How and when do you sort your brass?

[Wee Hooker]

Seems like every time I go to the range these days, I end up dragging out at least two and sometimes three calibers. As I shoot, I tend to throw all the spent cases into the same mesh bag. Additionally, there isn't a visit to the range that doesn't end up with me picking up 10-100 left behind casings of one caliber or another. All the brass goes into the same bag. Adding to the problem, sometimes I forget so that the bag doesn't get emptied for 2-3 range visits.

Bottom line, sooner or latter , I'm sorting 200-500 pieces of brass that may span 3-5 different calibers.

I know this has got to be the dumb way to do it so here I am.

How do you you handle your range brass? Do you sort/separate it at the range or do you sort it in bulk? Also, do any of those sorting screens work?

 

[JimM_PA]

Upon the recommendation of a friend a couple of years ago, I bought a Shell Sorter (yellow, blue and black pans). It sits on an empty 5 gallon bucket and makes short work of sorting range brass when I get home, or when the spirit moves me. The Shell Sorter has saved me a ton of time. Although I thought it was a bit pricey when I bought it, it paid for itself in short order with the time it saved me. Sorted brass ends up in empty coffee cans until I'm ready to tumble the brass.

 

[mikld]

Yep, I pick up a lot of brass too. But, there's only one way to eat an elephant. That's one bite at a time. I may have 500 cases in a bucket, but I don't have to sort all 500 at one time. I'll look at 100, or 150 at a time (or as much as I feel like!) 'till they are all gone. My "favorite" or rifle handloads are kept separate and the brass goes back into the original container (or box or bag) for close inspection when I get home...

 

[Ignatz]

I bring it home and dump it in a shallow soda case cardboard box. It seems that the 9's find there way in a 40 S&W, that finds its way in a 45 acp case! I separate them to let them dry out in case they are wet.
I separate them by hand....Dry tumble them in a hand crank cage thing to shake the loose dirt off, then my tumbler with rice, then the last tumbler with walnut shells and polish.
I bought my first 9mm because I picked up so much brass!
No real easy way. It's like a hobby in itself, or maybe an addiction!

 

[S&WIowegan]

I sort by caliber (shell sorter) before I clean and polish. Then by headstamp after it's clean and ready to go into the ready to load bins. I sort by headstamp so I get uniform performance for each load I develop.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

I try and keep all my own brass with the box it came to the range in. Range brass will be sorted by size at home, deprimed, then like sizes will be cleaned together, get one polish then put with like of its own kind-- when the 'soup & salad' size container becomes full it is moved to something larger-- something Sarah's dental treats come in from Costco's. From there, they go into 4 gallon pails, or 2 gallon pails, what ever I have on hand. right now I am getting ready to start my 8th 4 gallon pail of 9MM's. Don't know how many 4 gallon pails of 45 I have. It all finds a place. Since acquiring the sonic cleaner, the days brass moves along pretty fast. I have a 15" fan and sit a tray of brass with a bar towel under the brass, it dries fairly quick.

 

[Smithhound]

I'm old fashioned I guess and follow Mikld & Iowan in just gritting my teeth and sorting them out a bit at a time. The phenomena of 'case telescoping', the .9mm into .40 into .45 cases has always been a buggaboo, so I sort by caliber and then headstamp after an initial polish as well. I never polish calibers that can disappear into another as it's a waste of time, the 'telescoping' problem will rear it's head every time, so I make sure to only put cases that won't fit into another in the tumbler.
It takes time, but while that is going on I do other reloading chores. It's all a part of it.
If you really think about it, if you had to count your time at the bench the ammo you make is quite expensive, but being a hobby it's better than roaming the streets or watching the idiot box on the couch. About like growing a garden, discount your hours involved and you come out way ahead, but add them in and you'd have to question your sanity.
RD

 

[Rule3]

If you have a lot to sort, the shell sorter is right up there with sliced bread!.

That's as far as I sort. I do not do the headstamp thing. I reload about every handgun caliber and 4 rifles, I am not spending the rest of my life sorting brass. I have the 380 plate also, it was less money when I bought mine,

Shell Sorter Brass Sorter 9mm Luger 40 Smith & Wesson 45 ACP 3 Bowl

 

[iouri]

I use shell sorter. Works just fine. After sorting I have ready piles for wet tumbling (calibers that won't lock up inside another).

 

[Wee Hooker]

Thanks Gents, sounds like two basic camps. The first (as I'm in now) is to just pick em up , bring em home, dump em out and sort by hand. The second, ( which based on your endorsements will be my future method) is to do the same but to use a sorter set.
I'm somewhat surprised that nobody (smarter than me) has recommended a slicker way of sorting as they are shot/picked up.

p.s. J.r. I gave up boxing my reloads a few years back. Now I just package my ammo in pint sized freezer bags. Saves time at the bench and allot of space in the ammo locker and range bag. Cheaper too. Guess I could just pack 3-4 of the same bags for keeping range brass separate too.

 

[AveragEd]

I keep my loaded rounds in either the box in which they came as factory ammo or plastic boxes from MTM or the like if I bought the cases as new brass. Each box wears a label identifying the recipe in them as well as a reload count. Empties get put back into their boxes as they come out of the cylinder or my shell catcher's net if I'm shooting my 1911.

I don't pick brass left behind by others. I have no way of knowing if a clean piece is once-fired or was cleaned before receiving what the former owner felt should be its last use. Handgun brass certainly has a longer reloading life than rifle brass but new stuff isn't so expensive that the risk is worth taking. Granted, new brass isn't as available as it used to be but those of us who have always kept a decent inventory of shooting supplies on hand and are on several suppliers' "call when available" lists aren't affected very much by that.

Ed

 

[W.E.G.]

Put on your reading glasses and do it by hand!

A few hundred pieces only takes a few minutes. You don't need a contraption for that.

Rifle brass is sorted by headstamp AND number of times-fired.
This creates various lots, and that get stored in marked gallon ziplocks.
When a lot starts to show issues (loose primer pockets or head-separations), the whole lot goes in the recycle bucket.

Pistol brass does not get sorted until a neck splits, and then it goes in the recycle bucket.

That's all there is too it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Like the Kenny Rogers song The Gambler, I never "count my money (brass) when sitting at the table, there'll be time enough for countin' when the shootin's done."

 

[Alk8944]

I bought my first 9mm because I picked up so much brass!

Several 9mm, 40 S&W and .223 guns were bought for the same reason! When I had probably over 10,000+ of these various cases it was simply too much of a temptation.

So far as sorting brass I simply carry several Zip-lock bags along and place fired brass in the bags as it is fired, one bag per caliber or case type. Except for pick-ups I rarely have to do any sorting as a result.

 

[hangnoose]

shell sorter

good idea. add that to the ever growing list of must haves. yes telescoping is a pia, but I tend to tumble em all at once anyway then sort by caliber and headstamp (brand) before reloading. if they telescoped and didn't get clean, they go in the next batch to tumble again. using a revolver/bolt or single shot and sorting them at the range is so much easier. I hate having to bend over and pick them up or sweep them from the floor, when using a semi.

 

[SMSgt]

You need to closely inspect range brass, so sorting/inspecting one at a time is the easiest way for me. Any I don't currently reload is dropped into separate ziplock bags for future use.

 

[Bugkiller99]

What calibers I don't reload, I keep. If I get a lot of one caliber brass, I figure that God's way of telling me what gun to buy next

 

[mikld]

FWIW, I have been shooting for over 35 years. I have been reloading for prolly 30 years. 80% of my early brass was range pickups because I was on a very tight budget (aka broke). I still pick up range brass and reload it (even .223/5.56, 30-30, and 30-06) and shoot it. In the thirty + years I cannot say I've had a failure/oops/or kaboom because of reloading used brass. Of course the handgun cartridges are mostly low pressure and last nearly forever, but Magnum handgun brass and rifle brass have been problem free, and I visually inspect every case I reload. Mebbe I'm just lucky? Nope, I don't think so, I just believe there isn't much if any "danger" shooting used brass.

 

[MyDads38]

Rule3, thanks for the link to the shell sorters! Will have to pick up a set-will save me a lot of time I know this is an old thread, but gave me a heads up for something I can use!

 

[Magload]

When shooting once fired or cases I am trying to keep count of times loaded and the indoor range I shoot 10 and pick them up. I put them back into the shell box and find I still come up short about 10%. It was worst when I would wait till I was done as some one else that didn't reload sweep up the cases behind him and dumped them in the range bucket as required. Then some of the brass goes in front of the firing line and if I can't reach it with the broom it is gone as the line is always hot. I do pick up other brass while picking up mine so it works out.