Using Range Brass

[Zombie_Flesh]

I have a question regarding range brass. Do you use scavanged brass? II have picked up brass at the range - not all of it is mine so I don't know how many times some of it has been fired. I typically sort and polish before reloading as well so I would see split cases and such.

Is there a danger of using old brass?
Would you use mixed head stamp range brass?
Since I have a lot of brass (15k 9mm) - I ask this would it be safe to sell it?
Would you buy it?

Thanks

ps I did look for previous threads

 

[jwrowland77]

I use picked up range brass all the time in my pistols. My rifles I try to start with new brass.

 

[buck460XVR]

Kinda depends on the caliber, how good it looks and how it resizes/accepts primers.

Much of the brass I pick up at my local range is new factory brass left by those that do not reload. The month before gun deer season is great for this. I also pick up any and all brass I find, even if I do not intend to use it. When the 5 gallon bucket gets full, it brings enough at the recycle place to buy new brass in calibers I do use.

 

[jwrowland77]

Kinda depends on the caliber, how good it looks and how it resizes/accepts primers.



Much of the brass I pick up at my local range is new factory brass left by those that do not reload. The month before gun deer season is great for this. I also pick up any and all brass I find, even if I do not intend to use it. When the 5 gallon bucket gets full, it brings enough at the recycle place to buy new brass in calibers I do use.

That's my favorite time to hit up the range for brass. The month or two before deer season. I always take a pair of gloves and go looking in the trash cans. I have found a bunch of truly once fired brass in the trash cans.

 

[THe Dove]

I inspect all brass, new or used, and if it passes my inspection, I load and shoot it. I do separate by head stamp, but some people don't.

I do not record how many times my brass have been reloaded, but some people do.... Therefore, I don't really care if the brass I pick up from unknown persons have been shot once, 5 times or 50 times, if it passes my inspection, I reload and shoot it. JMHO

The Dove

 

[tightgroup tiger]

[/QWould you use mixed head stamp range brass?
Since I have a lot of brass (15k 9mm) - I ask this would it be safe to sell it?
Would you buy it?

I would and do buy range brass in 9mm. I sort out the brands I like the most and load the rest as mixed and shoot them for practice.

I buy mixed range brass in 9mm a thousand at a time (mostly once fired) for 3 cents a piece, mixed. I pretty well recondition it and shoot the crap out of it.

 

[sealer]

i pick up range brass, inspect it, sort it as to headstamp, and shoot or sell/trade it.
dennis

 

[Zombie_Flesh]

Thanks everybody.

 

[lightman]

I've shot range brass for years, and still do, with good results. I inspect it carefully and prep the primer pockets and flash holes and trim it. I do buy new brass, (usually Norma or Lapua) for my custom barrels and match rifle. I doubt that you can tell any difference in your groups with a factory rifle.

Just inspect it carefully. Watch for things like split necks and loose primer pockets. Learn as much as you can about reading pressure signs and watch for them in you pick ups.

 

[longknife12]

Been a brass rat for 50+ years...inspect and use or toss....I never load max loads any way.
Dan

 

[Sauer Grapes]

95% of my brass is range brass. Most of it is once fired. Stuff that I know isn't, gets used for USPSA matches where I know I'm going to loose it

All the once fired nickel with one head stamp, gets loaded for SD ammo.

 

[rg1]

I use range pick-ups but they get a lot of inspection before I load them. That said, the only time I leave brass lying on the ground is when I don't want to load them again because of minimal primer pockets, it's seen it's useful life, and I've marked and loaded them as throw-aways. So be careful of brass I leave at the range. I may have lost a few good cases in the process. I do enjoy finding a fellow shooter shooting new factory ammo that gives me their brass.

 

[rondog]

I inspect all brass, new or used, and if it passes my inspection, I load and shoot it. I do separate by head stamp, but some people don't.

I do not record how many times my brass have been reloaded, but some people do.... Therefore, I don't really care if the brass I pick up from unknown persons have been shot once, 5 times or 50 times, if it passes my inspection, I reload and shoot it. JMHO

The Dove

^THIS!^ I pick up every piece of reloadable brass I see, whether it's one of "my" calibers or not. I load for 15 calibers now, and I've got brass for many others that I've found. Some only a few, some others quite a bit. I've picked up thousands of cases this way. Also bought and sold thousands too.

I always shake my head at some of the self-righteous comments that come up when this question is asked, such as "I'd NEVER use range brass someone else fired" "who knows how many times it may have been fired" "it may not be safe, possibly used so much it's ready to rupture".

Does anyone really think that another shooter and reloader would just dump their worn-out and unsafe brass on the ground for some hapless soul to pick up and injure himself with? Really?

When I find large rifle brass, it's nearly always once-fired, and very obvious that it is. The empty box(es) is/are usually nearby too. Pistol brass can be reloaded so many times that it's a moot point IMO.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

The major point made here is to inspect. Many here use range brass, either their own pickups or purchases. Before the last great panic, selling range brass was done commercially. Those days are returning.

9mm is one of the safer cases to reload. For most primer pocket stretching is the primary cause for retirement. Buy it when you have need, sell if you have too much. Rathole it for the next great panic, probably in 2016 or 2018. If you have some that doesn't pass muster, sell it for scrap. Leaving your bad brass laying at the range is poor practice and could lead to a rookie reloader with a case failure.

 

[mgmorden]

Yes - I don't even think twice about it. A lot of my brass comes from working large matches (USPSA and GSSF) where the RO's split up the brass at the end of the match. I've got buckets of brass I didn't fire myself.

I take a magnet to it to get out the steel cases, then pick out any aluminum and sort the rest by caliber. In general I don't have any issues. OCCASIONALLY I'll run into something odd, but I generally catch all that before the rounds make it to my loaded pile.

Examples of odd:

1. Berdan primed cases.
2. Crimped primer pockets.
3. For .45ACP, small primer pockets.
4. Split cases.
5. Cases that have been modified (ie, 9mm Luger cut down to 9mm Makarov length - a cartridge gauge does wonders for these).

Any of the above is a very small percentage of the brass I find though.

I also end up with some oddball cases every now and then. I've got a handful of 9x21 IMI cases I have no idea what to do with but I can't bring myself to scrap them .

 

[vongh]

Almost all the brass I Have is what I have found at the range. I do agree that worn out brass should not be left for someone else to find. But the way I can tell if im picking up reloads brass is mixed headstamps. These are given more scrutiny and reloaded with plinking loads and not full tilt loads.

 

[jell-dog]

Would you use mixed head stamp range brass?
Since I have a lot of brass (15k 9mm) - I ask this would it be safe to sell it?
Would you buy it?

TT,
I would and do buy range brass in 9mm. I sort out the brands I like the most and load the rest as mixed and shoot them for practice.
I buy mixed range brass in 9mm a thousand at a time (mostly once fired) for 3 cents a piece, mixed. I pretty well recondition it and shoot the crap out of it.

^^^^^^+1 AGREE!
With pistol/revolver brass, I have found that close inspection will find any that may be a problem.
And toss any that you question for any reason.
jell-dog

 

[1SOW]

I've been shooting/reloading 9mm for many years in competition and have never bought a piece of brass. For straight wall pistol, shoot it 'til it cracks or the primer hole gets loose. Some pistol brass is not worth reloading, but most is good.

I have better results sorting by headstamp and loading all one headstamp at a time---others disagree. Part of the difference may be the press being used. Single stage and turret presses give me better results when sorting the headstamps.

 

[Potatohead]

A member here, Vongh, sells good brass. He's a nice fella too, I bet he'd help you if you had any questions.


And +1 to sorting..I couldnt imagine not sorting, or not using sorted brass. IMO you wouldnt have to do the sorting if you were to sell it as I think that responsibility usually falls onto the end user.

 

[oldreloader]

I inspect all brass, new or used, and if it passes my inspection, I load and shoot it. I do separate by head stamp, but some people don't.

I do not record how many times my brass have been reloaded, but some people do.... Therefore, I don't really care if the brass I pick up from unknown persons have been shot once, 5 times or 50 times, if it passes my inspection, I reload and shoot it. JMHO

The Dove

That's my method too

 

[FROGO207]

IMHO using range brass is the only way to go. Usually free and often plentiful. I also pick up ANYTHING I find including .22 as long as it is brass or aluminum. If it is berdan primed, damaged/pitted or aluminum it gets recycled immediately. The rest I inspect and either reload or swap/sell with others if I do not use that caliber.

Straight walled auto pistol brass I usually lose before it has problems. Revolver brass will split the case mouth first usually as I do not fire MAX or +P loads. The rifle brass is inspected for case head separation, loose primer pockets and excess length. When these things are found that indicates they are probably reloads and I use reduced loads in them for plinking. Primer crimps and ammo boxes lying around usually indicate once fired status. I keep the once fired rifle brass segregated for hunting/SD loads. YMMV

 

[FROGO207]

IMHO using range brass is the only way to go. Usually free and often plentiful. I also pick up ANYTHING I find including .22 as long as it is brass or aluminum. If it is berdan primed, .22, damaged/pitted or aluminum it gets recycled immediately. The rest I inspect and either reload or swap/sell with others if I do not use that caliber.

Straight walled auto pistol brass I usually lose before it has problems. Revolver brass will split the case mouth first usually as I do not fire MAX or +P loads. The rifle brass is inspected for case head separation, loose primer pockets and excess length. When these things are found that indicates they are probably reloads and I use reduced loads in them for plinking. Primer crimps and ammo boxes lying around usually indicate once fired status. I keep the once fired rifle brass segregated for hunting/SD loads. YMMV

 

[345 DeSoto]

When I was competing on the Army Marksmanship and Police teams, I only reloaded MY one head stamp/Lot # brass. Now that I have an AR15 in .45ACP and a new Remington R1911, I use any and all .45 ACP range brass. Clean it, inspect it, sort out "bad" stuff, etc. The good brass is then trimmed, flash holes uniformed, wet tumbled, loaded, then stored for use in GI ammo cans. I'd put it up against anything I could buy...

 

[Walkalong]

I imagine 75% plus of my shooting is with range brass. As others, I inspect it carefully. Bottle necked brass gets the internal check before loading as well.

 

[rg1]

Some public ranges like mine have a pick up your own brass only policy. At the end of the day it gets swept up and sold for scrap metal. Don't particularly like the policy but it keeps some from running up and down the line picking up others brass while shooting is going on and possibly causing conflicts among others. Now at the end of the day if a range allows it that's no problem. Pickup brass you may get from other shooters is if they pick it up and give it to you. Brass I don't want to reload again is most often shot out in the country and left in the weeds or picked up and goes into a scrap barrel to take to a recycler. Even then no dangerous brass is either shot or left lying on the ground. Wouldn't shoot any questionable brass, just brass I don't want to reload again. Just closely inspect all range pickups as no ones brass is "safe" fired and left on the ground. Pistol cases usually are good to reload but lots of once fired or multiple fired rifle brass has issues. Most notably is stretch marks that could lead to case separations and the shooter who shot them has no idea he left questionable brass. So inspect your own as well as pickups.