Suggestions for what to do with spent brass?

[Carraway]

I know I should reload and would like to find the time to both learn and do it, but life's not being the most cooperative. However, I have quite a bit of spent brass, have not found a local reloading company and it seems somewhat wasteful to simply take it to a scrap metal place. I'm also guessing the cost of shipping would outweigh its value. Am I missing something?

[secondstoryguy]

Just ship it using USPS Flat rate boxes/envelopes and it will be worth it. Folks will pay more for it than the recycling places.

[JM Campbell]

9mm? I could find a way to reuse it ;)

Seriously pack them babies up and sell them to local shooters or on the board here. USPS paid box and some coin for your troubles and next ammo purchase fund.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[HCM]

My agency was selling our brass to a scrap company for 20-30 cents per pound - we have since started auctioning it off. Reloading companies are paying 10 times the price ($2 - 3 per pound). It's enough to fund our Frangible ammo purchases for the year.

Not sure how much "quite abit" is to you but a local sherrif's office here in TX just got $1700 for a 55 gallon drum of mixed pistol and rifle brass.

[ToddG]

Whenever possible I attempt to leave my spent brass where it fell from the gun. It is my sincere hope that one day each seed will grow into an ammunition tree.

It hasn't happened yet, but I keeping trying.

[Sparks2112]

Whenever possible I attempt to leave my spent brass where it fell from the gun. It is my sincere hope that one day each seed will grow into an ammunition tree.

It hasn't happened yet, but I keeping trying.

Toddy Ammoseed?

[NickA]

My agency was selling our brass to a scrap company for 20-30 cents per pound - we have since started auctioning it off. Reloading companies are paying 10 times the price ($2 - 3 per pound). It's enough to fund our Frangible ammo purchases for the year.

Not sure how much "quite abit" is to you but a local sherrif's office here in TX just got $1700 for a 55 gallon drum of mixed pistol and rifle brass.

That's good information. Skyline1 and I will be doing most of our shooting at an indoor range and can only collect what doesn't go in the grates or in front of the firing line, which is very little(initially they let us put down a mat to catch some of it, but the owner nixed it). I'd considered trying to buy some brass off him. Even if it was mixed it might be worth it at scrap prices, maybe not at auction prices.


Whenever possible I attempt to leave my spent brass where it fell from the gun. It is my sincere hope that one day each seed will grow into an ammunition tree.

It hasn't happened yet, but I keeping trying.

I too share this dream. In fact if I'm ever in your class again I suggest you try it with the whole gun ;)

[ToddG]

In fact if I'm ever in your class again I suggest you try it with the whole gun ;)

Consider it done! And it's very generous of you to volunteer your pistol for the project.

[NickA]

Consider it done! And it's very generous of you to volunteer your pistol for the project.

Awesome... Hey wait a minute! No Jedi mind tricks.

[ford.304]

I know I should reload and would like to find the time to both learn and do it, but life's not being the most cooperative. However, I have quite a bit of spent brass, have not found a local reloading company and it seems somewhat wasteful to simply take it to a scrap metal place. I'm also guessing the cost of shipping would outweigh its value. Am I missing something?

Ask around at your gun club. I'm sure someone will take it off your hands.

But no, the flat rate shipping boxes make this completely reasonable as long as you have a decent quantity. Have any .45? I might be interested.

[Corvus]

Tenn Cartridge will give you credit for it against loaded ammo.

http://tncartridge.com/

[ford.304]

Tenn Cartridge will give you credit for it against loaded ammo.

http://tncartridge.com/

One of our local gun shops in Columbus has a similar buy-back program.

[Carraway]

Thanks, I forgot about the prepaid USPS boxes. "Quite a bit" definitely isn't a 55-gallon drum, but a couple of 5 gallon buckets in 9mm so far, with a bit of .38 special and a dash of .30 carbine on the (separated) side. Are .22 LRs worth anything to anyone?

I'll have to check in the spring for any budding ammo trees. I've probably missed picking up more .22s than 9mms, so I'd probably have ammo bushes.

[ford.304]

Thanks, I forgot about the prepaid USPS boxes. "Quite a bit" definitely isn't a 55-gallon drum, but a couple of 5 gallon buckets in 9mm so far, with a bit of .38 special and a dash of .30 carbine on the (separated) side. Are .22 LRs worth anything to anyone?

I'll have to check in the spring for any budding ammo trees. I've probably missed picking up more .22s than 9mms, so I'd probably have ammo bushes.

No one reloads .22 - you can scrap those. I only bother picking it up to keep the range clean.

[HCM]

Thanks, I forgot about the prepaid USPS boxes. "Quite a bit" definitely isn't a 55-gallon drum, but a couple of 5 gallon buckets in 9mm so far, with a bit of .38 special and a dash of .30 carbine on the (separated) side. Are .22 LRs worth anything to anyone?

I'll have to check in the spring for any budding ammo trees. I've probably missed picking up more .22s than 9mms, so I'd probably have ammo bushes.

In case the ammo orchard doesn't pan out, the aforementioned sheriff's office got just under $31 a gallon at auction for mixed brass so a five gallon bucket of 9mm would be worth between $100 and $150. Split the difference and say you get $250 for your two buckets - that's a nice bit of extra $$$.

[orionz06]

I leave it in 5 gallon buckets in my basement and stack it in the corner.

[Dave J]

I've always thought it would be really cool to use it for landscaping around the house instead of gravel or mulch.

Maybe add some shotgun hulls here and there for a bit of color.

[CCT125US]

No one reloads .22 - you can scrap those. I only bother picking it up to keep the range clean.

Actually they are usefull, if you want to invest in one of these....
http://www.corbins.com/jackets.htm#rfjm

[Carraway]

Thanks, everyone.

CCT125US - Cool link, thanks. But after the landscaping talk, I saw "jacket" and half expected to see someone making outerwear covered with .22 casings.

[roadsiderob]

FWIW, 5 gallon buckets with screwed on lids make excellent shipping containers. We ship automotive differentials in them all the time.

[BaiHu]

Whenever possible I attempt to leave my spent brass where it fell from the gun. It is my sincere hope that one day each seed will grow into an ammunition tree.

It hasn't happened yet, but I keeping trying.


Toddy Ammoseed?


I too share this dream. In fact if I'm ever in your class again I suggest you try it with the whole gun ;)


Consider it done! And it's very generous of you to volunteer your pistol for the project.


Awesome... Hey wait a minute! No Jedi mind tricks.

You guys won the internet last night. This exchange made me LSFOL (SF=so f-ing) last night around midnight. Luckily my g/f was awake, but I think the rest of the condo complex woke up too.

[nwhpfan]

You should save it for the day you do reload, save it until you have a 5 gallon bucket worth to take to the metal recycler; or leave it on the ground and somebody else will pick it up...that does reload or recycles it.

Yellow brass is over 2$ a pound. If you mix it with blazer aluminum or steel cased ammo, you'll get about 50 cents a pound and paid at the "mixed" metal rate, so keep it seperate. I would avoid mixing in nickle plated brass because some recyclers don't know what it is and may try to give you the mixed rate as well...

I pick up all the 9mm and 45 I can to load myself. Most of the rest goes into a 5 gallon bucket which when full weighs a little over 60 pounds. Thats a cool 120$ that goes right back into bullets, primers, and powder...

NOTE: If you shoot blazer or wolf, please pick it up yourself please because nobody reloads or recycles it.

If you go to a range the local PD or SO uses, and you see them out there shooting...offer to police the range for them when they are done. They are going to pay their guys (some of who are on overtime, just got off the night shift, etc) to clean the range just so they can (oftentimes) dump the brass in the clubs own barrell; or they recycle it themselves but the cost to retrieve it isn't worth the man hours they paid....

Most people that reload look back at all the brass they'd given or thrown away and wish they could go back...so if you think there's a chance you'll reload in the future, keep it.

[NickA]

You guys won the internet last night. This exchange made me LSFOL (SF=so f-ing) last night around midnight. Luckily my g/f was awake, but I think the rest of the condo complex woke up too.

Sparks must have posted "Toddy Ammoseed" while I was posting and I missed it, now that's funny!

[Sunday]

You should save it for the day you do reload, save it until you have a 5 gallon bucket worth to take to the metal recycler; or leave it on the ground and somebody else will pick it up...that does reload or recycles it.

Yellow brass is over 2$ a pound. If you mix it with blazer aluminum or steel cased ammo, you'll get about 50 cents a pound and paid at the "mixed" metal rate, so keep it seperate. I would avoid mixing in nickle plated brass because some recyclers don't know what it is and may try to give you the mixed rate as well...

I pick up all the 9mm and 45 I can to load myself. Most of the rest goes into a 5 gallon bucket which when full weighs a little over 60 pounds. Thats a cool 120$ that goes right back into bullets, primers, and powder...

NOTE: If you shoot blazer or wolf, please pick it up yourself please because nobody reloads or recycles it.

If you go to a range the local PD or SO uses, and you see them out there shooting...offer to police the range for them when they are done. They are going to pay their guys (some of who are on overtime, just got off the night shift, etc) to clean the range just so they can (oftentimes) dump the brass in the clubs own barrell; or they recycle it themselves but the cost to retrieve it isn't worth the man hours they paid....

Most people that reload look back at all the brass they'd given or thrown away and wish they could go back...so if you think there's a chance you'll reload in the future, keep it. I have reloaded once fired aluminum and steel cases I have picked up from the range . So far so good.