I'm just curious as to what the average hunter/reloader/shooter does about getting brass. I've ordered some, particularly for my less than mainstream calibers, but for my more popular calibers, I generally pick up brass at the range, or have people who know I reload those calibers and they give me their used brass. For instance, I've NEVER bought brass for my 7mm rem mag. I'm sure the benchrest guys have a good reason for buying the BEST brass they can find, but do most of us go through that added trouble/expense?

Question:
Do you scavenge brass from the range or friends who don't reload, or do you only use brass bought specifically for your purpose?

Choices:
I only shoot scavenged used brass
It depends, I'll shoot found/given if availabe, buy it if not
I only buy brass from certain makers. Nothing else will go in my gun's chamber.

 

I think your results show that reloaders, by their very nature, are opportunist.
I lived in Memphis, TN 25 yrs ago and I still have coffee cans of 30-06 Rem Brass that I scavaged at the Shelby County range.

Interesting thread.

I voted for No. 2, but I honestly wouldn't recommend that for new shooters/reloaders. I think folks might be better off getting a little visual experience with the things that can happen to brass before they start using "pick-ups".

On the ther hand, once a person has learned how and what to look for, I think it's a shame to waste brass just because someone else did.

I've actually ended up buying guns to fit some brass...where I got so much brass for free, I had to buy something to use it in. And I know I'm not the only one who has done that....

I pick up miscellaneous bits of brass at the range but far and away I buy brass from Mid South Shooters Supply.....and I buy Rem or Win brass and which ever is less costly.....I have no favorites and even have a lot of federal brass.

I pick up nothing but my own brass at the range. For rifles except my AR 15 I start with new brass. Often Norma or Lapua. I will buy used brass for my 38, 9mm 45 and 223.

As of today I stumbled on to some friends who have scads of rifle brass and maybe pistol brass to !.

He wasn't sure of all the calibers or exactly how much they had but 4-7 people shooting twice a month

nearly 400 rounds per secession ; has got to add up after a year or so . Granted some is Wolf other stuff

is whatever ammo was on sale but they just save Brass not steel . An NONE of them reload !.

I'm working on getting it in hand before offering it up for shipping charges . I know they have 9 mm

45 223 30/06 308 7 mm Rem Mag . I'll secure it first then post up what's available !.

ALL of my brass is purchased new- I don't trust used brass from unknown sources.

I buy new brass. 50 count bags normaly Winchester. I also buy used brass when the price is right. I never leave a piece of brass lay on the ground that I have found. I pick it all up....even the types that I dont use.

I also have friends and family that give me brass from time to time.

I have bought once-fired in the past when Midway had it for $35 a thousand. That was way back in the late 90s, I think. Now, I pick up my brass at the range. I find so many people do not reload-- they just let it lay. That's when I move in. I love it when I find LC or PMC. The LC is good stuff; love it. The PMC I find has pretty tight primer pockets and is about 10 grains heavier than a Remingchester case. I have a ton of .2232Rem brass both primed and unprimed, yet I cannot turn away an opportunity to pick up the next case. Just something in me. I also have a problem with leaving half the cost of a box of ammo on the ground...

"How do you get brass?"

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me.

Let me just say this.... I don't scrounge range brass unless I know for a fact it's been fired only once.

i just started reloading but i had started saving my brass before since i knew i planned to start. i still didn't have very much saved up so i needed to buy some. i have a guy here locally that sells 9mm $20/k .40 $20/k 223 45/k so i picked up what i needed from him also picked up 130 pieces of once fired 270wsm for $26 this is all once shot

quote:

Originally posted by DaMan:
"How do you get brass?"

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me.

Let me just say this.... I don't scrounge range brass unless I know for a fact it's been fired only once.

i know this thinking may not prove 100% accurate but my thoughts are that if someone leaves their brass behind they probably don't reload and it was probably factory ammo they just shot.

quote:

Originally posted by sksshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by DaMan:
"How do you get brass?"

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me.

Let me just say this.... I don't scrounge range brass unless I know for a fact it's been fired only once.

i know this thinking may not prove 100% accurate but my thoughts are that if someone leaves their brass behind they probably don't reload and it was probably factory ammo they just shot.

When you find new factory boxes with the brass stuffed back into them it's a pretty safe bet.

And no matter how it's polished nothing has quite the patina of factory brass...

The chambering also tells a story....

30-30 brass? reloaded? you're kidding... right?


AD

As an experienced reloader and shooter you learn to read the "signs" of range found brass.

I recently scored 5 boxes of WW 308 brass

Usually I just by new brass

If I can't find it I buy it.Some may call it being a brass whore.

quote:

Originally posted by plainsman456:
If I can't find it I buy it.Some may call it being a brass whore.

You're one of those guys who dives into the the trash barrel to pick out brass! Admit it! I know your type!

I will scavenge anything for handguns, and low intensity (non magnum) rifle brass, as long as it looks OK. I will only pick it up if its mine, or no one is on that bay.

I will say, I have had "words" with some true brass whores (thieves) that were picking up my 9x23 brass while I was shooting. They wanted me to pay them $0.15 a piece for it back. I complained, and ended up just telling the range management that they had lost a customer when I was told "if its on the ground, its not yours, its whoever picks it up's ..."

Being opportunistic is one thing, being a thief is another.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I will scavenge anything for handguns, and low intensity (non magnum) rifle brass, as long as it looks OK. I will only pick it up if its mine, or no one is on that bay.

I will say, I have had "words" with some true brass whores (thieves) that were picking up my 9x23 brass while I was shooting. They wanted me to pay them $0.15 a piece for it back. I complained, and ended up just telling the range management that they had lost a customer when I was told "if its on the ground, its not yours, its whoever picks it up's ..."

Being opportunistic is one thing, being a thief is another.

Yeah, I've run a couple of those types off my area of the range. If I bring my brass, it's still mine after I fire it.
I buy rifle brass new but handgun brass, except magnum brass used for hunting, I'll buy once fired or scavange range brass. I haven't bought 9mm or 40 brass in 20+ yrs.

Hey Daniel, I usually buy a large quantity of new Cases that come from the same Lot. May buy 300, 500 or 1000. Do a full Case Prep and Weight Sort on all of them and normally that rifle is good to go for a very long time.

I have made exceptions when I "see" a person firing factory ammo and they offer it to me. Then I either use it, give it to a buddy or trade it in.

Only real exception to this is I bought 1000 "Once-Fired" Feds from BrassManBrass for my 223Rem a good number of years ago. It was long enough ago that I got them for $15 with included the Shipping.
-----

The problem I see with using Range Pick-Ups of unknown origin, is you never know when some complete moron, who knows noting at all about Pressure(teanScum, seafire, gibson, tomek, etc.) will have a Death Star Load in one and you go through all the Case Prep and then discover the Primers are too loose to use the Case. Or perhaps they have Incipient Case Separation. Either way, the only thing they are good for is Scrap.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I will scavenge anything for handguns, and low intensity (non magnum) rifle brass, as long as it looks OK. I will only pick it up if its mine, or no one is on that bay.

I will say, I have had "words" with some true brass whores (thieves) that were picking up my 9x23 brass while I was shooting. They wanted me to pay them $0.15 a piece for it back. I complained, and ended up just telling the range management that they had lost a customer when I was told "if its on the ground, its not yours, its whoever picks it up's ..."

Being opportunistic is one thing, being a thief is another.

Of all the freakin nerve!!!!!

I'd say that they needed words. That would piss me off to no end as well. Sell me back my own brass??? Better get the hell away from me....

I totally agree as to using common sense when picking up brass. Generally when I pick up brass, it's freshly fired, and I ask the person who has fired it if they mind. I may even "pay" them for this by offering to help if they are having problems, or letting them borrow my staple gun or whatever. If it's been sitting there for an undetermined amount of time, I'm not very interested.

Yep, pick up brass. All the 10.75x68 Horneber and RWS brass I have is range pick up

That range was dead wrong. Until you pack up and leave or until someone asks you for your brass, it's yours. On the ground or not. What the Hell are those little bandits doing roaming up and down the line whilst folks are shooting anyway?

UPS, usually
range brass isn't THERE'S until its obviously abandoned .. hitting the ground MEANS NOTHING unless you leave it, and leave the range.

If i am actively shooting and picking up, it is my brass .. NAME em and SHAME em

We are very precision about our powder charge getting it exactly right. A small variation in powder charge realy doesn't make as big a change as mixing case brands. Having said that, I do scrounge brass. A much debated topic about brass is nickle plated or not. People either love or hate it. I like it. I do like to buy nickle brass for one, but not for the other when I have two similar size cartridges I load for.

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
30-30 brass? reloaded? you're kidding... right?
AD

Actually NOT roger

I bought a box of 1,000 LC .223 cases that were sized cleaned and primed back about 5-6 years ago and I think it was around $45 for the box. I've been working my way through them and reloading them for all of my .223 rounds.

For my other cartridges I've bought commercial brass usually Winchester and had some other buddies give me brass.

It is somewhat fun to go to a shooting area and prospect for brass that you can use. We have an area here in Idaho that is designated for use of shotguns only and I've found that is a great place to look for pistol and rifle brass!!!

Usually i use new or once fired from factory rounds but i just found like 500 new unprimed cases in 20 count boxes for .338 Win Mag,270 Win, and .300 Win mag from my wifes grandfather ( like 35 yrs old) that was stored in the house.Along with those were 12 boxes of brand new Norma 6.5x55 cartridges. Pretty good find

When I started reloading I picked up a lot of brass at the range, assuming also that if it was left, it was factory ammunition to begin with. I learned a few lessons doing that, and eventually became more discriminating. First I started looking for specific brands, and leaving others behind. Then I got to where wouldn't pick it up unless I saw it being fired from a new factory box, and the brand was acceptable to me. Over the years my guns and other equipment have become more expensive, now I either shoot my own once-fired factory cases or buy new brass.

True evidence of a "gun nut" is picking up brass in calibers you don't own . . . yet.

I always check the range for pickups. We do the same at the trap club for hulls -- which I don't load. Most pickups are 38/.357, 45 ACP, 30-06. I'll pick up calibers my friends load.

For benchrest, I'll buy new brass -- match. Also the local Sheriff shoots .308 Win. in match grade and the local shop gets the "once fired" brass.

I have buckets and buckets of 45 ACP and 38/.357. It just accumulated.

Boxer primed surplus ammo is a source if the brass is decent (Federal or Salt Lake Arsenal).

I have buckets of 9mm, which I don't reload, but my nephew does. Once fired, "surplus" bulk ammo fired in a fully supported chamber.

.458 Lott I ended up buying from Graf's. I've never seen it on the ground at the range, or offered as "surplus ammo." I don't see "once fired" at the shows or shops.

I've used pickup brass in my 223.

I remember going deer hunting with my .223 and I was going to shoot a legal doe but after weighing it, I found that it weighed in a 51 lbs. so I passed on it.

That great communicator Hot Sh#t has set the bar very high for us in his pitiful comments and in his diarrhea rants inflicts his imbecilic opinions when EXPERIENCE is asked for. Again I implore my fellow shooters to come to aid of this poor sh#thead and lets get some funds for his treatments.

quote:

You're one of those guys who dives into the the trash barrel to pick out brass! Admit it! I know your type!

As hard as it is, I admit to it. Been there done it many times, while waiting on a barrel to cool, or during cease fires, or after shooting hours at the club. I try to pick a slot at the range situated by the barrels to deposit my patches, and inverably end up shoulder deep checking out the factory boxes for brass.

As to the folks picking up cases of mine that hit the ground, yep been there done that as well, I simply explained to him the brass from my 10mm was nothing different than my wallet in my pocket. They both might end up on the ground, but they are still mine until I walk away, until then you had better leave either alone.

Had a range manager come talk to me about "my" attitude towards them, and I explained it to him the same way. I guess the logic made since to him as the person picking up cases ceased all activity until right before closing time from then on.

The only rifle 'brass' laying on the gravel at my private gun club is steel-cased non reloadable metric stuff...and of course, 22 rimfire cases.
Same goes for the pistol range...ankle deep in the aluminum-cased non reloadable stuff.

I have never used any cases picked up from the range. I have never been that desperate.

quote:

That great communicator Hot Sh#t has set the bar very high for us in his pitiful comments and in his diarrhea rants inflicts his imbecilic opinions when EXPERIENCE is asked for. Again I implore my fellow shooters to come to aid of this poor sh#thead and lets get some funds for his treatments.

Two years ago scrap-brass was selling for $2.50 a pound at the local scrap yard.
Not even .22 rimfire was found at the local range, as people would sweep it up to sell for scrap.

When I first started reloading I only used .308 Rem, then got a .300 Winny. I used all the brass I could beg, borrow or steal. My groups looked like I had begged, borrowed or stole them. After years of experience and many different chamberings reloaded, I am now as particular as an Old Maid. I use only what has proven itself many times over. The fact that I can now afford what I want has a lot to do with it too. Good shooting.

We dont have any shooting ranges nearby,We call them gravel pits, and yes I give them a good inspection, most of the brass I find has been fired by people that don't reload.I have found in the last year I have a lot more competition for this used brass.Just something I have always done.It's like nickels,dimes and quarters laying there.

What Jeff said.

One of the main reasons I hand-load is for quality control so usually new brass is all I use.

Any place people shoot. If its laying there I will pick it up.

5.56 & 7.62 NATO brass is mostly range pick-ups.
Ditto .45ACP.
38spl/357Mag is all once fired from my own use or that of a friend who doesn't reload.
22-250, .243 & .270 brass is all either from factory ammunition I shot in the past or bought new.
Only the bolt action loads are close to or at maximum.

quote:

Posted 19 February 2010 03:05 Hide Post
As of today I stumbled on to some friends who have scads of rifle brass and maybe pistol brass to !.

He wasn't sure of all the calibers or exactly how much they had but 4-7 people shooting twice a month

nearly 400 rounds per secession ; has got to add up after a year or so . Granted some is Wolf other stuff

is whatever ammo was on sale but they just save Brass not steel . An NONE of them reload !.

I'm working on getting it in hand before offering it up for shipping charges . I know they have 9 mm

45 223 30/06 308 7 mm Rem Mag . I'll secure it first then post up what's available !.

Well today came and at this point I'm a little unsure whether or not I will even bother " Sorting it " !

There are several cases of all the above listed including .44 Spl. and their in one box , of which

I will need to sort through to separate !. I only received one box appx. 75 lb instead of all

# 3 boxes . One of which were the more recent of the empty's , it also weighed nearly 180 lb and

another of which was identical in size to the one I received . Seems others also asked about what they

did with their empty's ,before I got what I got . In short it may be more of a pain than it's worth

to sort an ship . I just thought I'd post an update .