Brass Etiquette

[Yar1180]

Not that I'm a huge brass whore but are there any "rules of engagement?" I understand with 38 super/super comp I automatically assume the shooter wants his brass back, but I'm talking about 9 and 40.

Lets say you start picking up 9 and somebody says "I want my 9 I marked it with a sharpie" after you got a bunch of it. I'm thinking they should make a effort to pick up some brass then as there is plenty of 9 for everybody if they make half a effort. Should I have to table all my brass and let them pick out all the brass they marked. That doesn't sound right to me. If they want it they need to say something before it's been all scooped up, and make a effort to get in there and pick it up.

OK how about if your squad is shooting and the squad behind you starts crawling the stage while your resetting and picking up brass. I don't think that is right especially if they are grabbing someones 38 super.

How about if your the squad waiting to shoot and the squad in front is spending a lot of time picking up brass. How about if they pick up brass after they are done and before they pass you the clip board, and now you are waiting on them to finish brass whoring. How much time do you give them before you call for them to "clear the range". I actually got cussed out for this one. I guess you can't rush people until they got all their brass.

I guess I'm just looking for some "man law" type rulings like they have on those beer commercials.

[Overkill]

I always kind of figure as long as I'm not going home with any more brass than I came with, I'm on the right side of the law. If somebody's got "special" brass and want theirs and only theirs back they have to make the extra effort. Oh, and if that extra effort means the next shooter gets held up waiting for LAMR while they look for their brass, they're violating the rule big time.

In the aviation community, there's some guys that fly a straight in approach instead of flying the normal traffic pattern when coming in for a landing; it saves them a couple minutes which can translate into real money. But its less safe and results in them cutting off guys in the pattern and costing them time. I always figured if you cant afford to fly the pattern, you need to fly a cheaper airplane. Same principal applies here I think. If you cant afford to play if you dont get all your brass back you might consider switching to production and a 9mm luger.

[SLM]

If you cant afford to play if you dont get all your brass back you might consider switching to production and a 9mm luger.

New Starline 38super is only like 2 bucks more per 1,000 than 9mm. 38super comp is only $15.00 bucks more per 1000 than 9mm. There really isn't a huge price difference. It's brass and right now, it's ALL expensive. The days of picking up range brass at the indoor range by me are OVER. The free ride has ended, the train has left the station and it's at full speed. I think I managed to get 15 9mm's. That's all. There weren't anymore to be had and it's been that way for months now. I'm happy to bring home what I took anymore, let alone any extra.

If you are going to brass, brass for everybody and everybody helps. Make a plan before the stage starts. Ask who wants their brass back and who doesn't. Those who want the brass pick it up. Those who don't have no right to say anything and should not get it back if they didn't help pick. If everyone pitches in it won't take more than a few minutes to pick it and then you can sort it out later, after the stage or match.

My .02 anyway

[North]

You assume people want their brass back. Do you think they are leaving their mags for you too? Wait they left their range bags alone while they shot the stage they must not want it either. Come on dude.

At our matches everyone helps out, some pick brass for the shooter, some paste, some reset the targets, ETC.

We do this between each shooter, the time it takes to pick most of the brass for a shooter is usually less than it takes to reset the stage.

Sounds like you folks need to get off your butts and be more neighborly.

If you are tired of waiting for the squad in front of you, you might consider helping them also.

Come on, I thought we were all in this together.

[Scooter]

It is annoying when you get a squad where they won't brass between shooters, instead they stand around talking the entire time while 2 people are taping and setting up steel. Then they spend 10-15 minutes after everyone in the squad has shot to brass, and holding up the next squad since they can't do their walk thru until that squad is gone. By the time you are half way through the match, you end up having two squads waiting on the same bay waiting to shoot. I guess this should go in the I hate section.

[AlamoShooter]

Man Law- to get that started we need a table elect a -Forum - for it.

#1 Lets NOT! call it "Brass Whoring" My vote is for "Brass Hounding"

#2 If the shooter Never pickes up a pice of brass to help >how can they exspect to get any back.??? Unless they are doing most of the RO work, and or over 1/2 the tapeing on every stage yes it is hot in the summer

#3 Marked brass means it gets returned!* .>Even if you have to wait untill the next match to give it to them, OK that may be to much,

#4 Find out what shooters, and offer up if you want your brass back > ON the first Stage<.

brass bags do NOT get dumped out and sorted after three stages to find brass that someone suddenly wants.

Do I get a Man Vote on this?

Edited May 24, 2007 by AlamoShooter

[Flexmoney]

Lets say you start picking up 9 and somebody says "I want my 9 I marked it with a sharpie" after you got a bunch of it.

Off course they want their brass back. Why else would they go to the trouble of marking it.

I'm thinking they should make a effort to pick up some brass then as there is plenty of 9 for everybody if they make half a effort.

Everybody that wants brass back ought to be brass picking too. In fact, if you are on a squad that is picking brass...everybody ought to be pitching in to help run the squad. Picking brass is part of that. (Many times, brass pickers squad together so they can all get their brass back.)

Should I have to table all my brass and let them pick out all the brass they marked.

YOUR brass? How did it get to be yours? Just cause you picked it up?

That doesn't sound right to me. If they want it they need to say something before it's been all scooped up, and make a effort to get in there and pick it up.

They ought to be picking brass too if they want it back, unless they are running shooters, scoring targets, resetting the stage, etc...and haven't got the chance to get to it.

OK how about if your squad is shooting and the squad behind you starts crawling the stage while your resetting and picking up brass. I don't think that is right especially if they are grabbing someones 38 super.

Jeez...what a bunch of brass rats.

How about if your the squad waiting to shoot and the squad in front is spending a lot of time picking up brass. How about if they pick up brass after they are done and before they pass you the clip board, and now you are waiting on them to finish brass whoring. How much time do you give them before you call for them to "clear the range". I actually got cussed out for this one. I guess you can't rush people until they got all their brass.

I don't know what to tell you there. Maybe there was more to it that you didn't get to see. Maybe the brass pickers were the only ones working the squad and didn't get a chance to get their brass.

?

[XRe]

Used to be... picking brass was considered to be one of the normal duties of running a stage. It was rare for folks to leave brass on the range. Ranges tended to look a little cleaner...

I'm w/ you Jamie... I'm grateful that guys like you are around, too - cause I end up spending at least half a squad running the box, so I don't get a lot of time to scout up my brass... I can't count how many times you've handed me a handful of my "dimes"

OK how about if your squad is shooting and the squad behind you starts crawling the stage while your resetting and picking up brass. I don't think that is right especially if they are grabbing someones 38 super.

Besides brass rats, I'd call them thieves, and they need to take a hike until its their turn.

How about if your the squad waiting to shoot and the squad in front is spending a lot of time picking up brass. How about if they pick up brass after they are done and before they pass you the clip board, and now you are waiting on them to finish brass whoring. How much time do you give them before you call for them to "clear the range". I actually got cussed out for this one. I guess you can't rush people until they got all their brass.

Do your walk through, etc. If they're still on the stage after five minutes, politely aske them to move on. Yelling out to "clear the range" should probably be saved until you ask them nice once (cause that could be considered a tad rude - kind of like saying, if you don't leave, we're gonna start shooting whether you're there or not....). They can always come back later.

And - if the brass is marked and belongs to a squad that's already shot the stage, you are obligated to either leave it there, or leave it on the stage where it can be found (the table, etc). If the shooter abandons it after the match, well... its probably fair game. This way, a shooter has the option of coming back to a stage later that he lost a bunch of brass on, but without holding up the match to look for it. If a squad moves on without doing a thorough brassing, they're being polite - don't take advantage of those folks.

[swede]

Picking brass has gone out of fashon where I shoot also. There's no rule regarding this except at major matches, so take this matter up with your squad mates. However, once you've left a stage, your unpicked brass is fair game.

Swede

[Azone41]

When I shoot 9mm open I don't mark my brass, but when I shoot my 38 super they all have a big black mark around them. I don't like to hold up a squad during a match so after the match is over I go back to the stages to get my brass. I normally spend most of my time as an RO during the match. Its funny how little super brass I get back after the match. When I pick up super brass if its not marked it goes to the other super shooters at the match because mine is marked. 9 mm is normally all over the place and I sometimes get 3 or 4 times what I shot after the match.

[RacerX1166]

We highly discourage brass pickup during our club matches but, if someone wants to go back after, that's fine. In that context, if someone marked their brass but didn't go back for it after everything was put away, then it's fair game.

Like others, we place a premium on helping out and insuring the match runs smoothly; which means pasting and resetting, etc.

During group practice, we typically divy up the brass among users, with those that mark their's getting it back regardless of who picked it up. It's a collective, communal thing.

Edited May 24, 2007 by RacerX1166

[TCK]

My wife and I shoot together and while the one that shot walks through during scoring, the other is picking brass. otherwise I try to pick my own brass and any that I KNOW belongs to someone else. When you hand someone their own brass back, they tend to hand you some of yours when THEy see it laying. Its just a do unto others as you would have them...

[ima45dv8]

I must admit I don't pick up my brass, so it follows that I don't pick up anyone else's either. If you want it, go for it. The price may force me to rethink that one day.

Its just a do unto others as you would have them...

Nice. I like that.

[Carlos]

We highly discourage brass pickup during our club matches but, if someone wants to go back after, that's fine.

Like others, we place a premium on helping out and insuring the match runs smoothly; which means pasting and resetting, etc.

You can shoot a match without brassing. Can't shoot a match if no one pastes or sets steel.

Conflict here seems to be:

1) Those who want the match to run efficiently & quickly and do not pick up brass (normal practice at Area, Section & the Nationals all "lost brass" shoots)

vs.

2) Those who expect their brass back - at and during a match, and expect others on the squad to pick it up for them.

I know they do it other ways in different parts of the country, but in our section, we generally leave brass behind. On top of that, the biggest shoots have become so large that they take most of the day even without picking brass & would probably run into darkness if members of the squad were picking brass instead of helping out the squad with pasting and setting steel duties.

Many shooters get anoyed if a squad member is shirking his squad duties just so he can go after his own brass. If such brass rats want all their brass, then THEY can stay after the match & pick it up off the ground while the rest of us are driving home to our busy weekend schedules.

Just my take on things. Your milage may vary.

BTW - I don't shoot open, but if I did, I would use 9Major.

[dfwmiket]

Wifey and I usually squad with our buddies, and we all work together picking up each other's brass...... we all rotate running the timer, taping, scoring, and brass shagging. It works pretty well..... and everyone knows up front how we do things.

-Mike

[BritinUSA]

If you have at least 9 people on your squad then picking up brass does not delay the match.

1. RO

2. ScoreKeeper

3. Shooter

4. On-Deck

5. In the Hole

6. Patching and setting steel

7. Patching and setting steel

8. Picking up Brass

9. Picking up Brass

No delay and everyone gets their brass back. A lot of ranges get pretty upset if you leave brass cases all over the floor. We use the above at all our matches and we don't get held up because of it.

[maineshootah]

We highly discourage brass pickup during our club matches but, if someone wants to go back after, that's fine.

Like others, we place a premium on helping out and insuring the match runs smoothly; which means pasting and resetting, etc.

You can shoot a match without brassing. Can't shoot a match if no one pastes or sets steel.

Conflict here seems to be:

1) Those who want the match to run efficiently & quickly and do not pick up brass (normal practice at Area, Section & the Nationals all "lost brass" shoots)

vs.

2) Those who expect their brass back - at and during a match, and expect others on the squad to pick it up for them.

I know they do it other ways in different parts of the country, but in our section, we generally leave brass behind. On top of that, the biggest shoots have become so large that they take most of the day even without picking brass & would probably run into darkness if members of the squad were picking brass instead of helping out the squad with pasting and setting steel duties.

Many shooters get anoyed if a squad member is shirking his squad duties just so he can go after his own brass. If such brass rats want all their brass, then THEY can stay after the match & pick it up off the ground while the rest of us are driving home to our busy weekend schedules.

Just my take on things. Your milage may vary.

BTW - I don't shoot open, but if I did, I would use 9Major.

I can't agree enough here.

We have changed the format of our stages to "collecting brass when the squad is finished".

We have a lot of age challenged shooters who can take literally 5 minutes to collect 20 spent cases.

Too much focus was spent collecting 12-20 cases while taping and steel were not being reset.

This was delaying the end of the match by almost 2 hours (and we only have two .38 super shooters who regularly attend).

Now, everyone shoots and then when the squad is ready to move to the next stage, those who want their brass can go get it.

Those that don't... well, the abundance of brass rats we have are sure to grab them up.

We let the squads pressure the "slower" members to "come back for it later..."

If the brass is marked, then someone wants it back.

If it stays until "tear down" when the match is over, it goes in the club bucket to get processed so we can buy more targets.

BTW: I do shoot open, and I do use 9Major. You don't want my cases after 4 reloads.

[maineshootah]

If you have at least 9 people on your squad then picking up brass does not delay the match.

1. RO

2. ScoreKeeper

3. Shooter

4. On-Deck

5. In the Hole

6. Patching and setting steel

7. Patching and setting steel

8. Picking up Brass

9. Picking up Brass

No delay and everyone gets their brass back. A lot of ranges get pretty upset if you leave brass cases all over the floor. We use the above at all our matches and we don't get held up because of it.

We tried this for several matches, folks couldn't remember past #5.

I have seen this work, it is speedy if the squad is in sync.

Go figure.

[JaredB]

If the brass is on the ground after I shoot and before the next shooter its fair game. If you are concerned about it just ask the shooter if he wants his brass.

[Singlestack]

I pick up my 38SC and my 45's. I'll pick up yours and give it to you if you help. If you are standing around while I pick up brass yours will go home with me.

[BritinUSA]

We tried this for several matches, folks couldn't remember past #5.

I have seen this work, it is speedy if the squad is in sync.

Go figure.

We call out the names, at the start of every stage everyone hands the scorekeep their sheets for that stage, they are shuffled. Then for each shooter the scorekeeper calls out shooter, on deck, in the hole, patching and brassing names and put the shooter that just shot to the bottom of the pile. This way everyone works the same amount, so you pick brass twice, patch twice then you are in the hole and get to stand around and watch and learn the stage.

[9x21]

Shooting 9x21, most folks GLADLY return it without asking!

I wonder why?

[scirocco38s]

When 40 brass was 40/45 per thou several years ago. Very few shooters left their brass. 9mm shooters were a little more generous but not much. 38super/sc/tj was always returned to the shooters. Then brass became cheap, and the 9/40 crowd said that they didnt care anymore as they could buy plenty. The 38 crowd was still wanting their brass back( I had became one of them). Now brass prices are going back up and I am seeing the old scroungers coming back out. People still rat up the brass and put it on a table on the stage, but typically it is still there as I am locking up the range. So I scoop it into 5 gallon buckets and leave it in the shed. When it fills up I'll either sell it or sort and keep it. I agree if a shooter wants his brass back, then he gets it. On the other hand if he leaves the match without trying to get his brass or helping during the match its fair game.

[ipscbob]

Real easy, Yar. If someone bothered to mark the cases, then they want it back and I dont take it until it has been left on the range after the match. When I brass, I pick up ALL marked cases that I see and then leave all that isn't mine on the table or give it to the shooter if I know who it belongs to. If you abide by these rules, I bet that you will have most people that you shoot with reciprocating in kind.

[JD45]

This is the way a local match usually goes for me.

I shoot the stage and hurry behind the scorer to see a few of my hits(never see them all). On a good day two or three people are pasting. Someone may or may not be picking-up brass. We all hurry back to run the next shooter.

I grab a box of pasters. After range is clear I'll go behind the scorer pasting. After a few more shooters I'll remember I need to load my mags. While I'm loading mags I usually here "we need pasters!". So I drop my mags and go paste.

Every once in a while a shooter will come to me and say, "aren't you shooting .45?", and hand me a dozen cases. I say thanks.

Five stages, around 120-140rds., and I'm shocked if I go home with over 25 pieces of brass.

If I were king, two people would pick brass, give it to the person who just shot, and everybody else would paste. After you shoot you could sit out one run to load mags.