Green brass

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Did you ever have one of those days? I intended to consolidate some of the brass I have accumilated over the years. I wanted to put the 30.06 brass in a very large ammo can. I poured in the most recently acquired , then I picked up a five gallon bucket full that has been sitting around for several years. Just as I started to pour I saw water running out of the bucket with the brass. The bucket had been sitting outside for some time but I thought the lid would keep the water out. Apparently not. I spent the rest of the day seperating the new brass from the green along with the water. As for the green stuff, it's going to the scrap dealer.

[hoosierlogger]

good luck with that. Scrap yards around here will not touch rifle or pistol brass for fear that there is a live round in it.

[jcwit]

They take it here in the Northern part of Indiana, I got $1,000 for our club earlier this year.

[oneokie]

Condensation?

[Gelandangan]

Mix in some citric acid with water and watch the magic works, them green ones will change to gold :)

[NSP64]

Save them for use on St. Patties day:killingpc

[jmsj]

GOPHER SLAYER,
I would try the Citric acid method.
I had some old brass, it was not corroded just dirty from people using too much case lube.
The citric acid cleaned them up really quickly. I don't know if it will work for your cases but it's worth a try.
Good luck, jmsj

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Actually I have never tried to sell cartridge brass to salvage yards but I do know that the gun clubs in this area sell it to scrap dealers. I did forget to say that I just happened to see one case with an undented primer so I chambered it in a 03 SPGFLD and it fired. That case had been in water for who knows how long. That was a suprise to say the least. I know that I could clean the brass with various types of acid but since I have more than I could ever use in three live times ,it just doesn't justify the time. The brass you see in the picture represents no more than a fourth of what I have, and that is just the 30-06.

[Bloodman14]

FWIW, usable brass is worth it's weight in gold. I'd clean it.

[BBA]

What's the best way to keep the green from coming back?

[old turtle]

BBA, Just keep it dry. I have brass from WW2 which is still in good shape. But then again I am cheap.

[blackthorn]

It may clean up OK but be aware that green stuff will eat right through a brass case if it is left long enough. Several years ago I bought a part box of factory cartridges at a gun show. I noticed they had green corosion on one side, probably from being left in a leather shell belt. I took them home and cleaned them up and much to my surprise there were some with holes right through the side of the case to the powder and the powder inside was damp and clumped up. If you choose to try salvaging those cases a VERY careful examination is in order before you try to reload!

[WILCO]

Condensation?

Nope. Loose lid:


Just as I started to pour I saw water running out of the bucket with the brass. The bucket had been sitting outside for some time but I thought the lid would keep the water out. Apparently not.

[WILCO]

FWIW, usable brass is worth it's weight in gold. I'd clean it.

Words of wisdom.

[fatelk]

Worth it's weight in brass, at least.:)

I've been known to use brass that others would toss, but I have gotten more picky in recent years. I've used brass that would make some folks shudder in terror. Now I have so much brass that anything grungy gets tossed in the scrap bucket.

I have a random bag of a couple hundred 30-06 brass that will probably head to the scrap yard next time I go. It is all good usable brass, some 1x but much of it probably not, military and commercial going back a few decades. When scrap brass price approaches $2/lb, that's getting close to 6 cents per shell for '06. I tried to sell this brass for that but had no takers, probably because shipping would be nearly as much as the brass!

It seems a shame, but it is easier to just take it to the scrap yard next time I go.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Fatelk, that is just what I was talking about. I have attached two pictures of some of my 30-06 brass. I don't know how much this brass weighs but it is a very heavy lift. The cases in the seperate container are match brass from Lake City. I used it for about eight years without apparent ill effect. I would never in my life ever reload a small portion of this brass. Soaking the green stuff in acid just isn't worth the trouble.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
There are some folks I know who would say "THAT AIN'T MUCH BRASS".:Fire::Fire:

[Bloodman14]

HI,
There are some folks I know who would say "THAT AIN'T MUCH BRASS".:Fire::Fire:

Not if they're packin' a 1919A4!:Fire:

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Well Boom Boom, I will try to make this my last word on quanity of brass. I realized when I took the picture of the 06 brass that it didn't actually show the show the amount of cases in the ammo can , I did think when I said that it was a very heavy lift that it would suffice to show it was a lot. I failed to point out that I have much more 30-06 than shown in the picture. Another thing I should point out. I also load for 6mm Rem., 30-30, 38-55, both black and smokeless,45-70, 44 Mag, 38spl, 357, 32-20, 45 ACP. I have buckets of brass for the pistol and rimless rifle cartridges except for the 32-20 and I could get much more for the picking up but there comes a time when you simply run out of room. I even have a 5 gal bucket of 9mm pistol and 223 brass and I don't have a gun for either. I do wish some angel would come to the range on my shootig day and leave a pile of 375 Winchester or 38-55 brass. I would pick that stuff all day long. Buckshot and I do occasionaly find a few 45-70 but not many. I know that I will never load a fraction of the brass I have but I do send a quanity of it along with a press or dies that I sell on this forum. I do have some 458 Winchester ammo and brass which I tried to sell but the hazmat fees and mailing make it impractical. I also realize, sad to say, I am 76 years old and there are only so many trips to the range left.