The method of identification belongs to area of information technologies and can be used during creation of information systems on identification of material resources, in particular, when forming databases, for example, of artillery trunks of average and large calibers and any other objects by which production electrochemical processing of metals is used.  Earlier the device was developed for drawing in a trunk by method of electrochemical etching of a barcode. It formed as the separate strips distributed between spiral grooves on all length of a trunk, and the algorithm of assembly of strips in a barcode is stored in the database. The barcode can form as at cross, and longitudinal strips, in the latter case it is hardly noticeable at visual survey of a trunk. An important factor is drawing an individual matrix in spiral grooves.  Development of the device for reading of a barcode from an inner surface of a spiral groove in a trunk of small arms became the following step in work.  This problem is solved by use of the device for reading of a barcode containing the body with the photodetector and the lighter, the movement mechanism, connected, with the scheme of control circuit and the interface. Singularity of the device is that the body is executed in the form of the cylinder with the removable holders located at opposite end faces having spiral-shaped grooves.  The device works as follows. The assembled body with the holders corresponding by the sizes and quantity of lots in the studied trunk is inserted into a trunk so that both holders were completely hidden in a trunk. Then the device begins to move evenly along a trunk. At the same time light from the lighter gets on an inner surface of a trunk and is reflected on the photodetector. The control circuit makes the analysis of a reflected light for the purpose of detection of the beginning of a barcode. After detection of the beginning of a code in the direction of travel there is its allocation and a set of elements of a code. It occurs until all is scanned the site of a trunk, necessary for the chosen type of coding. The code created in the control unit is transmitted through the interface to the consumer, and the reader begins to mix up in the opposite direction for withdrawal from a trunk.  Execution of holders by removable allows to remove a barcode from any small and big arms having any number of spiral grooves on a trunk.  Advantages of the device are: high accuracy of positioning for reading of the put tags in a trunk of arms, thanks to holders with spiral-shaped channels, its availability allows recovering a digital code of a product and an initial warehouse of its storage on the hidden barcode.