Using Range Pickups - at what cost

[RogerDat]

I had a brief opportunity to go through some buckets of range pickups and pull out the brass I wanted. I paid around $2.25 per pound for what I pulled out. First time using "unknown" brass. Most used is my own, or stuff from members that I trust when the state brass usage. Two questions.

Anything special to be on the look out for with unknown brass? I have seen some with a bit more tarnish than I would normally see, don't know if that matters much. Just thought those with more experience using brass of unknown origin might have some insights of value.

What is a decent price?
My take for $84 was:
110 45 colt
75 44 mag
100 357 mag (mostly nickel)
1000 38 special (based on weight)
550 .223 Remington (based on weight)

4 live rounds (2@ .22 and 2@ 38, 1/2 coffee can of assorted semi-auto handgun stuff, a handful (literally) of odd 7.62 x 39 and misc.

I'm not sure if the guy will allow me access to his supply again, he sorts and loads some of the same calibers. Takes a lot of .223 to feed his hungry Dillon 650 (or is it 560?) He really has a tough time with letting any of this brass go. Before I beg I figure it would be worth asking if people think the brass gained is worth the cost financially.

More 38 special than I needed, really was after the 45 colt and 357, have a kid that can use the 44 mag which does make the sorting easier, all the big brass pistol stuff is keeper. Figure .223 will be useful in quantity.

During sorting I was pulling the stuff out by the handful onto a tray, pulling out revolver and .223, dump tray. Next handful. Toward closing time I found a box that was heavy in .38's and had some .357 mag so I just used a magnet to pull the steel cases out and dumped it in the keeper bucket. That is how I ended up with the semi-auto.

[Bonz]

I pay between $2.50 - $3.00 a pound for brass from a shooting school. Most professional reloading companies ( Freedom Munitions, Georgia Arms, etc ) use unknown brass from a shooting range, the trick is to visually inspect it carefully. I thoroughly clean my brass ( wet tumble with stainless steel pins ) and then inspect every case. I've been doing this for years and have never had a problem [knocking on wood]

[mongoose33]

Same as Bonz.

I've shot the same brass (handgun mostly) over and over again; very occasionally I'll have a case split or some other sign the brass is no longer good, but I can probably count those on two hands.

I'd guess that anyone shooting reloads would have tried to corral their own brass; wouldn't surprise me if most or all of what you have is once-fired. At the price you paid, pretty good deal.

You can buy new 38 special brass for about 17 cents apiece; used brass is about 7.5 cents apiece so your .38 special was worth $75. The rest you got almost for free. :)

[Cherokee]

Clean well and inspect. Cull any that are suspect. Only problem I ever had (yeasr ago) was a case head separation on a well used 38 special case, an unusual event for revolvers with normal loads.

[bedbugbilly]

All I've ever used so far is "range brass" - never had a problem. It's no different that when you load stuff you've shot - you inspect it for defects and discard any questionable pieces. As far as "tarnish" - that's not a "defect". if it was, I'd have to cull a lot of mine. And "new" brass I have is still sitting in boxes on the shelves . . . waiting for the day "when I need to use it". Sort of like saving your new shoes for Sunday School. :-)

[GoodOlBoy]

Only proviso that I have on "unknown" brass is that I clean 'em up. Do the visual inspection, toss anything in the recyc I don't like the look or feel of. Then I load them with a middle of the road load for the first loading and fire them when I get a chance. Inspect again. toss anything I don't like the look or feel of in recyc. In all my time of doing this "knock on wood" I have never had an issue. That was when I was doing hotter loads. All my loads are middle of the road and loaded for accuracy these days, not to punish me with recoil.

GoodOlBoy

[blikseme300]

I am fortunate that at the indoor range I often shoot at that they don't mind that I harvest brass when I visit. (Yes, I do buy the majority of my reloading supplies from them so they don't charge me but others pay $4/lb.) I have a range bag that holds approximately 30lbs of pickup and I fill this once a week. I have a number of 5gal buckets of unsorted brass and when I need some decompress time I sort some of these.

[bangerjim]

I grab all I can. Just pick it up.

If I buy it from a scrap yard (some yards will NOT sell brass casings to the public!!!!!) it is $3.50/#. Comes out to around 3 cents/round for most pistol brass. Not bad. But I get more than I will ever need by just picking it up for free where I shoot.

But there is no guarantee of the scrap yard brass around me being once fired. It IS all extremely clean. Most of the range brass I get is because most there do not reload and go thru boxes and BOXES of com-loaded rounds. And the boxes/trays are there also.

[RogerDat]

Thanks for the information.

This was a shot for me to build up a bit of a stock of brass. I have only had my own commercial stuff and some small amounts of purchased brass, darn that stuff is expensive! Just bought some 357 magnum from JeffHolt but buying brass new has to be as finances allow and it will be nice to be able to load up a batch without worrying that I won't have any brass left to try anything new or different.

I tend to load lite for comfort, accuracy and economy so that advice will be easy to follow, I will possibly mark boxes to indicate it is a first run for me. I made it through puberty a long time ago, don't need to make bigger boom then the next fellow to prove anything.

[fredj338]

I just pick it up at the range, never buy it. So I toss anything Amerc or berdan primed, anything with expansion showing in the case head.

[Blammer]

I crunch the flunkies so I don't wind up getting them again somehow.

Just brough $60 worth of brass to the scrap yard today. :)

[jonp]

I bought some range brass from someone here in 45colt. Some looked pretty green and like they had sat outside all winter or maybe two winters. I rinsed them well, soaked in citic acid then tumbled in walnut with spirits and NuFinish then inspected them well. Im on my 8th or 10th loading with them.

As long as they are not split, severly dented etc id shoot them up with no worry

[coxa2]

Picked up a lot of range brass. Inspect, tumble, inspect again. If it looks questionable pitch it.

[FISH4BUGS]

I pick up range brass every visit. I also have two friends that drop off all their brass and THEIR range pickups. I give them a box of cast bullet reloads for their trouble.
I have more brass than two people will ever use in their lifetimes. Even shooting machine guns i have plenty of brass. I have 5 gallon buckets full of brass. I trade some calibers that I don't use for things I CAN use.
I tumble all of it when I get it, go through it and scrap any bad ones, and put the rest away for a rainy day. Sorting is done in the winter when it is 20 below and snowing. It is great no-brainer decompression time.
Yes, I am a hoarder. I will never be caught short again on powder, primers brass bullets or lead.

[Harter66]

My last new brass ran from $35-42 /100 . Pick ups are free and 3-4 cents ea beats 35-42 cents by a long shot ,you can toss 5 junk cases in the recycling can get 25% of what you spent back to put toward the next batch and you're still in what you kept only 3 cents ea. (Less for 25 auto more for 7mmSTW ) .

How I regret all that 223 I gave away when we had a range here.....