09:50 AM

Well, let's see.... there is steel cased ammo out there with laquer coating on the case. Military uses ammo with the tips painted all the time. It's probably not dangerous, but I would see no need to paint the brass case itself. I wouldn't want that in the chamber of any of my guns. Bullet tips maybe if I wanted to identify certain rounds for something and possible a spot on the base of the case. I wouldn't want too much on the base either as I wouldn't that fouling up the face of the bolt.

CraigC · August 5, 2009, 10:05 AM

It would make a hell of a mess as the paint came off the case and was tattooed into your chamber at 30-40,000psi. Layer upon layer. Dumb!

Dannyl · August 5, 2009, 10:51 AM

Hi,
Most shooters in the clubs where I belong mark their cases with permanent markers (including me), we paint a mark at the bottom.
It makes it easier to identify your brass (I still have to meet a person who competes and does not reload).

I suppose that if you had to, you could mark the tips of a bullet (can be useful if you are loading different weight bullets and or different charges and they would otherwise look the same, particularly rifle ammo)
The tip does not make contact with any part of the chamber or barrel.

To paint the whole case? I cannot think of a single good reason to do that.

cheers,
Danny

Uncle Buck · August 5, 2009, 10:59 AM

I mark the case heads to indicate what I have load, so I can reference my index cards. If I really like the feel of the case with the red permanent marker on the head, I can reference my index card and see what the load was and then make more of them.
I would be afraid that by painting the cases, the pressure of the round going off in the chamber would force the paint (at least some of it) off the round and into the chamber. Gunking us things more than they need to be gunked up.
That being said: I betcha if someone set up a table at a gun show and offered painted rounds, more than the mall ninjas would buy it. It is something different (Like those concealed carry badges

) and you never know who, or why, someone buys the things they do. Personally, I do not think I would want them in my guns.

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · August 6, 2009, 04:45 AM

G'day. Here is a link to another thread that covers this topic a little.

Falcon5NZ · August 6, 2009, 07:59 PM

It was used in testing the experimental SALVO rounds. They would paint the tip of the first projectile and fire it with the paint still wet. This would leave a ring of paint around the entry hole of the first projectile and thus differentiate it from the second projectile in the case. I think it was used for other military test firing but I can't think what at the moment.

Double J · August 8, 2009, 09:34 PM

Paint in chamber is a bad thing. When reloading, sometimes I'll put a drop of fingernail polish around the primer. Helps seal moisture out and keeps tab on what load it is. I have in the past used a permanent marker on cases, but I've quit that too.

bugnut · August 8, 2009, 11:37 PM

Shooting lacquered steel cased ammo eventually leads to a sticky chamber (esp. in Mosin Nagants). I think it's safe to assume that diy painted cases is a bad idea.

armsmaster270 · August 8, 2009, 11:46 PM

I have marked different loads with different colors of felt tip around the primer to Identify the different loads it does not hurt a thing

THEZACHARIAS · August 9, 2009, 04:44 PM

Painting the whole caseing sounds like the result of a mall-ninja type wondering if the sun would reflect off his extracted brass and give away his shooting position.

Said mall ninja probably went to town on his ammo with some black paint and a brush made of weaver rails and old camo shorts. Then he went online and told all the other ninjas and they thought about it for 2 seconds, copied his idea, and started plastering it all over the internet.

Then all of us living in the real world got to have a good laugh for all the previously mentioned reasons, as well as feel better about our own firm grasp on reality.

August 5, 2009, 07:11 AM	#1
peluo1 Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Posts: 24	Painting Ammo? Hey all. I was reading the mall ninja forum and there was a comment made that you would qualify as a mall ninja if you painted your ammo. I might have read it wrong, I'm not sure. Regardless, is that something that people actually do? Isn't that dangerous? I am talking about painting the round (casing and/or bullet). Any comments or personal experience welcome...at own risk

August 5, 2009, 08:31 AM	#4
CortJestir Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Southern CT Posts: 1,406	^^ Well, assuming the paint layer is not thick enough to prevent chambering a round (or full battery issues on an auto), I would imagine you would gum up your barrel and chamber pretty darn quick and that could lead to a whole host of other problems. It gets pretty hot in the barrel and the kind of paint used needs to resist the heat generated, friction, and rifling. But what do I know. I've never painted ammo and don't plan to! Marking case heads to ID brass for reloading is one thing - I've seen that at the range plenty of times. But fully painting a cartridge just seems like a Darwin Award waiting to happen. This is a purely academic discussion, right? __________________ "They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about..." - Lord Hugh Percy, on the events of April 19, 1775 Do you know what you're about? Find out at an Appleseed near you.

August 5, 2009, 10:51 AM	#8
Dannyl Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Cape Town - South Africa Posts: 627	It's OK if you only mark the tip or the case-head Hi, Most shooters in the clubs where I belong mark their cases with permanent markers (including me), we paint a mark at the bottom. It makes it easier to identify your brass (I still have to meet a person who competes and does not reload). I suppose that if you had to, you could mark the tips of a bullet (can be useful if you are loading different weight bullets and or different charges and they would otherwise look the same, particularly rifle ammo) The tip does not make contact with any part of the chamber or barrel. To paint the whole case? I cannot think of a single good reason to do that. cheers, Danny

August 5, 2009, 10:59 AM	#9
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,592	I mark the case heads to indicate what I have load, so I can reference my index cards. If I really like the feel of the case with the red permanent marker on the head, I can reference my index card and see what the load was and then make more of them. I would be afraid that by painting the cases, the pressure of the round going off in the chamber would force the paint (at least some of it) off the round and into the chamber. Gunking us things more than they need to be gunked up. That being said: I betcha if someone set up a table at a gun show and offered painted rounds, more than the mall ninjas would buy it. It is something different (Like those concealed carry badges ) and you never know who, or why, someone buys the things they do. Personally, I do not think I would want them in my guns. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

August 6, 2009, 04:45 AM	#10
SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2008 Location: Far Nth Wst QLD Australia Posts: 992	G'day. Here is a link to another thread that covers this topic a little. __________________ If you're not confused, you're not trying hard enough! When you're confused, I'll try to use smaller words!!!

August 5, 2009, 07:56 AM	#2
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	I know a couple people that paint the bottom of their brass different colors so they can tell who's brass is who's at the end of matches, I don't see how it would harm anything.

August 5, 2009, 08:11 AM	#3
peluo1 Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Posts: 24	What if you paint the whole thing? There is a mini explosion that occurs when the trigger is pulled on a gun, so wouldn't having a layer of paint on the round be dangerous? I may be giving too much credit to how a gun works but I figure there is a reason that ammo has a very "simple" casing of metal and nothing more. With the way things are now, you'd figure custom painted ammo would be everywhere, right? Nothing like shooting rounds with a picture of the family on them

August 5, 2009, 08:44 AM	#5
peluo1 Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Posts: 24	Haha well for me it is. I am very respectful of what happens in the barrel when the trigger of a gun is pulled, and tampering in any way with that can lead to a youtube video or a news headline so no thanks. Like I said, I saw it on the mall ninja forum and it was an aspect of guns that I had NEVER thought about and actually wondered why I had never thought about it and became curious. If it could be done safely and somewhat inexpensively...wouldn't shooting ammo with the casing custom painted your own way be kinda cool? You could put a picture of something on there, paint a logo, just one flat color paint, etc. And if you reload, then it would be easier to find the shells. The possibilities would be endless. Very mall ninja-esque I know. But something I have never heard discussed before.

August 5, 2009, 09:50 AM	#6
NavyLT Junior member Join Date: January 25, 2006 Location: Oak Harbor, WA Posts: 1,719	Well, let's see.... there is steel cased ammo out there with laquer coating on the case. Military uses ammo with the tips painted all the time. It's probably not dangerous, but I would see no need to paint the brass case itself. I wouldn't want that in the chamber of any of my guns. Bullet tips maybe if I wanted to identify certain rounds for something and possible a spot on the base of the case. I wouldn't want too much on the base either as I wouldn't that fouling up the face of the bolt.

August 5, 2009, 10:05 AM	#7
CraigC Junior member Join Date: November 28, 2001 Location: West Tennessee Posts: 4,300	It would make a hell of a mess as the paint came off the case and was tattooed into your chamber at 30-40,000psi. Layer upon layer. Dumb!

August 6, 2009, 07:59 PM	#11
Falcon5NZ Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Somewhere North of the Roaring 40's...Just Posts: 275	It was used in testing the experimental SALVO rounds. They would paint the tip of the first projectile and fire it with the paint still wet. This would leave a ring of paint around the entry hole of the first projectile and thus differentiate it from the second projectile in the case. I think it was used for other military test firing but I can't think what at the moment. __________________ It is New Zealand's role to send out its bright young men and women to help run the rest of the world. And they go, not hating the country of their birth, but loving it. From this loving base they make their mark on the world. Pro-1080 Poison and proud of it!!

August 8, 2009, 09:34 PM	#12
Double J Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2007 Location: So. Illinois Posts: 547	Paint in chamber is a bad thing. When reloading, sometimes I'll put a drop of fingernail polish around the primer. Helps seal moisture out and keeps tab on what load it is. I have in the past used a permanent marker on cases, but I've quit that too.

August 8, 2009, 11:37 PM	#13
bugnut Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 31	Shooting lacquered steel cased ammo eventually leads to a sticky chamber (esp. in Mosin Nagants). I think it's safe to assume that diy painted cases is a bad idea.

August 8, 2009, 11:46 PM	#14
armsmaster270 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2008 Location: California Posts: 1,951	I have marked different loads with different colors of felt tip around the primer to Identify the different loads it does not hurt a thing __________________ http://www.armsmaster.net-a.googlepages.com http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/f...aster270/Guns/ Retired LE, M.P., Sr. M.P. Investigator F.B.I. Trained Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor & Armorer, Presently Forensic Document Examiner for D.H.S.

August 9, 2009, 04:44 PM	#15
THEZACHARIAS Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 537	Painting the whole caseing sounds like the result of a mall-ninja type wondering if the sun would reflect off his extracted brass and give away his shooting position. Said mall ninja probably went to town on his ammo with some black paint and a brush made of weaver rails and old camo shorts. Then he went online and told all the other ninjas and they thought about it for 2 seconds, copied his idea, and started plastering it all over the internet. Then all of us living in the real world got to have a good laugh for all the previously mentioned reasons, as well as feel better about our own firm grasp on reality.