Recycling old brass -- depriming tools?

[pax]

Okay, guys, I gots me a huge pile of mixed brass I'd like to lug to the recycler and exchange for cash.

I'm told that I'll get much much better money for it if I deprime it all first.

So who's got the fastest, easiest, cheapest way to deprime this stuff?

pax

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

The only thing that comes to mind is using a universal decapping die in a press. You'll still need to change shell holders per caliber though. So, start separating the brass. Mount a press on a small bench in front of the couch. (so's you can watch TV while doing this task) And start. Depending on how "huge" the pile is, you might just end up with some Christmas money. OK.. So, what's the price difference per pound with/without primers?

-Steve

 

[only1asterisk]

Get a couple of small pin punchs and something to place the case on/in that has a hole large enough for the spent primer to fall through (I started with a broken socket). Put the business end of the pin punch in the flash hole an give it a wack. This is almost as fast as a press and very cheap.

David

 

[ReloaderFred]

I just took several hundred pounds of brass to the recycler and got $.74 a pound for it. I don't punch out the primers and the old primers that I had saved were just dumped on the scale with the rest of the brass by the recycler. They generally don't care if the primers are in them or not, as long as they've been fired. I would call the recycler and ask before I bothered to punch out a bunch of fired primers, which are also brass, with the exception of shotgun primers, which are made of steel.

By the way, I had over 25 pounds of expended primers to recycle, so save them, too.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[~z]

Fred, The spent primers also work well for filling in pot holes in the drive way.
~z

 

[cropcirclewalker]

Do a search on ebay.

Surely somebody will buy the brass for their reloading for more than the recycler will pay. 'specially if it's once fired.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Cautious recyclers

Pax--the only thing recyclers have ever been dicey with me on is, "Are you SURE there isn't any live ammo in all these??"

1 or 2 places in my area won't take fired brass at all for the above reason--this is America, this is capitalism, OK, I just go to places that do take brass.

If there were a question about spent primers in or out, I'd check VERY carefully to make sure that removing the primers would be worth my while. Depriming thousands of cases would be a hassle unless it honestly paid $$ to do so. Jack Of All Trades, above, has the best method IF you find that it'll pay.

If there is a market in your area for once-fired brass to shooters, they'll pay more than for scrap. The trick is finding that market. Again, sorting all yr range pick-ups to find the salable ones is a hassle; make sure it pays to do it before going to the trouble. The belted magnums especially might be worth it; some of those cases cost more than $1/ea, new.

Any road, you have some $$ sitting there, even if the brass is nothing but scrap. I fail to see a downside to this.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Now this sounds like work. Of course I can lay side by side with work and as long as work doesn't bother me I won't bother it...