I am looking for the best brass catcher for a .223 DPMS AR. My rifle has the picatinny flat top and has a scope on it.

What are the pros and cons of rigid vs. soft catchers?

Any thoughts or advice are appreciated.

Thanks,

RCG

I had one of those soft catchers that velcros around the free-float tube. My experience is that they are not rigidly mounted enough to keep the opening open wide enough (and in the correct location) to allow the brass to get into the bag easily. I popped off maybe three rounds, saw the failure of the thing to do what it was claimed to be able to do, took it off and never used it again. Should have bought three gallons of gas, instead. Ihad one of the hard-molded catchers made by E & L Manufacturing on an SP-1 back in the mid-1980s. They crack too easily and cost too much at around forty bucks apiece...

I use an adjustable baseball cap. Just fasten the adjustable strap, the cartridges fall into the cap or roll out onto the bench. When done, I put the cap back on my head. Cost=nothing.

quote:

I use an adjustable baseball cap. Just fasten the adjustable strap, the cartridges fall into the cap or roll out onto the bench. When done, I put the cap back on my head. Cost = nothing.

Some people are so blessed with intelligence and a truly unique way of thinking about problems, you just have to marvel and ask "Why didn't I think of that?" Good tip...

jstevens:

Thanks for the tip!

RCG

I'm a new guy here, but I may have an option for catching brass wen bench shooting -- like load work-up.
I thread the corner of a red shop towel beneath my scope tube, between the mounts. Tie a knot in the corner on the left side of the rifle and drape the remainder over the ejection port. The round is ejected into the rag, loses its velocity, and it drops onto the bench beneath the rifle. Not as brilliant as the ball cap idea, but serviceable, none the less.

Hello,
An approach to limiting the travel of the spent round from AR is to simply remove ejector, spring, roll pin, clip couple coils off of the spring and re install. Several of us who shoot the AR in matches and don't like "hunting" for the brass do this and there is no harm in doing this. Place some elec. tap over face of bolt, drift out pin which holds plunger, slowly remove the tape, catch the plunger, clip spring and re install. You may have to clip off even three coils, but when this is done, brass will fall just to the right of the rifle within arms reach whether bench or prone/matt. Just a suggestion.