Brass picker-upper

You folks have helped me along the way so much I wanted to share a tip if you don't already know about it. This is my secret weapon for brass picking up. When combined with a 3 gal bucket you have a wonderful system to recover brass. No bending over but there does come a point when your squeezer might start to cramp a little bit. No sweat, this tool is ambidextrous. This isn't the same model as mine. Mine is a fold-able model that will easily stash in the 3 gallon bucket mentioned.

Attachment 163492

Julie got me one of these a while ago.
I can't bend over much anymore.
It's the greatest way for me to pick up brass.
No bending, no nothing, just roll it over the brass and dump it in a bucket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI5gCHGZxkI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI5gCHGZxkI

Those roller things work pretty good until someone at the range is in a hurry to empty it and opens the springs too wide and bend them

How well do they work in sand, instead of grass. Do you just need to use more downforce to get the wires under the surface to get under the brass?

I've got both and use both of them. I use the squeeze grabber at the indoor range for, most generally, 45 ACP brass. It is more maneuverable than the roller type and easier to use when there are other shooters nearby such as at league. Naturally, I wait until my neighbors are finished with their shooting before I pick up the brass that is in their lane.

I like the roller for my outdoor shooting because it has a longer reach than the grabber. It will pick up everything from .40 to 30-06. On grass or uneven ground it helps to be able to get above the case you are trying to pick up rather than just rolling over it. When rolling you need to be able to get where the wires are lined up along the length of the case. Its capacity is about 10 45s or 5 30-06s. Beyond that it starts dropping some of the ones it has already picked up.

Gray wolfe's suggestion is the easiest there is, and helps make much quicker work out of policing brass. We use them here in Ga. to pick up pecans, too. Big help there as well.

This may sound funny but spent a lot of time picking up brass and observing Louisiana critters while doing so. My wife uses the grabber in the first post for picking oranges off the tree. Course the tree is a lot taller than she is. So I taped one of those three tined long handled rakes onto one of the extension poles for the pool. Orange tree went gangbusters this season past. Frank

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Originally Posted by Firebird

How well do they work in sand, instead of grass. Do you just need to use more downforce to get the wires under the surface to get under the brass?

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If you have sand without rocks it will work pretty well. Not much downforce required. They work best on short grass and at their worst on rocky sand. The grabbers are great on rocky ground. I have both and really like the roller but it's nothing but aggravating if there's no grass. I haven't tried it on concrete or asphalt.

David

What is this "grass" of which you speak? We got rocks, sand, more rocks, and different types of leafy bushes/small trees. No grass. :-P

Attachment 163560:bigsmyl2:

At my range we have a long Astroturf style grass. I bought one of the Brass Wizard ball types, and it does not pick up brass worth a damn in that grass. Going to try a small rake to help bring it to the top.

That nose-picker will take forever....one at a time. Get that rolling cage thingy! Fast and easy on flat surfaces that I always shoot on. I never shoot in long grass.

Or a bunch of kids as shown above!

Like others have said, I have not had much luck with the nut roller thing.

One of the ranges I shoot at has a "Brass Sweeper" which works real nice on concrete. Attachment 163624

(There's not any grass there).

Of course, it's too big to carry in my range bag

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Originally Posted by Taylor

Attachment 163560:bigsmyl2:

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Mine also!!

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Originally Posted by Blackwater

We use them here in Ga. to pick up pecans, too. Big help there as well.

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Indeed we do. I used to pick up buckets full. Hated shelling them, but man they were good.

:bigsmyl2:Just go to the Optometrist and have your eves fixed…like Jack Elam…He shoots bulls and watches where his brass is going both at the same time!:bigsmyl2:

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Originally Posted by nicholst55

What is this "grass" of which you speak? We got rocks, sand, more rocks, and different types of leafy bushes/small trees. No grass. :-P

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Lol! Living in the desert right now I understand completely. I had the pleasure of shooting at the Southern Shooting Center in Thibodaux, LA for a few years. If you wanted grass, start mowing. The grass would grow. At the local range where I shoot now, all we get is rocks, a few weeds and the occasional rattlesnake.

David

My son is still in diapers so I'm thinking my brass picker upper will be in full operation here in another 4-5 years.

I used to take my Grand Son to pick up at a range. He has a disabled left hand and constantly held the jug with his right. Working those crippled fingers through the grass to retrieve brass was great therapy, and developed hand-eye coordination.
Working together I got over 16 gal. of brass, picked up one piece at a time.
As with all good things, someone thought we were making money and shut us out.

I take a tarp with me to the range. I have made a modification to it though. Let's say the grommets/holes are normally like 3 feet apart. I split the difference and placed new grommets all around the perimeter of the tarp. Then I fed a length of para cord weaving it in and out of all the grommets. When the end of the para cord made it all the way around the tarp, I added like 3 feet to each and cut it off. Then I tied the two loose ends together. When I get to the range, I set the tarp out flat. Then I stand off to the side and fire a few shots to watch where the brass lands. Adjust my position accordingly.

At the end of a shooting session, I grab the excess para cord and keep pulling until the tarp scrunches up like a big bag....kinda like the blue handles on trash bags. Or like the old GI OD green laundry bags.

When I get home, I carefully roll the tarp into a 5 gallon bucket to get the brass out.