How can I make sure I keep all the brass I shoot?

Right now it isn't an issue because I'm still shooting berdan primed German surplus NATO ammo. But REAL SOON here I'm going to start loading my own. THEN I'm going to want to keep every shell casing so I can go back home a reload it. I have an FNAR, semi-automatic .308 Win/ 7X62 NATO that tosses the brass pretty good when the bolt cycles.

Any ideas? Most of the brass I fire ends up on the desktop of the cubical I am assigned at the range. But I want to make sure I retain ALL my brass. Blasted stuff is expensive but I'm going to need increased accuracy here real soon. Trying to work up to 1 or 2 MOA at 500 yds.

What do you folks think? Anybody know a simple/inexpensive solution? Or a not-so-inexpensive solution?

quote:

Originally posted by B Mullins:
Or a not-so-inexpensive solution?

Know how many you started with, and then get down on your hands and knees and find any that are missing / that didn't land on the desktop.

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A brass catcher would be the way to go. I've heard that this one will work on the FNAR: http://www.3bucc.com/feature.htm

"Roll your own" catcher -- pool or butterfly net mounted on a piece of wood that can sit beside the rifle on the ejection side.

Well, if you're totally obsessed with retaining every piece of brass, just keep them at home and don't fire them!

Seriously, I think you need to have some balance if you are going to enjoy shooting. You're going to shoot not catch brass. I'm pretty obsessive about my brass too. But shooting entails losing a few.

Not everyone understands this. I offered a friend some of my special .243 recipe to try in his new gun. I told him I wanted the brass back. He said I have some .243 brass you can have. I said no. I want MY brass back because it's all from the same lot. He was a little taken aback I think but understood. So I get it, but be sure you are having fun too.

LWD

All of you autter madic shooters should have some sort of brass catcher or brass deflector if'n you're gonna shoot anywhere except your own private range. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is more irritating that having some clown praying and spraying hot brass up and down the firing line.
I've seen guys drape a hand towel over the action that would divert the brass onto another hand towel laying on the bench.

If it were a huge deal to keep every piece, a shower curtain or netting hung from a frame will keep it from escaping. Personally I don't like stuff hanging from a gun if you are trying to be accurate at all.

You're bound to lose a few pieces, even when you have the ability to pick up your brass. Some venues make it awkward to recover your brass, so save some of the berdan-primed for this (if you can find the .217" berdan primers, even this stuff is reloadable).
Seems to me if recovering brass is paramount, shoot a revolver and a bolt gun, but that's not your dilemma. The catchers on the weapon could work, but if you're shooting from a port or stationary position, simply rig up a blind of sorts to deflect the brass into a small area or just do a thorough search after shooting.
You can likely abscound with non-reloaders brass that will more than make up for a few losses. Don't be afraid to ask, it doesn't make much sense to see good brass get tossed.

The range gods always get their due. Put a sheet down.

When I used to shoot High Power with an M-1 I would take a permanent marker and put a ring around every brass. That way I could retrieve my brass off of the firing line quickly and also put a stop to the A-holes that would come along and try to pick up every brass.

Blacktailer opined:

quote:

When I used to shoot High Power with an M-1 I would take a permanent marker and put a ring around every brass.

Excellent suggestion! I am planning to build a brass catcher from a fish net (here's hoping it doesn't melt through the netting. sure enough burns my skin if I forget to put on my sleeves.) but marking my own brass would help also.

It's really a matter of economics. The things are not cheap! Maybe they are in smaller calibers but .308/7.62 NATO is pricy - and that's for the low end, Winchester stuff. I have too keep this economical. Remember, it isn't a hobby for me. I'm preparing for TEOTWAWKI. If I just wanted a hobby/past-time I'd fly my flight simulator. It's all paid for and is a whole lot quieter.

quote:

Originally posted by B Mullins:
But REAL SOON here I'm going to start loading my own. THEN I'm going to want to keep every shell casing so I can go back home a reload it. I have an FNAR, semi-automatic .308 Win/ 7X62 NATO that tosses the brass pretty good when the bolt cycles.

I have been reloading for semi-automatic rifles for about 45 years now, and, as you say, finding the brass can be a problem. More problematic, however, is the condition of the brass after you find it. Some rifles, like the M1 and the M14 are designed to start the extraction-ejection cycle when chamber pressure is close to zero. Others, like the FN-FAL are not so particular. The consequence is that the brass, if recovered, is in questionable shape for reloading. Other rifles have grooved chambers to ease the extraction process. Again, not conducive to successful reloading.

I would suggest getting yourself a serious rifle of the Mauser ilk, which is kind to fired cases and makes finding them a cinch and reloading them a dream. Save the semi-auto for the throwaway Berdan primed ammunition, and save yourself a lot of grief.

Works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by steve4102:
Works for me.

Simple and effective.

I shoot auto pistols and built a frame from 1/2" PVC and covered it with fiber windowscreen. It sits on the bench bedide the gun. It should work with rifles too, I like Steve's idea too!

Great solution, Steve.

I did some research here on these. Like the cap idea but won't work with a handgun or red dot.

I have an idea for a frame using stainless steel 1/8" stiff wire I have on hand but don't know what fabric to use. I thought about an old cotton pillowcase or cotton laundry bag. Synthetic, I'd worry about melting issues on hot brass.

I don't worry that much about lost pistol brass but hate to loose any quantity of 5.56/7.62 rifle brass.

Mixed reviews on Midway, Amazon, etc. for the trout fishing type net, plus they are pricey. I tried one of the catchers that fits close to the ejection port but it wasn't satisfactory.

Any recent ideas?

Rube Goldberg

short piece of oak, fiberglass poll, screen,
In this position/M1A.
Opening face forward, AR-15

Unless you are willing to spend a LOT of time looking for those last few pieces you will loose brass.

Pool net mounted on a stand -- head only. Butterfly net?

For those who want the best:

http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...versal-brass-catcher

Of course, the cost will pay for quite a few cases.

There are any number of deflectors and catchers on the market and just as many home brewed solutions.

I chose to shoot bolt action rifles and revolvers. It made me a better shot and I don't have to spend twice as long looking for my brass as I took to shoot it.

I used to hate semi-autos that spread brass all over but I am beginning to like them - I find more brass at the range that I can trade for stuff that I reload. Last Thursday I found fifty rounds of 30 carbine brass, and today I found about 3 pounds of 45, 40 and 9mm brass. I find enough 5.56 and 223 brass to keep my contenders in brass forever. The rest I can trade for the brass I use - most of the time. I did have a heck of a time finding brass for my 257 Roberts until Lloyd sold me some that he had. He sent it without receiving payment which is more trusting than I am used to seeing on the internet. I was well pleased with what I got and sent him the agreed upon payment. I have a lot of respect for a man who will do that.

But I want you semi-auto shooters to know that I appreciate the brass you leave at the range - almost as much as the LEO who are not allowed to pick up their 223/5.56 after their practice and training sessions.

When I was shooting Bullseye, I screwed a couple of eye bolts in to the roof rafter of line cover. I took a piece of dowling with fiberglass screening attatched to it. The screen was maybe a foot away from the ejection port of the 45, all cases hit the screening and slid to the ground.
For shooting my AR10 I put my big friend to my right and let him stop the brass.

Jim

Go to an appliance store. Get the largest cardboard box they have (like for shipping a refrigerator). Make some cuts in the box so you can fold it flat for transport.

Set it up at the range, get inside it, cut a window for shooting through. All your brass stays inside.

Drawbacks: You can't see to your sides very well and other people at the range cannot see what you are doing.

Solution: make a frame that approximates the box I described and stretch burlap netting (find some at any gardening shop) You can see through it, air moves through it, but the holes are small enough to stop brass.

Something like richj'a contraption (but larger) should work admirably. Scrounge garage sales for some poles from a dome-style tent where the tent is trashed, but the poles are still good.

Or, get a super-large beach umbrella and hang netting down from the periphery.

Good luck.