How do you like your pistol brass ?

[Bonz]

What condition do you prefer on the used Pistol Brass that you buy ?

Do you prefer 'just picked up off the floor at the indoor shooting range' or 'decapped & wet tumbled' ?

[farmallcrew]

As dirty as it can be. Its usually cheaper that way. Most reloaders that want it prepped don't have time to do the prep work, or don't have the equipment to do it.

[GRUMPA]

First off, it would depend on what the pistol brass was in the first place. If it were something like 9mm and 40cal those are still like trying to get rid of rocks in a gravel pit, so....cleaning would be nothing more than just getting them out the door faster.

Now if it were the bigger kids like 45acp, 45LC, and larger it would be advisable to sell them with the option of cleaning them at an extra charge. When selling things it's best to leave anything that cost more up to the buyer and not the seller.

[joe i]

I agree with farmallcrew. I prefer range pick-up brass, ideally from an indoor range. I'm going to look at each piece individually anyway, so I'd rather do the work of depriming, cleaning, etc myself.

[cheese1566]

Dirty and as is.
I prefer to decap and size my own. If someone sizes it before me, I will resize anyways to eliminate doubt.

[Ed in North Texas]

Deprimed and cleaned for the same price as range run.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. :twisted:

Seriously, the others have said - price is a prime consideration unless you don't have the ability to clean it up handy. It all will need to be checked and I decap before cleaning - even if I'll use a progressive press for loading. I decap, clean and use a hand priming tool - so I pull the decapping pin from my sizing dies. Gives me 2 opportunities to check each piece of brass.

[Bonz]

I very much appreciate all of your input and it appears that 'just picked up off the floor at the indoor shooting range' is going to be the first choice.

The reason that I asked is that a friend of mine, which owns a recycling business, was just contacted this morning by a big shooting range asking for bids on fired brass. The range is less than 2 years old and they allow everyone to shoot anything smaller than .50 cal. They have a bunch of 55 gallons drums of fired brass to dispose of. And because they allow almost everything to be fired there, you never know what will be in those 55 gallon drums. The real issue I have is not knowing how much scrap is going to be in there.

It appears that the shooting range has been watching the government auctions on brass and is no longer happy with the $2.00 a pound they have been getting for their used brass.

He drove over there and took a look and saw about 19 x 55 gallon barrels of brass. I explained to him that it takes me about 1.5 hours to hand sort a 5 gallon bucket of range brass with the "shellsorter" pans so that isn't an option. I already called Camdex and they want $14,500.00 + shipping for their sorting machine. But at least he wouldn't have to buy a commercial tumbler to clean it all and not worry about decapping the brass either.

[Bonz]

Thanks Ed, that's exactly the same process that I do with my brass.

[Fla9-40]

Dirty and as is.
I prefer to decap and size my own. If someone sizes it before me, I will resize anyways to eliminate doubt.


+1 I like to do it myself...

[TheGrimReaper]

I agree with farmallcrew. I prefer range pick-up brass, ideally from an indoor range. I'm going to look at each piece individually anyway, so I'd rather do the work of depriming, cleaning, etc myself.

Well said! Me too.

[Alstep]

As is, for the reasons already given.

[joe i]

Hey Bonz, even if the range is an indoor one, is the brass also stored indoors? I've had 5 gallon buckets of brass given to me that had sat out in the weather -- the brass on top looked great, but go down 4" and it was all green and corroded. Not to mention that there were steel cases in there that had rusted onto the brass ones so that the bottom 6" of the bucket came out in one solid, useless chunk.

If stored out of the weather, you're in business. Otherwise, be sure to check it out well before plunking any cash down.

[myg30]

Ditto dirty, ditto cheep and ditto for do it myself.

Mike

[Dakoma]

I also like to clean deprime and size my own brass,that way it gets inspected realy good !

[Bonz]

Excellent info joe i, never thought to ask him. Just assumed that it would be stored indoors to keep people like me from helping myself ;-)

I'll send him an email right away and make him aware of it. That would really be bad if they were stored outside and all funky after I told him most people on this forum prefer 'fresh out of the barrel'

[DCM]

I already called Camdex and they want $14,500.00 + shipping for their sorting machine. But at least he wouldn't have to buy a commercial tumbler to clean it all and not worry about decapping the brass either.

Did you PM Jmorris and ask him if he would make you one and if so how much $?

[DCM]

As for the cleaning I would offer it as an option, some folks like it some don't.

[Bonz]

Did you PM Jmorris and ask him if he would make you one and if so how much $?

Honestly don't know who Jmorris is. I saw the Camdex sorter in action at a gun range in Houston. Checked online and really didn't see any other sorters as quick & commercial as the one from Camdex. If my buddy gets the brass, i'll reach out to Jmorris and see what he can offer in comparison.

Many thanks for that tip DCM

[Love Life]

I prefer dirty brass because the cleaning process may remove signs that I am looking for in fired brass.

[dragon813gt]

Any that I've bought has at least been tumbled. This is what I prefer. Last thing I want is mud covered range pickups. Doesn't need to be overly clean. Just the crud knocked off. I always process them when I get them anyway.

Any brass that I've sold has been tumbled. For the reasons stated above. As well as it's usually brass that I has planned on keeping in the first place.

[swamp]

Plus one on doing it myself. Gives me more chances to check the brass. And I know it has been resized for sure.
swamp

[LUCKYDAWG13]

just off the floor is ok with me just not full of dirt
from outdoor range

[greenmntranger]

dirty here

[Bonz]

Any that I've bought has at least been tumbled. This is what I prefer. Last thing I want is mud covered range pickups. Doesn't need to be overly clean. Just the crud knocked off. I always process them when I get them anyway.

Any brass that I've sold has been tumbled. For the reasons stated above. As well as it's usually brass that I has planned on keeping in the first place.

So you tumble the brass with the spent primers still seated ?

[r6487]

preferably stacked to the top of 55gal barrels

[dragon813gt]

So you tumble the brass with the spent primers still seated ?

Yes, all the time. I do everything on the press so depriming beforehand would add an extra step and be a waste of time. There have been a few occasions where I've deprimed before an ultrasonic cleaning but it's been for a few select reasons. Saw no discernible difference in accuracy so I stopped that process.

[Bonz]

Yes, all the time. I do everything on the press so depriming beforehand would add an extra step and be a waste of time. There have been a few occasions where I've deprimed before an ultrasonic cleaning but it's been for a few select reasons. Saw no discernible difference in accuracy so I stopped that process.

How do you clean the primer pockets before repriming ?

[Muddydogs]

I like it off the floor as well or at least with the primer still in that way I can sort once fired from 2+ fired. I then put the once fired in the once fired can and throw the rest in the working can. I just like knowing that I have a stock of good once fired brass in reserve in case I ever run out of the 2+ fired stuff.

[dragon813gt]

How do you clean the primer pockets before repriming ?

Never bothered because I find it a worthless step. Especially in a pistol. You won't gain any accuracy by having the pockets clean. I understand that some people like to do every step every time. Cleaning pockets is not one I bother with. I will do it initially with new to me rifle brass. But I do it with a US cleaner since all I have to do is push a button instead of manual labor :) After the first firing the brass gets treated like all the rest.

[KYCaster]

Does it include steel, aluminum and rimfire cases? If so, they won't get anything near $2.00/lb., more like $200.00/ton.

Jerry

[nhrifle]

Primer or no primer, tumbled or not, as long as it is empty I don't care. It's going to my usual new-to-me brass prep.

[Frank46]

Actually cleaning or tumbling brass in large amounts and this certainly qualifies can be done with one of the harbor freight cement mixers with the plastic drums. I believe that a member here came into a bunch of brass and that was suggested to him. And also I believe corn cob and walnut shells can be bought in 50 lb bags at a good welding shop. Frank

[Bonz]

Does it include steel, aluminum and rimfire cases? If so, they won't get anything near $2.00/lb., more like $200.00/ton.

Jerry

The barrels of brass he is bidding on includes used brass and possibly steel cases, aluminum cases, shotgun shells, .22's, dirt & gunpowder. You really never know whats going to be in there and you buy the entire barrels by weight, no sifting or sorting... That's why it is so difficult to come up with a price. At the end of the day, he runs a recycling business and has to make a profit.

[Bonz]

Primer or no primer, tumbled or not, as long as it is empty I don't care. It's going to my usual new-to-me brass prep.

I have to agree on the primer. It really doesn't make that much of a difference to me if I see a gold primer or silver primer. I'm really looking at the brass case itself, especially on the .40 S&W's. Even the expensive "de-glocking" die has its limits on how straight it can make the case again. I always decapp the brass before wet tumbling because I hate hand cleaning primer pockets.

[Olevern]

Over easy with toast, please.

:-)

[Jim]

What condition do you prefer on the used Pistol Brass that you buy ?

Do you prefer 'just picked up off the floor at the indoor shooting range' or 'decapped & wet tumbled' ?

Doesn't matter to me. It'll get cleaned and stay cleaned, I can tell ya' that.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

when I buy/trade brass cases from a newbie, I prefer to clean/process it myself. It can be improperly done by someone without knowledge/skill, which can reduce it's life.
Jon

[Bonz]

Personally, I love it when I receive wet tumbled decapped brass. I would definately not want someone to run any brass thru a "bulge buster" type die because I truly believe there is a limit to fixing bulges. I squish & scrap any brass that I feel is stretched out too far.

My buddies' immediate plan with the 55 gallon drums of brass is to run all the brass thru a "quick" wash & dry in commercial washers & dryers that he recycled from a Laundromat. He just wants to remove some of the carbon, soot & gunpowder before his guys handle the brass.

[DxieLandMan]

If the price is comparable, I like it cleaned and deprimed. I look at the cases either way but if someone can do the work of cleaning and depriming cheaper than me, then so be it. Most of it is what I pick off the range after a shoot.

[Bonz]

I go to 3 different indoor shooting ranges and none of them allow anyone to pickup brass from anyone else's area or accross the firing line. I pickup as much as mine as possible but my .40's and AR15 just love to fling the brass downrange. 2 of those ranges sell brass only to companies that they have contracts with and #3 does a lot of reloading, especially now that it is almost impossible to find factory ammo. #3 will occasionally sell brass when they have more than they need. Cost is $4 a pound and you just use a can to dip the brass out of barrels, no sorting permitted. LOL, maybe its time to move to Texas...

[popper]

$4/# is 2-3x what recycles here pay. $1/# is reasonable for trash brass. Then you are going to clean and sort it? Not worth it to me.

[llwsgn]

I like to find it cheap. If possible once fired. Lastly lots of 1k w/ head stamps matching.

[MT Gianni]

Primed would be nice.

[LUBEDUDE]

When you are selling to the public, presentation is everything.

I prefer Brass to be tumbled/cleaned. Unprimed