Picking up your brass etiquette

[JKSNIPER]

It never hurts to ask ahead of time about brass policy at a new range...you never know what their views are or who they have an agreement with.

At one range we were doing a class and I was loading up the brass bucket when the head instructor (who was familiar with the range) asks me what I was doing.

Apparently he would collect the brass in a bucket but leave it for the ranges "brass rat" ....it made for good relations with that particular range and went a long way towards getting range time to do our classes there.

Every place is different....like chills1994 said "When in Rome...."

[chbrow10]

I have shot at four different clubs that hold level 1 matches in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. All clubs allowed you to pick up your brass if you wanted, but did not require you to. As an RO, I don't care if you want to do that or not, as long as you don't slow us down. As a cheap b@stard, I try to get as much brass back as possible. My kids are shooters,and I will asign one of them to get ours back as much as possible, but they have been known to get lazy like the rest of us. I also have one of those nut/brass picker uppers. I have found that even if you carry that from stage to stage and don't use it yourself (like when I RO), someone will usually pick it up and use it. Folks appreicate when all the brass from one squad is in one bucket. About a third of the time, someone is bringing the sorter trays and sorts the brass by caliber after tear down or while scoring is going on and before we can tear stages down.

So it seems like my experience is rather rare, but I do live in the state with the highest poverty rating in the country. Someone should go back through the posts and see if there are regional trends, like the south is brasser friendly and the north isn't, or east vs. west.

All the level 2 matches I have shot were lost brass matches.

[GmanCdp]

Past May at a state match iwas MD at, father had his son with him and when I asked if the son was shooting he said no,he's just here to get all the brass laying around...Dad got kinda jerked when I told him it was a lost brass match, guess he didnt hear me at the anouncement or looked on his app..

[leadslinger275]

our range is lost brass you are more than welcome to pick it up but its not required most brass after the match we focus on running the match and shooting

+1

No one cares if you pick up your brass or not at my range. Myself and the other RO's will gladly pick it up later after the match or the next day. I am always stocked up, no complaints on anyone leaving their brass here.

[Rob Tompkins]

I run the local IDPA match. We've had problems with "poachers" getting in the way, slowing things down and then shooters who want their brass not being able to get it. We ask everyone to wait till after the match and completion of tear down to chase brass. Everyone seem happy with that policy.

[PKT1106]

I always shot at places where we waited til the end of the day to pick brass. Even then, there were only a few of us. Most of the older guys let it lay. I guess they have more than they will ever shoot due to picking brass for years as well. Sometimes I have been the only one and only stopped picking brass because my back was sore. If there is a backup, sure, some people will pick the last stage, but I think its better to wait til the end of the day.

Lost brass matches kind of irk me. On the one hand, It's nice to have dedicated ROs on each stage and the brass they gather is a nice reward for their work. On the other hand, It's my brass and I want it back. There shouldn't be an expectation of free brass. If people want to pick brass, just stipulate that it has to be done after the days activities.

Edited January 10, 2012 by PKT1106

[kpbaer]

First thing should be scoring,taping and resetting steel. It pisses me off when guys are picking brass instead of helping.Wait till the end when EVERYTHING is tore down then go for it.Then everyone gets a chance at it.

[Parastang]

First thing should be scoring,taping and resetting steel. It pisses me off when guys are picking brass instead of helping.Wait till the end when EVERYTHING is tore down then go for it.Then everyone gets a chance at it.

Not everyone is going to be scoring or taping. Why not help the last guy pick up his brass while he is checking his score. The next shooter can be preparing for his round. Sounds pretty simple. No reason to get pissed off. Pretty basic stuff.

[Unregistered]

By having one person pick up brass in the group (the rest reset/patch), the shooter gets to head downrange with the RO & Scorer to score targets. When he/she is back, all his/her brass has been picked up and is handed back or put into their own little pile.

No brass hog taking everyone's brass. Some shooters who don't care will give it to someone else who wants it.

[Parastang]

By having one person pick up brass in the group (the rest reset/patch), the shooter gets to head downrange with the RO & Scorer to score targets. When he/she is back, all his/her brass has been picked up and is handed back or put into their own little pile.

No brass hog taking everyone's brass. Some shooters who don't care will give it to someone else who wants it.

Yep! Most guys have there bag or special pocket on their gear to put the brass in. Never seems to take up any time or cause any delay in a shoot.

[kpbaer]

most shoots in are area have 7 to 10 people per squad . 1 shooting, 1 to RO, 1 to score, 1 on deck, 1 loading mags ,2 guys not paying attention or picking brass. Who's taping ?

[Punkin Chunker]

most shoots in are area have 7 to 10 people per squad . 1 shooting, 1 to RO, 1 to score, 1 on deck, 1 loading mags ,2 guys not paying attention or picking brass. Who's taping ?

Not the two in the shade in their folding chairs yakking about their last GM-led class, or the one who's run off to the porta-potti.

[coyote4x4]

Well this is a useful thread for me as a newbie because now I know that each match has a different policy about brass. Like the other guy, I shoot at tuesday night steel where it is expected that 4-5 people waiting in line should pick up brass for the last shooter. But, there are no squads at TNS, you just get in line for the stage, shoot it and head off to the next one. Typically, there are anywhere from 10 to 30 people waiting in line so there are lots of people who can help out, plus since it's steel, there's no scoring or taping.

[Unregistered]

Let's say 7 in the squad, you have shooter, RO, scorer. That leaves 4. 2 can follow the RO/Scorer and tape as they walk (and pick up magazines on the way), leaving 1 person to pick up brass and that one with their thumb up their butt.

The shooter finishes, heads back and charges his/her magazine whilst the next shooter is getting ready / running the stage.

Maybe it's just that I'm lucky and shoot mostly with guys who don't stand around doing nothing...

[Steelhawk]

Someone commented that no one wants 9mm, too many majors. I'm really new, having been to only one match. Is there something wrong with the 9mm from matches?

There was a whole bunch of brass left at the shoot I did Saturday. I was surprised at that.

[kevin c]

The issue is that range pickups where there are a lot of action shooters may be short on useful life, perhaps having been shot many times (a lot of shooters will load, shoot and deliberately leave their old brass on the range). 9x19 shot at major PF has the additional issue of cases having to deal with pressures above the norm for the loading.

"Worn out" brass may have problems such as splitting of the case mouth, loosened primer pockets, beat up extractor rims, flaking plating, bulges near the case head that require special processing to eliminate, and, perhaps the most problematic, case failure/rupture in firing.

So you use range brass at your own risk.

That being said, many folks will use such brass in 9mm, if they are willing to assume the risk that remains after careful inspection and processing of the brass in an attempt to reduce the problems, even if they are only loading to minor PF.

Edited because my computer ate most of the post in the upload.

Edited January 30, 2012 by kevin c

[retarmyaviator]

At our range you are not looked on with great favor if you do not help with stages in some manner during our level 1 matches. You are expected out of courtesy to either help score, pickup brass, or reset targets. Helping pickup your friends' brass does not slow the matches down, by the time the targets are scored and taped all the brass is up with the next shooter ready to start.

[bhurte]

I usually try to pair up with another shooter who also collects their brass.

I'll pick up their brass while they walk-through with the scorers, and they do the same for me. Seems to work well as come match day I want to see my scores, but I hate leaving a bunch brass behind.

Also, I don't feel like I'm holding up the squad. That being said, if I'm alone Ill pick up only whats quickly within reach on my way back to my bag to keep things moving.

[rmerritt]

At our matches, picking up brass goes right along with taping and setting steel, usually by the time everything is scored, taped, most if not all of the brass has been picked up. sometimes while ro'ing, i may have to encourage the brass pickers that time is up, but it has never been a problem.

[blueeyedme]

At my range we have a 'fun' shoot on Tuesday & Friday night. Typically 3-4 stages, about 40 shooters and very few people pick-up their brass. Everyone pitches in to tear down the stages when we're finished. I usually stick around afterwords and pick-up all the brass I want.

Edited February 1, 2012 by blueeyedme

[pskys2]

It used to be picking up brass was a given. Seems the price of 9/40 is such and with so much Glock Brass around, etc I have noticed in the last few years less interest in it even at a local match.

Think my habits changed when I started shooting Revo, it made finding brass easier and different. Then when I would shoot an auto, I just didn't wish to take the time and effort. Most other times I try to tape/set steel or am acting as an RO, so I don't get around to doing it.

Losing the brass at a match, as long as there's no Moon Clip with it, doesn't bother me personally anymore.

[a matt]

i dont mind if brass gets picked up. but alot of shooters at our shoots pick up brass and dont help pasting and such. and get in the way of the next shooter getting ready to shoot, then sometimes we have to call off the course so we can start the next shooter.

[38superman]

I want to recover my brass, but I certainly don't want to bother with it during the match.

It's more important to help paste and reset the stage so the match flows smoothly.

I used to let my brass stay where it fell and left hundreds, if not thousands of rounds on the ground.

Typically after the match my back hurt too much to bother with it.

Now money is tighter and I do make the effort to go back and get it, but not until after the match.

I also have no problem with picking up brass that others have walked away from.

I just allow a reasonable amount of time after the match is torn down.

I try to make sure that any shooter that wants it, has ample opportunity to come for it before I pick it up.

If they come for it I will even help them find it.

After that, ..... I don't see anything wrong with picking up what someone has abandoned.

Tls

[nathandewalt]

Getting targets pasted and scored should be first but I noticed lately that several people at recent matches will pick up everybody's brass while we are scoring or tearing down the stages. This is discouraging to me because I need to pick up brass but don't because it wouldnt be fair to the people working.

Nathan

[ErichF]

Yeah I find myself getting more and more annoyed by the "Brass Chickens" pecking at the ground while I'm on deck trying to figure out the stage, or down at the far end of the bay resetting stuff and pasting...