Range brass - Yes or No?

[otisrush]

I really feel spoiled: The outdoor range (club) I belong to does not consider brass an important form of income. They focus much more on cleanliness so implore shooters to put their spent cases in buckets the range puts out. Nothing has ever been said about the range claiming ownership - so many-a-time I've gone through the buckets looking for stuff.

Fortunately I've never had anyone try to grab my brass before I was able to pick it up. I deliberately pay close attention when folks are picking up their stuff. If they dump it in the buckets I just go grab it. On a number of occasions - after being very deliberate about picking up my own brass and having people see me put it in a ziplock bag - people have come up and said "Want mine?" and handed me a bunch of stuff. Or better yet - become good friends with shooting buddies who don't reload. My good buds pick up their once-fired and give it to me.

"Hey guys! Let's go shooting!" :-D

 

[Vortec MAX]

At my range, if I don't pick up the last guy's brass (after they are gone of course), the guy behind me will. It is not in the range "rules" that brass should be left for the range. If it was, I would not shoot there.

My range consists of a series of outdoor bays, flanked on both sides with dirt berms, where groups or individuals have the bay to themselves. If brass is laying on the ground when I get there, and it is something I want, I pick it up.

Mike

 

[gwpercle]

Man have I been there. I spend more time looking for that last piece of brass than all the others put together. I think they call that OCD.

Most of the time I just expect that 10% will be a tithing to the range gods.

Mike

If I come back with less brass than I went with.......That's a BAD day !
That last one is always the hardest to find isn't it !

Gary

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

If a guy is shooting not picking his brass, I will ask if I can have it. If he is saving his I might help him pick it up, or maybe give him some brass I've already picked but don't shoot that caliber.

It's ok if you don't save your brass, and it's also ok if I save mine and pick other range brass up and take it with me. Lighten up folks, it's not brain surgery.

 

[AveragEd]

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....

Using a brass catcher very much eliminates that problem as well as hot brass flying down the back of the next guy's shirt. At my clubs, one indoor and one outdoor, you would be asked to leave if you persisted in letting your brass fly all over unless you are on that range by yourself.

Some shooters just aren't housebroken, I guess...

Ed

 

[Twoboxer]

For me . . . I'll pick up bright and shiny pistol (9mm and 45ACP small primer) and 223 brass. I don't bother with anything that looks well used or neglected from ~6' away.

Then I get fussy about the headstamp, only keeping those whose names I respect and can count on.

Why? In addition to reasons given above, I have also found several steel (?) cases masquerading as brass. The rim of one or more of these cases was slightly damaged or improperly reformed in reloading, and became a tool that gouged the feed ramp on my 1911.

No reason for me to pick up other rifle cases - IME they are not useful for precision shooting. I use a brass catcher on my AR15s and 6mmAR to keep my own brass . . . the ejectors on those rifles sure have a sense of humor

 

[cuda2045]

Yes and no

 

[rwsmith]

Well, that was darn nice....

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.

Wow, that was darn nice of him. I don't criticize people that give me good stuff.

 

[rwsmith]

Sounds like the time....

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.

Sounds like the time the door broke open on the watermelon truck when it went around a curve. A veritable traffic jam from people stopping to get a free watermelon.

 

[rwsmith]

A guy came at me with a push broom......

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.

A guy came toward my lane with a push broom and I squawked like a seagull. He went away.

 

[rwsmith]

That's what the brooms are for.......

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.

With a broom, you can reach into the other guys lane while he's shooting without him even noticing.

 

[rwsmith]

Does anybody know.....

Using a brass catcher very much eliminates that problem as well as hot brass flying down the back of the next guy's shirt. At my clubs, one indoor and one outdoor, you would be asked to leave if you persisted in letting your brass fly all over unless you are on that range by yourself.

Some shooters just aren't housebroken, I guess...

Ed

Is there one you can use that doesn't interfere even when the pistol pops the empties almost straight up?

 

[Magload]

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

I use the Cadwell one that has a rail mount. I don't use it on my single shot AR but made a catcher that sits on the bench. I use Lapua brass in the gun and would like to hang on to it.. Don

 

[Marcruger]

A couple of things to consider.....

Just my 2 cents worth.....

Range brass is fine if you clean and inspect. However, I always segregate my brass by headstamp. It takes little time, and makes a difference to me in crimping. Varying lengths and thicknesses will alter your crimp, making for less consistent cartridges.

Likewise, different companies' brass varies in volume. That can make for pressure and velocity differences. Since I am reloading to get accuracy, why skip the sorting stage?

Be careful with old brass. My dad asked me to load some once fired rifle brass he'd used back in the mid '70's. It was hard as rock and split. I trashed it all and bought him some new brass.

Hope this helps. Marc

 

[Magload]

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.

The indoor range I belong to here in NE florida will let you pick up your own brass if you are a reloader everyone else must sweep it up and place it in the bucket. People shooting new ammo can not give you their brass. The range reloads the brass and sells a lot of manufactured ammo. it cuts down on the cost on running the place and they pass that on to us. I hate when some helpful sole in the stall beside me sweeps up and sweeps mine up also and dumps them in the bucket. They are in there they are gone a guy lost his membership for raiding the bucket. Don

 

[Nevada Ed]

The rifle range just north of Reno is the same way.

You can pick "Your" brass up but the rest goes into a 5 gal. bucket. They say they will sell it at some point.............

I have a new range I will try out.......
hopefully I can get some cases and maybe a few ammo boxes from the garbage can?

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

A couple hours ago I was at the indoor range of the private club I belong to intent on shooting my 617. I brought my shell sorter pans and bucket along and ended up with about 2500-3000 pieces of pistol brass mainly 9mm and some 40's that I will use and a few 380's I will box up and send to a friend with a hungry little MAC-11 smg. The club I belong to could care less about who gets the brass as long as the range is kept clean. I think I counted 10 5 gallon buckets of lead from the bullet trap lined up along the wall as well. If I had somewhere to store the lead I would snatch it all up as well. Twas a great evening at the range.

 

[ageingstudent]

The range I belong to is member supported. I think it operates as a non profit. No rules on brass just ask and be polite. We like to be known as the friendly club. It's much more than just a range.

 

[Harkrader]

Yes.
1. sort
2. inspect
3. clean
4. inspect
5. reload

I've saved bunches of dough that way.

 

[ChuckS1]

In all my 25+ years of reloading, I can't remember when I ever bought brass. Everything I load is range brass. That being said, one thing I do is keep a few Sharpies of different colors in my shooting box and mark my brass, just in case somebody tries to pick it up.