How much brass is enough?

[Wildbillz]

Hi All
I have been cleaning up around the reloading bench and finding stuff I didn't remember having. I opened one ammo can (one of the 20mm type) and found three or four K of once fired LC 30-06 brass that I bought years ago. I don't know when the last time I reloaded 06 was.

So I got to thinking. How much brass is enough? I have some calibers that I have more then 10K of brass (not counting the loaded stuff). At what point do I move from good to go to hoarder?

WB

 

[Rico567]

These days, judging by what I read about how difficult it is to get components and lot of ammo, you're probably small time. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[medalguy]

+1 on this. I have over 75,000 pieces of various pistol and rifle brass waiting to be used, plus quite a bit of loaded ammo. I'm always looking for brass left at the range and even buy it when I find an especially good deal. You can never have "too much" brass. It doesn't eat and it's money in the bank as far as I'm concerned.

BTW I have probably 10,000 rounds of .30-06 brass sitting in cans, just waiting......

 

[armoredman]

Too much is when you have to move out to make room.
Alternate definition, too much is when the significant other begins to comment on the credit card statements for MidwayUSA and Graf and Sons, and that her sewing room is full of pallets. That might be a sign you may need to cut back.
Otherwise, copacetic, amigo.

 

[Wildbillz]

Thank goodness I was worried there might be something wrong with me. Looks like I am AOK.

WB

 

[rodregier]

It it bothers you, trade some of it for something you have in less depth

I'm constantly "balancing" my component holdings so that I have roughly
equal production quantities of brass, propellant, projectiles and primers for a given cartridge. Brass is tricky, since you can get multiple firing from most varieties. (That of course assumes range usage).

The other way to look at your holdings is how hard would it be to acquire
if you had too little. Primers can potentially be the worse, since projectiles and propellants
seen to flow from offshore much more readily than do primers. There are still a lot of non-reloaders out there who can act as a ready source of cartridge brass...

 

[W.E.G.]

Assess what you will actually use over the course of the next three years.

The three-year articles are active.

Everything else is excess, and is subject to purge if circumstances warrant.
Have an expedient plan for purging all excess.

Once fired brass in common calibers sells very quickly on the internet.
But, only if you have a system for posting it in a way that maximizes the value, and also a system for fulfilling customers' orders.

 

[cfullgraf]

I don't know when the last time I reloaded 06 was.

It has been about 20 years since I reloaded and shot my 7mm International Rimmed Contender. No way I will get rid of my inventory of 30-30 cases used to form the 7mm International Rimmed cases.

If you got space. I'd keep what you got. It is not like we have to pay inventory tax on it.

 

[mugsie]

You guys have too much! I have several hundred pieces of each caliber I reload from, and as it gets old, toss it and replenish it with either range pick ups or new. There's no need to store hundreds of thousands of cases with no hope of shooting it. Do you have powder for all those cases? Bullets? Primers? I do. If TEOTWAWKI happens, not only will I have sufficient to satisfy my needs, but any more I need I can take from the fallen. Hoarding hundreds of thousands of pieces only contributes to the shortages and price gouging.

So, after listening to my rant, and feeling bad, you need to make amends. Send me all your excess brass. I'll forgive you your excesses, you'll feel better, and I'll distribute a lot of it to those in need.

Seriously guys, only you can answer if what you have is too much. You asked me my opinion, I stated it.

Stay well all.....

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I probably have more than I'll ever load, but I still pick up every piece I see at the range and dig through the brass buckets as well. It's a sickness I tell ya.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

If you have the room to store it and don't need cash, no reason not to keep it.

If it's something you know you're not likely to ever use though, there's not much reason to keep it. Under that circumstance I'd personally look into getting rid of most of it keeping a small amount, just in case.

 

[horsemen61]

I haven't begun to reach the point where I feel like I should not pick up brass the more the merrier

 

[Arkansas Paul]

^ Absolutely.
Heck, even if you're not going to load it, you can trade it or sell it for extra cash to buy components you do need.

 

[GLOOB]

I have enough brass when I don't need to shoot in order to reload.

The only caliber I'm a bit short on is 40SW, of all things. That must be the most plentiful and cheap brass around.

 

[BSA1]

It's not hoarding, it's recycling.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I only load 3 cartridges. I have 1K for my hand guns. I think that's all I will need. When I get down to 500 I'll by more. Brass isn't like any of the other components in that you can reuse it several times.

By the way if anyone has any 30 carbine brass I could use it. None to be found new or used anywhere. Used to be you could buy it new for 0.30. Now people want nearly that for range pick-ups.

 

[plmitch]

Never have to much. I have brass for calibers I don't shoot. It trade fodder.

 

[joustin]

I want to have 10k 223 and 45 auto on hand, I guess than 5k or so 308 would be enough. I like not having to look for it when needed. I have the money now and if I find a good deal I'll buy a few thousand, its cheaper today than it will be tomorrow.

 

[jmorris]

If you might use it, it's free and you have a place to put it, you can't have too much.

 

[SFreed]

When we recently moved I realized I have 92 pounds of 9mm brass. I don't even have a 9mm handgun, but I can't seem to stop picking it up at the range.

 

[Hondo 60]

I have enough brass when I don't need to shoot in order to reload.

I like that!
This winter has been so harsh I've only been to the range maybe 3 times.
For me, that's HORRIBLE!
I like to go 2 or 3 times a week in nicer weather.
(and by nicer I mean 15-20 degrees or above w/o much wind)

I'm at the point where I DO need to shoot to reload.

 

[medalguy]

I have a sickness called pickupbrassitis. I never leave any reloadable brass on the ground when I go shooting. Even if I don't have a gun in a given caliber I still pick it up. I started collecting Makarov brass a number of years ago so when I finally got around to picking up a beautiful East German pistol I had about 600 pieces of brass ready to load.

Even if I don't need it, I can trade it for components I can use. Last weekend someone left 40 pieces of 7mm Mag brass along with the factory box. Into the brass can it went and home with me. Beautiful brass. I also picked up about 60 pieces of 7.62 x 39 Winchester brass at the same time. I don't reload that one-- yet-- but the days of cheap imported ammo are looking short indeed.

 

[mstreddy]

When I started reading the thread I instantly thought of Jmorris and his mounds and mounds of brass, his cement mixer tumbler, his home made sorter and his machines.
And of course - he posts the bucket fulls of brass above. Gotta love it!
So, the answer -- when Jmorris and some others tell you it's enough, then you might be there.
medalguy - I think that pickupbrassitis is contagious, it's an epidemic of epic proportions even!
I tell myself that I have enough 9mm brass, that I can stop picking it up at the range, but I bend down pick up one piece and then another and before you know it the shopping bag is full. I can't stop, I think I have the disease!
As they say - 1 is too much and too many is not enough. I think I have to go to a BAA meeting now - brass-aholics anonymous.

 

[Swampman]

Originally posted by GLOOB

The only caliber I'm a bit short on is 40SW

Just throw a handful in a clean, dry plastic tub, then put 'em somewhere where they won't be disturbed for a while. If you check on 'em in six months, it'll be half full.
If you forget 'em for a year, the tub will be overflowing and it'll have a split in one side.

I'm convinced that .40's are capable of reproduction rates that'd make a rabbit blush.

 

[Winchester 70]

If you might use it, it's free and you have a place to put it, you can't have too much.

You, my friend, have got it BAD!!!!