HOW DO YOU SORT BRASS FROM DIRT?

[shooterbenedetto]

I cleaned out the range and scooped up a bunch of dirt,22s, big rocks, rifle brass. do you guys have a system to clean it out?

[The_Vigilante]

I would suggest the first thing is to separate the brass from the dirt and rocks. Get some type of netting or screening that will let the dirt and smaller rocks fall thru but will trap the brass. You might try Home Depot or Lowe's for this. After that it depends on what you plan on doing with the brass. If you are going to sell it for scrap you might hose it off in a big bucket to clean it up a little. That's about all you can do with the .22 brass anyway. For the brass you are going to keep and reload, trade, or sell, then you will need to sort it by hand or use a sorter found on Dillon, Midway, etc. They go for about $40.00. After you have sorted it then either tumble them or wash them if you don't have a tumbler. Good luck

[HSMITH]

The Brass Sorter is listed on USPSA classifieds, the seller is Kay Zeller. I bought one and really like it, works great at getting the brass sorted out and also getting the trash out of the brass.

[nashvillebill]

Mount a piece of screen or hardware cloth over the end of your shop-vac hose. Hardware cloth is like a small wire fencing available with 1/4 inch spaces between wires. Suck up dirt, dust and .22s, leaves usable brass.

[Bill Nesbitt]

I use one of these. http://www.shellsorter.com/ Works great. One of our local ranges has pea gravel. This sorts it out.

[Dalmas]

I went to the grocery store and asked for a couple of plastic (stackable) trays that veggies usually get delivered in. The holes are big enough to let rocks, sand etc through while keeping the brass in. I have about 5 of them and since they are stackable they take little room.

[tgibson]

I cleaned out the range and scooped up a bunch of dirt,22s, big rocks, rifle brass. do you guys have a system to clean it out?

Try a Brass Magnet . These guys sponsor our match every year and these things work!!! We use them on our full auto stage, and I use them at the weekly SC matches. Work like a charm!!

Adios,

TG

[High Lord Gomer]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores...=10000003+90401

I used something similar to this when I had a bunch of dirt in a bucket of brass. I ran a hose it it while it tumbled. Instead of some of the brass being dirt-filled, I ended up with a light coatong of dirt on all of the brass.

[ben b.]

I cleaned out the range and scooped up a bunch of dirt,22s, big rocks, rifle brass. do you guys have a system to clean it out?

Try a Brass Magnet . These guys sponsor our match every year and these things work!!! We use them on our full auto stage, and I use them at the weekly SC matches. Work like a charm!!

Adios,

TG

The Brass Magnet link is broken. Do you have it available?

[High Lord Gomer]

Is this it?

http://www.antiterrorconsultants.org/brass_magnet.htm

[rpetrone]

I use my Dillon media separator. I throw the dirt and brass in, close the cage, and crank a few revolutions. Hopefully the rocks you mentioned aren't too big, because small ones will be removed.

I then throw the brass in my vibratory case cleaner, add the crushed walnut media, and clean.

[tgibson]

Is this it?

http://www.antiterrorconsultants.org/brass_magnet.htm

That's the one!!

Adios,

TG

[jam-man]

I just cut the top out of a gallon jug and thorw the brass in. Then I spray the brass with the water hose and shake the jug and pour the water out. Repeat this process several times and all the grass and dirt is gone. Also all the hard packed dirt inside of the brass is also normally removed. Cheap, simple, pretty quick and other than getting a little wet is no hassle.

[AZReloader]

Using the Shell Sorter is the fastest and best way I have found to separate out brass.

[David Sinko]

You may as well just pick through them individually. Sooner or later you'll have to eyeball each and every one of them to check for various "issues." Some of us use our worst brass at matches just so it could be somebody else's problem afterward. Gotta be real careful out there!

Dave Sinko

[RevolverJockey]

At our club, we use a large piece of expanded metal built into a table top roughly 6'x4'. Works like a champ dropping the dirt and .22s onto a shelf below it and keeping the brass laying flat so we can sort out certain calibers. I bought a similar piece 10"x20" at home depot and fashioned a frame similar to my lead sifting frame using 1"x2"s. Might want to give this a though portable to take to the range and good at home too over a tub.

[High Lord Gomer]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores...=10000003+90401

I used something similar to this when I had a bunch of dirt in a bucket of brass. I ran a hose it it while it tumbled. Instead of some of the brass being dirt-filled, I ended up with a light coatong of dirt on all of the brass.

OK....this was a mistake! I finally got around to sorting the mess that I had "washed" in the cement mixer. I have never seen so many cases locked into others before. I had a surprising number of .45s with .40s in them with 9s in them with .32s in them with .22s in them! On top of that, all of the tumbling allowed the water and dirt to jam them together tight enough that I had to use needle nosed pliers to separate many and ended up throwing a bunch away that I damaged in the process.

[kevin c]

Sort each major competition caliber with the Shell Sorter. This will get rid of most of the small stuff.

Rinse the brass in the appropriate tray with running water, a double handful at a time. This will get rid of the rest of the dirt. You should end up with clean brass of one caliber and the occasional rock.

Edited September 19, 2008 by kevin c

[seaswol]

Sort each major competition caliber with the Shell Sorter. This will get rid of most of the small stuff.

Rinse the brass in the appropriate tray with running water, a double handful at a time. This will get rid of the rest of the dirt. You should end up with clean brass of one caliber and the occasional rock.

I use an old scuba mesh lobster/game bag, throw in all the brass, tumble (outside) then dump the brass into a box to be sorted.

Chris