Empty brass hoarding?

[MW surveyor]

Ok, when I go to my local range I pick up more empty brass in 9mm, 38 and 357 (can't get enough of the 357!) than I bring loaded with me. I realize that collecting empties is what you do when you are a reloader, plus it helps the environment, but how many empties do you need at home? Just the other day, went to the range with 150 rounds of 9 mm, came back with nearly 500 9 mm plus about 150 38s and 100 357. Now I've got about 5,000 + empty 9mm cases, 8-900 38 spl and 300 357.:o

Do you think that this is enough for now or should I keep collecting.:confused:

Please don't tell me to start collecting other caliber cases......unless it's a 45 ACP!:D

[Bawanna]

It seems you can never have enough even if it just sits and you dont' use it,gives you a warm feeling knowing that it's there.

Same with magazines, theres nothing quite like a stack of full magazines from here to the horizon and back.

I quit picking up everything but 45 mostly, I don't shoot much else and I got lots (maybe not enough) of the 38/357, 44/ 45 Colt. Never did load 9.

I say if it's available keep pickiing it up. If your overstocked, send it to me.

[MW surveyor]

+1 on the warm feeling that it is there.

The best time to "collect" at my range is Wednesday's and that's when I try to shoot. Wednesday you ask....because on Thursday the brass collector gets there and unloads just about all of the buckets/barrels. Saturday and Sunday are good also with all of the new and weekend shooters but it looks kind of bad to be picking up brass just about before it falls to the ground. :)

If I see someone shooting a revolver, I give them a bag to put the empties in. This is not a plastic bag, its a nice Air New Zealand bag that they give you when you travel on them. Made out of corderoy cloth with a drawstring top. Probably can get at least 600 or so rounds in them. Makes them actually want to save the emties.

Guess I'll keep collecting. I imagine that you can't have too many.

If I do get to the point where I need to get rid of some.....I'll keep you in mind.

Jim

[OldLincoln]

Always collect brass! When you run out of space, sort it and sell it on this forum. An example of that is a guy on another forum that has access to all the brass from a police range. He sells it by the medium sized flat rate box from USPS. Thats about 2800 45 and 3300 9mm. Sells it cheap but covers his costs and effort.

I recently bought a box of 9mm for $69 and $4 of that was the Paypal charge. 3300 9mm for $69 comes to 2 cents each which I consider a good buy. Best part is that it is good brass with a high percentage being Speer.

[Tilos]

I see brass and think of a nickle.
Would you walk by a nickle on the ground?
I take brass to the gun show, sell it and buy stuff I need (powder, primers, jerky, etc).
I tumble and bag it just like those who sell it at the show, they buy it from me, price it and put it right out.
With the police now shooting mostly 40, it's not even good for trading and the only caliber I leave on the ground.
Even if you end up trading 2 for 1 for what you need, you're still getting it free.

just sayin'
Tilos

[MW surveyor]

Ok, you guys win. I'll continue to pick up brass. Wasn't really going to quit anyway.

Good idea on the bagging and selling or trading it for what I need.

Now if they'd only get onto the police range and pick up any 45 acp that would be great.

[Tilos]

If you shoot lead in 357 or 38 at higher velocities, the heavy crimping causes case mouth splits after only a couple of loadings.
I've been out of that loop for a while but 357 was scarce and people were paying the asking price when they found it, but that may have changed of late.

Once fired 357 brass that was factory crimped into a jacketed bullet cannuler leaves little "serations" in the case mouth.
These become a place for stress to concentrate during crimping/firing and lead to premature case splitting.
A twist under a chamfer tool to remove these little nicks, before any reloading, will increase case life for many additional loadings.
Just some more useless information I thought of while thinking about brass.
just sayin'
tilos

[MW surveyor]

Tilos - thanks for the word of advise regarding the 357 brass. I'll make sure that I use the chamfer tool on it.

BTW - there is no useless information. However, there is something about "That's way more information than I need" :)

357 empties are still hard to find at the range. As soon as I get enough I'll quit reloading the 38 sp cases and start using the 357 cases for all of the rounds through the SP 101. Cleaning the ring out of the cylinders gets to be old.
Sure that you may know this but if you flare out an empty 357 brass case, it makes a good scraper when cleaning the cylinders after shooting 38 loads.

[Tilos]

MW:
Flared case as a scraper, good info right there, thanks.

I was at a range and a guy was shooting an "inexpensive" 357 revolver next to me and I offered to let him try mine (a reworked and massaged gp100).
I only shoot 38s out of it, and his 357 ammo would not fit!!

I'll flare a 357 case and put in my range bag.
I'll have to paint it red though, 'cause a month from now, I'll pick it out and think what the hell is this doing here.

I call 38s my move on caliber, as I have moved onto another.
I bought 2000 once fired 38 brass from Midway, long ago, when Larry's catolog was a one page single sheet...and am still shooting it!

Thanks,
Tilos

[MW surveyor]

Tilos

Yes, make sure that you identify the case. You need to flare just a bit at a time to get it right. Too much and its a bear, too light and it doesn't do much. Don't stick it tight in the chamber! Or you may need your "push stick" to get it out :) Also put a slight chamfer on it before flaring. Help it "cut" better.

Those 38 cases last a looong time when you just use them for target loads and very lightly crimp.

[Tilos]

Thanks, For that scraper, I think I'll pop out the primer and put a dry wall screw thru the flash hole to use as a handle.
Go ahead and patent that, and start selling them.
Tilos

[MW surveyor]

Wait.....Howbout making a proper little "T" handle by drilling a hole through a dowl or something similar, epoxy it in place, then screw it in to the primer hole. Just see the advertisement on TV. But wait.....there's more....if you order today we'll send you two crud reamers for the price of one (+shipping and handling). HA HA

Seriously, dry wall screw should work but if you want something better get a long pan head sheet metal screw.

[Bawanna]

Tack on a threaded female adaptor so it would fit on the little handle for the brush and scraper set like RCBS sells. Package it as a set.

Make that call now, operators are standing by. Order today and get a free Shamwow! Wow!

[MW surveyor]

Excellent Bawana45cal. We've gone from a basic near zero cost scraper to a full fledged $19.95 tool that everybody needs in less than 4 posts!

Hey 10 more posts and I'll become a "Senior" again instead of a "new member".

Gotta get back to work. Nah, nobody looking over my shoulder here at the "home" office except for the wife. So I gotta at least look busy.

[wyntrout]

What? A "threaded" "female-adapter"...? Gittin' sexist here??:rolleyes:

Wynn:D

[Bawanna]

What? A "threaded" "female-adapter"...? Gittin' sexist here??:rolleyes:

Wynn:D

I really put some effort in how to word that, best I could come up with. I'll put myself on 30 day suspension. I'm an evil person.

[Bawanna]

Excellent Bawana45cal. We've gone from a basic near zero cost scraper to a full fledged $19.95 tool that everybody needs in less than 4 posts!

Hey 10 more posts and I'll become a "Senior" again instead of a "new member".

Gotta get back to work. Nah, nobody looking over my shoulder here at the "home" office except for the wife. So I gotta at least look busy.

I gotta get me one of them home offices. That would be way cool for me. I'll get the party favors and refreshments lined up for you Senior party.

Everyone's gonna want a scraper, it could be as hot as the hula hoop in no time. I'd get your patent attorney to work asap. I'll buy stock.
I'd be your spokesman but I'm holding out, trying to dethrone that ole gal doing circles in her Hover Around waving. I know I could do that with more pizazz. Wonder how much she gets everytime that commercial airs. I could be one rich derelict. And I'd share!

[wyntrout]

Boy, talk about letting the fox watch the henhouse... dang! Not a good choice of words for US, either. :D

Wynn:)

[100percent]

I noticed that the Police were standardizing on 40sw around here so I started collecting it and then bought some 40sw chambered guns.

I don't load for max figuring that after all it is 155-200 grain bullet. IMO it is easier to load than a 9mm.

I always crimp my revolver loads well. I have had revolvers lock up when the bullet backed out keeping it from revolving.

I even collect my berdan and split brass. I have a 5 gallon bucket in the corner of my reloading room. I figure if thieves are stealing copper plumbing from houses then my bucket of brass is worth something. :)

[MW surveyor]

Yeah, home office. Let's see. I get up around 0500 every morning. Turn on the computer, make coffee, drink coffee, check the computer for anything that came in during the night (when sleeping), work on anything that needs immediate attention, if not go to the net, surf, back to office work, go outside, hassel the squrrels, back inside, drink coffee, work on more stuff, surf somemore, wife gets up (late most days), sees that nothing is going on in the "office" has stuff for me to do, start her stuff after geting everything ready, get either mail or telephone call and have to drop her stuff, take care of the mails/requests, etc., back to her list, interrupted again, back to work and on and on and on. Last call on the office email system is at about 2200.

Then there is the part where I have to go out for a "two day job" and get back two weeks later! Or the two week job that lasts 2 months!

There are some good parts though. If it is slow, I can get out of the house in the morning and get to the range before the wife wakes up. Then I get to shoot with the other old codgers and don't have to worry about the guy with the 33 round or so mag in his wannabe machine pistol. The only problem with the other old guys is that half of them reload also. Shooting revolvers, no problem but the semi auto stuff, we just hope that no one is shooting the same caliber.

Senior party, ha. My birthday is in 14 days. Then I have to figure out how old I am now when someone asks.

100percent - yeah, like the thieves are going to pass up all your guns and other good stuff just to cart away a pail of brass. :)

wyntrout - there is just about no nonsexist way of describing a threaded part and a recieving part!

[Tilos]

Wow, what have I started here, shamwow?

how about plug and socket, no way to make that, um, sexist, is there?

Tilos

[MW surveyor]

If your mind runs in the gutter, everything is sexist!

[Bawanna]

If your mind runs in the gutter, everything is sexist!

Excellent idea, lets get some input from Jocko, Deitrich and the Mall marauder Wyntrout. Solid suggestions from the gutter if you will.

[OldLincoln]

I've had a home office for many years, some when I also had an at work office. The home office freed me to work as many hours a day as possible, always at least 12. When actually writing software you have to go with the flow or it's very time consuming trying to pick up where you leave off. Then there's waking up with a new thought to solve a gnarly landmine - gotta get up and try it before you go back to sleep and forget.

Home offices are great but can be a trap. Now I still spend 12 hours a day in mine but fiddling with reloading and following you guys here or reading books.

[MW surveyor]

Yes, home offices can be a trap. I'll be starting a project begining the 1st of March that will probably last to the end of the year. I'll be going out of the US, collecting information, return home and process the information gathered. Two weeks out, two weeks back putting together reports and then back out again. Repeat. So I'll be spending a lot of time in the home office. It does beat driving 35 miles each way every day to the real office.

Another good thing is that I can do some reloading in the morning (early) then go out and shoot. Return home and then start work. Can't do that with a "real" job as the wife says.