Trash Brass

Being a RO not so much any more. The only thing I will bend down to pick up is 45acp, 38/357, 44mag, 45/70 and rifle brass that I know is limited in numbers and hard to acquire. The other day a shooter left about 30/40pcs of once fired Weatherby 300mag. Every pc. went into my bag and one day I will find someone that needs it. Everyday I sweep up and toss into the bucket hundreds of pcs of once fired 308, 3006, 300 Winchester mag. The 6.5 gets picked up for another RO. The 45/70 goes to a friend.

Hi...
I don't look in the trashcan for brass but have found literally hundreds of pieces of brass in the empty brass cans at both ranges that I have memberships.
Mostly 9mm and .40S&W but have gotten a large amount of .357Mag and .45ACP brass as well. I very seldom find any big bore revolver brass or 10mm, either.
I have had a lot of shooters give me brass in all manner of calibers. I have a small collection of .50AE and .500 S&W brass that someone thoughtfully left laying on the ground earlier this spring. Haven't even counted it but probably around 50 pieces combined. May need it some day. About the only brass I don't scrounge is .380, too easy to get mixed in with 9mm.
I have thousands of pieces of 9mm brass that I still haven't even needed to clean yet, I have so much. I may never need it even shooting hundreds of rounds each week between my son and I. He is only 26 years old, so he will eventually use it.

My son has scrounged up thousands of pieces of .223 brass that he sent to a company to be sized, deprimed, primer crimps swaged and trimmed to length. All of it was just left laying on the ground at the gun clubs. Cost him a bit less than $100 plus shipping, IIRC. Not that big of an expense when the brass is free to start with.

I am all about finding fired brass. From the trash, the brass buckets, the ground and more. I even use Google earth to map out my route on a trip to somewhere new and locate the gravel pits that look like a spot someone might target shoot in. Then I check em out. I save and sort everything, the rejects and .22 brass I save for scrap. The medium flat rate box full neted me just under $30. A gallon winshield washer bottle almost full of primers was $20. Hate to see people throwing their money away when they could recycle and recover it.
PS shotgun primers are mostly steel and they will not take them as primers.

I ussually only go to one gravel pit to take the grandson shooting and pick up all the brass that others left behind. I keep up on seperating it, depriming it and wet tumbleing it.
I have enough prepped brass to last me my lifetime.
This past week I sold $500 of deprimed & wet tumbled range brass. I still have more to dispose of and will be picking up more of it every weekend.
I just ordered a Frankford Handheld Deprimming tool to deprime the brass instead of drinking beers, and standing at the press deprimeing the brass.
Now I can sit out at rge picnic table, out by the fire pit, on the couch while the old lady watches TV.

I've collected my share of range brass. For the past couple decades, I can shoot out back at home so what brass is generated is by my me.

I've pretty much decided to not use cases from unknown sources any more as they cause too many headaches at the reloading press. I buy new cases and only save my own cases when shooting at public facilities.

But, I'm in a position to do that and many are not.

Skgreen said:

Revolver Brass.
If I see someone shooting factory-new 38/357, and it's obvious they don't reload, I aint above asking them to just leave the brass on the bench and I'll come get it when they are done.

I politely explain why I want it/what I'll do with it, thank 'em,,,, and they usually end up bringing it to me later when they are done.

(Bonus points when the Shooter happens to be an attractive Lady! )

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Lucky bugger...

I pick up what I can use from the range and buckets. It helps drive down the cost of reloading. I just processed 1000 pieces of .223 brass. And then I looked around on the web to see the cost of brass these days. I definitely saved myself at least a $100 from saving my brass and picking up once fired brass from the range.

I pick it up at every opportunity. I volunteer as a RSO at my range and it is one of the perc's. If it isn't something I reload (rare) I give it to someone who does reload that particular caliber. Whether it is good or bad is decided at my reloading bench.

.45 and 7.62 is all I need to pick up up if it's easy picking. I don't dig in the trash cans. Been doing it for years so I have a decent stash.

A 100 box of Lapua br brass cost me $100 now I can reload those at least 20 times or now Down to .05 cents each has the same volume as the other, each on the same cycle, each with the same neck thickness, I could continue......I’m interested in accuracy and consistency so for me it’s just not worth the strain on my back or my brain.
I’m pointing this out so that a New reloader has the information to make his or her decision on their perspective path not to judge other reloaders whom have chosen their own paths.

SPJ

I haven't picked up more than a handful at our club in years. It must be that everyone picks up their own and takes it with them anymore...and I'm not too proud to dumpster dive either.

South Prairie Jim said:

A 100 box of Lapua br brass cost me $100 now I can reload those at least 20 times or now Down to .05 cents each has the same volume as the other, each on the same cycle, each with the same neck thickness, I could continue......I’m interested in accuracy and consistency so for me it’s just not worth the strain on my back or my brain.
I’m pointing this out so that a New reloader has the information to make his or her decision on their perspective path not to judge other reloaders whom have chosen their own paths.

SPJ

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This is a very good point for my match reloads I only use once fired military brass. And I don’t mix those with by range pick ups.

I've been known to pull brass from the trash barrel if it's a caliber I reload and not buried under garbage. There's usually some nice brass left on the ground and I scarf that up as well. I usually come home with more .223 and 9mm casings than what I shot, but hardly ever find any .45 acp that aren't my own.

I scored the better part of two 50 round boxes of 10mm Auto last week. I had to toss the boxes but the brass looks brand new after a little TLC.

I usually check the trash cans while at the range. With the new shooters there's good stuff to be had.

I'll pick up just about any brass from the range. Trash cans, dirt, puddles, gravel, mud etc. I'm at the range early in the morning and I am almost always the only one there. I spend the first 30 to 45 minutes going from berm to berm scrounging. I'm not sure what the psychological draw is, but I can't get enough. I focus on 9, 223 and 45. I have well over 10k of clean, de-primed 9MM ready to load and I have no idea on the 223/556 but it is a bunch. 45 here is not nearly as common.
Please help. My name is Brad and I am an addict!

Certified Brasshole.

Also guilty. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And liquid tumbling with dawn and lemishine (stainless steel pins optional) work wonders on neglected abandoned brass. Also makes inspection easier. Any obvious defects go into the recycle metal box, along with any that might be marginal. I check them with a primer pocket go/no go tool as well.

I look every time I'm at the range. Every now and then I'll score some good brass.

Conversely, I have a bunch of 38 Special and mixed 40 S&W brass that I am going to take to the public range and give away. I’d give it away here, but the shipping charges and hassle ain’t worth it.

My local shooting club has dedicated 5 gal buckets for brass. And most of the members are trained to use the 5 gal buckets for brass and the trash cans for all the other stuff. Makes it easy to harvest cases. We even have handwashing stations with lead removal soap so you can clean up after scrounging some brass.

Brass yes, but the real score is shell box's and plastic trays.
The 45 ACP trays are good for several rifle calibers and the newer open style
from Remington is used to store handgun bullets. I don't like
throwing cast bullets in a box after sizing.

splattergun said:

There is no such thing as trash brass. By picking up range brass we are saving the planet. Reduce, reuse and recycle. It's 100% the right thing to do.

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Yep. Even though I agree with this, I have to say I feel "strange" digging through a trash can at the range even if no one else is there (there are cameras, though)..

So, if there's something interesting in there, I take the bag home and peruse in the privacy and comfort of my garage. It's a private range and members are encouraged to empty the trash cans when needed anyway.

climbnjump said:

Even though I agree with this, I have to say I feel "strange" digging through a trash can at the range even if no one else is there (there are cameras, though)..

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There are camera's where I shoot to. And other shooters watching, I got over it in a short period of time and don't care what they think.
The ones that look at me and smile, I have learned, are also reloaders.

Trash Brass is something that is worn out & can't be reloaded.
Brass on the ground at the range is TREASURE!
Yes I have emptied out the trash can to recover the lost brass in the bottom of the cans. (I have gotten enough 9mm that I don't dig for it anymore)
I look at it this way if you walked down the sidewalk & saw a hand full of dimes or quarters laying on the concrete, would you stop to pick them up? Right now once fired .223/5.56 clean brass is selling for around $.10 cents per case & I have seen other cases selling for as much as $.35 cents ea. I can't think of a reason to not pick them up. At my club range they only want you to pick up your brass to keep members from getting in arguments. But if everyone leaves it open picking because they also want us to clean up behind ourselves so no one slips on a case & falls. (we have a lot of older members) I have came in behind the local Sheriff tactical team doing their full auto qualification & the range was covered. I spent about two hours bent over picking up brass, I got to where I couldn't straiten up. I took home over 2K cases.

Two times I scored 35 pounds of range brass at the gravel pit. Most ofvthe time it is only a gallon of brass about ten pounds.

I am an unashamed brass goblin at my club. Once I'm done shooting, I spend a good amount of time picking brass. I have a huge stash of 9mm from doing this for a few years and I'm just now getting started reloading it. I will make sure to collect only obviously abandoned brass in my own pistol bay.

And yes, I've fished brass out of trash cans before.