How Do Folks Get Their Brass?

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There is a range locally here in dayton ohio that will sell you range brass by the pound just bring your own bucket. Otherwise mostly friends collect my brass for me. I sell them my reloads at cost, but the price is they have to bring back that brass and then some haha. I have bought some of the harder to find calibers off here and the net with good success as well, though its always been once fired.
 
For my 9mm, I bought a case of factory ammo, shot it, then reloaded it....so its free in that case.

For my 40 S&W.....I bought brass by the 500 count 10 years ago for $3/bag. Bought about 4 bags, lol.
 
If you ever see me picking up brass at a range, do me a favor - knock me down and take it all away from me! Lord knows I already have waaaay more than I'll ever need or use, and I sure don't need more. Except .30-30, I could use more of that.....

I have untold thousands of pieces of .223/5.56, loaded/ready to load/unprocessed, and I've never in my life bought a single round of loaded ammo in either caliber. Never.
 
Its my downfall!
When I first starting shooting 50 some years ago, I saved all my brass and any other i could find. Why? I loved anything to do with guns. Got a brass/cartridge collection with of over 130 different items now.
I started reloading in 1971. Had to buy some 357 ammo to get me started with 357 in 1973.
Today I still save every piece of brass I can find. Word gets around and friends even bring it to me. Yeap, got pounds of it. Today I can reload about 15 different calibers.
I'm addicted, I can't leave a piece on the ground!
Catpop
 
At our range,they get really hostile if you pick up anyone's but your own brass.:cool:
There was a fellow shooting his .30 carbine, and I asked him if he was going to save his brass. He said no, then picked it up, and gave it to me. ;)
 
I save my brass when I buy range ammunition, which is not very often anymore. I'm almost at my arbitrarily picked "working stock" number, which is 500 rounds plus 50 on retainer to use when a replacement casing is needed.

I'm still thinking to myself that 500 seems excessive, as I currently handload for economy and only need "enough" brass in rotation to manage that... Bullets come in that amount though, so it makes sense to me.
 
Some folks pick it up, put it back in the box they bought it in, and toss it in the trash bin at the range. I love those kind of people. :)
 
Once Fired

thru a machine gun.
I have a good buddy that works for FN in South Carolina. I'm waiting for them to start testing 9mm pistols there too. Five gallon buckets full of 5.56 and 9mm NATO would make this guy a happy handloader.
:D
 
I recently started loading 380 but haven't found any inexpensive brass. Plenty of 9mm, which I also load, given to me by friends, but not 380. Guess not a lot of folks shoot much of it, although a great many of use carry 380 pistols.
 
I stop by the gun shop next to my house with a 5 gallon bucket and a credit card....mostly 9mm, 40sw, 45acp, 38spl, and a pile of 22lr. Been meaning to make that happen again but I prefer to stop when they aren't busy and those times seem rare anymore.

Once fired is just that...it's factory ammo that was fired and picked up. There are other ways to get brass...buy new from starline, buy factory ammo and save the brass, or go get what I call free-range brass which is brass that you find on the ground at the range. Most of that is once fired, some isnt. For plinking though any of the above will do.
 
I just joined a private gun club. From the looks of all the pistol brass I find not many people reload that. Rifle, well they pick that up pretty fast.

I used to buy once fired before I joined the club. You can find it being sold as once fired and mostly it is. That stuff comes from ranges being used by military and LE shooters.

If you live near a military training base you can buy 9 mm at auction. Usually goes for about $2.50 a pound and comes in lots of 100 lbs or so. That's a lot of brass but you would never run out. ;)
 
I pick up brass from my range. I have enough 9mm to last for years without twice firing. 40 a little scarcer but not bad. Lots of zinc coated 9mm. I figure if someone is reloading, they wouldn't leave brass laying. Especial zinc. Just can't figure who would be shooting hollow points at the range. ( I assume they have more money than brains) could be wrong tho.
 
Rod and Gun club is just a couple miles down the road....

Range has brass buckets that are available for members to scrounge through.

The key is knowing the best times to go, and to have empty paper sacks in my range bag.
 
OMG I hit the jackpot tonight! At the range I go to there is a secondary pistol range that is only to be used during sanctioned events. I notice they have brass collection buckets there too so I crawl under the fence with ziplock bag in hand and get all sorts of 9mm. Then I stop by the rifle range on the way out and am able to pick up tons of .223 and more 9mm.

I think I came home with 4-6x the number of empties that I shot this evening.

OR
 
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I just got 4000 once fired 9mm brass from East Coast Arsenal with free shipping and they seem to be legit. Only 6 cases not useable I have found out of 1/3 of the brass I have processed so far.
 
When I go to the indoor range I try to time it when not many shooters are there and ask ahead of time if I can keep the firing line swept up of brass so I or others don't slip on it and stumble. They say sure so I'm able to recoup not only most of my brass but a lot more. It turns out to be mostly new brass of various calibers which is a good thing. Usually an ice cream bucket full but at times more.
 
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