Thread: Brass Storage

How do you store your brass?
Do you clean/polish all of as you bring it home from the range? Or do you store it dirty and clean as you reload it? Do you keep it in zip lock bags or plastic tubs with lids or ammo cans?

It seems the reloading stuff is like a bad addiction it just keep growing and growing, so i am looking for better ways to store my brass because it has over run the shelf i have for it now.


Thanks

Trainwreck

Depends on a lot of things.

Anything that goes through my suppressed guns or black powder get cleaned right away. Due to how dirty these are I soak them in hot water and Dawn in 3gal buckets I got from WM for about $2 each. I then shake them up every few min to break things loose. After that I drain them and let them dry for a couple hours before tumbling.

Everything else that is just normal dirty sits till I am ready to use it.

For storage I use several different containers depending on the amount of brass I have in that caliber. Some is in ammo cans, some in the plastic MTM style boxes, some in cardboard boxes. A lot of my brass is stored in the 3 drawer plastic containers. It is easy to see, easy to label and easy to use.

Here is an older semi crappy pic of what I am talking about but you get the idea,

Clean it it the vibe bowl then into Ziploc bags.

I use the tall Folgers cans after it's cleaned. Use 5 gallon buckets before it's cleaned. Gets sorted into appropriate sized lots of the same caliber and then cleaned

I do it like NWcid, sort of.
I clean it with hot soapy water and white vinegar (1qt water/1tsp dawn/1cup W vinegar) shake out and dry in a warm oven <200*. Then I resize/deprime, prep, re-prime and bag em up in ziplocs w/desiccant pack.

I tumble when I get it home. Resize and deprime them, store them in metal coffee cans.

Is there any value in keeping them soaking in soapy water or similar solution until you’re ready to use the brass? I’m not reloading yet, but it seemed to me at the time that I thought of the idea as a decent way to take advantage of time to help out the cleaning process. Plastic buckets are cheap enough, and a solution in the bucket is cheap.

Originally Posted by CarlMc

Is there any value in keeping them soaking in soapy water or similar solution until you’re ready to use the brass? I’m not reloading yet, but it seemed to me at the time that I thought of the idea as a decent way to take advantage of time to help out the cleaning process. Plastic buckets are cheap enough, and a solution in the bucket is cheap.

Wouldn't be my choice. Brass is not only subject to corrosion but also a great target for electrolysis. Water cna all those contaminants can be a good electrolyte.

I prefer to clean all my brass within a few days of bringing it home, either brass from my firearms or the brass I've picked up that was left behind by others. I used to "tumble" it all in a mix of corncob, walnut shell, and Nu-finish car polish and then put the cases in a clean Zip-Loc bag until needed.

Now I use the Stainless Steel pin media and when the brass is dry and processed (Trimmed, annealed, etc.) I just put it in the same type bag until I need it. I used to think that the wax bubblegumed any tarnish but they don't look any better after a few months than those from the Stainless process although the latter looks more like new factory brass with clean interiors and primer pockets.

Store it clean and store it dry. I'd prep as much as possible before storing as then it's ready to go when the "itch" to load more hits. For the stuff that you haven't prepped yet, store it dry to prevent any damage to it.

It really seems that choice is everything.

The hardest part about storage of brass, is the seperation stage, right after the pick-it-up stage at the range.

Cleaning, inspecting, and processing for reloading are all part of the fun.

Cleaned, processed, ready to load brass, serves only one function.. WAITING.. to be loaded.. the NEXT FUN stage..

HUMM where to start, pause, restart, or begin..

I never keep dirty brass, once I get done shooting it goes into the tumbler and stored in a zip-lock bag. Seperated by cal. ofcourse.

I normally clean it within a day or two of bringing it home and then store it in large plastic nut contatiners (I have an addiction to the almonds from costco) that have been thoroughly cleaned. For the brass that is reloaded on a single stage I have a couple of containers with Brass waiting to be preped and brass that is preped and ready to load.

I pick it off the floor at the range and toss into a ziplock. Take them home and sort by caliber. If there is enough for a tumbler load I toss them in for a few hours. Dirty and clean brass get stored in separate red Folgers cans.

Dollar Store. Rubbermaid quart sized containers, and others that are larger. Costco nut jars seem like they'll last for ever. I use the Rubbermaid containers for the primed shells just before powder and bullets. I like them to seal so there's no chance for moisture to get in a degrade the primers if I don't get to the final step right away.

Mike

I like to store all my brass clean!
Coffee cans! lots, & lots of coffee cans! I also use just about any other container with a lid. I see, NO reason, to purchase containers, just to store brass in! If you talk to your friends, family & coworkers, most of them will be more than happy to supply you with containers, they have laying around. Containers, such as, coffee cans, hot cocoa cans, tennis ball cans, nut jars, large salad dressing containers,................! Before you know it, you are inundated with "containers", then you get to build shelves to hold all of it! Not only am I to cheap to buy containers, I'm also, to cheap to buy a label maker. I use masking tape & a marker.

REALLY, this started as a hobby, now, it's a way of life!

Love it, bet that loadin' area is a sight to see. LOL

Mike

I use empty 4 and 8 pound powder jugs. They have large screw on lid and are indestructible. I write on the lid with white paint marker what is in them.

I bought some brass in folgers plastic coffee cans, had them since and reuse them for all sorts of things besides brass. also use 1 gallon freezer bags from costso, easier to store them in those file boxes left over from my last move.