Interest in free range brass?

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Just a general feeler question. Would re-loaders be interested in coming to a range in Central Massachusetts and "harvesting" as much brass as you want to take out? Obviously, the range would be totally shutdown and it is a "cold range". You would have hours to gather whatever brass you are looking for. You should bring whatever tools, rakes, containers as you wish.

The only real supervision would be just where you park and we only would ask that you be respectful of each other and our property.

Opinions?

Jay
 
just askin' is all....sounds like this stuff has been laying out on the ground in the elements for many years, has it? if so, laying out for years, i wouldn't "harvest" it to use. but that's me.
 
just askin' is all....sounds like this stuff has been laying out on the ground in the elements for many years, has it? if so, laying out for years, i wouldn't "harvest" it to use. but that's me.

Not at all. Yes, some has been there for awhile, but most is fairly freshly fired. We hold training events, IDPA events, charity events, Pin Shoots, and just general members shooting. I'm just thinking of creative ways to get others to be able to use it before the crappy weather sets in.

Jay
 
Jay is this for WP&R? If so I may be able to help out on my own time. I regularly raid the brass buckets to see if there's 30-06, so i'll consider it a service to the club.

I was there last week a couple of late afternoons and the dingalings that are shooting AR's downrange and not policing their brass are making a damn mess.

When no one else is around, I regularly set up my shooting mat in the grass forward of the first stream because it's an actual 100yds from muzzle to target at that location...but i police 100% of my brass when i shoot down there.
 
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Get a pack of Boy Scouts out there to clean it up. Sort it, and sell it with proceeds going to the Troop..

this is a great idea, except for the fact that we live in a society that would probably take issue with kids being around lead and we certainly don't need any legal issues at the club if it's WP&R. i get a bad enough pit in my stomach every time I drive by the new development going up over there...i feel like it's a matter of time before the neighbors start taking issue with the noise that was there before their developments.
 
Jay is this for WP&R? If so I may be able to help out on my own time. I regularly raid the brass buckets to see if there's 30-06, so i'll consider it a service to the club.

I was there last week a couple of late afternoons and the dingalings that are shooting AR's downrange and not policing their brass are making a damn mess.

When no one else is around, I regularly set up my shooting mat in the grass forward of the first stream because it's an actual 100yds from muzzle to target at that location...but i police 100% of my brass when i shoot down there.

Yes, it is WP&R. And thank you for picking up your brass. As you have seen, it is an issue. I was thinking of proposing this idea to the board to be held during our monthly work parties as the range is totally shutdown and is very safe to have lots of people down range. The "general" policy is that brass that members who actually clean up after themselves put in the numerous "brass only" containers is the clubs. BUT, and this a BIG But, any brass on the ground is fair game for others to pickup as long as it is safe to do so.

While the club does recycle the brass, it has gotten to the point where we just want it gone and for re-loaders, isn't it accurate to say the brass is one of more expensive components? I personally like to keep my own brass to reload.



Jay
 
this is a great idea, except for the fact that we live in a society that would probably take issue with kids being around lead and we certainly don't need any legal issues at the club if it's WP&R. i get a bad enough pit in my stomach every time I drive by the new development going up over there...i feel like it's a matter of time before the neighbors start taking issue with the noise that was there before their developments.


Agreed. And yes, the new development does draw our attention. We are working on other solutions to help in that situation, but I would think we would be prefer to be "good neighbors" and everyone only pay attention to their own property.

Come by the monthly meetings, every first Thursday of the month, to hear from the board. I've tried to post the meetings summary in the NES Club and range forum.

Jay
 
ok...i'll make some time coming up to spend there and help out.

for what it's worth, I don't come across 30-06 very often in the brass buckets and have probably ended up with 100-200 total cases over 4 years...but will certainly replace what I found with what I pick up out on the range.

can you please PM me your info so that I can say that I spoke to you if anyone asks me what the hell i'm doing?
 
Get a pack of Boy Scouts out there to clean it up. Sort it, and sell it with proceeds going to the Troop..

I prefer not to have young people handling potentially hazardous waste.


Well I guess the local troop is not going to get that Hazardous Waste Clean-Up merit badge.
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Oh well, at least there is always Seabrook.
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:emoji_tiger:
 
So...your club set up a cleaning day, people volunteered, but no one showed up?

I’d take any and all .30-06, .308, and 10mm if I had the time to help out. Good luck!
 
So...your club set up a cleaning day, people volunteered, but no one showed up? I’d take any and all .30-06, .308, and 10mm if I had the time to help out. Good luck!

LOL. Not exactly "your club set up a cleaning day, people volunteered, but no one showed up". It is something I'm trying to gauge interest before proposing it to the E-Board. It's one thing to have members come to pick up brass, but it is a different thing to have visitors come by to pick up brass.

Jay
 
Many years ago I did a few indoor range clean outs like your trying to do.
Wore those inexpensive disposable cover alls , dust masks and got to it.
Basically was take what you can carry event. I still have several hundred lbs from those clean outs.
I used to do another club and cash in the copper jackets. Gave that to the Jr team.

These work pretty good
Garden Weasel Pro 47.5 in. Harvest Large Nut Gatherer Steel - Ace Hardware

If you know any roofing contractors those magnet “rakes” make short work of steel cased ammo.

If your brass is imbedded in the dirt a clam rake with some corse screen lined inside makes getting some brass up easier.
Local scrap yards dont like dirt filled cases. So its a good idea to have a way to get the dirt out.

Scrap has tanked a bit , brass shells are down to under $1/lb here and scrap light steel is not even worth the drive $60/ton
Less than a ton you get less.
 
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LOL. Not exactly "your club set up a cleaning day, people volunteered, but no one showed up". It is something I'm trying to gauge interest before proposing it to the E-Board. It's one thing to have members come to pick up brass, but it is a different thing to have visitors come by to pick up brass.

Jay

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.
 
...for what it's worth, I don't come across 30-06 very often in the brass buckets and have probably ended up with 100-200 total cases over 4 years...but will certainly replace what I found with what I pick up out on the range.

Probably even scarcer than .30-06 is .270 Winchester, but if you find this at the range, it doesn't take much to convert it into .30-06 and other calibers.
Although it's not convenient for you, I just rescued some unpopular/unwanted .270 Win. brass from a local shop near Foxwoods. It was packed up, ready to go to the scrap yard. I figured it would be worth the effort to size it into .30-06, 7.7 Japanese and 7.65x53mm instead of being melted down into plowshares.
 
Probably even scarcer than .30-06 is .270 Winchester, but if you find this at the range, it doesn't take much to convert it into .30-06 and other calibers.
Although it's not convenient for you, I just rescued some unpopular/unwanted .270 Win. brass from a local shop near Foxwoods. It was packed up, ready to go to the scrap yard. I figured it would be worth the effort to size it into .30-06, 7.7 Japanese and 7.65x53mm instead of being melted down into plowshares.
I come across .270 about this time every year. 20-30 cases over a few weeks. I personally dont know anyone reloading it.
I had a bag of 270 brass for free here for a good long while with no takers?
 
Very late update. My apologies. I was trying to set up a date/time before the snow fell, but obviously that didn't work out to well. Then life kicked in and [hmmm]

I did get "permission" to hold this as an "event" during one of our monthly "Work Party" dates which are on the second or third Sunday of the month. Only a few minor requests like checking in, signing a waiver, "visitor" name tag, show a LTC, staying within our property boundaries, signing out (as the range will go active after we are done), respect our property and neighbors, blah blah blah...

There is still plenty of brass to be picked up, but some is more accessible than others. :rolleyes:

That being said I'm thinking I'll update or get a date again in the spring.

Worthwhile? or not?

Jay
 
If the brass is crushed or otherwise beyond recovery, there's always the scrap value.
I eventually accumulate a few pounds as cases crack or become unserviceable. Took it over to a scrap yard and got all of $1.20 a pound ($12). It was only a bread wrapper bag full, but it was worth stopping by the yard in my travels. You'll likely have a few pail fulls of this junky brass.
Steel cases are much less valuable ($1.5000/GT), but they can get you some gas money.
 
The problem is the brass will be dirty and full of dirt. Plus its not easy to get the junk seperate from the brass easily.
If you have a range with enough brass on the ground to have a "brass party" its obvious members are not interested.

i would always go down to the range after a "shoot/training" they always left brass.
i have cleaned up the first 4' or so in front of the line.
Methods where various.
we used those construction magnets with wheels to get the steel.
I used a modified clam rake buy lining it with some 1/4" screen. This helped in getting into the sand a few inches. All was good when there was free time to do such a thing. One member had that spring steel wheel that worked pretty good.
Maybe consider one of these

The time and effort put into the clean up is hard to recoupe. If you want to sell the brass for reloading you have to sort it and not have it full of junk.
You want to recycle it. Well the yards will not give you top price if cases are full of dirt and rocks.
Turning In your brass and steel for scrap if they will take it is the easiest quickest and more than likely the best return for your time and labor.

now the best time to try to recover brass or lead from the range is late spring early summer. When the ground dries out quickly.
Depending on how fast it dries.....about 3-4 days after a nice heavy down poor. The soil will be looser and the newer brass on the surface will show more.
I cashed in my junk in spring
CLEAN ammo brass $1.72/lb
CLEAN steel ammo case .03 cents lb. If you have 100lbs or more they gave .05/lb
Last i checked local place was paying .82/lb for brass and they where rejecting small lots of scrap steel.
 
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The problem is the brass will be dirty and full of dirt. Plus its not easy to get the junk seperate from the brass easily.
If you have a range with enough brass on the ground to have a "brass party" its obvious members are not interested.

i would always go down to the range after a "shoot/training" they always left brass.
i have cleaned up the first 4' or so in front of the line.
Methods where various.
we used those construction magnets with wheels to get the steel.
I used a modified clam rake buy lining it with some 1/4" screen. This helped in getting into the sand a few inches. All was good when there was free time to do such a thing. One member had that spring steel wheel that worked pretty good.
Maybe consider one of these

The time and effort put into the clean up is hard to recoupe. If you want to sell the brass for reloading you have to sort it and not have it full of junk.
You want to recycle it. Well the yards will not give you top price if cases are full of dirt and rocks.
Turning In your brass and steel for scrap if they will take it is the easiest quickest and more than likely the best return for your time and labor.

now the best time to try to recover brass or lead from the range is late spring early summer. When the ground dries out quickly.
Depending on how fast it dries.....about 3-4 days after a nice heavy down poor. The soil will be looser and the newer brass on the surface will show more.
I cashed in my junk in spring
CLEAN ammo brass $1.72/lb
CLEAN steel ammo case .03 cents lb. If you have 100lbs or more they gave .05/lb
Last i checked local place was paying .82/lb for brass and they where rejecting small lots of scrap steel.
Would one of the plastic barreled cement mixers be a solution for tumbling the collected casings (using one of your above methods to collect)? Still a bit of work but I imaging some warm water and just shovelling in the the casings wouldn't be hard. Pour out on a big tarp to dry and run a magnet after to separate the brass from the metal.
 
Would one of the plastic barreled cement mixers be a solution for tumbling the collected casings (using one of your above methods to collect)? Still a bit of work but I imaging some warm water and just shovelling in the the casings wouldn't be hard. Pour out on a big tarp to dry and run a magnet after to separate the brass from the metal.
thats up to you. It will work but it is a lot of work.
We just used buckets with hole. Fill bucket about half with brass Flood bucket with water swish around as it drains. it took me 2 summers to sort through the buckets I did. No kids then and lots of free time. Would not do it today. i traded alot of that brass for lead alloy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5y_dsP3dsM



If my club put out a call for a range brasx clean up day I would give a day of labor.
the 2 clubs i go to theres not much brass on the ground except 22lr .......royal pita picking that up.
That goes goes into the trash AFAIK.
 
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Good ideas, thank you. Yes, we do reclaim our brass that is in the buckets/barrels, and have picked up buckets and buckets of brass/steel/aluminum. We sort out the steel with magnets and toss the it.

And Yes, maybe we are unique, maybe not, but we are constantly reminding members to pickup their brass. We have many buckets, rakes, brooms, scoops, etc. at all shooting stands. A lot of members do pickup their brass and trash, but geeze, how many times do you have to tell a 7 year old to clean their room and make their bed? Seems to be the same mentality of some people picking up their brass.

Jay
 
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