Brass sorting

[buletdoc]

I have been sitting on 2000 lbs of brass now for about 2 years. I was wondering if anyone would any idea of an easy way to separate it? I have seen the different types you sit on a 5 gallon bucket and was wondering if they work. Need help!

[hoodat]

2000 lbs.!! That should keep you busy for most of the weekend.

I'd check all the angles of what you want for it, and how or who you're selling it to before investing the time to sort it. You may not need to sort it. jd

[buletdoc]

I have some that has got white tarnish on them and they will probably be trashed. I have seen 458 win mag all the way down to 380's. Even some 50 big. There are a lot I want to use but the rest will probably be listed on here once I know they are ok.

[45workhorse]

Yellow is for 45 acp, 45 colt hangs down but stays in the container
Blue is .40, 38 hangs down
Black is for 9mm and will hold .223.
They "work" but you have to 'work' them!
I just did 2, five gallon buckets of straight 45, 40, 9mm and .223.
I was in no hurry and it took me about three days. You will touch just about every piece of brass.

9mm hangs up in 40 cal.
40 hangs up in 45.
And you can have all three stuck together. Oh and 223 hangs up in 45 acp also.

[ddeck22]

And 380's are difficult to find and separate from 9 mm unless you have the optional metal plate. With 2000 pounds, you're going to need something for the 9mm versus 380 if you want to separate them.

Also, the trays get overloaded quickly. You can only dump in about 5 lbs at a time before there is not enough room for the items to fall down.

Good luck!

[JimB..]

Sounds wasteful, but there are folks better equipped to handle this, just sell to them and buy what you need/want.

In NC there are a few brass guys, carybrassguy comes to mind, but I think he buys from ranges.

[45workhorse]

Some dealers by brass by the pound, see what you can find on the google machine. Georgia arms USED to buy brass and issue store credit, don't know if they still do. One of the vendors on here might be interested!

[45workhorse]

And 380's are difficult to find and separate from 9 mm unless you have the optional metal plate. With 2000 pounds, you're going to need something for the 9mm versus 380 if you want to separate them.

Also, the trays get overloaded quickly. You can only dump in about 5 lbs at a time before there is not enough room for the items to fall down.

Good luck!

Yes Sir very true

[GregLaROCHE]

That sounds like a lot of brass! If you are just planning to use some yourself, maybe consider only going through it, until you find as much as you need. Leave the rest for another day.

[JimB..]

At one point I had a bunch of brass, and I sorted it with those plastic sorters and the metal plate for 380, they work pretty well but it’s slow, loud and dirty. At the end I had 20 5 gal buckets of 45acp brass. I gave most of it away rather than sorting it for large vs small primer. In some cases I’d give someone 2 buckets if they’d agree to sort one for me, but I stopped because people suck.

[Sasquatch-1]

First off have you checked for steel cases? If you think there is the possibility of steel case being in with the brass a good magnet will pull them out. Get at least a 200 pound pull.

Second, do you have any kids?

For things like the 380/9mm para and maybe some 9MM Largo, 38spl/357 mag and 40/10mm, get some bullet trays. the difference in size will jump out at you.

Otherwise that much brass at two to three dollars a pound could give the bank account a good boost.

[Half Dog]

I’ve sorted brass in the past too. On a nice day I sat on the back porch and just hand sorted. Reminded me of shelling black eyed peas and I was content. Perspective will help a lot.

[Dusty Bannister]

Depending upon how clean the brass is, you might make a rounded trough about 4-5 feet long and about 8-12 inches wide. Pour in the brass about a layer deep and then sort the rifle from the pistol. Then later, depending on the mood, hand sort the rifle by caliber. The rifle caliber will probably sell at a higher price than the pistol brass. I really like the Folgers type red plastic containers, well marked for case sorting.

The advantage of sorting the rifle cases first is that they are going to be larger than the pistol cases and once the rifle cases are removed, just pour the pistol cases from the trough into a bucket and keep moving. Much easier to remove the big pieces than the little pieces. At about 55 pounds per white bucket, you have about 36 buckets to sort through. Take your time, get a comfortable position with decent light and break whenever you feel like it. Sorting by calibers is no fun, but just give an hour or two a day so it does not become a dreaded chore.

[kevin c]

With that much brass, I’d first try to get a sense of how much you will keep yourself. If only a small fraction, then it may not be worth the time and effort. You could sell as scrap to a metals recycler, or, as pointed out, to a brass vendor for maybe a bit more. Then you’d have some cash or credit to use as you see fit, including buying the brass you actually want.

Sorting (to keep or sell yourself) takes time and patience. Even the powered shaker my club bought, which makes things go much faster, works best by feeding in double handfuls at a time, needs the sorting plates switched out occasionally (it sorts by diameter, like the round bucket top sorters [which really can’t be used when sitting in a bucket, by the way] so it also groups cases of similar diameter together that need a second pass with a plate designed for those specific cases). It also is subject to the nesting problem.

Tarnish usually isn’t an issue for personal use, and many folks have no problem buying uncleaned caliber sorted brass. Some folks want the brass clean, deprimed, roll sized and even sorted by head stamp, paying a premium for it, especially once fired. But that a whole new investment in time, effort and equipment.

[HWooldridge]

The recyclers will not want brass that hasn't been deprimed - and if they do, they'll discount the normal market price.

[Winger Ed.]

Bring a sandwich and something to drink. You're gonna be there awhile.

I'd pull out what I thought I'd ever use, and do something profitable with what's left.
Check around and see what clean, separated brass sells for.
It might be worth sorting and selling it as sort of a part time job to make a few bucks.

[JimB..]

The recyclers will not want brass that hasn't been deprimed - and if they do, they'll discount the normal market price.

Mine don’t, they pay the same per pound for a bucket of spent primers that they do for brass cases. I’m sure it’s a regional thing.

[Kestrel4k]

I'm a brass junkie; would it sort it out during movies etc; an enjoyable pastime to put together matching lots & pack Sm FRB's for side money.

Ask me how I know that qty.336 357Mag fits in a Sm FRB, as well as qty.368 223's; lol.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsbsatvlq5...y.336.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bvahw0e275jbjux/556b.jpg?dl=0

[HWooldridge]

Mine don’t, they pay the same per pound for a bucket of spent primers that they do for brass cases. I’m sure it’s a regional thing.

Yes, our recycler pays a higher price for “clean” brass - same as copper. Insulated or burnt wire brings less than stripped.