Lost brass

Only problem with a metal detector is that they detect everything that’s metal. Staples, pins, .22 brass, nails.

Lay down a tarp to shoot over or get one of those fold up laundry baskets to set on the bench. Or you will spend more time collecting brass than you do shooting.

• Read on another forum... apparently there's a child's version "metal detector" available in the $25 range.

• I only shoot on my home range, so I made a "backstop" out of galvanized electrical conduit, and brazed it all together. There are 2 identical panels. I used worm-type radiator hose clamps to hold the 2 panels together and act like a hinge. Then I covered each panel in the black nylon mesh that's commonly used by gardeners to keep birds off berry bushes. Using mesh allowed wind to pass right through, but the mesh stops most of the brass, which piles up in a neat row.

I think that’s a great idea. Treasure hunting, anyplace there’s people there’s lost items. You don’t have to dig if you don’t want to the brass will be on top of the ground. Many models can be adjusted for particular types of metal with the tone.

Brass just simply “disappears” sometimes. I dropped a piece off my reloading bench one time, looked down, and nothing... nowhere for it to go, nothing to roll under. It was just gone. Three days later I walk in, and there it is right under my press. Whatever dimension it fell into, it took three days to get back.

I have and understand loss aversion.

After enough time is spent looking for cases, it is likely, you will get past this phase.

Another plus for .40 short and weak—-brass is so cheap, I don’t mind losing a few. If they ever do an archaeological dig around my property, they’ll swear there was a major battle that took place.

I have caught my self watching brass fly out of the corner of my eye to see where it went. Not a good technique for improving accuracy.

Howland937 said:

Thought about buying one of those under $100 metal detectors for locating brass in the weeds where I shoot. Got my kid talked in to trying it, but I have no clue how well it would work. Anyone here ever tried it? I know it would be a long time before it paid off, but isn't that the case with most anything reloading related?

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Depending on how young your kid is, that might be a cool activity for them. I know I would've loved a metal detector when I was a kid. Everything I found in the ground was some sort of relic lol.

Mr_Flintstone said:

Brass just simply “disappears” sometimes. I dropped a piece off my reloading bench one time, looked down, and nothing... nowhere for it to go, nothing to roll under. It was just gone. Three days later I walk in, and there it is right under my press. Whatever dimension it fell into, it took three days to get back.

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That’s nothing... I reloaded exactly one time inside of my current house that I moved into 4 years ago. I still occasionally vacuum up a primer that just returned from that alternate dimension.

I'm happy if I can find 75-80% of my bass. Sometimes you spend more time looking than it's worth.

WestKentucky said:

That’s nothing... I reloaded exactly one time inside of my current house that I moved into 4 years ago. I still occasionally vacuum up a primer that just returned from that alternate dimension.

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I know how that goes, I brain farted one time and dropped like 20 primers and found about 5. They keep turning up now and then.

Yesterday I made up some test loads for my Henry .357 Big Boy. It ejects the brass about 2 ft from me. I was ejecting each piece of brass, and picking it up to examine the case and primer. About the third or fourth one, I ejected a piece of brass, watched it hit the ground, and bent over to pick it up. As I was bending over, it fell down into the grass (about 2” tall). When my hand made it to where it fell, it was gone. I searched, felt, pulled up grass, etc... no brass. That’s the first time I ever had one disappear while I was looking at it.

Howland937 said:

He's 9, and seemed at least interested in the idea ($ would probably increase his interest) And the thought occurred to me he may actually want to go with me, as he currently has no interest in shooting.

Hence the idea of using cheap labor. If I pay him $5.00/100 I'm still doing well.

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heck, I was going to say a quarter per 100 so you're awfully generous. Good point about him coming along. Who knows, he may develop some interest in shooting while he's out there with you, too. Regardless, father/son time is invaluable no matter what you're doing.

Howland937 said:

On an unrelated note, a raccoon got in our shop one day. I threw a wrench at it and the wrench disappeared. Over 3 years later, it was found in my toolbox drawer exactly where it didn't belong.

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Spooky. Lucky the coon didn't pick it up, hiss at you and take it to his den.

Mr_Flintstone said:

Yesterday I made up some test loads for my Henry .357 Big Boy. It ejects the brass about 2 ft from me. I was ejecting each piece of brass, and picking it up to examine the case and primer. About the third or fourth one, I ejected a piece of brass, watched it hit the ground, and bent over to pick it up. As I was bending over, it fell down into the grass (about 2” tall). When my hand made it to where it fell, it was gone. I searched, felt, pulled up grass, etc... no brass. That’s the first time I ever had one disappear while I was looking at it.

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That happens to me all the time with my Henry 357. It's absolutely confounding.

Cut the grass.

If you get the metal detector and use it yourself, you might pick up another hobby. I bought a cheap radio shack one at a goodwill store a few years ago. Had so much fun in the back yard that I bought a new detector. The next year I bought a really nice detector. I enjoy exploring new areas with it. The down side is that it cuts into my shooting time in the summer.

entropy said:

Cut the grass.

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The horses wouldn’t like that much. That’s their lunch.

My wife’s late uncle, a learned man, had a theory on ones looking for a specific object. We picture that object in a certain position or location and the brain filters out all the other possibilities.

Both my local gun clubs ranges , out doors with an overhead roof and structure and indoors with egg crate sound deadening foam on the walls and it’s trolley system support provide several places for spinning brass to lodge in.

I let a fellow use his metal detector on the farm. He started behind the cabin the field hands used to use before the war with Lincoln. He came back to the house almost at a dead run.

"A whole Civil War battle was fought here. Look."

I examined his handful of lead bullets. "Not Minie balls, these are the old Lyman 452377 design from the 20's. That bank behind the cabin is one of the places I've practiced with my .45 for years."

He was crestfallen.

I apply ground kill spray around where I shoot every spring. Helps a bunch.