Getting the most out of range brass

[Wolfdog91]

So I pick up a crap load of range brass from the local range . Most I sort and trade or sell if I don't shoot but I keep most everything I have rifles chambered in or I know are kinda valuable . I know I'm not going to get the type of accuracy you'll get out of Lapua or something similar but honestly if I can keep my groups @1" or under @100yd I'm generally pretty happy ( I'm easy to please what can I say lol).
Right now I'm
*sorting and segregating by condition then caliber then brand then head stamp if it's something like lake city
* Wet tumbling with stainless pins
* Annealing
Of course after I look o over it and make sure it's not about to have a case separation or looks like it was reloaded or something.
Anything else a poor like me could do to get the most out of his range brass lol ?

 

[M-61]

I just can’t do it.

 

[js2013]

I won’t pick up range brass unless I know it was new, which means I have to be there when it’s been fired for the first time. Preferably out of a bolt gun as it usually abuses the brass less then a semi auto. Then I’ll measure headspace and other stuff to verify it wasn’t too stretched out. Then of coarse check primer pockets.

 

[Wolfdog91]

I just can’t do it.

I just can't leave money on the ground what can I say lol. Even if I don't reload it it's still valuable in some way for me. heck the only reason haven't started mining the berms for the lead for casting is because I can't seem to get around to making a sifter

 

[mgunderson]

A weight or case volume sort might get you a little more. My goal would be to have the brass as uniform as practical. Different weights or internal volumes may point to different lots. These difference would be hard to detect at 100 yards with a 1 moa system.

 

[M-61]

As long as you enjoy it!

 

[jepp2]

Anything else a poor like me could do to get the most out of his range brass lol ?

I still pick up all the range brass I find, but I am now more selective. I will not shoot mixed brass in my larger calibers (.243 and up). If it isn't new first firing brass, I pay attention to how it deprimes. I cull anything with a loose primer pocket. I hand deprime, so it is easy to tell.

Most of the brass goes in the recycle bucket. If there are just a few rounds, they might have gotten missed by the shooter, or they might be determined to be at the end of their life. Just use common sense.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

If it is sizing properly, primer pockets are retaining primers and you are happy with performance(may only have to go bang safely in a bad situation) enjoy the journey.

 

[K22]

I stopped this practice several years ago mainly because I have a very bad back and bending over trying to scavenge brass is painful for me and I prefer to use virgin brass for precision reloading. However, there was a time when I was a brass scavenger supreme.

I load more 223 Rem's (bolt rifles) by far these days than any other rifle caliber. Most of the 223 brass I see on the range today has been fired from semiautos and deformed with "off brand" head stamps.

While I've loaded range brass many years ago and it shot well enough with careful case inspection and preparation, I don't use it anymore. I prefer to start with virgin brass, so I know the complete firing, sizing and use history since I'm loading for precision. I just don't want another variable to deal with.

Can it be used successfully? I believe it can for general shooting and hunting purposes if you're selective in what you pick up and judicious about inspecting and prepping it. With today's component shortages, it might make some sense to do this, but I prefer not to. Since I get about 15 to 17 reloads on my rifle cases and I don't shoot large volumes of rounds like I see at the range with semi's, my cases last a long time. Range brass of unknown used is just one headache I want to avoid.

 

[ebb]

I am possibly the biggest brass whore on the planet. The guy that got me shooting long range always picked up 223 brass and we trimmed and sized all of it and loaded it all the same charge weight. We shot it all and it was fairly accurate. One day we were having an informal King of Loxahatchee match and I see him digging through the bag and separating some from the others. So, I ask "what the heck are you doing?" "Well i am separating out a dozen that have the same headstamp". "What are you doing that for?" "Since we have been shooting together you are getting better, i wanted some in the same cases for our match." Bulk is bulk put there are tricks to save the day if need be.

 

[divingin]

Recycle the stuff that doesn't get used (including rimfire.) Save the primers from the brass you process and add that to the recycling bucket. At a buck a pound (or whatever it is now) it adds up pretty quickly. It'll finance your trips to the range to get more.

 

[Rsadams]

Pistol brass is normally fine , after awhile you learn what color primer it should have... I consider LC .5.56 brass fine also as long as it still has it's crimp.... But other rifle unless I know it's new I don't pick up... You know nothing about how many times it's been reloaded or damaged some how.... It's kinda a dangerous game.... It can still be recycled though....

 

[markm87]

We used to snatch up gobs of once fired 5.56 brass. Usually easy to spot with the factory annealing iris. Other than that, anything picked up hits the scrap bucket.

 

[jpx2rk]

Range p/u should keep you at one inch groups if you process it in a way or ways to maintain consistency within reason. Sort by brand, and further if you can, such as lake city 18 all together, all lake city 15 together, etc. Other brands don't do the year for the most part, but some headstamps are slightly different for whatever reason, keep those together. Then process together, or be willing to sort them back out again.

I'm the resident brass rat at my range, so I'm always looking on the ground or the scrap buckets for 223 brass for the most part. I've learned how to tell new/just fired/1x by the leading edge of the neck opening as it usually has a crosshatch pattern from the factory. The brass has not been trimmed by anyone else anyways. I also look for any sealant still around the primers, a good indicator of 1x. When I deprime the cases, if the primer resists coming out, the crimp is usually still there, another indicator of 1x. I have a primer pocket go/no go gage by ballistic tools which helps determine the status of the primer pockets on questionable brass.

I load for varmint shooting (pdogs and sage rats), so accuracy is important, but I'm also not overly concerned or upset if I miss a critter at 250-400 yds by a little bit. I know the wind does a lot to the 22 caliber bullets, so I run the bolt and try again. It's what I do.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I ran a test several years ago. 50 rounds of Lapua once fired against 50 rounds of LC once fired range brass. I meticulously load them with exact powder charge and Berger bullets. Shooting 5 shot groups, there was no discernable difference.

 

[markm87]

I ran a test several years ago. 50 rounds of Lapua once fired against 50 rounds of LC once fired range brass. I meticulously load them with exact powder charge and Berger bullets. Shooting 5 shot groups, there was no discernable difference.

I've actually found, generally speaking, that my bulk loaded OTM 77 gr .223 ammo with mixed brass shoots NO WORSE than when I hand pick the same flavor of brass out of the ammo can.

Often, if I cherry pick the same headstamps, I shoot a larger group than the FC, LC, PMC, etc mixed handful.

 

[SecondsCount]

For match and long range, I get the best results and longevity out of Lapua brass.

That said, I shoot a ton of range pickup brass, mostly in 223. Headstamp sorting and weighing, annealing, sizing, and trimming to length, will yield very good results. If it is 55 FMJ loads in the AR15, I just size, trim, and load on the Dillon 550.

Beyond 100 yards, the wind causes me more headaches than the brass I use.

 

[TC260]

I just can't leave money on the ground what can I say lol. Even if I don't reload it it's still valuable in some way for me. heck the only reason haven't started mining the berms for the lead for casting is because I can't seem to get around to making a sifter

One afternoon on a weekday I stopped at a public range that's somewhat off the beaten path. There were 4 pretty sketchy looking dudes with 2 beat up old pickup trucks loaded with big barrels for brass, lead, etc. They were mining the berms when I got there and had scraped the entire place clean. Not even a single rusted steel case in the dirt, not in the grass, nothing. They had shovels, rakes, and these large wooden seives like what I've seen at archaeological digs. Obviously this wasn't their first rodeo, looked like drifters that probably hit ranges all over if I had to guess

 

[JSH]

Sifting berms, a very good way to make reloading supplies last longer…….. while your laid up in the hospital trying to get the lead out of your system.
If your going to sift, it better be pretty wet, zero dust period.
I know of two people that caused them selves a great deal of health problems trying to save a few cents, one casted the other didn’t. When a soft nose bullet smacks the dirt it will vaporize a fair bit. Steel plate ranges are even worse.

I used to be a brass whore, picked it all up. No more, components and what I strive to achieve, can’t get there on a steady basis.
Leaves more for the rest of ya.

 

[Charlie-NY]

The brass that I use to leave behind was reloaded MANY times and really shouldn't be reused.

At my club, I rarely see good brass in the buckets anymore. Either guys aren't shooting much or someone grabs the brass pretty quickly. Factory ammo hasn't been available for quite some time, so I think that explains a lot.

I don't use range brass but it's a total waste to have it sold for $1 per pound, which is what I recently got for the 40lbs of Lapua, ADG and generic brass that I brought to the salvage yard. Occasionally, I find some once fired brass along with the factory boxes. I will usually pick it up and give it to whomever would like it. I've given a load of Creedmoor brass away to young US servicemen.