Use a lot of ammo but don't reload. Worth saving brass?

[kylej24]

Hi There,

I tend to go through 50-200 rounds of 9mm and 20-200 rounds of .223/5.56 when I train and I always wonder about all the brass I don't pick up. As someone who doesn't reload, is it worth it to spend my time picking up the brass for someone to buy? I would be totally willing to get brass in bags and sell them if they cover my time and gas money. Thank you

PS: What brass is good and what brass is junk?

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[mortar maggot]

One thing you can do is start reloading.

The other thing, is pick it up and give it away or sell for cheap.

 

[JuglansRegia]

Brass from the big three will probably be the easiest to sell, Winchester, Remington and Federal
.223/5.56 brass seems to be going (when it was last available) for 7-9 cents a piece, the higher end if its clean and the same headstamp
9mm was 5-6 cents a piece, same thing as the 5.56,
also, some people pay less for crimped primers, its an extra step but I prefer the LC headstamp 5.56 brass so if they are crimped then I just deal with it

last time I sold brass for scrap (5-6) years ago I got $1.65 a pound for it

.40S&W brass brings the least just because it is/was so common a department issue cartridge. If you are bending over to pick up brass, don't overlook the oddball stuff, anything made out of brass has value, even the Berdan primed stuff which you can still get $1.50-$2 per pound sold as scrap.

 

[DizzyJ]

You should probably be picking it up anyway, but yes, I'd say it's worth it for the reloading or resale value alone.

Plus you're not being a litterbug.

 

[GWS]

Berdan primed brass is "junk" Look inside the case and if you see 2 small holes, that's Berdan primed brass.
Berdan primed brass is not easily reloadable but still has value as scrap. I took a 5 gallon bucket of bad brass (Berdan, cracked cases and 22LR brass) to a salvage yard and got $85 for it.
And as stated earlier, you should always clean up after you shoot anyway.

 

[madladchad]

...feel free to post where you train. I'm sure, uhh, someone will be happy to pick up all that annoying brass stuff.

 

[kylej24]

Good information guys. I will start saving my brass. Heads up! In the next few weeks I may have some bags of brass to sell for cheap! lol

 

[ron]

Pick up the brass to keep your shooting spot open. I always tell people that don't reload that want to give me
there brass is keep it you will reload someday.

 

[Camelfilter]

Regardless if you save it, sell it or throw it out, pick up your brass.

Unless your range has maid service.

That said, since very few ranges have maid service, its hardly any further bother to bag it up vs tossing it. List it as mixed head stamp unprocessed brass around whatever price other folks do. It may sell, it may not.

Alternatively, donate it to someone, if it doesn't seem worthwhile time wise to sell it.

The only brass to simply chuck are .22 variants, steel cased, shotgun* & berdan primed stuff. IMO.

*Shotgun may be worthwhile to keep and pass along, but only if you know reloaders for it & do quantity worthwhile for them.

 

[CLT65]

The range I shoot at has maid service. Someone WILL gladly come along and pick up any brass you leave behind. It always makes me feel a little bad when I toss something in the dumpster at the range and see a bunch of nice brass on the bottom out of reach. One day there was a cardboard box full of several hundred pieces of .45 brass right on top. Another time there was a whole bunch of 5.56 and 308 win brass on the bottom, that I may or may not have figured out a way to reach.

On the other hand, a year or two ago I had relatives visiting from Switzerland, and we went to the range. One of the things that they marveled at, as opposed to Switzerland, was the brass (and occasional live round) all over the ground. They said that the ranges they shoot at over there were very neat and tidy, and you would never find a piece of brass in the gravel, let alone a live round.

 

[CountryGent]

Our home range is in the forest. With few exception, I just leave it there. No maid required.

 

[awshoot]

You should probably be picking it up anyway, but yes, I'd say it's worth it for the reloading or resale value alone.

Plus you're not being a litterbug.

I disagree. People who reload should get first dibs. I'm tired of going to the gravel pit and only finding my own brass recently.

 

[CLT65]

Lots of us brass scroungers out there. It's like seeing small coins scattered about on the ground; someone will pick them up.

Out in public forest land though, one has to be a little careful. Someone will still come along and pick it up, but technically it is littering. A buddy of mine told me a story once about how he and a friend were out in the hills shooting shotguns. He said a ranger pulled up and talked to them. They were done and just leaving when he asked if they were going to pick up their hulls. When they hesitated because they hadn't even thought of it, he insisted and watched them as they did so. When they were done picking up what they had fired, he said "You're not done yet".

There were hundreds of old weathered, rusty hulls lying on the landing where people had been shooting for years. He watched as they cleaned up the entire landing!

 

[jimmeh]

Go to gunbroker and see what brass is going for. You'll hate yourself for having left your brass on the ground and not bringing it home. I've not loaded for 9mm and 5.56 because it was always so damned cheap to buy bulk manufacturered. I have however always kept my brass all these yrs and have a bubblegum-ton kept. I'll be very busy this fall/winter.

I've always loaded for .45acp, .308, and 6.5CM. You can save some major money loading for these calibers yourself. Esp if you buy your components in bulk. And I mean big savings, too!

 

[kylej24]

Dang guys... now I am curious about reloading. In the long term or future, I would love to load match grade 5.56 (especially because I am having a heck of a time finding it for sale)

 

[jimmeh]

Here is a typical ad on gunbroker for 556 brass:

GunBroker.com - Error

www.gunbroker.com

You see? You've been throwing money away.

 

[Camelfilter]

Go to gunbroker and see shat brass is going for. You'll hate yourseld for having left your brass on the ground and not bringing it home. I've not loaded for 9mm and 5.56 because it was always so damned cheap to buy bulk manufacturered. I have however always kept my brass all these yrs and have a bubblegum-ton kept. I'll be very busy this fall/winter.

I've always loaded for .45acp, .308, and 6.5CM. You can save some major money loading for these calibers yourself. Esp if you buy your components in bulk. And I mean big savings, too!

Yup. Storing unprocessed brass doesn't need anything special. So easy enough to do, about wherever anyone lives.

These days reloading anything is a savings, if all ready setup for such.

Folks whom don't reload should be mindful of such, whenever this blight passes. Stocking up on components is super easy to do in good times. Think forwards on being ready for the next blight, and they'll be shooting just as much as they like ...

 

[oremike]

I pay $2.00/lb for mixed brass. Basically a 5 gallon bucket full is about 50 lbs so worth about $100.00 or trade for ammo.

 

[edzz]

Bought a bucket of mixed brass at a moving sale last spring, SCORE. While sorting it a few months later I found a set of side plate screws from a S&W revolver. FTF?

 

[Lasers]

I saved my brass for 5 years before reloading. It wasn't a crazy hassle. Had about 4 buckets full when I finally got into reloading. I've still not spent a dime on brass and have a long ways to go.