Hit the Motherlode for Range Brass!

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kbm6893

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Driving past my range today. Just a big non-supervised public range in the woods. Picked up at least 400 9MM cases. Some Perfecta, some Blazer brass, Hornady, and Winchester. More left behind but I got tired of getting them. It was rainy today and rained a lot this past weekend, so some were half buried in the mud. I rinsed them several times to get the mud off. Then dunked them all in a clean bucket of water for a final rinse. Dried them all off and into the tumbler they went. Even got about 30 .380 cases. Don't reload that yet but I will soon.
 
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If you pick up every piece of 9mm you find you will soon be over whelmed with it. Anymore I don't even try with 9mm or 40 S&W. Anything else i'll scoop up.
 
I know the feeling.....a few years ago I stumbled into a couple bays at the local range just after a very large LEO tactical training live fire event. Got a bucketful of once-fired .40, wads of 223 & couple handfuls of 308....felt like the pirate treasure trove
 
reddog81 said:
If you pick up every piece of 9mm you find you will soon be over whelmed with it. Anymore I don't even try with 9mm or 40 S&W. Anything else i'll scoop up.
Click to expand...

I only reload 9MM and .38. I left lots of .40 and .45 brass there.
 
Rule3 said:
What kind of brass scrounger are you!!:eek:

Grab it all!;)

There's Gold in them there Hills!!:D
Click to expand...

I normally would, but it was raining and I was already drenched,
And I figured leave some for others. Spread my good fortune and all. I checked them after only one hour in the tumbler and they are already bright and shiny.
 
AveragEd said:
Probably because they were too lazy to clean up after themselves.

Ed
Click to expand...

My excuse is I'm too old to keep bending over on my private range. If I can get my visiting great-grandson away from the tractors long enough, he likes to pick up the "gold". :)

If I could get electric down to the range in the spring, I'd use the Shop Vac to pick up brass. I'd get nothing but dirt with it now. :o
 
When I was putting in time as an RSO I had regular shooters who would give me their brass when done for the day. I got all the 38spl,9mm,40S&W and 45 acp I could ever use. After awhile I had to start refusing it because I only have a limited amount of storage space.
Jim
 
Right place, right time. I use the public ranges provided by the PA Game Commission and years ago, before shooting I would scoop up a fair amount of handgun brass. Not any more. There are people who drive around to these ranges to pick up brass. Good luck finding a 9mm, .45acp, etc.
 
When I started reloading and shooting in the mid 1960's , Sunday mornings was my only free time. I usually had the public range to myself and would sweep up everything the Saturday shooters left.

Hardly anyone reloaded and boxes of revolver , pistol and rifle brass would be left on the concrete floor and in the trash barrel.
I took home a 5 gallon bucket full each trip.

My kids were real good scroungers !

I have never had to buy any handgun brass !

If you can scrounge , go for it ....just good old recycling and money saving to boot.

Gary
 
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I was at a shooting school several years ago when ammo had gone sky high. Only one guy was shooting a .45 and he was shooting new ammo. I asked the owner if I could pick it up and he said sure. He said that after our class was over, some locals would swoop in and get it. I still have that 1 fired brass somewhere.
 
Back in the mid '70s, my dad & I went to a North-South skirmish being held at Fort Eustis, Virginia. After getting the camper set up, I wandered over to the pistol range where a soldier was shooting a .45. I asked about brass and wound up with a 5 gallon bucket full of WCC (Winchester) once fired brass-all head stamped '72-74.

I'm still reloading it. :)
 
Tinhack said:
My excuse is I'm too old to keep bending over on my private range. If I can get my visiting great-grandson away from the tractors long enough, he likes to pick up the "gold". :)

If I could get electric down to the range in the spring, I'd use the Shop Vac to pick up brass. I'd get nothing but dirt with it now. :o
Click to expand...

I tend to pick up my 9mm brass but I don't reload. I was inspired by a photo of a 1911 sitting on a bed of spent brass so my collecting is mostly for that for now. I imagine at some point I will find someone to give it to or trade with.

But one day at my range a fella had a gadget he called an ammo broom that he bought online. He rolled it around and picked up the brass and left the rock and dirt behind. Looked like a nice little gadget for those who don't like the bending or who are not fortunate enough to have kids or grand kids to do the picking up.

A quick search found the gadget that he had under ammo broom, nut wizard or brass wizard. Can't speak for personal use but it did look like it worked for the fella using it.

But my trusty revolvers are easier for brass collection. :D
 
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One of these eliminates 99% of the brass policing hassles.

942827_zpssfa62bfr.jpg


They have a weighted base that also accommodates a tripod so it can be used sitting at a bench or standing. I never leave home without mine.

Ed
 
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