Value of brass?

soberups · Nov 2, 2013

Over the last few years I have acquired this stockpile of brass which I store in a standard .30 cal ammo can. I would estimate that the can is about 1/3 full, maybe a bit more, and has something like 400 pieces of brass. I would estimate that half of the brass is 9mm, with the remaining half being .38 special, .357 magnum, and 30.06. All of the brass is once-fired from factory ammunition. I do not reload or have any need for this brass, and I was hoping to possibly trade it for some ammunition to a forum member. I dont want to post an ad yet, because I have no real idea of the actual value of what I have here and I dont want to make a fool of myself by posting an ad for some ridiculous or unreasonable amount. I know its not much; I dont need money and I'm not short of ammo myself, I just have no need for this brass and it would make sense to give someone who does need it a good deal. Plus I'd like to free up the can for storing my bulk 7.62x39. Any input would be appreciated.

cpy911 · Nov 2, 2013

I reload for .38/.357 and have a buddy reloading 9mm brass. I would be interested in those. You probably need to sort out exactly how many pieces of each you have, figure out what the going rate per piece is and come up with a price and list it. I think the rifle brass is worth more than pistol brass. I bought some .223 brass from a guy for $20 shipped for about 200-225 cases. That is .10 cents a case or so, not sure if I got a good deal, but needed some brass and not wanting to buy bulk 1000 cases. Not sure on the going rates on your stuff though. You could also list it on the pay it forward thread and just give it away, re-loaders will want it. It is good you saved it and not tossed it, it is worth something to someone! I am sure it will go fast. Good luck.

PS. I was shooting a while back next to a guy with a .357 magnum. His Wife/GF was shooting a Ruger LCP and it was really biting her fingers and hand with the snappy kick. I lent her my gloves to use. After they were done, the guy said, hey, you reload these? I was like yes, and he handed over 100+ cases of .357 and .38. Cool!

xlsbob · Nov 2, 2013

I'd give you a couple 20 round boxes of Wolf blasting ammo for it. It's pretty much worth whatever you can get for it otherwise. Like everything else, it's more valuable to the person that really needs it

evltwn · Nov 3, 2013

First, count what you have. I have found that if I pay $3.00 per pound, regardless if rifle or pistol brass, I am paying a fair price...not too much, nor too much less than what I feel is fair. Just my 2 cents.

ZA_Survivalist · Nov 3, 2013

soberups said:
Over the last few years I have acquired this stockpile of brass which I store in a standard .30 cal ammo can. I would estimate that the can is about 1/3 full, maybe a bit more, and has something like 400 pieces of brass. I would estimate that half of the brass is 9mm, with the remaining half being .38 special, .357 magnum, and 30.06. All of the brass is once-fired from factory ammunition. I do not reload or have any need for this brass, and I was hoping to possibly trade it for some ammunition to a forum member. I dont want to post an ad yet, because I have no real idea of the actual value of what I have here and I dont want to make a fool of myself by posting an ad for some ridiculous or unreasonable amount. I know its not much; I dont need money and I'm not short of ammo myself, I just have no need for this brass and it would make sense to give someone who does need it a good deal. Plus I'd like to free up the can for storing my bulk 7.62x39. Any input would be appreciated.

A fellow 7.62x39 guy?! Internet high-five.

Dunerunner · Nov 3, 2013

I bought 1800 pieces of .45ACP for $180.00, $.10 per piece. They were once fired, with various head stamps, some range pick ups, others were owner fired stuff. I'd offer them up as "Best Ammo Offer" indicating what you would want...like 7.62X39?

Blitzkrieg · Nov 3, 2013

A few years ago I was given 6k 45 ACP 1 X free, along with reloading presses, (Dillon RL1050 and a MEC 550) powder, shotshell wads and 125 lbs of shot

So it's all relative

springfield0612 · Nov 15, 2013

Going rates (high market value) I've sesen recently taking into account a gurantee of the brass being once fired brings:

.45ACP: $.08-$.10/ea
.38/.357: $.08-$.10/ea
9mm: $.03-$.05/ea
.30/06: $.10-$.20/ea
A lot of us reloaders view brass as currency. So trading brass sometimes will get you farther and your transaction done faster than setting the price mid to high and you sit on it for awhile. So if you price it to sell quick it will. .45 acp, .38/.357, usually are always in high demand especially the .357 mag brass. But 9mm is usually a slow seller as it is very common and easy to get. .30/06 usually goes faster right before hunting season.
Another method is to look at going scrap prices. They usually hover around $1.80-$2.00/pound. Here in Kitsap county we're disconected from the world and the cost of the scrap companies to ship it to and from the I-5 we get cut down to $1.00-$1.50/pound. So if you take into account that you are not selling scrap but useable brass. $2.00-$3.00 per pound would be fair if you don't want to count it out. Theres an online vendor selling 1K of 9mm range brass for $26 shipped so that is pretty much $3.00/pound with free shipping. So at $3/pound your still getting better than taking it to the scrap yard.

Or do the weight to count conversion:

9mm, 59.46gr/ea, 117.7cases/#, 8.5#/1000

38spl, 68.06gr/ea, 102.8cases/#, 9.7#/1000

40s&w, 70.1gr/ea, 99.9cases/#, 10#/1000

.357mag, 78.3gr/ea, 89.4cases/#, 11.2#/1000

.45acp, 89.58gr/ea, 78.1cases/#, 12.8#/1000

.223, 95.28gr/ea , 73.5cases/#, 13.6#/1000

.44mag, 114.38gr/ea, 61.2cases/#, 16.3#/1000

50bmg, 865.26gr/ea, 8.1cases/#, 123.5#/1000

All weights are uncleaned fired cases with the primer remaining.

Individual case weights were derived using an average of mixed brass weights (except 50bmg)

So, if you picked up 8#s of 45 brass: 8# X 78.1cases/# = 625 cases+/-

If you use 1gal ziploc freezer bags to store your brass, each (full) bag contains:

9mm, 15.6#, 1836cases
40s&w, 12.2#, 1219cases
45acp, 11.4#, 890cases
223, 11#, 809cases

If you use 5gal buckets each full one will have

9MM = 8500-9000 pieces
.40 S&W = 7000-7500 pieces
.45 ACP = 3800-4000 pieces

a few more

CASES per POUND:

.380: 145
.357 Sig: 96
.45 GAP: 86
.32: 168
10mm: 96
FN 5.7: 124
.25 acp: 260
.30 Luger: 120
.38 S&W: 120
.38 Super: 104
9mm MAK: 124
.45 Colt: 60
.30-M1: 100
.308: 40
.30-06: 35
7.62x39: 54
.50 AE: 48
.30-30: 52