What's your plan to organize your brass?

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ironhat

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Boy, this can get out of hand in a hurry, can't it!? I tend to want to separate my brass by caliber, of course but also by preparation (is it clean, primed, etc), by how many times it has been reloaded (I've about given up on this because of space issues and I just watch for loose pockets and signs of brass fatigue as I prepare them).

I'm also wondering who has found the Holy Grail of containers for holding this array of brass. I was using the poorly constructed, square, plastic freezer containers that folks use for freezer jam. The lids don't attach very well but that's no matter because the shape of them nestles them together in a large drawer and the tops are easily marked with a grease pencil. The neat stackable ones use half of their height to hold the one above so they don't hold as much as these cheap-oes. It would sound like I have my own answer but now I can't find them. They used to be in the dollar stores but I haven't found them in the last couple of years.

OK, time for your ideas - what works, what stinks and what-the-heck,-at-least-it's-legal kinds of suggestions. Have at it folks!!:D
 
I like old milk jugs. I cut a big hole in the top opposite the handle and they work great. You can hang them by the handle if you're short on space.
 
I use those standard milsyrup ammo cans that you get at the army navy stores.

Nice and strong and they are airtight.
 
I am a cheapskate and can't stand to buy things when I am throwing out similar things. I recycle what I can...bear in mind that all FOOD containers may contain salt, tomato juice, etc and these act to corrode brass. It is important to very thoroughly rinse any re-used containers before putting brass in them or it WILL corrode the brass. I had my then 2-yr-old son put a handful of pretzels in an old pretzel jar I was keeping .45 auto in, and I had to hand sort thousands of .45 auto cases to pick out the ones that had severe salt corrosion- those cases had to be scrapped- and then rinse the container out and retumble the whole lot.

For really small quantities, and also for my "in-use reserve" or unloaded bullets, I use small plastic jars that held spices, seasonings, and peanut butter. They are clear plastic and the lids screw on tight. I keep a jar full of bullets ready to go for each size I reload, and keep the large bulk quantities separate. Stuff like .25 auto, .32 acp, etc. go in them, too.

For smaller quantities of brass I use the plastic quart-size wide-mouth plastic jars with threaded lids- like Planter's Nuts or some organic salsas come in. Also coffee comes in a similar plastic threaded-top wide mouth cannister now, too. I typically get .380 auto, 7.62x39, 30-30, etc in them.

For use when sorting range brass, the plastic margarine tubs with the snap-on lids (Country Crock, for example) are great. I also use them for sorting stuff that needs trimmed, stuff that needs swaged, etc.

For larger containers, I use the 1-gallon wide-mouth plastic jars with threaded lids that are used for foodservice bulk items (all of mine are for restaurant-store hot bannana peppers, I get them from a pizza place). Also they package some other things like popcorn or pretzels in them. Typically that gets .357 mag, .44 mag, .308, etc. stuff I get but not a ton of.

For larger yet, I use the large 2-gallon wide-mouth Utz's pretzel jars that you get from Sam's Club. They hold a large amount of brass and you can easily see what is inside. That gets .38 special, .45 auto, .30-06, stuff I get a lot of.

The largest quantities of brass I store in the 4-gallon yellow plastic buckets that Tidy Cats kitty litter comes in. The lids snap on and off and they have a strong handle. Our cats provide us with a need for many of them so I have plenty. I keep 9mm, .40 S&W, .223, etc in these. Also I keep bulk unloaded bullets in these buckets, one bucket for each caliber. They stack neatly, even when heavy.

I have even gone so far as to weigh empty samples of all of these containers to get a TARE weight, which I write on the lid with a Sharpie marker in case I need to figure out how much is inside. For example, the older kitty-litter buckets with the lid that hinges in the middle weigh 1lb, 13.2 oz, whereas the newer style with the lid that pops on and off only weighs 1lb, 9oz.
 
Best answer is to use self-hanging bins in several sizes. But, who among us has the cash to invest in a spiffy wall with nifty bins that load in and pour out neatly?
Not when a new scale is on sale, or a trimmer, or maybe that primer flipper that goes on the press . . . <g>

The plastic food containers are real cheap to get at garage sales, and half the time you don't care if they are lid-less.

Me, brass is sorted into paper sacks in a big ex-mail bin until it goes into the process.
 
Man, you guys handle some crazy quantities of brass!:what: At most, I 'll have two hundred of a caliber in process: clean, clean and primed, cleaned & shot once, cleaned and shot twice, etc. Then, each caliber in the same fashion. Keep 'em coming!
 
Plastic buckets, cardboard boxes, etc.

Pistol brass? Keep batches together and shoot it until it fails. Rifle brass? Keep notes on each batch, times fired etc, etc. Same filing system.
 
The old cloth lead shot bags work well - a nice canvas material - I just sort by caliber, whether it is cleaned or not and primed. I'm not concerned if it's mixed headstamp, once-fired versus multiple, etc. - if it isn't cracked, it gets reloaded
 
One can acquire quite an array of “stuff” when reloading, that’s for sure. The best space saver I found was this “roll top” lockable cabinet. It holds all kinds of stuff and keeps it out of sight and hands. Ziploc bags, coffee cans, the plastic containers below and five gallon buckets, I use them all to store brass.

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I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of new 2 gallon white plastic paint buckets with lids. One of those will hold a bunch of brass.

I've got 7 full of .45 cases, 3 of .40S&W's, 1 or 2 of 9mm, 1 of .380's, 1 of .38's, 1 of .44mags, one of .30-06 military, one of .30-06 commercial, etc. Also good for storing lots of other things too.

And with the lids on, you can stack 'em. Just write on the outside with a grease pencil or china marker what's inside the bucket. Similar to this one, but this is a 3.5 gallon.

DSCN1702.gif
 
I'm new to reloading and bought several 1 gallon clear plastic containers with screw top. They fit nicely on my shelf and I can see what's in there.
 
Walmart. Rubbermaid. One gallon and half gallon CLEAR plastic containers with large-mouth screw-on tops. Both sizes use the same size top. Twelve gallons of brass fit nicely into a standard file cabinet drawer. Labels on the top, with a piece of paper on top of the brass to note dirty v. clean. I use a Brother brand tape labeler. YMMV. The notes can been seen without opening the top and I can easily move them from container to container as needed. :D
 
You guys have a lot of brass.
I think the maximum I have currently is in 8x60S about five hundred.
They are all loaded and ready to go...
I dont like brass... I like cartridges. Then again I do not have several 000's
 
Boy it does get out of hand in a hurry! Just getting started and I have every little container I could sneak out of the Kitchen, mostly tupperware. Problem is there all different sizes.
Good to hear what others are doing....
 
I just cut the top off of gallon milk jugs. Cheap and easy.
Click to expand...

I do this too, but not for storage. I use those for gathering up brass when I go to various outdoor ranges where I can scavange. I keep a couple in my Jeep and in my pickup. They're also handy for washing the dirty brass in, I've been known to take a couple jugs of muddy/dirty brass to the car wash and hose 'em out.
 
RidgwayCO, looks like you suffer from the same addiction I do with all that Vit powder. EXCELLENT in every way but price, eh?:)
 
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