How do clubs deal with brass pick-up at local matches?

[RickT]

My wife and I are shooting SC at a local club and I've also started to reload. It's a laid back atmosphere the matches typically not starting on time and not moving along briskly. It can be difficult for my wife and I to stay until the end, but the club's approach to brass is to pick up everything at the end of the match and divide up among those who have stuck around. Is this the common practice? It seems like the brass could be picked up on the fly using the fourth or fifth shooter in the rotation.

I wouldn't care If I weren't reloading, but my wife and I between us, uneconomical shooters that we are, will run through 600 rounds and that's a lot of brass to walk away from. My only other option is to find a source of near-junk brass and shoot that at steel challenge.

[ZackJones]

We put down tarps on each stage to catching the brass. Those that want it pick it up before leaving that stage. At the end of the match what's left on the tarps gets balled up and I sort it out when I get home (Being MD has its advantages) . If I were in your shoes I would mark my brass with a distinctive mark of some sort such as a band around the middle of the brass. Tell your squad mates that you're starting to reload and since you're reloading for two and can't stick around until the brass is divided up later you would appreciate them allowing you to pick up as much of your brass as you can. Hopefully they won't have a problem with that approach. If they do then explain the situation to the MD and see what he/she will do for you.

[Youngeyes]

Welcome to the Forums. Please don't shoot," near-junk" anything. You might want to color your brass and talk to your fellow members. They might help out and save your brass for you.

[RickT]

Thanks for the quick responses!

I've emailed the MD about tarps and he thinks it would "take too much time", but with a tarp you can pick up 30-40 cases in 30 seconds. I do generally mark cases for range use but haven't bothered for these matches since I can't stick around for the "distribution". I'm a new club member so I'm reluctant to swim upstream, but I'll talk this up with some of the members I know. I wouldn't mind so much staying until the end if the matches started on time; match is supposed to start at 0900-0915, but I've seen almost 1000; makes for a long day if you show up at 0800 for setup.

The "junk-brass" was a bit tongue in cheek, but I certainly wouldn't be loading any new brass for these matches.

[Flim-Flam Man]

local preference is to nail down big blue tarps with a couple of spikes used to pin in target stands, then use one of those hamster cage thingies to pick up and put in a 5gal bucket. Everybody that reloads always goes home with more than they brung because of the folks that shoot factory. Really efficient.

[2MoreChains]

My club does the tarp thing and everyone pitches in to help pick up brass between shooters. You pick for me and I pick for you. It does not take much time or effort at all.

You can always start by bringing your own tarp and use it when you and your wife shoot. Who knows, it might generate interest from the rest of the shooters/staff. We provide the tarps at my club but I don't think we would have objected if somebody brought their own.

[RickT]

Seems like most clubs do the tarp thing (from the responses). I could bring a tarp, spikes and hammer that way the 5-6 in my squad would get to recover their brass. Would only take 1 min. to lay out the tarp - the two stages with multiple shooting positions would require some thought. OTOH, we only have four bays so the club could set out four tarps in no time at all as part of the setup.

I'll bring this up at the next meeting.

[nj mike]

We put down black mesh tarps purchased from harbor freight about 10 bucks each ,while others are repainting steel you pick up your brass we run 6 stages any where from 50- 75 guns and have no issues picking up between shooters .

[hornetx40]

My club does the tarp thing and everyone pitches in to help pick up brass between shooters. You pick for me and I pick for you. It does not take much time or effort at all.

You can always start by bringing your own tarp and use it when you and your wife shoot. Who knows, it might generate interest from the rest of the shooters/staff. We provide the tarps at my club but I don't think we would have objected if somebody brought their own.

This is what we do here in PA at the SCSA matches and at the Steel league matches. It keeps the matches moving along....2 people go down and paint and at least 2 people pick up brass for the last shooter. That way the next shooter can come to the line and be ready to handle as soon as the painters and pickers get out of the way. It works well when everyone on your squad is willing to help

[2MoreChains]

Unless the wind is blowing I wouldn't bother with staking the tarp down. The black mesh ones from Harbor Freight are heavy enough they don't shift around. Besides, not all guns eject the same. Some may need the tarp pulled back a few feet, others further to the side.

[Hi-Power Jack]

Seems like most clubs do the tarp thing (from the responses).

Over the past 8 years I've shot at 16 different ranges (not including

the Nat'ls in Las Vegas).

Each has a different way of handling brass.

Seems to me if the MD shoots a .38 super, they seriously

allow everyone to pick up their brass any way they like.

If the MD shoots a 9mm, he has very little interest in

anyone picking up brass, and feels it impedes progress

of the match without any real benefit.

Totally up to the MD.

If you're going to bring it up, I'd bring it up gently, and

perhaps privately. Or, get a ground swell before the

meeting, if the MD doesn't like the idea.

[Sarge]

Seems like most clubs do the tarp thing (from the responses).

Over the past 8 years I've shot at 16 different ranges (not including

the Nat'ls in Las Vegas).

Each has a different way of handling brass.

Seems to me if the MD shoots a .38 super, they seriously

allow everyone to pick up their brass any way they like.

If the MD shoots a 9mm, he has very little interest in

anyone picking up brass, and feels it impedes progress

of the match without any real benefit.

Totally up to the MD.

If you're going to bring it up, I'd bring it up gently, and

perhaps privately. Or, get a ground swell before the

meeting, if the MD doesn't like the idea.

I don't know if that's 100% true about MD's. But for my matches I welcome shooters to pick up THEIR brass before we leave the stage. But I do not let the brass whores pick it clean. I don't allow any extra brass pickup until everything is cleared off of the bays and put away. This encourages a few to stay and help. But I personally get highly irritated when me(MD) and a handful of people are carrying everything to the barn to be put away and the chickens are taking home a thousand pieces of brass and didn't lift a finger to help. Sure I get some extra brass out of the deal but those that stay and help all get some if they want to pick it up.

[Guest]

Get one of these things if you don't already have one:

http://www.brassmower.com/

It will pay for itself quickly.

Makes picking up brass (on most surfaces) a no muss, no fuss proposition.

[RickT]

I'd be thrilled to come away with only 50% attrition. I get there early to help set up to do my part. If the match started at 0900 and moved at any pace whatsoever we would be done by noon in which case I'd stay for the take down, brass pick up and the brass feeding frenzy, but that's not the case. I'll figure out a way to get this topic going without getting anyone upset.

We shoot steel at a private cowboy range and use a tarp. Takes but 10 seconds to pick up 20-30 cases. The brass mower does look attractive for certain venues.

[ZackJones]

I've emailed the MD about tarps and he thinks it would "take too much time", but with a tarp you can pick up 30-40 cases in 30 seconds. I do generally mark cases for range use but haven't bothered for these matches since I can't stick around for the "distribution". I'm a new club member so I'm reluctant to swim upstream, but I'll talk this up with some of the members I know. I wouldn't mind so much staying until the end if the matches started on time; match is supposed to start at 0900-0915, but I've seen almost 1000; makes for a long day if you show up at 0800 for setup.

"takes too much time" that's funny! We setup the evening before the event and part of our process is putting down the tarps. I bought a box of roofing nails (the kind with the blue caps on them) and we use those to hold the tarps down. Our range is grass so it's very easy to secure the trap. One suggestion to consider is buying 5 or 6 tarps and donating them to the club to use for brass collection. I agree with Hi-Power Jack if you bring it up do so privately and don't make a big deal out of it if they don't agree with you. We MD's can be a stubborn bunch.

ETA: +1 on the brass mower. We've ordered one and will use it this coming weekend at our junior steel challenge practice (assuming it's here in time).

Edited January 5, 2015 by ZackJones

[RickT]

I've emailed the MD about tarps and he thinks it would "take too much time", but with a tarp you can pick up 30-40 cases in 30 seconds. I do generally mark cases for range use but haven't bothered for these matches since I can't stick around for the "distribution". I'm a new club member so I'm reluctant to swim upstream, but I'll talk this up with some of the members I know. I wouldn't mind so much staying until the end if the matches started on time; match is supposed to start at 0900-0915, but I've seen almost 1000; makes for a long day if you show up at 0800 for setup.

"takes too much time" that's funny! We setup the evening before the event and part of our process is putting down the tarps. I bought a box of roofing nails (the kind with the blue caps on them) and we use those to hold the tarps down. Our range is grass so it's very easy to secure the trap. One suggestion to consider is buying 5 or 6 tarps and donating them to the club to use for brass collection. I agree with Hi-Power Jack if you bring it up do so privately and don't make a big deal out of it if they don't agree with you. We MD's can be a stubborn bunch.

ETA: +1 on the brass mower. We've ordered one and will use it this coming weekend at our junior steel challenge practice (assuming it's here in time).

The club sets up in the am. The IDPA/SC range is too far for members to support a Friday evening setup (and no lights). I'd thought of the tarp donation idea and will include that in my approach. Our range is actually very, very easy to pick up on. It's similar to decomposed granite - almost rock hard and no vegetation. The club has one of the brass mowers and that's what they use. I suppose as an inferior alternative to doing it right my wife and I could mow brass after each of us shoots and simply leave behind brass that isn't ours in a pile on the ground.

Anyway, thanks for all the great suggestions.

[PatriotMRD]

Seems like most clubs do the tarp thing (from the responses).

Over the past 8 years I've shot at 16 different ranges (not including

the Nat'ls in Las Vegas).

Each has a different way of handling brass.

Seems to me if the MD shoots a .38 super, they seriously

allow everyone to pick up their brass any way they like.

If the MD shoots a 9mm, he has very little interest in

anyone picking up brass, and feels it impedes progress

of the match without any real benefit.

Totally up to the MD.

If you're going to bring it up, I'd bring it up gently, and

perhaps privately. Or, get a ground swell before the

meeting, if the MD doesn't like the idea.

I don't know if that's 100% true about MD's. But for my matches I welcome shooters to pick up THEIR brass before we leave the stage. But I do not let the brass whores pick it clean. I don't allow any extra brass pickup until everything is cleared off of the bays and put away. This encourages a few to stay and help. But I personally get highly irritated when me(MD) and a handful of people are carrying everything to the barn to be put away and the chickens are taking home a thousand pieces of brass and didn't lift a finger to help. Sure I get some extra brass out of the deal but those that stay and help all get some if they want to pick it up.

This is essentially how we handle it. As long as there is at least 2-3 painting steel you may pick brass or some one picks it up for you between shooters. When the squad is done with the stage they may pick up whatever is left as long as is doesn't hold up the the next squad or your own squad. If you don't want it you leave it. Shooters get first shot at the brass. We don't allow "brass rats" (non-shooters who just show up to pick brass) to pick brass until after the match, everything is loaded up and the shooters have had a chance.

[Pasley]

I have, just a few times, been squadded with people who picked up brass to the detriment of doing their fair share of helping to run the squad. That is aggravating. I take very well used brass to the match and leave it lay.

[JimmyZip]

If you and your wife are shooting together, then use the brass mower for each other and leave a shooter between the two of you for just that reason. If you mark your brass as well, and leave anything that is not yours, nobody has reason to gripe.

[motosapiens]

I have, just a few times, been squadded with people who picked up brass to the detriment of doing their fair share of helping to run the squad. That is aggravating. I take very well used brass to the match and leave it lay.

are you talking about steel challenge? or other matches?

At steel challenge there is not that much to running a squad, and it doesn't really matter which people are keeping score vs which people are picking up brass.

It takes about 15 seconds for 2-3 people to pick up all the brass and hand it to the shooter while the next shooter is finding his place in the box.

[Pasley]

and it doesn't really matter which people are keeping score vs which people are picking up brass.

It matters to me if the same people are always painting and keeping score and the other guy is always picking up brass and generally dicking off. Like I said, it hasn't happened often.

[motosapiens]

and it doesn't really matter which people are keeping score vs which people are picking up brass.

It matters to me if the same people are always painting and keeping score and the other guy is always picking up brass and generally dicking off. Like I said, it hasn't happened often.

If you're picking up brass (and handing it back to the shooter), you're not dicking off.

But then again, maybe all of us here are dicking off because we generally don't paint between shooters at the weeknight matches.

[Ming the Merciless]

Picking up brass is not dicking off. Sitting on your butt doing nothing but exercising your jaw and someone else's ear is dicking off. We have a couple different ranges that require all brass be picked up including .22lr so brass duties are called along with taping, setting steel, painting, etc.....

[jdphotoguy]

We place tarps on each stage to catch brass and everyone has a job in the squad. You are either the RO, score keeper, painter, brass collector, current shooter, shooter on deck or reloading your mags because you were the previous shooter.

[mickd1]

over here the shooter checks his/her score with the RO and the others pick up the brass and patch… simple