Range brass - Yes or No?

[Rule3]

It reminds me of folks who spend $60+ for a brass catcher.
I figure that my most expensive cases or 9x21 and .32-20, where I bought StarLine virgin cases years ago and replacement cases are $0.15. So, I would have to lose about 400 cases to pay for the unit. I lose about 1-2 9x21 cases every trip (don't lose any .32-20, as they are shot in a revolver) and I shoot those about 6 times a year, so I lose maybe 10 cases a year, or 40 years to pay for a brass catcher. At 66 years old, I could only hope to have 30 years left.
You have to stop once in while and think about what you are doing and if it really makes sense.
However, when I take someone to the range, I tell them that every case we fire is equal to a dime for me, so I would really appreciate it if they helped pick up cases after we're done.

I have a pretty expensive catcher on my AR(S) the amount of time, work effort I put into preping brass (which I dislike) I am not losing mine!!

Yes it is expensive but is very well made it is heavy duty not like those Velcro junk ones. You can buy extra rail mounts to put on other rifles (Those are from the company and expensive.

Caldwell seems to have a copy of it now but have not seen it yet.

AR-15/M16 BRASS-SAVR BRASS CATCHER | Brownells

http://www.3bucc.com/feature.htm

 

[daniel lawecki]

I was at the club several times this year. And people with more money than brains were leaving their brass on the ground. I watched them open the new box a blast away. This is a very good way to get honest once fired brass. One day I guy and his son shot 250 rounds of .223 he sent his son over. He said mister do you reload I said yes he said my Dad wants to you his brass. All in the new box neatly out in the orginial boxes.

 

[fyimo]

I always pick up range brass and check it over and if OK I reload it as I would any other brass.

 

[KnotRight]

i will pick up all the brass that I can find. Most of it is from people that just left BPS and shoot up what they just bought. Reloaders will pickup their brass.

Every piece of brass (even mine) is tumbled for 4 hours then inspected while resizing them. Over the past 4 years, I nave not had any problems with range pickups. I might have thrown away 2 to 3 dozen cases in the last year. Most was 308. I could not get the expander ball in it.

 

[Cdog]

Not long ago I walked onto my local clubs pistol range and found over 100 once fired .38 Super brass scattered about. I found 3 empty boxes in the trash barrel.

It brought a tear to my eye!

 

[rwsmith]

I don't see how in the world....

You don't know it's source??? Are they bringing in cheap ammo from Russia that is radioactive? Man, brass it brass as long as it's the proper type and in decent shape. The only hazard to handling it would be lead and mercury, which are easy to avoid if you are at all conscientious. If you reload, you should know how to handle this in the first place.

 

[Collo Rosso]

I joined a private gun club last year and the sucky part is NOBODY leaves their brass on the ground.
If you use range brass you just have to keep in mind every now and then a bad piece is going to make it past your best efforts to cull out the bad and cause a jam in a semi-auto.

 

[ageingstudent]

There are a couple of favored spots near where I live that lots of folks go to shoot. I've met one guy up there in the last five years who reloads. I watch people roll up in 50,000 dollar pickups and tear through 1000's of rounds of all calibers. I'd be a fool not to grab that brass. I used to keep it in coffee cans but I've graduated to buckets for 9mm and 5.56. I like the guys that shoot revolvers. They always leave my new .357/.38 brass in a neat pile.

At the range I belong to it's hit and miss but last weekend there were a couple of newbie shooting classes at the silhouette range and there was once fired .45 and .40 brass by the hundreds. You're going to look it over first if it's serviceable prep it and use it. Waste not want not.

 

[Alk8944]

There are 4 types of fired brass you will find left behind. This refers to handgun brass only! Bottleneck rifle cases are a different matter!:

1) Once fired factory from shooters who do not reload. This seems to be the most prevalent of left behind brass.
2) Fired commercial reloaded. This is usually easy to identify as the primer pockets will be reamed into a funnel! I throw these away mostly.
3) The relatively rare case a reloader missed (his reloads).
4) Worn out brass a reloader deliberately left behind.

Type 1 looks new and can be assumed to be once-fired factory.
Type 2 are easy to identify. You may wish to use these, much "Processed" fired brass you might buy falls into this category.

I will actually load some of these and mark the loads as "Throwaway". Take these hunting or when I don't wish to mess with picking up brass!

Type 3 are usually "obviously used", use your discretion.
Type 4 are usually "really obviously used", they simply look ratty. They may also stick in chambers at normal pressures as they have lost their ductility. When I abandon these I make a point of crushing these first.

Virtually all of my 9mm and 40 S&W brass was picked up, thousands of them! Hundreds of .308, .30-06, .30-30, .223, 5.56 military. Quite a few .380. The 9mm and .40 S&W are the reason I bought several guns in both calibers, couldn't see them going to waste. And I sure wasn't going to leave them laying on the ground, that's not what reloaders do!!!!!!!! FWIW, I never shoot on formal ranges, these all came from BLM land where many in my area shoot!

If you don't want to use pick-ups that's fine, it leaves that many more for those of us who do.

 

[ShelbyV8]

I shoot with my son at the police range. If I need something just go to the barrel and pick out what I need.

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

Don't know how many times I have went to the range to shoot and never fired the first round due to running out of daylight picking brass up around the firing line and diving head first into the trash cans. Proud to be a range brass whore.

 

[Geo. T.]

well

As a very long time reloader i see no problem using pistol brass that has been cleaned and sorted but unless rifle brass has crimped primers it's a **** shoot . If I leave rifle brass on the ground or in the brass barrel it has been loaded past what I think is safe .

 

[otisrush]

I pick up rifle and pistol brass and so far (I haven't been loading too long) I've had no issues. I figure/believe a thorough inspection process will find problem cases that need tossing.

Now that I've bought into using range brass, I think of brass scrounging as almost my 3rd hobby. (#1 being shooting and #2 being reloading). I, too, have had days where I spent more time scrounging than shooting. Just yesterday I was at the pistol range. It was cold out. As I was about to leave I realized I hadn't heard any rifle shots from the rifle range which is over the next hill. Well I couldn't *NOT* stop by there on the way out to check the brass buckets. I was able to get some 9mm and .223.

BTW - I'm seeing *A LOT* more steel case stuff in the brass buckets. I'm not sure if it is just luck or if a lot more people are deciding there is nothing wrong with it and given its price why not use it. Anyone else seeing a significant uptick in steel being left behind?

OR

 

[fredj338]

I wouldnt put max loads up in misc range brass, but plinking stuff, sure why not. Clean it, inspect it for obvious defects, gtg. For max effort stuff,i i would suggest new or once fired from your gun.

 

[AveragEd]

Well, I guess someone has to be the oddball so it might as well be me. The two gun clubs to which I belong that I frequent the most forbid littering ranges, indoor or outdoor, with ejected brass. They also forbid the discourtesy of spraying your fellow members with your spent brass. Accordingly, we don't have much of it laying around to slip on as it acts like ball bearings under your feet.

Also, I just prefer not to use what someone else may have deemed unfit for further use and others have already walked on. I buy new brass or loaded ammo and load/reload those cases - many fewer unpleasant surprises that way, especially with rifle casings. So yes, I'm one of those guys who employs a shell catcher when I shoot one of my 1911s or 22A. I even use it when shooting a bolt-action .22LR - sure beats picking all those little cases up so they can be disposed of properly.

I don't have an AR - they aren't legal for hunting (yet) in Pennsylvania and it just seems like many of those who own them do so only to see how fast they can empty a magazine, not how small a group they can shoot or even if they can hit their target. They do a great job of perforating our range target backer frames, though. To be fair, I do see some ARs being used for precision shooting, so it isn't the guns that are inaccurate. But if I did own one, I would have too much respect for my fellow club members AND my brass to simply eject it without some kind of retention system.

Flame away!

Ed

 

[MichiganScott]

I belong to a private club and brass on the ground is uncommon, but I still pick up all I can find and recycle it. I no longer reload it because I have had split necks and partial separations with pick up brass. Brass is too cheap and my guns are too costly to take a chance of damaging them.

 

[Collo Rosso]

BTW - I'm seeing *A LOT* more steel case stuff in the brass buckets. I'm not sure if it is just luck or if a lot more people are deciding there is nothing wrong with it and given its price why not use it. Anyone else seeing a significant uptick in steel being left behind?

I'd have to agree at the rifle ranges. I shot pistols this past weekend and aluminum cases were everywhere.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

The first time my shooting buddy and I went to a public, no charge range, the sheriff had a pistol range reserved and was have a training session. After they finished and cleared the area, we stopped there on the way out and picked up hundreds of .40 and 45 cal, once fired brass. You should have seen us down on our knees like little kids. I don't find many at the range I belong to now. Most folks reload and leave nothing behind except .22's and steel cases.

 

[aurora40]

So people clearly recognize the value of brass. Does the range you shoot at not? I pick up my brass because it is mine. I don't pick up range brass because it's not mine. The ranges I shoot at collect brass, it is part of their revenue. If they didn't, they'd presumably have to charge more to make up for it. If someone shot before me and didn't want the brass, it belongs to the range now, not me.

That said, I don't really see the need to use unknown brass. I had plenty of factory ammo before I started reloading and I mostly reload revolver cartridges. I don't know if I'd buy once-fired 9mm brass if I ran out of mine, I'd probably just buy a few boxes of factory ammo to "make" brass instead. While I'm sure in 99.999% of cases it's just fine, I don't see the need to use unknowns in my reloading.

 

[44wheelman]

To all you range scroungers...at least wait til the guy is done shooting, then ask, please.

Happens more frequently than you would think: in the middle of a magazine while shooting and someone starts collecting my brass......HEY, I'd like that back please....

The public range is notorious for pickers. The indoor range isn't much better with employees constantly sweeping the floor. I understand the need for cleanliness, and some of the range employees will let you sift the brass bucket before leaving.