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Recently I was given a bag of brass by CMJ685 that he had picked up at the range, which led me to thinking,


There are a lot of us reloaders here, and we often are shooting outdoors or at ranges where scurrying around scooping up brass is frowned upon. The hardest thing is getting good brass to shoot. I then read here about guys going out and leaving 5 or 6 boxes of once fired brass laying on the floor as they leave the ranges that do allow for brass pick up. How about a little cooperative enterprise here where you non reloaders just take an extra few minutes and sweep up that extra brass laying around and have you bring it to the breakfasts etc or making connnections with those who reload and keep the supply of brass moving around.

.223 commercial brass and .45 brass are the hardest to find, as well as good 38 and .357 brass. We still will accept 9mm and .40 S&W i am sure, as that is what most shoot at the outdoor ranges and they get all beat up and walked on.

Just an Idea.


and thanks from all of us here who are brass hounds,

1911fan wrote:Recently I was given a bag of brass by CMJ685 that he had picked up at the range, which led me to thinking,


There are a lot of us reloaders here, and we often are shooting outdoors or at ranges where scurrying around scooping up brass is frowned upon. The hardest thing is getting good brass to shoot. I then read here about guys going out and leaving 5 or 6 boxes of once fired brass laying on the floor as they leave the ranges that do allow for brass pick up. How about a little cooperative enterprise here where you non reloaders just take an extra few minutes and sweep up that extra brass laying around and have you bring it to the breakfasts etc or making connnections with those who reload and keep the supply of brass moving around.

.223 commercial brass and .45 brass are the hardest to find, as well as good 38 and .357 brass. We still will accept 9mm and .40 S&W i am sure, as that is what most shoot at the outdoor ranges and they get all beat up and walked on.

Just an Idea.


and thanks from all of us here who are brass hounds,

+1

Great Idea, I was thinking about just that too not long ago.

Jon

I don't know about you but I usually end up with stuff I don't need or want when I sweep up my brass so even those of us who reload could bring the stuff we don't use.

I know that we have people reloading just about everything and we are all always looking for brass so we might set up a swap or something.

So, make all the breakfasts a swap meet! Bring all the unused holsters, brass, etc. as trading fodder.

Exactly, I was at the range a while ago and collected maybe a couple hundred Sig 357's which I no longer shoot, Same when rifle season rolls around, I have a few hundred more 30-06 than i need, but never enough .280 or .257. (yes I know I can make the 280 from 30-06, but I prefer to keep the right headstamps if at all possible. prevents 5 am deer opener oop's)

AND if you are at the range, not picking up your brass, and see someone picking up brass, tell them that they can have yours!

FYI: This can seriously backfire if you start taking all kinds of brass that you did not shoot. Certian ranges will ask you to leave if you are going around grabbing all kinds of brass. Brass recycling is a big part of keeping costs down at ranges. So, if you are collecting brass at the range, please be respectful of the business you are at and only take what you shot.

This is why I was asking non reloaders to pick up their brass. Even at the ranges where brass pick up is allowed, a certain percentage goes forward past the firing line, some goes zinging down the line to other positions etc, and we end up in a net loss. However, those who do not reload have the same right to their brass as reloaders, If they reclaim brass its a big help to those of us who reload at no expense to the non reloaders.

When I was in California some years ago, they had an outdoor meet and they had spread large tarps on the ground around the firing stations, you were not allowed to pick your brass, and about every ten shooters, the RO would take that tarp and lift one side and slide all the brass down into a bucket. Now at a friendly match here, that might be done to resupply the reloaders with fresh brass.

1911fan wrote:When I was in California some years ago, they had an outdoor meet and they had spread large tarps on the ground around the firing stations, you were not allowed to pick your brass, and about every ten shooters, the RO would take that tarp and lift one side and slide all the brass down into a bucket. Now at a friendly match here, that might be done to resupply the reloaders with fresh brass.

This could maybe work at one of the local friendly matches. Spread some tarps to collect the brass and at the end of the match sell a chance for $5 for all of the brass in the bucket that was collected that day. Shooters that get the chance could pick up their own brass of course, but there would still be a lot left on the ground. I really don't know what would be done with the funds collected from the raffle, maybe give it to the club or persons running the match to help cover some misc. expenses.

I save all my brass, but if you end up running the timer, keeping score, or one of the few pasting or reseting targets, you don't seem to get the chance to pick up your own brass and someone else scarfs it all up.

I have started picking up whatever brass is in or behind my stall, plus looking two or three stations down for all my 357Sig brass. If I can remember where I put the bag I'd be happy to give to whomever is loading that caliber.

I have to back up Gunshop Guy on this one. I am a frequent shooter at a range that allows picking up your own brass. There have been more occasions than I care to relate, where I was shooting and someone came in, and without shooting a round, started policing brass, mine included and throwing it into their bag. So in a moral sense, how is this any different then eating your way through a grocery store while shopping? If you are taking something that is NOT YOURS, Isn't that the essence of theft?

I agree 100%. I'm just not sure where your argument is coming from. Nobody has suggested that anyone should pick up brass that is not theirs.

1911 said that non reloaders should pick up their brass. They'll then have something of value to give/trade/sell as they please.

I took it one step further and suggested that non-reloaders give reloaders the right to pick up their brass. Again, your scenario does not apply here.

Say I'm shooting .40 S&W and not picking up my brass. I see the person next to me picking up their brass. I'll say to them. "Go ahead and pick up my .40 if you'd like it. It's yours." I don't see that as picking up other's brass.

I was at Bills some time ago - I was shooting 45 and there was this guy next to me that was kicking all of my brass into his little area.

It reallt pissed me off - but I sort of let it slide as I have about 20 gallons of 45

But if youa re going to police up brass at the range - it is best to tell others what youa re up to and ask permission first.

Pinnacle wrote:I was at Bills some time ago - I was shooting 45 and there was this guy next to me that was kicking all of my brass into his little area.

When the chance presented itself, I would just go pick up the brass in his little area. When he objected and said that some of that brass was his, I would point out that it would have been easier to figure that out if he wouldn't have mixed his brass in with mine.

I am a firm believer that if you NEED 20 bucks, I will give you the $20 and not be concerned if you pay me back or not. But screw me out of a dollar or two, I will spend 20 times that to get it back, just because of the principle of the thing.

When I posted this, I was hoping this would be a pretty simple Idea, if you shoot and don't reload, then pick up your brass for those of us who do reload.

I am not talking about stealing brass from others, I am not talking about dipping in the collected brass buckets, just picking what you do not want and passing it one to those of us who need it.

As far as the gun shop position that we are somehow taking from their pockets, I think that is mighty shortsighted thinking. If I rent a lane, you are going to get far more cash value from me than you will from my brass. Likewise, if in my zeal to collect my brass I pick up 25 or so cases from another lane, that lost 15 cents or so will come back to you 100 fold because (a) I will shoot again at your range (b) I can not afford to be paying for factory ammo in the quantities I wish to shoot, therefore reloading means instead of me coming in for a half hour every few months, I am in for an hour every other week or more. While the actual cost may not work out even, in my twisted mind, I can justify shooting reloads far more often than I can justify shooting factory.

Now which do you as a store owner want? A happy frequent customer who also probably buys something else each time I am in the store, or a guy with a bad taste in my mouth because of over tight rules on "if it hits the floor, its ours" or the like. When I would run short of brass at the old armored fire, Jeff or one of his guys would tell me to fill a bucket up from the barrel, knowing I would be back shooting it all up in a matter of a few days or weeks, You get the brass back eventually, its just how fast and how much more cash is attached to it. The brass smelters do not care whether it is once fired or seamed and split, the weight is all that matters.