How do you keep from losing auto pistol brass

[308w]

Probably a dumb question,

I am shooting cast boolits so it is pertinent

When shooting an auto, how do you ensure you

can recover your brass.

I like 1911's, have always had one or more around,

have never enjoyed shooting them freely as much as I

do my revolvers because I worry about losing brass.

How do you do it???....

[LIMPINGJ]

Lay down a cheap Harbors Freight tarp or a sheet out of the linen closet.

[JimB..]

I’ve heard of folks using light stands (a pole stuck in the ground would work) to hold a sheet. Brass hits it and falls to the ground.

For me the easier solution was to accumulate enough brass that I don’t have to worry about it.

[metricmonkeywrench]

I shoot on an private club range with a gravel lot, a generic 5x7 tarp laid out on the ground catches about everything from most of my auto's except for my .45 and my sons .40 which chucks brass everywhere in a 180+deg arc at various distances from the ejection port. So far I have been able to find about all of my brass that doesn't stay on the tarp and there is a collection of selected "make up brass" for the times that one or two pieces cannot be found. When I'm shooting with a second person it's their duty to watch where the brass heads of to and toss the strays back onto the tarp while changing magazines until brass collection time. We pick up the brass and put them back in the box when we are done shooting that box to minimize mixing brass and identify the pieces trying to hide.

There are some ideas out there about catch nets and some sort of soft backstop to corral the brass but i have not gone there yet as it can be breezy on the range and i want to shoot, not chase a windscreen around the lot..

[farmerjim]

For AR's there are brass catchers that will attach to the rail. ( see Amazon)
For pistols, I use what are described above.

[Kenstone]

Lay down a cheap Harbors Freight tarp or a sheet out of the linen closet.

Yep, this
It's windy where I shoot, so I stake out a mesh tarp:
https://www.harborfreight.com/8-ft-x...arp-60577.html
$5 more gets you this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-...arp-60576.html
works for me,
.

[lightman]

I've tried several things and nothing works 100% of the time. I use a cheap tarp mostly held down with tent stakes. I prefer to use a buddy and to take turns shooting.

[ohen cepel]

They also make a net which attaches to your firing hand to catch (most of) the brass. Smaller than a tarp but misses some at times.

[fastdadio]

I pick up what I can find. About once a decade, I buy a 500 rd lot of once fired brass from GI Brass and carry on.

[jsizemore]

I scalp the grass in the landing area.

[gwpercle]

I like shooting 1911's too and absolutely hate to loose brass .
At the outdoor range , I attached a big light weight fishing net (long alumn. handle) to a tri-pod and shoot with net next to me , positioned to catch empties ...
Works most of the time .

Would bring my young son or daughter ... their job was to catch the brass for daddy and see if they could grab any unclaimed lying on the range floor or in grass .

Can also bring Grand Children and pay them a penny per case they snatch up and a trip to DQ afterwards for Ice Cream !

Children , when motivated , work quite well as brass catchers if you dont want to fool aroung with sheets and nets !
Gary

[jdgabbard]

I've been thinking of using a camera tripod with a 3d printed bracket with a cloth catch. Just haven't ever sat down to design it in CAD.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I have a large blacktop area in front of my shop, and a place for targets off the edge of the blacktop with a forest and small berm backdrop, so I shoot on the blacktop toward the target area and the brass is easy to see and pick up off the blacktop.
I do not shoot in the snow!

DG

[45DUDE]

I use a Queen size blanket and fold it-brass and all when through shooting.

[35 Rem]

Tarp for me too. I've had 2 1911's for many years and practically never shot them for this reason. If you lose all your brass, you might as well buy factory loads. I finally got a large tarp that is about 30x30 and you can shoot a big variety of autoloaders on it that spew brass in every direction and it catches them all.

I had forgot how fun a 1911 is to shoot so loaded up over 1,500 rounds to enjoy now as soon as it cools off some.

[farmbif]

I have the same problem, still planning on building platform shooting station with screened off area to police brass. I like the idea of a big sheet or blanket or canvas tarp in the mean time.

[mdi]

Getting old and bad back, I tried several methods, tarp was affected by wind and a PIA to deploy. "Nut picker uppers" would collect too much trash, rocks, etc, so I settled on this https://www.amazon.com/Vive-Suction-...zcF9tdGY&psc=1 Not real fast as you still pick up brass one at a time but sure saves the old body. The suction cup tips even allowed me to pick up small primers from my shop floor...

[hoodat]

I use a three pronged method; (you're probably picturing some kind of cool three pronged rake) -- nope

Prong #1- when I see a great deal on used brass, I get it.
Prong #2- I spend a reasonable amount of time finding the brass I fire, but don't kill myself.
Prong #3- When I find where a non-reloader has been shooting, I pick their brass, but don't kill myself at it.

Every so often I'll have a quantity of brass collected that I don't use, and I'll sell or trade it on one of the forums to get brass that I do use. jd

[txbirdman]

Take my grandkids with me and make picking up brass a contest.

[Froogal]

An inexpensive metal detector is a good investment. Mine is a "Quick Silver" by "Bounty Hunter". Found it on Amazon.