How many of you have used brass from a range? what are the best brands and worst? I have seen some at the range and have taken it but have yet to use it.

Any brass thats free in my book is good as long as it's not all bent up and half corroded away. Think I'd be a bit fussier on necked cases than straight cases tho. Hey, if you can use em once you've saved money....JMO

I've used range brass but checked each one very closely after cleaning to be sure they were safe. Also, only used them for fun rounds.

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what are the best brands and worst?

Not sure there's best and worst.....IMO they are pretty much the same.....Winchester, Remington, and Federal....add to that frontier and Hornady also.

I just won't pick up military brass....it's often quite different in capacity.....especially the .308 stuff!

I'm referencing rifle ammo only....

I pick it all up. At home, I give it a good eyeball, segregate it by headstamp, and give away or trade the brands I don't use.

Pick up all the odd ones, you can always get
another gun to use them.
Good Luck!

I pickup all once fired commerical brass, but always run it thru my vibrator to clean any sand or dirt from it before sizing.

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Originally posted by wasbeeman:
I pick it all up. At home, I give it a good eyeball, segregate it by headstamp, and give away or trade the brands I don't use.

+1

The range on Hobson pike picks it up and it looks like they tumble it and sell it very reasonably.

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Originally posted by midminnesota:
How many of you have used brass from a range?

Not me. Never ever. The private gunclub I have belonged to for the last 3 decades posts rules about policing the area after you're done. So anything left laying around is the steel-cased milsurp stuff or the aluminum-cased Blaser stuff...none of which is reloadable...probably left by folks who sneak in and hope they don't get asked for their club credentials.

I pick it up all the time. About 80% of what I shot is "range" bras. Most of mine comes from LEO ranges so I know it is once fired. If I find odd stuff like 44 Mag or 38 Special I'll look it over closely.

Most rifle brass is 556 or 308 and it is easy to see that it is once fired. Odd ball stuff that I don't get enough of for shooting purposes is sold off as scrap. I have no need for 38 S&W brass. LOL

Greg

I have used range brass for years. inspect carefully and light loads. As far as LEO brass it's not always once fired, they often reload there brass or buy reloads for practice. They use new rounds for carry. Saves them money.

I would say 98pecent of the brass on the range is once fired factory and I pick up all I can.

People who leave brass are not reloaders so finding multi times fired brass is rare.

If you don't use it you can trade it or just sell it for scrap price is good now.

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If I find odd stuff like 44 Mag or 38 Special I'll look it over closely.

.44 mag and .38 S is "odd"? My, how times have changed.

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Originally posted by Jim C. <><:

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If I find odd stuff like 44 Mag or 38 Special I'll look it over closely.

.44 mag and .38 S is "odd"? My, how times have changed.

It is only odd that anyone tosses it.

I'm seeing a pretty important thing said here by just about all. That if you do pick it up you inspect it thoroughly. You fellows know that after many years of shooting and reloading that you pretty much can tell if a case was abused by looking at it. Sure someone may polished their brass to shine like a gold mirror, but often this isn't the case (no pun) or they wouldn't have gone through all that preparation to just let it lay at the range.

I'm glad there are those that won't pick up the military brass...more for me. Military brass can often be very very good brass. It needs to be sorted by brand and year to assure uniformity.

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Not me.

It simply isn't worth it to me. Most of my stuff is wildcat anyway. To me brass is to darn cheap to jack with stuff someone left on the ground.

I guess I'm not that cheap.

I guess I am to frugal to pass up once fired brass that some fool jacked on to the ground because they don't reload.

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I guess I am to frugal to pass up once fired brass that some fool jacked on to the ground because they don't reload

I take a given number of cases from the same manufacturer and lott and form them for a given rifle. They stay with that rifle. I've never seen what having cases from various manufacturers and lott numbers would do for me. Were they once fired? Over pressure? Or were they from someone like me who will leave his old brass laying at the range when I feel it has passed it's useful life.

Years ago I did pick up 38&9mm brass. But since I have enough to last me the rest of my life don't see a need for that either.

I pick it up from the LE range. None of the departments around here use reloads, so it is all once fired. Last time I went, I picked up 200 pieces of Hornady 308 Match and 500 LC 07 223.

Range brass is a real mixed lot for me.

Once I realized that any reloader would only leave brass they would not use … well it put things in perspective.


That said, I will pick up handgun brass if I see the person shoot and ask if I can… That for the most part is new.

I've picked up and used range brass for about 50 years.

Like others have posted, I take a good look at it at home. It's pretty easy to tell if it is once fired or not.

The range brass can be super if you happen to know the group that left it. Following a family that is shooting factory stuff for a weekend outing is always productive or an LEO qualifying session.

I. as a reloader, never leave any brass on purpose even if it is worn out. I'll take it home and throw it in my scrap bucket.

Questionable range stuff or Berdan primed goes in the same container along with used primers. It is amazing how quickly that 100 pounds of brass can get accumulated and it can be turned into brand new components after a trip to the scrap yard.

Greg