How do you keep control of your semi-auto handgun brass?

[C. Latch]

I went through a phase - let's say 1998 to 2006ish - of high-volume semi-auto shooting. This was the heyday of cheap imported ammo and Winchester white box value packs at wal-mart. I'd shoot almost every day, sweep my brass up once in a while, and.......haul it to the dump. If a few cases got lost, I didn't care; if they got stepped on or lost in leaves, I didn't care. With steel-cased ammo, I often didn't even bother picking them up, and they quickly rusted away.

Fast forward to present day. As soon as I eased back into reloading my mind drifted back to shooting 1911s and other semi-autos, so several weeks ago I got .45 ACP dies, a mold, and away I went. I've ran into a little problem, though:

I can't keep up with my brass. There are two main places that I shoot, and neither have concrete or gravel. This isn't a huge problem shooting from a bench; I can sit a big open box on the bench and eject brass right into the box. But I don't want to shoot pistols from a bench.

Today I caught myself pulling the trigger and stopping to watch where an empty case landed. I can't concentrate on shooting if I'm worried about where my empties are going.

Short of paving the range, what are my options here?

[waco]

We hang a tarp between two trees and shoot right next to it. All the brass ends up in a nice pile right at your feet.

[crabo]

I use a tarp on the ground

[ACrowe25]

Tarp works. And they're light!

[kweidner]

Prayer. I feel your pain! Probably another reason I like revolvers so much.

[Guesser]

Graco, a company in Utah makes the neatest, most up to date style brass catchers I have ever seen. I ordered one of theirs yesterday. Google or Bing Graco and take a look. I had given up shooting my semi autos simply because picking up the cases was such a pain in the----everywhere. I'm almost 70 and I don't stoop or kneel easily.

[twc1964]

A big tarp on the ground works for me too. just stand next to it.

[RED333]

Tarp here as well, works, cheap and light.

[Petrol & Powder]

Tarp here as well, works, cheap and light.

/\ Ditto and at the end of the day I just fold the tarp up with the brass inside. No need for a bucket.

[762 shooter]

I relegate 2% to the brass gods and make sure that I have younger humans to police brass.

Or shoot wheelies or bolties or singleies.

762

[dragon813gt]

Tarps, as in I need more than one because the pistol range is on a hill. I started shooting pistol in rifle block house when it's not in use. It's a lot easier to sweep them up on a concrete floor.

[bigdog454]

I have my own range behind the barn. I've found that carpet installers are more then happy to give you their old rugs. I use old rugs, no looking thru the grass and weeds. I like the idea of hanging a tarp between tow trees but, I would have to put in post or something instead of trees.
BD

[Ubet]

We use several of these at the range for picking up brass. Works on various surfaces. The range staff don't mind having to pickup the brass.
http://www.brassmower.com/

[contender1]

I own a gun range AND we have USPSA matches there. Lots of shooters, mostly semi-autos, and brass everywhere.
Shoot, have fun, and realize you can clean up later, and will only lose a few if you search diligently.

[bobthenailer]

A large golfers umbrella opened up and turned upside down with the point sticking in the ground works well ! just adjust your shooting postion so the brass falls in it.

[357maximum]

I sold all my handheld brass tossing/losing devices and bought the rotary or break action style of brass saving devices. Not the choice for everyone, but I do not miss the autos.

[osteodoc08]

I use a tarp but prefer my revolvers for this exact reason. Sometimes I'll shoot next to my truck and have em end up in the bed. Super easy clean up.

[CastingFool]

I saw a photo of a guy using screen doors being used to catch brass. the guy had them angled towards each other, to form a tent.

[Sgtonory]

Just buy more brass from me :) I also find myself doing the same thing i shoot a mag full and find myself on my hands and knees looking for ever last piece. I like the brass mower idea.

[Firebricker]

I make my nephew pick it up ! Cruel I know but keeps him shootin for free and we're both happy with the arrangement lol. I think the best idea is what the guys above posted a tarp on the ground and one hanging like a curtain on ejection side. They make those brass wizards for picking them up but do not know how well they work. I would lease you my nephew but believe me tarps will be cheaper ! FB

[C. Latch]

I sold all my handheld brass tossing/losing devices and bought the rotary or break action style of brass saving devices. Not the choice for everyone, but I do not miss the autos.

I now know why my grandpa preferred revolvers. ;-)

Seriously, though, I enjoy shooting my semi-autos, and I enjoy it too much to make shooting subservient to reloading. It has to be the other way around.

Guess I'll get those tarps. :D

[C. Latch]

shoot next to my truck and have em end up in the bed. Super easy clean up.

You haven't seen the bed of my truck. :lol:

[dragon813gt]

I had no luck w/ the brass mower. It picked up more rocks than brass. When they say packed gravel they mean it. The gravel is really loose where I shoot. Now their shell sorter works great and I would not be w/out it.

[TheDoctor]

Just shoot gangsta style, brass will go straight up!

[BCRider]

With the 9mm stuff I'm not too worried. I shoot then hang around at the end of a match and pick up as much as I shot along with a few hundred more. Few bother with cleaning up their 9 or .40 brass.

On the other hand the .45acp shooters in two groups I shoot with have their brass "branded" with specific colour felt markers. I shoot often enough with one group that they even gave me a colour to use for my own .45 brass.... :D

The tarp or other catcher is fine for a fixed range setup. But I also shoot in run n'gun matches that ensures the brass is sprayed all over. I have yet to use my .45 for that sort of event. It'll take some soul searching to risk "My Brass" in that way..... :D

[Love Life]

I really don't sweat it. If I get a 70% retrieval rate then all is good for me.

[wrongway]

When I do get to go shoot I put down an old white sheet this way the brass color will be visable

[winelover]

I use cheap vinyl table cloths, lighter in weight, than tarps. Put the waterproof side down, white felt side up. Rocks to hold corners down----which we seem to have plenty of in Arkansas.

Winelover

[GARD72977]

Start shooting a muzzleloader!

[jakec]

Just shoot gangsta style, brass will go straight up! and i though they just wanted to look cool!!

[44man]

I can't resist this! You need a brass magnet!
I want a lead magnet too.

[Rodfac]

Waco, Geez...the tarp between trees is ingenious...I always spread a poncho on the grass and hoped for the best...with rounds like .30 Luger and .38 Super, I was searching almost into the next county! After 50+ years of playing step-N-fetch-it with my ejected empties, I've finally seen the light....thanks for the tip! Best Regards, Rod

[JHeath]

Some guy on another forum was so sneaky he STOLE this idea about three years before I thought of it. So now I am stealing his photo to get even.

It's a Walmart collapsible laundry hamper. Cut holes in both sides and hold the pistol inside when shooting. The holes might need to be edged with duct ape to prevent raveling. If your bench is the right height this should work without cramping your shooting style.

[stolen from: https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=283717 I think the credit goes to WarriorSoulM4]

[garym1a2]

Just shoot a few USPSA matches and some steel matches, 9mm brass is like dirt. All over the place. I also find 45acp small primer is easy to find as most reloaders don't like them.

[Vulcan Bob]

Yeah, those bottom feeders are a bit troublesome concerning spent brass. Our sportsman's club has a roof over the fireing line with bench's. On the far left with the 12 and 25 yard target backers I rig a vertical tarp between the roof uprights with bungee cords. Works pretty well although a few of my .45's seem to like to toss up and over now and again. Only trouble with this is that this conceals me from other shooters and them from me and requires more range awareness to be sure. Luckily I usually shoot around 9 AM on weekdays and usually have the range to myself.

[GSCSA]

I picked up a small hand held brass catcher to use with my CZ 82 and 83. Once I got it adjusted to catches everything. My local range has lexan dividers and once the brass hit that, who knows where it will end up. Picked it up on Amazon.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I don't like to be confined to one location when I'm shootin' away in the pistol pit..."Practicing tactics and maneuvers" and "shoot-a-rounds". YES, I do this when "alone" at the range.

I pickup what I can find after I'm done...tall grass and leaves and snow, in our clubs pistol pit that's in a woods. Sometimes I find more than I shot...sometimes I leave it all for someone else if snowy or rainy or otherwise miserable picking(skeeters). BUT, unless I'm working out a problem gun or load, I shoot revolver on the "miserable picking" days ;)

PS, Last week when I was shootin the 41Mag Levergun, I spent lots more time than I wanted to picking those cases out of the slushy snow and Mud...Dang, I know I missed at least 30 or 40 cases. I bet I'll find 'em on the next visit.

[Low Budget Shooter]

I finally sold my semi-autos away and bought the Colt revolvers I wanted. Now I just eject brass into the big coffee can. Life is good that way. LBS

[willvabch]

I use a blue tarp on the ground

[Texantothecore]

Leaf rake

[Changeling]

My girl friend likes to put on a thong and chase it down for me, however after an hour or so she gets tired , then wants to shoot and let me run it down, I just hate the feel of those darn wool thongs you have to wear when the weather cools off.
So, I'm looking for other ideas also.

[Garyshome]

Tarp/Plastic, I don't loose very many.

[gspgundog]

We use several of these at the range for picking up brass. Works on various surfaces. The range staff don't mind having to pickup the brass.
http://www.brassmower.com/

Use one of them at the club after the IDPA matches, works pretty good, I can clean a whole bay before three guys can clean one.

[beagle]

One more fellows. Look at the GI surplus places for an army mosquito net. Much lighter and easier to hang than a tarp and it wads up and fits in a 3# coffee can for transport. Have one I've been using for years. Looks more tactical than a blue tarp./beagle

[Bullshop Junior]

I use a tarp but prefer my revolvers for this exact reason. Sometimes I'll shoot next to my truck and have em end up in the bed. Super easy clean up.

I shoot from the bed of my truck or beside it a lot. Just if you are shooting something that really flings the brass, cover any windows it might hit....replacing the back glass is even more of a pain then picking up brass.

[Changeling]

I see everyone is reading all the posts as usual, LOL.

[jim 44-40]

I get my grandson with a fine mesh fishing net too catch them before they hit the ground, after shooting it's off to DairyQueen.Just kidding

[Four Fingers of Death]

Buy brass by the thousand, take loaded ammo to the range in trays if you must, but after firing, pick up brass and place in plastic bags or an ammo tin. Don't make the mistake of placing the fired brass back into the trays as you will be worring about the last two or three cases and spoil your visit to the range.

[jhrosier]

When I was younger, folks would give a kid a lard tin to put the brass into and then pay him a nice shiney quarter each time he brought it back full. I could sometimes make a couple of bucks a day this way.:lol:


Now that I'm old enough to appreciate not having to bend over, I can't seem to find kids that will work for any price.:sad:

Jack

[Four Fingers of Death]

For the sort of money most kids want these days for a bit of work, you'd be better off buying steel cased ammo and dumping it in the bin at the end of a shoot.

[dragon813gt]

So let's look at it from an economic level. Not hard numbers just general. A kid picks up the brass for you which has a value. Both as scrap and to resell as fired brass. Why would a kid accept less money then what he could get that way? And please don't tell me; because they're a kid. I taught my stepdaughter why we pick up brass from a young age. She has been shooting w/ me since she was 6, currently 13, and goes w/ me to the scrap yard. She has been picking up 22 to keep for herself to sell at the scrapyard to buy whatever she wants w/ the money. Even at 6 she would not accept that quarter because she knew the value of what she had was greater than what you were offering her.

Now I do realize that most kids want money for doing nothing. But not all of them are like this.

[Four Fingers of Death]

What I meant was that a kid who was not involved in the shooting would want more than it's worth.

Corrected now, danged autocorrect!

[Ghost101]

Same problem when at the range. They get down right rude if they think your picking up brass that you didn't shoot. I tried the felt tip
markers but was still losing too much. I went to a sporting goods store an picked up a fishing net with a long handle. Trimmed the handle to
the height that I wanted, made a steel base with a pin weld on that would fit inside the handle. I just make sure when I fire that the gun is right next to the opening of the net. I took it a step future an cut a section of the handle close to the net about table height, this way I could use it when shooting from a bench. Then I took a wood dowel that would fit the inside of the handle to put the long portion back on for when I was standing. If I only knew how to post photo's.

Ghost101

[redgum]

I keep the shooting area (approx 20' X 20') sprayed with herbicide and raked clean.
Almost like shooting on a dance floor :)

[slim1836]

I took an old swimming pool skimmer and replaced the mesh with burlap, added an extending pole and connected it to a weighted base. works fine for free.

Slim

[redgum]

Cheap kid's inflatable pool works well too......

[stu206]

As for catching Brass from the Coonan Classic Auto 357 MAG, I built a cage/box to shoot in Box is 16in wide by 30 in long and the window screen is 30 in high, screen is held upright by plastic pipe. It catches all the brass and will work from standing, prone or sitting positions. Beats chasing the brass all over the range, as the Coonan throws brass 14 ft behind you and to the right. It is a kick to shoot the Coonan as you can load it to be a flame thrower, or blow out the targets at the seven yard line. Also you can shoot 38spl or 357 mag loads just by changing the slide spring, from a 22 lb to a 11 lb spring. ...Vern

[Guesser]

101687101688101689I got a catch net from Graco in Utah last week. Tried it this past saturday. Now I will shoot my semi autos; I didn't before. I just don't fold in the middle like I used to.

Pics

[C. Latch]

101687101688101689I got a catch net from Graco in Utah last week. Tried it this past saturday. Now I will shoot my semi autos; I didn't before. I just don't fold in the middle like I used to.

Pics

Neat!

For now I guess I'll just stop shooting semi-autos at my place and restrict them to my dad's house. We shoot off the porch there and in the last couple of trips I've been able to recover all my brass.

[Changeling]

Upside down cheap beach umbrella, if you really need help.

[Grapeshot]

Well, I shoot a 9x18 Makarov that throws brass into another dimension. I learned a long time ago to spend money on the Russian steel cased ammo or trim back 9x19 NATO to 9x18 Mak. or buy copious amounts of virgin brass to sacrifice while shooting. I went with the trimming 9x19 brass to feed my Mak. If I can't find all my brass, I do find various 9mm Parabellum that I trim to 9x18 to replace what I lost.

[dmize]

I use a tarp first.
Then I pay YOUNG nieces and nephews 2 cents a case when they come down once a month.
As a side note,my 1911's scatter brass everywhere while the Glock 32 puts them all in pretty much a neat pile.

[pretzelxx]

Oh, now I need to measure all my 9x19 to see if it was trimmed? That sounds fun! Jk. But I only shoot at indoor ranges (for now) it's all collected in the stalls and, well, in the walking area of the public, so I sweep up theirs if they say they don't want it for their own. I leave with at least twice what I shot.

[C. Latch]

As a side note,my 1911's scatter brass everywhere

There are ways to fix that. ;-)

[MaLar]

Our range have covers with cross members that run parallel with the rang(point down range).
I bought a tarp from Harbor Freight and some clamps. Throw the tarp over the cross member and clamp in place. Shoot next to the tarp. I also have a Mak and love it. Just bought the RanchDog mold for it and 500 pcs of 9mm Luger to trim. I'm ready to go.

LaMar

[Handloader109]

Was shooting my ak recently, didn't care if I could not find the steel cases, but shot a good bit of brass reloads. Couldn't find any of the brass. Got out my metal detector. Found the pile of brass over six ft away.

[silverado]

This isn't the nicest answer.... but for the target shooting I do I can't justify increased price to shoot 45 over 9mm so I just shoot 9 and the brass is so plentiful I don't get quite of my brass back I get 7 of mine and 5 of someone elses. Or just shoot 38.
When I let my wife shoot one of my ar rifles at my parents in the dark I did spend about 1 hour looking for brass that never showed so I sympathize

[Four Fingers of Death]

"When I let my wife shoot one of my ar rifles at my parents in the dark"
That's a bit extreme. She'd probably do better in the daytime.

[silverado]

"When I let my wife shoot one of my ar rifles at my parents in the dark"
That's a bit extreme. She'd probably do better in the daytime.

I had the truck headlights shooting down into a Creek at the back of thier property. Nothing too crazy, just didn't have time during the day and want her to at least experience it so she can handle one if need be.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I was taking the pi$$, the way you wrote it, one could possibly take it that she was shooting at you parents.