The Wiry Irishman
Member
A while back I got frustrated about the amount of .380 brass I was losing, so I started bringing a large tarp with me to the range. That solved my .380 problem, but my rifle and my 1911 huck brass into low earth orbit and even my giant tarp wasn't collecting all the brass. I was still losing 15% or more of my .45 and 30% of my .308. One night when I was laying in bed trying to sleep, I came up with this idea:
The central post is 1" PVC, the net frames are 1/2" PVC, and its all attached to a 5 gallon bucket half full of cement that serves as both a stable base and a brass collector. The net is $1.29 per yard at Wal-Mart. The tubing is stuck together with Plumber's Goop, and the nets are attached to the frames the same way. Where necessary, the net is stuck to itself with Loctite fabric adhesive. Total cost was less than $40.
It also breaks down into four pieces so I can fit it in my trunk:
The height is adjustable just by swapping out the central post with one of a different length.
I went to the range today to try it out. My goal was 100% brass retention with both my .45 and my rifle.
It was incredibly windy, and I although my bucket o' cement stayed put just fine, there was an awful lot of flex in the PVC. I think another PVC support running down from the upper small net ring down to the bucket is in order. Also, I need more netting. The piece running from the top of the big ring down to the small was is almost stretched taut, and it bounced almost as much brass back out as it caught. I'm going to splice some more in to produce some slack, and make a small frame out of coathanger to hold it out a little. I also need to make a taller central post for use with my 1911. The current setup works great with my rifle, since it ejects at a slightly downward angle half the time, but the 1911 still launches to occasional shell over the top of the catcher.
Total recovery count:
.45 ACP: 174/200, not much better or worse than the tarp.
.308: 20/20, the heavier brass doesn't bounce off the net as much.
The central post is 1" PVC, the net frames are 1/2" PVC, and its all attached to a 5 gallon bucket half full of cement that serves as both a stable base and a brass collector. The net is $1.29 per yard at Wal-Mart. The tubing is stuck together with Plumber's Goop, and the nets are attached to the frames the same way. Where necessary, the net is stuck to itself with Loctite fabric adhesive. Total cost was less than $40.
It also breaks down into four pieces so I can fit it in my trunk:
The height is adjustable just by swapping out the central post with one of a different length.
I went to the range today to try it out. My goal was 100% brass retention with both my .45 and my rifle.
It was incredibly windy, and I although my bucket o' cement stayed put just fine, there was an awful lot of flex in the PVC. I think another PVC support running down from the upper small net ring down to the bucket is in order. Also, I need more netting. The piece running from the top of the big ring down to the small was is almost stretched taut, and it bounced almost as much brass back out as it caught. I'm going to splice some more in to produce some slack, and make a small frame out of coathanger to hold it out a little. I also need to make a taller central post for use with my 1911. The current setup works great with my rifle, since it ejects at a slightly downward angle half the time, but the 1911 still launches to occasional shell over the top of the catcher.
Total recovery count:
.45 ACP: 174/200, not much better or worse than the tarp.
.308: 20/20, the heavier brass doesn't bounce off the net as much.
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