Recovering ejecting brass from your autoloading pistol?

[Jayhem]

How do you guys keep from loosing your brass in the grass when target shooting at your "backyard" range?

I've tried laying a white sheet down to the right of my shooting position but brass tends to go all which ways and I still loose some to the grass! Any suggestions?

[c.r.]

i think your white sheet is a good idea. the only improvement i can suggest is go to a something larger, like a tarp. (i.e. the inexpensive ones you can get a wal-mart.) quite a bit more surface area than a sheet. just stand in the middle of it.

~c.r.

[waksupi]

I try to shoot on gravel as much as possible here at home. But some do eject outside of the area. I walk through and pick up as many as I can see easily. Then I make a sweep with a cheapo metal detector, to recover the rest.

[docone31]

I have my wife hold a large waste basket up to the side. The ejecting rounds go into it.
Her endurance is increasing as she gets more experience.

[StarMetal]

I try to shoot on gravel as much as possible here at home. But some do eject outside of the area. I walk through and pick up as many as I can see easily. Then I make a sweep with a cheapo metal detector, to recover the rest.

Ric,

My lower garage has a gravel driveway and I shoot my pistols much from the brick retaining wall at my 25 yard target. With that said it's mighty hard for me to find the smaller cases like 9mm, 30 Luger, 32acp, and 7.62x25 Tokarev in the one inch gravel.

My method on my bench or that wall is I shoot with my pistols inside a cardboard box tunnel. It's slightly more elaborate then that. Anyways it traps all the brass and has one addition plus. Don't know if you fellows know but if you shoot from within a dark enclosure there is nothing in the world to make your sights stand out. From looking at the sights into that bright daylight really outlines them. You may have noticed this too...pointing an empty handgun at your TV set when it's on. Something about a cathode ray tube that enhances the sight picture.

Joe

[timkelley]

docone31, do you have a death wish?

[docone31]

She doesn't know how lucky she is that she married me.
She gets better at it every day.
Reality, She has her own Race Gun. When we fire, she is like a bull dog over our brass. She will face down a Geezer for a piece of fired brass from her pistol!
She has done it before.

[44man]

My friend has one of those nets that you stick on your hand. It works real nice and only a few cases will miss it.
It is a real sore spot searching for brass in leaves and grass. The ones hard to find are the ones that go mouth up.

[Jayhem]

I have my wife hold a large waste basket up to the side. The ejecting rounds go into it.
Her endurance is increasing as she gets more experience.
I knew wives had some good uses! :drinks:


My friend has one of those nets that you stick on your hand. It works real nice and only a few cases will miss it.
It is a real sore spot searching for brass in leaves and grass. The ones hard to find are the ones that go mouth up.

Interesting on the net. Can't imagine how that would look.

Yes, I hate when the cases go mouth up and I can't for the life of me find them in only 2" deep cut grass! :roll:

[azrednek]

When my kids were young I'd pay a bounty on each piece they recovered. Now I use the large cheapie tarps from Harbor Freight.

[44man]

When my kids were young I'd pay a bounty on each piece they recovered. Now I use the large cheapie tarps from Harbor Freight.
Sounds like it was costing you some money! :drinks:

[kingstrider]

You're a lucky man, I couldn't pay my wife to do such a thing

[OutHuntn84]

I just keep the grass really short and free of leaves and I can usually find all of my brass. Before I leave I use a specially designed rake to find any others. My specially designed rake is a regular leaf rake with the tines cut off about six inches up and it does pretty good.

Also if you are shooting with a friend have them catch your brass and make a game of it as long asthey have gloves on and not stepping in front of the firing line. If they won't catch brass or your shooting to fast they can atleast spot your pile for you. if you are shooting in the same place and position and not flinching or jerking when you shoot you brass should fall in the same general area.

[Bucks Owin]

How do you guys keep from loosing your brass in the grass when target shooting at your "backyard" range?

Use a wheelgun! :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen: (Sorry, couldn't resist) Dennis

[crabo]

I use a large tarp, but the last time I was at the range I saw a guy using an extended reach tool he got from Home Depot to pick up brass. For guys like me with a bad back, it is pretty cool. Something like this

http://www.thespillkitstore.com/the%20spill%20kit%20store%20rev%201_004.htm

[Dale53]

I made up this "brass catcher" from a Bass Pro dip net (be sure and get the small mesh). I cut the handle off, turned a fitting to mate it to a cheap tripod out of delrin (the delrin is turned to fit inside the aluminum tubing handle). I can use use it at a bench or free standing. It catches most of the brass (better than 90%). There is little to lose using this method:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QBrassCatcherSelects-1799.jpg

It is important to use a couple of "spreaders" to keep the net open. I used a couple of strips of Kydex molded around the rim of the net.


fwiw
Dale53

[scb]

Mine is a lot like Dale53s'. Not as refined tho. Nicely done Dale.

[S.R.Custom]

I stand in relation to the truck such that the empties land in the back.

[ktw]

I traded off my auto because I was tired of chasing brass. I have only been using revolvers since.

-ktw

[oso]

Rake, spotter, location (sand/gravel) and we load for ejection accuracy!

[machinisttx]

I use a tarp.

[Bullshop Junior]

This is just the reason I got rid of my auto loaders. :mrgreen:

[Shepherd2]

I keep a junker mower out at my backyard range. I generally keep the grass short in the area where my pistol brass falls. When the whole range needs a good trimming I put in 50-100 sheep and leave them there about a day longer than I should. I find a lot of brass I missed after they leave.

[softpoint]

I just keep the grass really short and free of leaves and I can usually find all of my brass. Before I leave I use a specially designed rake to find any others. My specially designed rake is a regular leaf rake with the tines cut off about six inches up and it does pretty good.

Also if you are shooting with a friend have them catch your brass and make a game of it as long asthey have gloves on and not stepping in front of the firing line. If they won't catch brass or your shooting to fast they can atleast spot your pile for you. if you are shooting in the same place and position and not flinching or jerking when you shoot you brass should fall in the same general area.

Over complaints from wife, I sprayed Roundup all around my shooting bench(it's in the yard) that stuff kills everything down to bare ground. I've also used a pecan harvester to pick up .45ACP brass, keeps from having to stoop so much, or crawl around to pick up cases.

[9.3X62AL]

Something about a cathode ray tube that enhances the sight picture.

Joe

Yes--often, the program that's being televised.

[Marlin Hunter]

i think your white sheet is a good idea. the only improvement i can suggest is go to a something larger, like a tarp. (i.e. the inexpensive ones you can get a wal-mart.) quite a bit more surface area than a sheet. just stand in the middle of it.

~c.r.

+1

I have used the large plastic blue tarps. The only problem is if you shoot in a large group and some dummy doesn't want to play along and walks over the tarp and kicks brass everywhere.

P.S. I shot a semi that could put the shells in a small bucket. The brass was more accurate than the bullets.

[NickSS]

I only shoot 9mm in my back yard and I pick up only what I see but then I find so much 9mm once fired brass at my club that I really do not look very hard. We get lots of people who come there shoot brand new ammo and dump their brass in a bucket the club has for that purpose. Then I come along and empty the buckets. I keep what brass I want, bag up good stuff and pass it out at club meetings and the scrap I take to the metal salvage place and get cash for it. It pays for my gas and effort to sort all the stuff.

[fourdollarbill]

When I shot auto's I had a 5 gallon bucket with two 8' 1x1 sticks wrapped to the sides in a V pattern with duct tape. Hanging off the 1x1's was a cheap fishing seine from the local tackle shop funneled into the bucket. When the wind picks up I just throw a brick in the bucket. It is very nice to scoop out of a bucket -vs- your lawn.

[Dframe]

The EVIL god "Zing Cu" demands a sacrifice everytime you shoot an autoloader.

[MT Gianni]

My friend has one of those nets that you stick on your hand. It works real nice and only a few cases will miss it.
It is a real sore spot searching for brass in leaves and grass. The ones hard to find are the ones that go mouth up.

I bought one on e-bay 6-7 years ago. It gets 75-80% of them. My only autos are 9mm & 45 so they are easily replaceable. I would cringe if I had a 380.

[Lloyd Smale]

i bring my grandkids along! tried training the dog to do it but hed have no part of it. I guess they just didnt taste that good.

[9.3X62AL]

The EVIL god "Zing Cu" demands a sacrifice everytime you shoot an autoloader.

No doubt about it. Ground squirrels steal them, too.

[454PB]

I use my shirt pockets.

I used to own two Desert Eagle .44 magnums, one parkerized and one chromed. I have since sold the parkerized one and still have the chromed one. I asked the buyer which one he wanted (both shoot fine, but the parkerized one ejected VIGOROUSLY). He picked the parkerized (less $$$$), and I warned him that it sent brass 30 feet.

The chromed one only poops the empties about 3 feet, and many times they end up in my shirt pocket. I'm left handed, and about 50% of the ejected brass hits me in the forehead, then falls at my feet or in my pocket. At first, this phenomenon induced a bit of a flinch, but I'm getting used to it.