Brass Vac

[jmorris]

After the 2010 TX State match I was surprised to see, two weeks later, quite a bit of the over 38,950 cases fired during the match still on the ground. Even with the guys that are nuts over the bag a nut, the wizards of the nut wizard and everyone from novice to master of the five finger discount on range brass having their pick, a lot was left. With the cracks in the soil growing this time of year I couldn’t see letting the brass become part of a potato crop in china so I decided to gather some myself.

I quickly realized why I was seeing spots with high brass concentration despite all of the methods used to collect it. If you are not on a flat surface neither the bag a nut or the wizard pick up the brass very well. The wizard will get a little more than the wide roller on the BAN will get but is quite a bit slower.

I decided to resurrect a project from the old days and put together my brass vac. It’s really quite simple, although the blower/vac can mulch you don’t want your brass all dinged up so it draws through a manifold with holes in the bottom so heavy objects (brass cases) fall into the first bucket and lighter stuff (grass and dirt) will pass through as normal. I just strapped everything to a 4 wheeled cart, using closed cell foam as a gasket. It’s not perfect but good for a first generation, 2 hrs and ¾ tank of gas gathered 12 gallons of brass.



If the ground is not almost perfect the Bag A nut will leave a lot behind






The nut wizard was able to pick up a hand full or two more than the BAN but still left a little gold mine behind.





Once you get it set at just the right speed the brass vac will pick up cases leaving heavy(er) objects on the ground.





I made a mount for the blower/vac, and the manifold to connect the two 5 gallon buckets, blower and shop vac hose together. I used 2” PVC for the extension.





Here it is ready to go except I did add a strap to keep the handle around 45 degrees so I didn’t have to bend down to pick it up, moving from one honey hole to another.

 

[Tim the student]

Man, that right there is cool! Good job jmorris.

 

[627PCFan]

This is a whole new level...........

 

[Walkalong]

jmorris must be a retired rocket builder. He makes all kinds of cool, really well built, stuff.

Tim Allen would be proud of that high powered brass catcher.

 

[Floppy_D]

He makes all kinds of cool, really well built, stuff.

I'll be honest. On more than one occasion I've done a search for all posts he's started, just to see what kind of gadgetry he's come up with lately. Well done, jmorris.

 

[jmorris]

Thanks for the complements. I don’t think my wife would let me retire before 40 but I would enjoy the extra time, I’ll run it by her.

 

[rcmodel]

Now thats just plain downright ingenious right there!!
Anybody that can build things like that without any signs of Duct tape is a true mechanical genius.

Way to go!!

rc

 

[GW Staar]

What! no back pack? Kidding! If it was designed around a back pack, I'd run the other way.

Looks like it works great for your area. In New Mexico you'd have to add a sand filter, or something that would separated the brass from the sand and return the sand and dirt back to the range. Where you are, roots hold down everything but brass. Here....what roots?

 

[JimKirk]

May be you should see if they might be interested in that unit in the Gulf Coast.... surely it would pick up oil too!!!!! You'd need bigger drums though!!!!

Jimmy K

 

[jmorris]

In New Mexico you'd have to add a sand filter, or something that would separated the brass from the sand and return the sand and dirt back to the range. Where you are, roots hold down everything but brass. Here....what roots?

If we had just sand I could get all of the brass. I like the way these work but it would make it a real mess when we get rain.

 

[rfwobbly]

I don’t think my wife would let me retire before 40 but I would enjoy the extra time, I’ll run it by her.

Does your wife know where her Viagra cart got off to ??

 

[FTSESQ]

that is one of the coolest things that I have seen this week! Awesome job

 

[GW Staar]

If we had just sand I could get all of the brass. I like the way these work but it would make it a real mess when we get rain.

Remember, I'm from New Mexico not Florida. What the h'll are the contraptions with the blue stripes....that you can sit in and read or take a nap?!? We sure don't have those at my shooting range!

The machine is cool...would be cooler with a ride-on and an umbrella...

The sand in the picture looks like beach sand...no beaches where I am.
When we get rain...we don't use the range...except in emergencies...worth sinking to your ankles in sandy muck! Of course here...what rain. Gully washers in April and August is about it.