milanuk Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Hello, I'm getting ready to start loading for my Glocks in 9mm, and one of the things that been bugging me is brass collection... how do you do it in a timely and efficient manner? I've been loading rifle rounds for a number of years. Most of my bolt guns have the ejectors tuned so they dump the cases in a little pile right under the gun. My gas guns normally have the ejectors so they toss the empties to 1-2 o'clock, so as to not send a hot case down the neck of someone's shooting jacket (BTDT, not fun at all). Even so, I've spent way more time than I care to admit digging through the grass and weeds trying to find that last match prepped case (brass catchers ain't legal in NRA HP for SR) because of the time invested in each case (and because I'm a picky SOB who likes matched sets of things... like 100 cases, not 99 or 98 unless they die an early death - AWOL doesn't count). I've seen some plans for brass catcher net stand thingies for pistol shooters... but even when I stand still just shooting @ a bullseye target, my Glocks seem to spray empties all over the place over a 90 degree arc from 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock. Short of spreading out a huge tarp (which would be a monumental PITA in its own right)... any good suggestions for recouping as many of my empties as possible w/o spending half an hour stooped over or crawling around on the ground? Not all of the ranges around here have paved firing lines, and not all of those have brooms/dustpans for collecting brass into a pile. Thanks, Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 (edited) So you are going to save your 9mm brass..shot through a Glock? Right? Monte I am sorry but I just can't help myself! Edited March 29, 2007 by Merlin Orr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milanuk Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 (edited) Okay, Merlin. Humor the newbie here. What's wrong w/ that? I've heard some issues w/ some red-line loads being particularly hard on cases in Glocks due to the way the chamber is (or isn't) supported, but I got the impression it would work OK w/ more reasonable 'plinking' loads... For the sake of the topic, though, assume the gun is whatever you would prefer to be, and the caliber is whatever you prefer. What is the best/most effective/most time efficient way of getting as much as possible of *your* brass back after a shooting session. Thanks, Monte Edited March 29, 2007 by milanuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Step 1. Quit worrying so much about your PISTOL brass. 9mm is cheap & easy (just like some of us ) so I load, shoot, pick up what you can without staying until 0-dark-30, then repeat. Seriously, it's nothing to get all fanatacal about ...... especially when you shoot 20,000 ~ 30,000 round a year like some of us on the forum. 220 ..... 221 .... whatever it takes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Monte - I am going to post this - where you can reply...your 100th post - and no longer be a newbie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Monte, Take some Vasoline with you to the range. That should make it easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Short of paying somebody to follow you around with a net, expecting to get every piece of brass back is well...unrealistic to say the least. Pick up what you can when you can, but lost brass is simply part of the cost of the game IMO. I try to get my .45 back as much as I can, since it's the most costly. I don't lose sleep over losing 9mm though. I pick up what I can easily find after practice. I often leave it at club matches for no other reason than I'm too lazy, hot, or tired to pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milanuk Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 Oh-ho! I see I ran into the comedian crew Glad to see I could provide y'all w/ some comic relief! Seriously, though, I'm not looking to get back every single piece of brass... I'm picky, but I have limits I'd just like to a) get as much as practical back of my 'known history' brass, and not have to pick thru range brass wondering if there's a *reason* someone left it laying, other than just being lazy (or not being a reloader). Sounds like either a clean sweep before hand or a tarp might be about as easy a solution as any. Thanks, Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Tarps work well ........ bring weights or sandbags to hold the corners down. Amazing how much a little breeze will drive you nuts chasing your tarp around the range! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 With my own range I used a 12' piece of indoor/outdoor. Heavy enough to fade most winds but easy to roll or fold. IMO . At a public or club range its just to damned much trouble and theres always the fact that if you are around others and start taking a bunch of time (read holding others up) you might find yourself a less than popular person pretty quickly.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Dye-chem Red... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Oh-ho! I see I ran into the comedian crew Glad to see I could provide y'all w/ some comic relief! Monte It's very much appreciated too. Somebody was making a tarp for this that had weights sewn into the corner to hold it down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I shoot on a squad with 3 other open shooters. We all shoot 38 super comp. That brass is pricey. We pick up what we can between shooters and after the squad has finished the stage if another squad is not waiting to shoot. Everybody marks thier brass with a different color marker. When we are through we go thru the brass and get our own brass back. You can try to work out the same thing with the guys you shoot with. Mark your brass with a permanent marker so you can identify it. But I have to agree it is a lot of work for 9mm brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Oh-ho! I see I ran into the comedian crew Glad to see I could provide y'all w/ some comic relief! Monte It's very much appreciated too. Somebody was making a tarp for this that had weights sewn into the corner to hold it down... You MIGHT could actually make your own ..as.. it is so easy that "Even a caveman could do it!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 http://www.cedhk.com/show.php/Object587 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 (edited) Monte, Like children and dogs, autopistols are God's way of teaching us that it's possible to not be in complete control of our destiny, yet the world won't cease rotating upon its axis. You sound like a moonclipped revolver kind of guy. E Edited March 30, 2007 by EricW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Picking up brass is kinda of like doing free crunches. Its means you are shooting, that's good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 (edited) Monte, Please excuse the rudeness of these rubes. Getting all your brass back is quite easy. You just need to bring a wife or child to matches with you to catch it as they run along behind you. Just be sure they don't trip over the RO. A tarp will work at home or on a practice range. Running through a field course in the grass it isn't worth the time, much less the brass, to even look for 9mm. Edited March 30, 2007 by AikiDale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 So you are going to save your 9mm brass..shot through a Glock? Right? Monte I am sorry but I just can't help myself! I save my used toilet paper when I hike in Nat parks. .... but I don;t plan to reuse it. Sorry I had to try and top Merlin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I've found camo netting at wal-mart before that did a great job back when I wasn't spreading brass all over the range during pratice. The advantage of netting was dirt would fall out while the brass stayed in. Now I have a wife and daughter to pick up brass, so none of that is needed You could also bring your own broom and dustpan. Worrying about brass at a match is a bad idea IMHO. I found that once I gave that up, I could concentrate on what was really important. Mark your brass and look for it after the match if you're really attached to it. Now that I shoot .40 I could care less if I leave it for someone with better knees. Most of it is only 1 loading away from splitting by the rough count I have in my head over how many times it's been loaded. It all has my mark, so it's easy to avoid. I don't think I'd have ever picked up 9mm at a match when it I can get it on e-bay for very little. Your quality of life would be improved if you eased off of your rifle brass practices as it applies to pistol brass, but you have to do what makes you comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wideload Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 What others have already said... don't worry too much about lost brass (esp 9mm). Only way you will come close to 99% brass recovery is if you change your shooting platform entirely and shoot a moon clipped revolver. (And even then, you will lose an occasional moon clip or two full of empties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I tried the tarp thing for practice but unless I was doing draw practice or groups then most of the brass didn't hit the tarp any way. Since my practices now involve some movement the tarp became more trouble than it was worth. I shoot a 45 so brass is important but I no longer worry about every piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 You'll like my idea! I shoot on a concrete floor range and I just push around my little pecan picker cart and watch the brass pile up in the cage. I get 100% back and the only problem I have is trying not to step on it and ruin it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 lots of people shoot factory new 9mm and don't pick up. I wouldn't worry about getting your 3rd firing cases back if you can snag some of that. The only thing to worry about is if you have folks shooting major 9 at your range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganShootist Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 (edited) A guy here on the BE forum sells a little tool that holds a marker.. so you can put a stripe around each reloaded round. It's time consuming.. but it will get your brass identified better and might be worth a try. With once fired 9 mm brass selling for about two cents or less each.. I'd not bother...but once fired quality .45 brass is now selling for as much as 6 - 10 times that price. So--- Since I do reloading all Winter and have found that as brass prices for .45 ACP continue to increase... it is now worth the effort.... 'cause I know that the brass I bring home from a match is mine.. not some that has been reloaded 40 times. Edited March 30, 2007 by MichiganShootist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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