brass storage setup?

[Chills1994]

I use .30 cal ammo cans to hold the sorted brass in. I have them in various states. Three cans of dirty 9/40/45 brass each and 1 or 2 cans of clean brass each. Kind of like an inbox/outbox sort of a deal.

I put labels on the outside of 'em. It also helps that I have a shelving rack where I have a shelf for the 9mm brass, another shelf for the .40 brass and yet another shelf for the .45 stuff.

I have kind of a small-ish tumbler from Midway that's got to be at least 10 to 12 years old now. A rule of thumb is 1/3 of an ammo can of brass at a time in the tumbler works best.

I also have a 5 gallon bucket full of mixed brass. My gripe with that is that it is too heavy to pick up and move anywhere.

Ammo cans with their fold down handles and matching bottoms so they stack neatly and sturdily works well.

I also use the SAW cans for primers. A brick of primers fits just right in 'em. I can get 14,000 primers in one SAW can. I have dedicated SAW cans for Winchester Small Pistol, Large Pistol, Small Rifle, and Large Rifle primers. (gotta support the local guys in East Alton, dontchya know)

Now, if I could just come up with a good way to sort all that mixed brass.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Chills1994

[boz1911]

How many cases can you get into a 5 gallon bucket? I am envious

Gonna guess 7-8k of 40 in a five gallon bucket......+-k for 9mm/45acp........Just an estimate...

Can see someone now counting 5 gallons of 40 brass so you can have an exact answer...........Merlin???

[mgcchkn]

weigh 500 or 1000 cases, weigh the empty 5 gallon bucket, fill the 5 gallon bucket, weigh full 5 gallon bucket, subtract weight of empty 5 gallon bucket, divide by weight of 500 or 1000 cases (whichever you weighed) and then multiply by 500 or 1000 (whichever you weighed).

should give you a pretty good guesstimate.

[Albertl35]

How many cases can you get into a 5 gallon bucket? I am envious

Gonna guess 7-8k of 40 in a five gallon bucket......+-k for 9mm/45acp........Just an estimate...

Can see someone now counting 5 gallons of 40 brass so you can have an exact answer...........Merlin???

That is a lot of brass - it'll never run out!

[Kingman]

I have a couple of those nice rubbermaid containers with slide out drawers. I can easily dump 5k or so 9mm brass per level, then weight gets to be an issue. the work nice and look neat.

[Intel6]

I purposely buy cat litter that comes in white square buckets with lids. When full they are easier to move and they stack easy.

Neal in AZ

[DougCarden]

Chills, if the SAW cans are the metal ones I am thinking about......

I dont know if I would be storing primers in them....Something goes wrong it becomes a Bomb...

If it is another storage can, then disregard.......

regards,

DougC

[Merlin Orr]

How many cases can you get into a 5 gallon bucket? I am envious

Gonna guess 7-8k of 40 in a five gallon bucket......+-k for 9mm/45acp........Just an estimate...

Can see someone now counting 5 gallons of 40 brass so you can have an exact answer...........Merlin???

I'll weight one of .40 when I get back from this work assignment. 1 K weights nearly exactly 10 lbs.

weigh 500 or 1000 cases, weigh the empty 5 gallon bucket, fill the 5 gallon bucket, weigh full 5 gallon bucket, subtract weight of empty 5 gallon bucket, divide by weight of 500 or 1000 cases (whichever you weighed) and then multiply by 500 or 1000 (whichever you weighed).

should give you a pretty good guesstimate.

Edited November 4, 2007 by Merlin Orr

[1911nm]

New to reloading, and I didn't hoard enough to start with, so still am in the Folgers coffee can class, looking forward to working up to the 5gal. bucket class.

[rooster cogburn]

Built a storage cabinet that is 5ft tall 36 in wide and 36 in deep with drawers 4 in deep. Each drawer has three sections. when a section ( cal ) gets full. It goes into five gal bucket.

[waxman]

I would like to see pics of all the brass you have accumulated. I store mine in acro bins, until I have enough extra to fill a ammo can. I like to keep a bunch on long term storage. I have noticed lately a lot more people are picking up their brass. Makes it much harder for a brass whore to operate.

[rooster cogburn]

My better half runs the office at a scrap yard. Someone around here brings pistol and rifle brass in 5gal buckets and sells it for scrap. I get to pick through it.

[kcman]

Went to K-Mart and purchased about a 18 various sized clear plastic containers with lids. Use them to hold raw brass, bullets, loaded ammo. I use Baggies in the cases to separate various items. Label each container with Cal. They stack nicely and I can see what is in them.

[jmorris]

9mm, 59.46gr/ea, 117.7cases/#, 8.5#/1000

38spl, 68.06gr/ea, 102.8cases/#, 9.7#/1000

40s&w, 70.1gr/ea, 99.9cases/#, 10#/1000

.357mag, 78.3gr/ea, 89.4cases/#, 11.2#/1000

.45acp, 89.58gr/ea, 78.1cases/#, 12.8#/1000

.223, 95.28gr/ea , 73.5cases/#, 13.6#/1000

.44mag, 114.38gr/ea, 61.2cases/#, 16.3#/1000

50bmg, 865.26gr/ea, 8.1cases/#, 123.5#/1000

All weights are uncleaned fired cases with the primer remaining.

Individual case weights were derived using an average of mixed brass weights (except 50bmg)

So, if you picked up 8#?s of 45 brass: 8# X 78.1cases/# = 625 cases+/-

If you use 1gal ziploc freezer bags to store your brass, each (full) bag contains:

9mm, 15.6#, 1836cases

40s&w, 12.2#, 1219cases

45acp, 11.4#, 890cases

223, 11#, 809cases

or if you use the 5gal bucket method

9MM = 8500-9000 pieces

.40 S&W = 7000-7500 pieces

.45 ACP = 3800-4000 pieces

As for storage I use several methods. 5 gallon buckets are used when needed. I have some clear stackable plastic containers that I use for easy access. I also have a cabinet I bought at a surplus store that I use for calibers that I don’t reload in bulk (coffee cans and Ziploc bags). FWIW I prefer transparent storage.

[Merlin Orr]

Really nice job with this, John. I saved this to a PDF. I know it will come in handy as I have bought many a 5 gal. bucket on a guesstimate.

[uscbigdawg]

how/where/what do you guys store your spare brass? ammo cans, 5 gallon buckets, storage bins, nice and neat on storage racks, or where ever you can find room? etc... I don't have that much saved up yet, but I'm thinking about hoarding it all when I go to the ranges from now on.

I use the Dillon Akrobins for brass that's being processed (i.e. range brass vs. roll sized brass vs. ready to load brass). The problem is not getting lazy to where the range brass needs to fill another 5 gallon bucket (have one for the ready to load brass).

Side note - By hoarding it all, I'm assuming you're talking about your brass and if at public ranges/matches brass that folks don't want. Remember, this isn't a cheap sport for any of us and so if you're gonna pick it up, ask if they want it even if it seems they don't.

Rich

[Viggen]

Coffee cans worked for a while. After that it was 5 gallon plastic buckets but then the different calibers sort of grew the number of buckets. After scouting for larger bins we are about to spring for a couple of those metal storage pods or shipping containers that go on the back of semi's. After that I think it's gonna be time for rehab.....

[Merlin Orr]

Coffee cans worked for a while. After that it was 5 gallon plastic buckets but then the different calibers sort of grew the number of buckets. After scouting for larger bins we are about to spring for a couple of those metal storage pods or shipping containers that go on the back of semi's. After that I think it's gonna be time for rehab.....

NOW WE BE TALKING!!!!!!!

[bgary]

5 gallon plastic buckets but then the different calibers sort of grew the number of buckets

Heh. I'm up to about 15 buckets... plus the coupla-dozen "amazon" boxes tucked away on shelves.

Not sure I need another storage solution. What I *really* need is either a bigger garage, or therapy for my brass addiction.

B

[uscbigdawg]

Good Lord Bruce (and frankly all you guys). If you've got 38 Super you can live without (no PMC brass please), I'd be happy to take some of it off your hands.

Rich

[bgary]

Heh.

9mm, super-comp, .40, .45, .223, .260 and .308 No super, except what I can scavenge at the range and trade for something I use.

B (ad·dic·tion / noun / the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming)

[UW Mitch]

I keep my untumbled/uncleaned brass in 5 gallon buckets. I have cleaned brass stacked in clear rectangular bins with lids stacked on some shelves, and also cleaned brass in Costco Powdered dishwashing detergent containers (I think they're about a gallon). FYI I had some problems with the dishwashing detergent containers corroding my brass until I soaked them in hot water and left them to air out for a couple weeks before using. The cost of the clear plastic bins is so low, it's a better way to go.

~Mitch

[jmorris]

Thanks Merlin, I did the math back in 2005 and when it comes up in a new forum I post it, this way it doesn’t take me that long to find it when I need to (game life).

Edited May 14, 2008 by jmorris

[sargenv]

I thought all brass of one kind weighed the same.. until I sorted all of my 223 rem/5.56 brass. I found that it varies depending on brand with Hornady 223 brass weighing the most at an average of 100 gr each.. LC was 94.8 gr and FC was 96.5 gr ea.

Splitting hairs, but I like being accurate.. and yes, I did have a lot of time on my hands at the time finding this out. This was once fired, not deprimed yet.

Edited May 14, 2008 by sargenv

[kevin c]

Yeah, I've found that pistol brass varies by brand as well, mebbe 5% variance.

3 to 5 gallon buckets and those big plastic storage crates (the ones with the split hinged lids) hold most of my brass, with nearly all of it cleaned, sorted by headstamp and bagged in lot sizes that I'm likely to reload in. I tend to use/rotate two or three lots of brass until it's judged recyclable scrap only, and then start in on fresh once fired stuff.

Got too much for the space I have, 35 or 40K for the three calibers I shoot (actually 40 and 9mm, with the 45 waiting on the gun getting fixed up for SS). Gotta stop picking it up, that, or sell the XS.