Tumbling large quantities of brass

[mjkonopka]

Hello everyone, I currently get around 4-6 full five gallon buckets of brass every week from work. I just purchased a used 3.5 cubic foot concrete mixer off of letgo. I'm trying to figure out which media would suit me best. I have around 150 gallons of brass accumulated right now. If I go the wet tumbling way, I have to decap all the brass beforehand and then I would have to dry it all afterwards. But the ss pins never go bad. If I dry tumble, how long does the walnut or concob media last for?

[TexasGrunt]

Walnut will last quite a while. Just keep adding Nu-Finish to it.

[mjkonopka]

Would walnut be the best way to go with that much brass?

[308Jeff]

I've used a 50/50 mix of walnut and corncob combined with Berry's polishing compound.

If you're able to pre-wash your brass with a mixture of hot water, Dawn, and acid of your choice (I prefer apple cider vinegar) your media will stay much cleaner, and last probably 8-10+ cleanings. I've pre-washed 3 or more gallons of brass in 5 gallons buckets on many occasions. Just be sure to rinse well, and get them dry fairly quick, or you can get some minor corrosion in the primer pockets.

[mjkonopka]

How do you dry your brass quickly?

[mjkonopka]

Also, what would be the quickest way to separate all the brass? Using the midway tray sorters is nice, but it takes a long time to separate multiple buckets.

[Kenstone]

Hello everyone, I currently get around 4-6 full five gallon buckets of brass every week from work. I just purchased a used 3.5 cubic foot concrete mixer off of letgo. I'm trying to figure out which media would suit me best. I have around 150 gallons of brass accumulated right now. If I go the wet tumbling way, I have to decap all the brass beforehand and then I would have to dry it all afterwards. But the ss pins never go bad. If I dry tumble, how long does the walnut or concob media last for?
Wet tumble no pins
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jerry+miculek&&view=detail&mid=6C7005A2E48C793F913C6C7005A2E48C793F913C&FORM=VRDGAR
8-)

[Ickisrulz]

If you are selling it, sell it dirty.

[M-Tecs]

If you are selling it, sell it dirty.

The trend is to tumble everything for sale but I much prefer it not tumbled. As is makes sorting much easier.

[mjkonopka]

I am actually not selling it. I figure I might as well get as much as I can while I can get it.

[TexasGrunt]

Just how much do you shoot? 150 gallons of brass. That's quite a bit. You know it's reusable.

[mjkonopka]

I usually shoot 2-3 times a week, about 200 rounds each time. That's just pistol, when I go shooting outdoors I usually go through around 1000 rounds of 223.

[308Jeff]

How do you dry your brass quickly?

I dump it into the middle of a large towel, then grab both ends and make a hammock. Tumble the brass by lifting the sides of the towel alternately, and follow it up with a good blast of air from the compressor. At that point, I get into the media. The corncob does a great job of absorbing and expelling any residual moisture, if present.

[Ickisrulz]

I usually shoot 2-3 times a week, about 200 rounds each time. That's just pistol, when I go shooting outdoors I usually go through around 1000 rounds of 223.

This means you are needing to clean around 600 to 1,600 pieces of brass each week if I am understanding you correctly. This is easy doable using a normal vibratory tumbler and blast media. You can get acceptable results tumbling for about 2 hours per batch. There really doesn't seem to be a need for a cement mixer operation since you can store the brass dirty and clean it as necessary. But of course it's your time and resources and I know you didn't ask for my input.

[308Jeff]

Hello everyone, I currently get around 4-6 full five gallon buckets of brass every week from work.

He doesn't shoot that much, but he gets that much.

[mjkonopka]

I get what you're saying, I originally thought about just cleaning what I shoot weekly, but I don't like to leave things unfinished. With the amount of brass I get on a weekly basis, I will accumulate about 120 gallons every month. I like to stay organized with everything I do. I spend roughly 20 hours each week right now just sorting and cleaning the brass that I get, and I'm still behind. Just looking for ideas to make this process faster so I can have more time to reload and shoot. Any and all ideas are good, I'm still new to all this. I like to have many different opinions from all walks of like.

[Ickisrulz]

I get what you're saying, I originally thought about just cleaning what I shoot weekly, but I don't like to leave things unfinished. With the amount of brass I get on a weekly basis, I will accumulate about 120 gallons every month. I like to stay organized with everything I do. I spend roughly 20 hours each week right now just sorting and cleaning the brass that I get, and I'm still behind. Just looking for ideas to make this process faster so I can have more time to reload and shoot. Any and all ideas are good, I'm still new to all this. I like to have many different opinions from all walks of like.

Here's a thought, sort it, keep what you will need and sell the rest. You can use the profits to buy components. Heck, 120 gallons of brass each month might just buy factory ammunition in the quantities you shoot.

Seriously, how much brass can you possible store? Are you ever going to move?

How much brass can you possibly go through in your life? Figure that out and sell what you don't need.

[mjkonopka]

I have never thought about selling it. How much does brass sell for if it's sorted?

TBH, I don't like shooting factory ammunition, there's just something about making my own ammo and shooting it. It's a sense of satisfaction for me.

[Ickisrulz]

I have never thought about selling it. How much does brass sell for if it's sorted?

TBH, I don't like shooting factory ammunition, there's just something about making my own ammo and shooting it. It's a sense of satisfaction for me.

It depends on what the brass is. Take a look at the various websites that sell once fired brass for an idea of what people are getting.

I don't know if you can see the "Swapping and Selling" area of this forum, but people do sell here. Sellers with ongoing sales become vendors and post in that area (I am not sure the process for that).

I suggest not being a slave to your windfall, but putting it to work for you.

[308Jeff]

I say keep it. Warehouse it. Visit in on the weekends!

But I'm a brass hoarder, so take my advice for what it's worth. :D

[Ickisrulz]

I say keep it. Warehouse it. Visit in on the weekends!

But I'm a brass hoarder, so take my advice for what it's worth. :D

I know you are just kidding, but imagine having to store twenty-six 55 gallon drums of brass. This is just a year's worth.

Now imagine having the additional income of selling the same amount of brass.

[M-Tecs]

I say keep it. Warehouse it. Visit in on the weekends!

But I'm a brass hoarder, so take my advice for what it's worth. :D

26 55 gallon barrels in a year is a lot to store. In five years that's 130 55 gallon barrels. That is an impressive store facility. And I thought I had two much brass.

Most ranges sell it to the scrape yard. Sorting that volume is close to a full time job but it is a problem I wish I had.

[mjkonopka]

I'm not sure if I could part ways with brass, I don't usually like to sell things once I get them. I have never sold a firearm once I bought one. I do all my sorting and cleaning right now in a 25'x75' storage shop that I rent. I did rent it to store other things, like an old willys and some misc stuff that I don't have room for at the house anymore. But the brass is quickly taking over the more I get. I went from keeping it all in 5 gallon buckets, to now dumping the buckets into 30 gallon galvanized steel garbage cans (that I keep on small furniture moving dollies).

[mjkonopka]

If I can build a sorting machine like jmorris built, except I can't afford the chromoly tubing, it would cut down on sorting time 10 fold. I was thinking about trying to build one like that but using angle iron instead of the rollers with a vibrator to help move the cases down the channel.

[mjkonopka]

Am I stupid for wanting to keep all that brass?

[Ickisrulz]

If I can build a sorting machine like jmorris built, except I can't afford the chromoly tubing, it would cut down on sorting time 10 fold. I was thinking about trying to build one like that but using angle iron instead of the rollers with a vibrator to help move the cases down the channel.

Maybe you could hire neighborhood teens or have other reloaders help out in exchange for some brass. Start small with plastic sorting trays and work up as you can put money back into the business.

There's more than one way to do things. I think the worst way of doing it would be storing the brass because you cannot part with it. Have you ever watched the show Hoarders?

[Ickisrulz]

Am I stupid for wanting to keep all that brass?

Some people might say you are misguided in renting a storage building for all your "stuff." Downsize!

[M-Tecs]

Am I stupid for wanting to keep all that brass?

Not stupid but if you can keep getting the brass on a long term bases it will become unrealistic.

[dverna]

I would be curious about the calibers you have.

Anyway, run the numbers on how much you shoot, number of reloads per case per caliber, % loss, add 50% as a safety factor. Figure you will shoot until you are 80. That will give a feel for how much you need. Sell the rest.

For example
if you shoot 300 rds of 9mm per week
get 10 loads per case
lose 10%
are currently 50
You need 330/10 x 52 x 30 = 85,800 cases

50% added safety factor = 128,700 cases

[TexasGrunt]

Am I stupid for wanting to keep all that brass?

Not stupid, but you might need professional help.

You're taking in 4-5X more brass every week than you're shooting. Even if you NEVER pick up a piece of brass you're going to run out of storage space.

http://www.ultimatesorter.com/

Get one of those. Sell the brass. Buy a boat. Go broke.

I wouldn't even bother to clean the brass you're going to sell. Just sort, box and sell. With the amount you're getting you can easily make an extra $1000 a month.

[dragon813gt]

The tumbling part is easy. Use the concrete mixer w/ fine crushed walnut blasting media. It will last a very long time. I built a rack out of wire mesh for initial separation. Just dump out of the mixer onto the rack. Brass stays on rack and media is directed into a large tub. I then used a typical media separator to process. This takes little time since it only requires a few spins.

Your biggest issue will be sorting the brass. You want to do this before tumbling. Otherwise you end up w/ a bunch of nested cases. I have the Shell Sorter. But it's a slow process. A five gallon bucket full of mixed brass takes over half an hour to sort if there is a lot of different cartridges. It's convenient but not the best method for bulk sorting.

On the storage end. If you have the space keep it. It's essentially money in the bank. Keep whatever amount you want for personal use. Keep the rest separated, by cartridge, to sell at your convenience. If you want to keep it all and have the space to do so then by all means do it. I know I'd keep it as a rainy day fund.

[bbogue1]

I only have a small amount of brass( about 800 cases split between 9mm and 38 Special). I use about 150 on a good week and police the range like a good boy scout when I am done). I am always looking for ways to inexpensively increase the brass count I have. If you look at the price of once shot brass, not deprimed, not cleaned you'll find there are only a few places selling it that way. This is a marketing opportunity for you, a nitch that's not being filled. When I look for brass I want it uncleaned and still primed to assure I am loading good cases that have no sign of age or overpressure. I don't shot competition so I don't care if the brass is of mixed manufacture. The best price for 1000 dirty brass I can find is 4-5 cents for pistol and about 8 - 15 cents for rifle. My situation represents your target market. Keep what you can load, maybe 8-10,000 cases the rest are the bankroll, sell them, sorted or not. Cleaned or not.

If you want a on the clouds feeling go to Helping Hands and give them away, you will not believe the feeling you will get when a newbie posts you back and profusely thanks you for the 500 dirty cases he thinks is so golden. Many people on this forum would love to have extra or even adequate brass. You have the ability to sell some, make a little money to pay postage and give some new guy who's just getting started a hand up. Won't cost you a dime and won't eat into the stock you have. In fact I am willing to bet you can't even give away what you receive each month, so, you'll still be busy an still increasing your stockpile.

PM me if you want the names of the cheap sellers. PM me if you want to explore this idea more.
Brad

[JimB..]

Am I stupid for wanting to keep all that brass?

i hate to say that anyone is stupid, but it does seem that you are making a series of poor decisions. If I had your problem I would contact one of the companies that remanufactures ammunition and ask what they would pay for mixed dirty (police?) brass by the pallet. You'll find it much more convenient to store the cash. If you're worried about not being able to get more some day, then clean a couple 5 gallon buckets of the calibers you shoot and put them aside for long term storage and setup a few thousand in rotation for your regular shooting.

oh, and giving them away to reloaders is a great idea, I'm helping another guy get started this week and it's a lot of fun.

[Drew P]

Oncefiredbrass.com is selling 223 for 12.50$/250 cases. This is a good deal I'd say. So, you're sitting on a gold mine bro! I'll take 2000 of fuel your hands.

[salpal48]

If your getting That amount of Brass. Conventional Tumblers will not Help you. there is machines out There on the commercial sector That will clean, Polish and separate media in One application.. it makes no difference what media you use. the machine will remove or Drain.
Commercial Co. Like Kramer Industries Or Raytech There not Cheap. . they are used also for Parts Deburring. they are not for the average reloader. Buy there out There.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have 1 question and 1 suggestion. The question I have is where or what job do you have to reap that much brass cases? The suggestion I have for sorting is hire some high school kids to sort. I have heard that a desire to continually add to an already large amount of anything is called `hoarding`, nothing wrong with that - just thought it should be mentioned.Robert

[mold maker]

It wont take long for the novelty of excess free brass to overburden you. It does indeed reload over and over, and some of the operations are only done once to 1x brass. Storing the quantities of brass you speak of will quickly soon overtake the turbulence of having it.
Regardless, the first thing is to separate it by caliber. A turn in a cement mixer to remove dirt and spider webs is optional. When you consider the number of possible calibers and the volume over time, storage will become a real problem.
The suggestion to save a bucket of each you use or think you might is valid, but more than that is folly. Turn your windfall into cash and purchase another gun that you have had your eye on.
I wish I had your problem, at least for a while. I spent much of 3 years cleaning a LEO range but the abundance of 9 mm and 40 cal quickly overshadowed the value of the few odd additions.

[toallmy]

I have a friend that has just recently helped the widow of a long time friend of his sell over 30,000 pounds of range brass that he had saved from his shooting range . Trust me it was not a easy task , after a few years all the boxes that had been packed up really nice don't hold up . She still has that much more to go , but they are taking a break . Don't do that to your loved ones . By the way the scrap dealer tried to pay her under .50 a pound but with help she got 1.35 . It had to be packed in vats pallet sized heavy cardboard box that held 3500 lb . Don't be that guy in 20 years .

[308Jeff]

I know you are just kidding, but imagine having to store twenty-six 55 gallon drums of brass. This is just a year's worth.

Now imagine having the additional income of selling the same amount of brass.

Yeah I'm kidding. Kind of.

No, I'm kidding.

But... It is nice to stare at huge quantities of reloading components.

[Drew P]

I have a friend that has just recently helped the widow of a long time friend of his sell over 30,000 pounds of range brass that he had saved from his shooting range . Trust me it was not a easy task , after a few years all the boxes that had been packed up really nice don't hold up . She still has that much more to go , but they are taking a break . Don't do that to your loved ones . By the way the scrap dealer tried to pay her under .50 a pound but with help she got 1.35 . It had to be packed in vats pallet sized heavy cardboard box that held 3500 lb . Don't be that guy in 20 years .

id rather leave multiple tons of semi precious metals for my loved ones to deal with than a stack of old porno mags and a coffee cup collection. Your logic is a little off.

Maybe it wasn't fun for you, but she got 40$k out of it which is a nice car and a European vacation in my estimation.

[bbogue1]

She would have had so much more if the brass was sold in smaller quantities and the cash invested. No stocking, no mailing or shipping, no storage fees, just income increasing over time.

Can you imagine how you would be received in future generations for your forward thinking?

[RP]

If I had to rent a place to keep the brass I say its more then you need get what you need or think you need and sell the rest and buy a bigger place then you have more room.

[mjkonopka]

Sorry for the late response everyone, I had some stuff to deal with today. I work at an indoor range by me part time. I get to take home the brass at the end of the night when I work, that's usually 3-5 full five gallon buckets. This week I got to do that twice, so I took home just under 9 full buckets this week. I see what you guys are saying about the quantity of brass, it is starting to become a lot. I am starting to like the idea of selling some and I definitely like the idea of helping some new reloaders out. I would gladly be willing to send some brass to people to help them get started. About 70% of what I bring home is 9mm and the rest is a mixture of everything from 25acp to 45LC. I get small amounts of 308 and 30-30( wish I got more 308).

[mjkonopka]

Oh yah, and damn it is such a pain in the *** to separate 9mm from 380 and 38 super. 10mm and 40 isn't nearly as bad as those, but it still sucks.

[No Blue]

Just sorting that much is the worst part. I was going cross eyed after only one 5 gallon bucket of pistol brass; can't imagine doing 5 at a time.

Get a big magnet to pull out the steel case stuff, the aluminum cases are pretty obvious to snatch out, nickel plated next.

Those rotating basket deals seem to work, that's a cheap tool. Once you have it sorted, do a quick walnut in the cement mixer and then weigh out 1000 rounds and keep those to sell. Unfortunately 9mm doesn't get much these days.

[TexasGrunt]

If you have 10mm brass you don't use I'll gladly take some nasty uncleaned 10mm brass off your hands.

[lightman]

While brass in that quantity seems like a windfall to most of us I can see it quickly being a burden. I would defiantly sort and keep a quantity for my self and then start selling the rest of it. The 9mm, 40 S&W and 223 is so plentiful that I would consider talking to a scrap dealer. A nice sideline income could result in selling the other calibers. If you have time!

Back to your question, blasting media in walnut hulls or corncob can be bought cheaply in 40 or 50# bags from places like Granger. The last I bought was from a place called Drillspot and it shipped from Granger. This and a Harbor Freight cement mixer and a scale that weighs and counts could have you in the brass business.

I rather enjoy sorting the range brass that I find but it would quickly get old in the quantities that you are getting. I have a stack of loading trays that I use for sorting and counting brass. Maybe look around for a retired guy thats bored if you don't have any kids around.

[Rockzilla]

Interesting...first thought would be like a kid in a candy store, then reality would kick in
then the other half would be kickin my bottom. just sitting in the basement now is at least
100+ fat 50 ammo cans full of 68 LC demil 30-06 brass, stacks here and there of other cal.
even at that rate.. it starts to become a problem. Was gonna get a sea container for all my
stuff, but.. I would just fill that up. Anyway in your case anything you do is like the saying
"Super Size Me" and with that comes the out lay of $$$. So as some have said sell off the
extra... oh wait saw .45 LC...got any?

Get one of those things they got at Chucky Chesse a cage like thing with balls in it, the kids
jump in only in your case fill it up with brass and jump in...got to add a little humor..

-Rock

[JimB..]

Oh yah, and damn it is such a pain in the *** to separate 9mm from 380 and 38 super. 10mm and 40 isn't nearly as bad as those, but it still sucks.

You won't maximize the selling price, but you could just sell MFRBs as either dirty pistol or dirty rifle, just give an estimate of what makes it up like you said above. Maybe it's easy to be a little more specific, but you need to be thinking about how to sell a bucket of brass a day.

i wouldn't process it at all beyond rough sorting until you know what the market will pay.

if you do sort it, let me know what you want for 38super.

[Kenstone]

Oh yah, and damn it is such a pain in the *** to separate 9mm from 380 and 38 super. 10mm and 40 isn't nearly as bad as those, but it still sucks.
Here's a way to separate brass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpkUnUqMo8U
:coffeecom
It's how I'd do it if someone gave me a lot of brass...even if I paid the shipping ;)
:D

[mjkonopka]

I really do need to start selling some, I just got another 5 buckets tonight and I'll most likely get another 4-5 Friday night as well. When I go to the shop next I'll try to remember to take a picture of everything I have for you guys. I really don't want to sell a lot, probably just enough to pay for my shooting habit.

[mjkonopka]

I think for tumbling, I am going to order 50lbs of ss pins online and use the cement mixer to wet tumble it. If I keep getting this much brass on a weekly basis, the pins will pay for itself in no time, as opposed to walnut or corn cob media. Is that theory sound, or am I under estimating dry media?

[dragon813gt]

I'm in the minority but I won't buy brass that's been cleaned w/ SS pins. I want dry media to knock off the crud and that's it. It's also a lot more work to process the brass w/ SS pins. W/ the amount of brass you're talking about sell it as is.

[Kenstone]

I think for tumbling, I am going to order 50lbs of ss pins online and use the cement mixer to wet tumble it. If I keep getting this much brass on a weekly basis, the pins will pay for itself in no time, as opposed to walnut or corn cob media. Is that theory sound, or am I under estimating dry media?
Cement Mixer, no pins needed
search it...
:mrgreen:

[lightman]

I think the wet process is going to be pretty labor intensive at the volume you are talking about. I would give them a light tumble in dry media and call it good.

[Ickisrulz]

I think for tumbling, I am going to order 50lbs of ss pins online and use the cement mixer to wet tumble it. If I keep getting this much brass on a weekly basis, the pins will pay for itself in no time, as opposed to walnut or corn cob media. Is that theory sound, or am I under estimating dry media?

I take it you are a single guy? Too much time on your hands?

Just sell the stuff "as is" for a competitive price. Sorting it, boxing it and mailing it will keep you busy enough.

[mjkonopka]

Yes I am a single guy, no one to yell at me for the buckets and buckets of brass taking over the garage. Lol. I think I'll sell the brass as is and wet tumble all the brass I'm going to keep. Now comes the problem of sorting ������. I wish I could afford one of those ultimate sorters.

[TexasGrunt]

Where are you located? I'd come over and help sort as long as I could keep the 10mm and .357 Mag :)

[mjkonopka]

I'm in Chicago. I would definitely let you keep the 10mm and half the 357 mag.

[TexasGrunt]

Ahh... that's too far to drive and I have an aversion to Chiraq.

[mjkonopka]

I don't blame you one bit, I want to get out of this liberal state in the worst way.

[Lloyd Smale]

big jobs get walnut with a bit of mineral spirits and a bit of nu finish car polish in my big Dillon tumbler (vibrating) It holds a pile of brass. Probably 3 times as much as my lyman or Frankfort arsenal. Ive heard of guy even buying those fairly inexpensive cement mixers off of harbor freight and using them for really large tumbling jobs.

[Netherwolf]

... I would have to dry it all afterwards. But the ss pins never go bad. If I dry tumble, how long does the walnut or concob media last for?

If you've dedicated a cement mixer solely for the purpose of washing brass, drill a small hole (small enough to prevent the brass from falling through) somewhere in the bottom section & plug it with a cone-type rubber stopper (like the kind used in powder coating operations) from the inside. Once the brass is washed to your satisfaction pull the plug, turn the cement mixer back on & run it until the water stops coming out. Now throw in a bunch of old terry bath towels & run until the brass is dry. Remove the towels. Put the plug back in, add your media & polish & run until you get the shine you want. Separate media from polished brass with a traditional media separator (I'd suggest the large Dillion media separator for your application).

[rondog]

If you are selling it, sell it dirty.

This! That much brass, trying to clean & polish it all will make you insane. And the money you make from it wouldn't be worth it. If you just have to, I'd only run it with walnut lizard litter just to clean it up some.

I use a 1.5c.f. mixer from Harbor Freight, and wet polishing large quantities of brass is a lot of work, and a lot of time. Not to mention, you'd need a LOT of SS pins, and they ain't cheap. I bought 25lbs of them for around $180, several years ago. I'm sure they're higher now. For the size mixer you have and the amount of brass, you'd probably need 50lbs of them. Or more.

Then you'd need a large, flat concrete surface in good shape with no cracks, because those little pins get away and go EVERYWHERE! The little suckers bounce pretty good. You'll need a big bar magnet with a handle on it to pick 'em up, $10 at Home Depot. Well worth it.

Oh, and the decapping - you decap one 5 gallon bucket of brass in a row and you'll swear off guns, shooting, reloading, everything, and take up knitting.

[rondog]

Here's a way to separate brass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpkUnUqMo8U
:coffeecom
It's how I'd do it if someone gave me a lot of brass...even if I paid the shipping ;)
:D

That's pretty slick! Need to remember that!

[Kenstone]

That's pretty slick! Need to remember that!
Thanks for reading and responding to my post...sometimes I think I'm on everyone's ignore list :sad:
:D

[jmorris]

I built 3 of these for a local manufacturer, they use them wet with no pins, 15 gallons of brass per drum. Drums are slotted and tub is full of solution.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlZOYjmAnO0

[jmorris]

This his is my personal brass sorter I built. It sorts a 5 gallon bucket in 15 min.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFw7IcQUmgs&t=1s

[TexasGrunt]

Oh man! I want a forklift in my shop!

[sukivel]

Oh yah, and damn it is such a pain in the *** to separate 9mm from 380 and 38 super. 10mm and 40 isn't nearly as bad as those, but it still sucks.

I think you should start a side business of selling that excess brass on this site! [emoji51]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sukivel]

I think for tumbling, I am going to order 50lbs of ss pins online and use the cement mixer to wet tumble it. If I keep getting this much brass on a weekly basis, the pins will pay for itself in no time, as opposed to walnut or corn cob media. Is that theory sound, or am I under estimating dry media?

I would definitely wet tumble, but maybe try without the pins first and look at it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mjkonopka]

Y'all have some really good ideas. I have 50 lbs of .062 x .25 ss pins on the way right now, so there's no turning back now with wet tumbling. Holy **** jmorris, that tumbler and sorter are insane. Would you mind if I pmed you? I've got a few ideas for a sorter and was wondering if I could pick your brain.

[Ickisrulz]

Y'all have some really good ideas. I have 50 lbs of .062 x .25 ss pins on the way right now, so there's no turning back now with wet tumbling. Holy **** jmorris, that tumbler and sorter are insane. Would you mind if I pmed you? I've got a few ideas for a sorter and was wondering if I could pick your brain.

Are you planning on cleaning and selling or just cleaning for your own use?

I can't even imagine decapping all that brass before tumbling it! If I do 100-200 cases with a Harvey deprimer all at once I about go crazy. It's best to do it as I shoot.

You can probably divide up those pins and sell them here along with your uncleaned brass--when you get tired of cleaning it that is.

[Drew P]

Oh man! I want a forklift in my shop!
I want jmorris in my shop!

[mjkonopka]

Honestly, I think I'm just gonna clean and keep all the brass for now. At least until I have enough brass to where I feel comfortable I'll never need anymore. I would hate to sell a bunch and then 10 years from now not have anymore.

[No Blue]

Thanks for reading and responding to my post...sometimes I think I'm on everyone's ignore list :sad:
:D

I saw that a couple of years ago and it works! Best part is getting rid of the berdan primed, finding the nested brass, odd ball brass, and other junk when you have a full tray of say 9mm brass.

Even the .380 and Makarov stick out because they are shorter than the regular 9mm. I kept a lot of those plastic ammo trays, didn't know why, but glad I did....

[mjkonopka]

191742 Here is a picture of most of the brass I have. Not pictured is 2 full buckets of each 9mm, 223 and 45ACP. Those are at my house for reloading.

[308Jeff]

I used to think I had a lot of brass.

[bbogue1]

That is a huge lot of brass!!!!!!!

[Plate plinker]

I once thought I had a lot of brass. You sir have a brass horde. You are certainly getting close to a lifetime supply for most anybody.

[Plate plinker]

Read most of the thread. I would keep all I can get and sell as much as I could to supplement my lifestyle. Save save save. When that next big run on materials hits cash out.
Yes I am a capitalist pig.

[jmorris]

That is a huge lot of brass!!!!!!!

When my buddy called and said he needed me to build him the big tumblers, this was the photo of their first batch of brass and yes, that's a 1/2 ton truck along side.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/IMG_20140221_191342_zps4ec6891d.jpg

If you are just going to keep the brass for yourself or to someday scrap, just sort and clean what you need as you go. The stuff won't be any more difficult to sort with age and brass won't have the best shine if they were polished years ago.

[mac60]

I want jmorris in my shop!


He needs to write a book!

[rondog]

I find that the more brass I have, the more bullets, primers, powders, boxes, and storage space I need. Not to mention time. And prep work. Then it becomes an obsession to MAKE ammo, with no time to actually SHOOT any. And when I do go to my gun club, I spend more time gathering MORE stinking brass than shooting.

And selling brass? OMG, what a PITA that can be. People can be unbelievably skeptical, critical and demanding about it. And cheap too. Huge quantities like that, I'd probably sell it for scrap rather than deal with people.

[308Jeff]

I find that the more brass I have, the more bullets, primers, powders, boxes, and storage space I need. Not to mention time. And prep work. Then it becomes an obsession to MAKE ammo, with no time to actually SHOOT any. And when I do go to my gun club, I spend more time gathering MORE stinking brass than shooting.



I have the same problem.

Example: I have about 10,000 pieces of 40 S&W brass. I just bought my first mold so I can load it all. I don't currently own anything that's chambered in 40 S&W.

[308Jeff]

When my buddy called and said he needed me to build him the big tumblers, this was the photo of their first batch of brass and yes, that's a 1/2 ton truck along side.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/IMG_20140221_191342_zps4ec6891d.jpg

If you are just going to keep the brass for yourself or to someday scrap, just sort and clean what you need as you go. The stuff won't be any more difficult to sort with age and brass won't have the best shine if they were polished years ago.

Just look at all that future 300 BLK brass!

[mjkonopka]

I definitely just drooled all over my phone from that pic jmorris

[Plate plinker]

I definitely just drooled all over my phone from that pic jmorris
Help my screen is dirty and it ain't drool.

[mjkonopka]

The things I would do for just one of those bins of 556 brass.