Collecting-up Spent Brass Casings

[GConn]

Simply a curiosity post.

As I am blessed and fortunate-enough to be able to shoot at home (on Family property), I am wondering ...do any of you who have this opportunity, collect-up your ejected casings, and if so, what percentage of them would you say you recover, and do you have any sort of formula for retrieving them ALL, or at least a consistently high percentage of them, please?

PS ~ I've never been to an actual range, so I am not really sure how it works there...?

[Alpo]

When shooting in the field - at a gravel pit or a dump or just an open area in the woods - it's quite easy to lose your brass. It just seems to disappear into the pine needles or the sand and rocks. Something that is helpful is to get one of them blue plastic tarps and put it down. The brass shows up pretty good on that.

[woolleyworm]

2nd what Alpo stated, a 8 x 12 tarp works pretty darn well. Having someone that can spot the ejection path for you is helpful too; I once played a sick joke on my kids. I had 100rnds of 45 that I was going to shoot; I told them if they both found 50, that I'd give them $5 each. I managed to strip off a few unfired rounds out into my hand when loading a new magazine......They both came up short I took'em both out to Sonic for icecream afterwards and still gave them the $5.

The range that I shoot at has a concrete pad. I usually have to sweep all the rocks and .22's outa the way, but most fired cases are readily spotted. I can usually get 98-100% if nobody else is around. I used to be able to get 110%+ of what I fired, but lately the range has been picked clean. I haven't scrounged any 45acp, 45LC or 44's in a long while. Darn reloaders.....

[hunter29180]

lol collect those .22 brass! crush it or mash it...it still sells at the scrap yards if its brass!!

[todd51]

I too shoot on my own property and try to keep the brass cleaned up. The larger centerfire cases I do pretty good, maybe +95%. Those .22 rimfires are masters at hiding though. I can scour the area and am sure I have them all only to turn around and find five more. I think they breed when I am not look at them. I spread gravel for about ten feet all around the shooting table and that helps. If I walk out into the grass toward the targets for some short range practice it is almost impossible sometimes to find those cases. A project for this summer is to set some target holders closer to the shooting position so I can stay on the gravel area but it is going have to stop this rain that we are getting every day.

A friend brought a metal detector one day and that is the ticket but I won't put out the money for one just to recover brass.

[flintlock]

Like Alpo said, a blue tarp will help you find most of your brass when you're shooting in the field. At the range, at least at the bech, I have an old window screen thats on a couple of wooden blocks. I just set it on the edge of the bench and it keeps the brass from flying off.

[GConn]

Hey thank you all for the replies/responses (sorry for the delay in getting-back here, had a dear Friend who's ex-took his life on Easter Sunday, and which I was not informed of until after my original post here).

You all gave me a really good idea with the blue tarp...I have a metal detector (rather inexpensive one I think) which I've never managed to figure-out how to work), and don't see myself pouring a concrete slab simply to retrieve brass (although...hmm. maybe I could....?).

Would you all agree, that it's fairly correct to say, that about "90%+" ("ninety percent plus") of spent casings "fall" in an area ranging from approximately 2' to 10' to the right of shooting position, and, a-couple-three-or-four feet in the front right to 10-or-so feet to the right rear?

[Alpo]

No. Depends, pretty much, on the gun. I've got a CZ52 that throws brass 30 feet or more to the right and about 15 feet back. I've got a 1911 that drops 'em on top of my head. Most guns are pretty consistent, as long as you stick with the same ammo. One brand of ammo might drop the cases in a 3-foot circle, 5 foot right and two foot forward, while changing to another brand might throw them 6 foot right, 10 foot forward, and put them in an eight-foot circle. Just need to figger out where your gun throws the brass, and then put your tarp in that area. This is where a spotter comes in handy.

[BETH]

what do u guys get a pound for scrap brass?

[GConn]

Originally Posted by BETH

what do u guys get a pound for scrap brass?

Good question, however I've never attempted to scrap any brass here myself.

How `bout any of you other folks, please?

[Country101]

Beth, I think you can actually get more for it selling to these old farts around here for reloading rather than selling it for scrap. I'm sure the fellas would appreciate it if you did that as well. Everybody would come out better. Usually, I think, when selling for reloaders it comes by a count. ie 100, 500, etc.

Just a quick internet search suggests that the price may be about $2-2.50/lb. That may be an old figure or something as well, so it may not be close to being accurate.

[American Leader]

Gconn, I use a blue tarp like Alpo, really works well once you get it set in the right spot. When shooting semi-auto in the woods or range I still lose a few with the tarp, must be these old eye's! I would guess I recover 95-99%

[BETH]

i would save my brass but i'm a .22 shooter. the guy at my gun club suggested putting down tar paper like on the roof not slippery and u can find your shells?

[Country101]

If you know you are going to be shooting in one place, a little spin on the tarp idea would be to have some poles or something holding up a tarp and making it funnel into a bucket. Wouldnt be practical if you were shooting at differant locations, more than likely, but if you are usually shooting in one spot, it would make collecting the brass a lot easier. You could make some poles and set them in concrete inside an old tire like they used to do our volleyball nets if you wanted them to be mobile.

[hunter29180]

Originally Posted by BETH

what do u guys get a pound for scrap brass?

my son collects brass and copper for scrap, last bucket of .22 shells he took in he got $2.68 a pound. he flattens the shells with a hammer or they wont take them..seems someone pulled some lead out of a bunch without firing them, and it caused some commotion when they went to grind them up!

[pulltabbob]

When I go to a public range, I usually shoot wheel guns or trap. My brass does not hit the ground. I have a pouch on my hip that I put the expended rounds in. When I put my range in a tunnel along side my house (underground) out about 100 feet. I installed shell traps that drop the brass into buckets under the netting. In my underground range, I get to develop a few rounds then immediately shoot them to see how they do. Get to shoot any day I want also. The shooting lane is 8 feet across and lined with wood with a large steel back drop canted 45 degrees down into a large sand box. Get to recycle all my lead too.

[permafrost]

I shoot at the club range. i pick up as much as I can find. we also have a collection barrel for those that want to donate it. One member has volunteered to deprime and clean it. It is then sold back to club members who reload, for a very low price.The money is used for club activities.Win all around!

[joncutt87]

I got $1.99/lb last when I went in june

[SFC]

I shoot at an indoor range and do not worry about the spent brass as it is swept up by he management. most the spent brass lands inside the firing line.

Although when hunting I do use a Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5" barrel 44 mag with a Leupold 2x8 scope and empty the cylinder into a box or bag.

I feel that all should police their brass to keep our nation clean and I really hate to see brass from perfectly able people could pick up, but just too lazy to do so.

[American Leader]

WORM, I just realized how bad you really are. I hope you gave those kids the BIGGEST Ice Cream cones Sonic had!

[joncutt87]

Got $1.99/lb again for yellow brass, but i can't complain about 20 free lbs.

[langenc]

Summer 2011 brass here was about $1.95/pound.

[DixieLandMan]

I use an old sheet or have dad or someone else look for where the shell lands. If unable to find them or by myself, I bring my metal detector out with me. That helps some.

I found some old 9mm that I shot 19-20 years ago with the metal detector. They were a few inches down in my parents back yard.

[Iron Eagle]

My Draco ak pistol throws them all over. I had a scrap piece of wood, and tossed it where most of them landed. It is a public range, because when I shot it at the house, people called the cops. Some folks a mile away complained! Sucker is loud!

[ryan42]

I find about 90 percent but i like the tarp idea,thats what ill do this weekend thanks for the tip.