Brass collecting etiquette

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matttric

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Regarding indoor range shooting:
From time to time when I’m at an indoor range, if I see somebody next to me cleaning up and dumping (either in a range provided bucket, so sweeping over the firing line) their brass, I may ask them to just sweep it into my lane/stall so I can collect it. I don’t do this a lot, because I feel kinda funny about it, but I really do appreciate free brass when I can find it. thoughts?
 
I've had people offer to sweep theirs over me. I always accept it and thank them.

CoalCrackerAl said:
I don't shoot at indoor places. But if someone else is at the range or comes when im there. I'll ask them if they reload. If not i'll ask them if it's ok i gather the brass.
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I do the same at my gun club. I also check the trash cans. When I worked overnights, I would drive to the club after I got off work, (7AM) and pick brass and check the cans. Got a lot of brass over the years.
 
I don't have a problem with it, indoors or out. Nobody has asked me yet outdoor or in but at the outdoors range if they do ask I'll tell them it's fine to wait and collect what I don't want but I'll also warn them that I'm also a handloader and if I'm leaving brass, they may not want it. I leave my brass at the indoor range for the owners. They sell it to help offset the costs of running the range. My contribution but if somebody else wants it and I don't have to do anything but not push it past the line, it's okay by me.

When you go to the outdoor range with this https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Cigarette-Lighter-Charger-Converter/dp/B0753FKWKT plus this https://www.amazon.com/CRAFTSMAN-CM...words=portable+shop+vac&qid=1657211763&sr=8-6 you know you're a serious brass hawk. ;)
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
I don't have a problem with it, indoors or out. Nobody has asked me yet outdoor or in but at the outdoors range if they do ask I'll tell them it's fine to wait and collect what I don't want but I'll also warn them that I'm also a handloader and if I'm leaving brass, they may not want it. I leave my brass at the indoor range for the owners. They sell it to help offset the costs of running the range. My contribution but if somebody else wants it and I don't have to do anything but not push it past the line, it's okay by me.

When you go to the outdoor range with this https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Cigarette-Lighter-Charger-Converter/dp/B0753FKWKT plus this https://www.amazon.com/CRAFTSMAN-CM...words=portable+shop+vac&qid=1657211763&sr=8-6 you know you're a serious brass hawk. ;)
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Prepandemic the NRA HQ range sold range brass in bags of 500 ($27 for 45acp). At that time I felt odd overscrounging. But they no longer sell any so it’s all fair game in my view.
 
Most of the indoor ranges in my area think they are God's gift and tell you that anything on the floor is theirs and strongly frown on you collecting it.......

IF I feel the need to use the indoor ranges (never do anymore) , I will ONLY shoot revolvers----nothing ever hits the floor.....!......or 22's........
 
I always ask everyone at any range I'm at every time I go. I have never had any problems doing it and fielded lots of questions about reloading. Few have accepted the offer to learn how to load their own and give some competition for brass, but I'm happy to share and occasionally swap extra brass. Picking up brass for many years has given me lots of extra brass to trade or sell to buy powder and primers to lower my cost per round at times to almost nothing.

Never miss an opportunity for free brass and grab it all if you can. What you don't need you can gift, trade, sell, or scrap, it all has value to someone.
 
Soonerpesek said:
Most of the indoor ranges in my area think they are God's gift and tell you that anything on the floor is theirs and strongly frown on you collecting it.......

IF I feel the need to use the indoor ranges (never do anymore) , I will ONLY shoot revolvers----nothing ever hits the floor.....!......or 22's........
Click to expand...
I hear you but there is no outdoor shooting (other than clays) anywhere within 30 miles of DC, may be 40, so indoors is what I’ve got. Another new one just opened. I read about it for first time today. $45/month. XCal is it’s name and near Redskins, er Commanders, training facility. Another place catering to the Ashburn data farm moguls.
 
I only shoot at outdoor DNR owned gravel puts. Sometimes there will be brass and Sometimes not. There are a few brass scrounge that puck up everything for scrap including 22lr cases.
The past year & a half I've bought, sorted, wet tumbled and sold over a ton & a half of range brass.
I've bought up to 400 pounds at one time.

I hate seeing good brass go to the recycle yard.
 
Highland Lofts said:
I only shoot at outdoor DNR owned gravel puts. Sometimes there will be brass and Sometimes not. There are a few brass scrounge that puck up everything for scrap including 22lr cases.
The past year & a half I've bought, sorted, wet tumbled and sold over a ton & a half of range brass.
I've bought up to 400 pounds at one time.

I hate seeing good brass go to the recycle yard.
Click to expand...
I’ve never seen that much brass at one time except maybe hanging around the necks of Olympic losers.
 
Highland Lofts said:
I only shoot at outdoor DNR owned gravel puts. Sometimes there will be brass and Sometimes not. There are a few brass scrounge that puck up everything for scrap including 22lr cases.
The past year & a half I've bought, sorted, wet tumbled and sold over a ton & a half of range brass.
I've bought up to 400 pounds at one time.

I hate seeing good brass go to the recycle yard.
Click to expand...
I'll give away or trade but I won't sell brass. People being people, when they have to pay a penny for something worth a C-Note they feel like they own your soul; whereas, if they trade something worth $100 for something worth $10 they're fine and don't come back complaining about the deal.
 
The place in Micanopy has barriers between the lanes but they don't go to the ceiling so sometimes brass goes over the barrier. A while back I was shooting there and the brass from the guy next to me was raining down in my lane - right in front of me. A few bounced off my arms so I backed up. Then I noticed he was mag-dumping a .45 (Glock, maybe?) and all the brass was going rainbow-pattern over the barrier into the middle of the platform in front of me. I opened my range bag as wide as it would go and sat back watching it fill with once-fired Winchester brass. :D I still got to shoot - when the counter folks saw what was happening they came in and asked me if I wanted to move - I took the next lane over but left my bag there collecting brass - almost 10 boxes, 500 in total. The range supervisor weren't too happy about that but didn't object either. The guy shooting finally ran out of ammo, noticed what was going on and apologized but I told him as long as he didn't mind my keeping the brass I didn't mind moving lanes. He just shrugged and left. Never been so lucky before or since. Kismet, I guess.:)
 
GeoDudeFlorida said:
The place in Micanopy has barriers between the lanes but they don't go to the ceiling so sometimes brass goes over the barrier. A while back I was shooting there and the brass from the guy next to me was raining down in my lane - right in front of me. A few bounced off my arms so I backed up. Then I noticed he was mag-dumping a .45 (Glock, maybe?) and all the brass was going rainbow-pattern over the barrier into the middle of the platform in front of me. I opened my range bag as wide as it would go and sat back watching it fill with once-fired Winchester brass. :D I still got to shoot - when the counter folks saw what was happening they came in and asked me if I wanted to move - I took the next lane over but left my bag there collecting brass - almost 10 boxes, 500 in total. The range supervisor weren't too happy about that but didn't object either. The guy shooting finally ran out of ammo, noticed what was going on and apologized but I told him as long as he didn't mind my keeping the brass I didn't mind moving lanes. He just shrugged and left. Never been so lucky before or since. Kismet, I guess.:)
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Clever.

My boss used to make me go to government conferences where everyone would talk about what they should be doing. I’d find a trustworthy soul, leave my tape recorder with them, and pick it up after the yammering was over.

Kind of the same thing.
 
Soonerpesek said:
Most of the indoor ranges in my area think they are God's gift and tell you that anything on the floor is theirs and strongly frown on you collecting it.......

IF I feel the need to use the indoor ranges (never do anymore) , I will ONLY shoot revolvers----nothing ever hits the floor.....!......or 22's........
Click to expand...

I had a range pull that on me, I told them I brought it in with me, it leaves with me. If you dont like it then refund my membership, and I'll go somewhere else.
He decided that if the cases are laying on the carpet on my side of the line I could keep it.
Funny how fast he changed his mind when he had to payout $250.00 for a few pieces of brass he didnt own to start with.
Ive since changed ranges anyways because the new one is more reloader friendly and doesnt care about me picking up my brass.
Others see me picking up mine and offer me theirs,
I take all donations.
 
I shoot at a very nice outdoor public, unmonitored range, separated into rifle, pistol, and shotgun ranges. Surprisingly (or not) the concrete shooting bench areas are absolutely littered with enough brass to make one watch their step lest they slip. It's almost a nuisance. I always try to police my brass to either reload or dispose of (.22 rimfire). Unfortunately there's precious little .45 Colt or .45/70 laying around :D
And maybe ½ the time there's the non-shooting scroungers filling the 5 gallon white buckets with everything made of metal as far as 10 yards out.

-jb, sort of like buzzards, keeping the grounds tidy o_O
 
Soonerpesek said:
Most of the indoor ranges in my area think they are God's gift and tell you that anything on the floor is theirs and strongly frown on you collecting it.......

IF I feel the need to use the indoor ranges (never do anymore) , I will ONLY shoot revolvers----nothing ever hits the floor.....!......or 22's........[/QUOTE
This is always what makes me feel odd, however if it’s in my stall or NOT in their brass buckets, I tend to think it’s still the property of the shooter, therefore they can give it to me. Still makes me feel odd from time to time, but nobody has said anything yet in the years I’ve been shooting there.
Click to expand...
 
bullseye308 said:
I always ask everyone at any range I'm at every time I go. I have never had any problems doing it and fielded lots of questions about reloading. Few have accepted the offer to learn how to load their own and give some competition for brass, but I'm happy to share and occasionally swap extra brass. Picking up brass for many years has given me lots of extra brass to trade or sell to buy powder and primers to lower my cost per round at times to almost nothing.

Never miss an opportunity for free brass and grab it all if you can. What you don't need you can gift, trade, sell, or scrap, it all has value to someone.
Click to expand...
I’m happy to pick up anything that falls for the reasons you just said. Glad to hear others do the same thing and it’s not frowned upon. I never see anybody else picking up range brass, so I’ve started feeling odd about this.
 
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