Armory Sponsor
Posted: 6/23/2010 6:01:12 PM EDT
| do you guys take range brass if it looked good? i use a out door range but it was a roof over it and there are buckets that you can put your brass in for other people. found some 9mm in there just wondering if its safe to throw in with my own brass for when i start reloading this winter |
| Here's another vote for collecting that range brass-and thoroughly inspecting it. I've collected tons of it in a number of calibers, and it's been generally very easy to determine what's good and what's not. But you MUST inspect the crap out of it-just like any brass. |
|
There is range brass then there is range brass.
For example I used to plan to show up on the club range in the evenings after the local PD and SO's officers would do their quarterly qualifications. That would net me a couple thousand rounds of 40 S&W and 9mm brass along with a fair number of .45 ACP all complete with opened only once boxes. And since they bought it all new, what I picked up was reasonably certain to be once fired brass. I basically have a lifetime supply. At the other extreme, picking brass up at tacical matches was something else entirely, especially if shooters were using still dependable but getting close to the end of useful life brass like I did. But even then there are two ways to look at it. 1. it was some of my worst brass so the odds were anything I picked up coudl not be much worse and the odds were good that it would be better than mine. or 2. It is highly unlikely to be new unless there are LEO, military or sponsored shooters present who might actually be shooting new boxer primed brass cased ammo. Weathering then plays a part as well on outdoor ranges. In a dry climate it can be there for months and be fine. in wet areas, a week or two can make it questionable. Trash cans can be gold mines, especially during hunting season when 1 time a year shooters show up to sight in a rifle and in extreme cases, actually practice a bit (off the bench, never even approaching a field shooting position). You often find a full box worth of very expensive brass in some very spendy calibers. |
|
Quoted:
There is range brass then there is range brass. For example I used to plan to show up on the club range in the evenings after the local PD and SO's officers would do their quarterly qualifications. That would net me a couple thousand rounds of 40 S&W and 9mm brass along with a fair number of .45 ACP all complete with opened only once boxes. And since they bought it all new, what I picked up was reasonably certain to be once fired brass. I basically have a lifetime supply. At the other extreme, picking brass up at tacical matches was something else entirely, especially if shooters were using still dependable but getting close to the end of useful life brass like I did. But even then there are two ways to look at it. 1. it was some of my worst brass so the odds were anything I picked up coudl not be much worse and the odds were good that it would be better than mine. or 2. It is highly unlikely to be new unless there are LEO, military or sponsored shooters present who might actually be shooting new boxer primed brass cased ammo. Weathering then plays a part as well on outdoor ranges. In a dry climate it can be there for months and be fine. in wet areas, a week or two can make it questionable. Trash cans can be gold mines, especially during hunting season when 1 time a year shooters show up to sight in a rifle and in extreme cases, actually practice a bit (off the bench, never even approaching a field shooting position). You often find a full box worth of very expensive brass in some very spendy calibers. Second to last time I went to the range, I hit what I thought was a gold mine of 30-30. I probably found about 50-60 cases 
Almost doubled my stash 
|
|
I have a lot of range brass. I don't think there's anyone else that shoots at my range that reloads. I've picked up a ton of .45 ACP brass, and 99% is Winchester. From the amount of boxes I found in the trash cans it's mostly white box ammo. I have found a lot of hunting caliber brass in the trash cans also. It's like DakotaFAL said, right before deer season you can find a lot of brass from the once-a-year shooters getting ready for deer season.
Sometimes I end up spending more time picking up brass than shooting. The last time I picked up brass I ended up with a lot of Amerc .45 ACP brass. As soon as I got home I culled it and threw it in the trash. |
|
The brass bucket from the 50 & 100 yard line at my usual range is a gold mine. You get lots of guys there sighting in their AR's for the first time and they never keep their brass. Last time I was there I probably got 200 "new" cases, mostly LC and Winchester. The RSO who usually works that range knows me and always points it out if there's a bunch of good brass in the bucket. If I'm feeling adventurous I'll dig into the 50-gallon blue plastic drum at the end of the line and see what's in there.
Once in a while I'll score some 9mm there as well from someone shooting a carbine or something, that's a nice bonus. |
|
Quoted:
do you guys take range brass if it looked good? i use a out door range but it was a roof over it and there are buckets that you can put your brass in for other people. found some 9mm in there just wondering if its safe to throw in with my own brass for when i start reloading this winter I use it all the time. I always inspect it, of course, but generally I don't find anything suspect. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I pick it up and QC it as I am prepping it. Most of it ends up in my blasting/plinking container. This. Just inspect closely. I typically load it up with lower power charges too. I don't make precision ammo out of it, but it makes for some cheap ammo. |
|
If it looks like gold, I pick it up. The junk stuff and Berdan primed stuff gets set aside for a ride to the recycler. I load, sell, barter the rest. My girlfriend and I picked up 3 gallons of mixed brass yesterday. Grab anything you can, you might need it in the future.
9mm can be used to make .40 S&W projectiles .40 S&W can be used to make .44 Mag projectiles 5.7 by 28 can be used to make .30 cal projectiles .22LR can be used to make .223 projectiles .22 HMR can might be used to make 6mm projectiles And other projects are going on as well. For more info, slide over to the Swaging Forum at CastBoolits. jonblack |
| Im like a raccoon. I see something shiney and I just have to have it. I worry about if after I get home. I good cleaning in wal-nut media and then I see what I got. Anything that makes me take a second look usually sends that case to the recycle bin. Im out mostly my time and helps keep my shooting costs down. |
I get all i can carry from my range with rangemaster permission , usually free or if he hand picks it i get a 50 cal can full of 308 for 75$ and the last one was full of LC match brass. I then wash it and inspect and then it goes into the stainless steel media for 4 hours till it looks new.
|
|
Whenever I go to the range I'm afraid someone will mistake me for a crack addict for all the scrounging I do. I'm not afraid to dig in the trash can to get brass.
My strangest day was 60 rounds of once fired 375 H&H Magnum that someone had placed back in the boxes and put in the trash. Who shoots 60 rounds of 375? And 9mm? It all gets picked up and used. |
|
You'll know when picking up brass becomes an addiction. Showing up to spend day at gun club with multiple ranges having half dozen guns to shoot and thousands of bullets. Then your side tracked by the many shiny objects scattered across many, many acres. The tempation becomes over wheiming and the switch clicks to your O.C.D. side. Your focus becomes " ooohh that's shiny " and you spend the day picking up brass. Then night sets in, it gets dark enough to pack it up. You do so and reflect your day while driving home. Gee, that was fun..... and I never fired a shot.
I'd get more use out of 5 gallon buckets than my guns on most range trips. |
| Range brass is hit or miss for me. Some days Ill score some some days no. The asst range master at my local range will collect the brass for himself if it sits on the ground long enough. I collect everything, trade what I dont need. I am cautious of some brass, if the crimp has been removed already its trash and goes into the recycling bucket. |
|
Quoted:
I pick it up all the time. Gotten quite a bit this way. As others have said, just inspect carefully. If in doubt––throw it out. And yes, all AMERC is junk. I have used AMERC for brass cleaning tests, and that's about it. And I'm not 100% sure of the results I got with those tests, either. But it is always good for recycling! |
|
Quoted:
Whenever I go to the range I'm afraid someone will mistake me for a crack addict for all the scrounging I do. I'm not afraid to dig in the trash can to get brass. No crap! My girlfriend and I chuckle about whether people call us "brass rats" or not. We scurry around the range picking up brass before anyone else has a chance to get it, even though it has been laying there for days/weeks. I feel like if I don't hurry someone else might lay claim to my gold! I dump the trash cans over, too. That's where the good stuff is. Not really, but that is what I tell myself while I am digging through empty drink bottles and used bore patches. However, I have tons of brass on hand. What I don't shoot I sell or trade. jonblack |
Armory Sponsor