I need some ideas on storing brass

[Icky The Great]

I found you could go to the local supermarket and get 2-6 gallon buckets with gasketed lids for free. Go to the bakery and ask for icing buckets. One might also find them at a sausage makers as some casing come in containers similar. I store my pick ups and dirtys in 5 gallon buckets until I can tumble them in batches. I get those at home construction sites for free. Spackling and paint base coat ones, usually in the dumpsters. I then separate the clean brass into Stearilite containers as seen here. I need more as you can see the 9mm and 40s are beyond full. Those little containers on top are the overflow. These are my primary loadings. Although the 50bmg is out because I acquired some new brass to clean and fill up the container. I have the icing buckets in the basement with clean brass waiting to be sized and deprimed.

 

[medalguy]

In reading some of these posts I see there are a wide variety of containers used. Whatever you use, remember that for the most efficient storage (minimum amount of space used for a given amount of brass) always use square or rectangular containers. Round are the least efficient and take the most room. Bagged brass piled in a filled-up square/rectangular container is the most efficient of all.

 

[xring3]

square gallon ice cream containers from wal mart...they have handles

 

[TexasShooter59]

Sterilites from Wally World, zip-loc bags, and ice cream buckets from Sams.

 

[dmazur]

Bagged brass piled in a filled-up square/rectangular container is the most efficient of all.

That's what I'm using.

Container is labeled with cartridge, bags are labeled with Clean / Dirty / Prepped.

I also write on the bags how many times that brass has been reloaded, for bottleneck. This count gets transferred to the cartridge box when they are loaded, then I increment that and write it on an empty "Dirty" bag when I take ammo to the range.

 

[Catpop]

Ditto on Folgers plastic containers, also any clear plastic containers like pretzels and peanuts come in.

 

[SAGEEN]

I use coffe containers and large ziplock bags. by headstamp and cal

 

[Sweet Agony]

These are great for smaller amounts, stack and fit on shelves or into a range bag. They are good for keeping a group of brass segregated. I buy them at dollar stores. IIRC they store almost 400 .223 cases

http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=701&ProductCategory=249&section=1

My cards have a check box for each step.

Other than that everything else I do has already been covered in this thread.

Thanks for the heads up, I had forgotten about the Dollar Stores, I was planning on hitting Lowe's for some 2 gallon buckets with lids but the Sterilite might be better. At least they will stack better.

 

[Icky The Great]

Be warned about the Stearilte containers. Those pictured on my last post, 2 have cracks in them from being too heavy. The 45s have a cracked handle and the 38s a cracked base. So figure you may only fill them about halfway with out issue. Having said that I probably have about 1000-1500 cases in those containers. I have also cracked a square cat litter bucket (5gal sized) with 50bmg brass. The bottom almost came out in mid air. Luckily I was able to get it over another 5 gallon bucket before I lost all the cases out of the bottom. I ended up splitting it into several Stearilite contains like the on pictured which is awaiting more brass at the moment. I found a resource for more square cat litter buckets and I may pursue that but for now the icing buckets work well.

 

[lightman]

My bulk stuff and range brass goes in plastic coffee cans. We drink coffee and I have a few places/people who save them for me. New brass or stuff like Norma and Lapua rate a MTM box. Both are stackable. Lightman

 

[Lj1941]

My sorted brass is put in zip lock freezer bags and/or coffee cans both large and small. These are put in large kitty litter containers which are stackable. I keep several hundred cleaned and primed ready to load in coffee cans for each of my popular calibers.

 

[fralic76]

http://www.sterilite.com/productfiles/images/LG1_19628604.jpg

Labeled with caliber --> dirty, cleaned. When cleaned a card with what step was done last is placed in the container.