Social encounter...

[Dulvarian]

So what do you say to a guy picking your brass up about as soon as it hits the ground? Just showed up on an outdoor range today, no kidding was firing through my first magazine and some guy was already there picking up my brass. I have had guys ask me if I cared before (before ammo was so hard to come by, mind you) and I hadn't decided to reload yet. No big deal.

I was kind of outraged, and kind of disgusted.

Lol, I have some questions on something better to catch brass, but I think I'll just move over to another forum for that one.

 

[kingpin008]

You look at him and say "I'd appreciate it if you put my brass back where you found it."

If he gets the picture, that's great. If not, it might be necessary to use a little bit stronger language.

Sometimes people assume that others won't want their spent brass, and sometimes they pick up someone else's by mistake when policing their own. There's no need to get snippy right out of the gate, ya know? Of course like I said, if the fella doesn't want to listen and respect his boundaries, he might need it spelled out a little clearer.

 

[MattTheHat]

I'd say something like "Thanks for picking that up for me, how did you know my back's been giving me trouble?" And then hold out my hands.


-Matt

 

[bigfatdave]

Are you sure he wasn't trying to pick up his own brass before you dropped more of yours on top of it? Just a possibility.
If he was scavenging your brass without asking, and as you fired no less, that is very odd/rude/dumb ... I make a point not to get in the personal space of someone actively shooting.
If he was trying to get his own ... still odd, he could have asked you, or are you particularly imposing/intimidating?

 

[Birdmang]

The last time I went to a range some old man was walking around picking up all the brass...I let it go. Ten minutes later he came by with everyones brass in zip lock bags and set it next to where I was sitting. I was so astonished!

 

[NavyLCDR]

Dulvarian,

I just wish you would have shot more of the calibers I reload!

 

[UniversalFrost]

yeah had a guy picking up my 5.7 brass one time and I politely told him i reload and that was my brass. he pretended not to hear. I then walked up to him got in his face and switch back into drill sergeant mode.

he gave me my brass back. Also, i am a regular at that range and he was not. He was asked to leave after the RO came up to see what the yelling was about (all on my side as the guy was a bit taken back by a dude with a crew cut and a SOCEUR shirt one (nice graphics of our crest and the beret on it with a skull) getting nose to nose and screaming to drop the f'ing brass and keep his hands off my brass.

my buddy said I should have been a little more level headed, but i was having a bad day and when the guy pretended to not hear me that just flipped the switch and I went off on him. next time i was shooting and he showed up he went to the total opposite side of the range. i just smiled and waved to him.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

So what do you say to a guy picking your brass up about as soon as it hits the ground?

I told him, politely, but firmly, "That's mine! Please leave it there. I'll be picking it up myself when I'm done." and then I suggested that he might want to ask first the next time he tried tried to do that to someone. He did apologize, and I didn't need to pursue it further. Some people are just clueless, and they have the manners and ethics of a Feringi. They're the same folks who will sit on your motorcycle without asking your permission.

 

[dobrzemetal]

brass vulchers, every range has one. I told him before I shoot that he can have mine.

 

[flyboy1788]

yeah had a guy picking up my 5.7 brass one time and I politely told him i reload and that was my brass. he pretended not to hear. I then walked up to him got in his face and switch back into drill sergeant mode.

he gave me my brass back. Also, i am a regular at that range and he was not. He was asked to leave after the RO came up to see what the yelling was about (all on my side as the guy was a bit taken back by a dude with a crew cut and a SOCEUR shirt one (nice graphics of our crest and the beret on it with a skull) getting nose to nose and screaming to drop the f'ing brass and keep his hands off my brass.

Asking him firmly(loudly) but nicely but probobly would have worked too. If someone came up to me and got in my face and started to make a scene in a public place, I sure as hell wouldnt be in a big hurry to give them what they wanted. Then again, I wouldnt be "that guy" and take another guys brass. All of my jobs have been jobs that involve dealing with people, or "sheeple" as I like to refer to them. In general, I have found that people respond better when being talked to with respect. YMMV

 

[halfded]

That's why I shoot revolvers! They can pick up all the .22 cases they want, that's all I drop.

Range vultures should be considered a game bird..or a pest species.

 

[edSky]

Yeah, we sometimes have an old-timer picking up brass at the public range. Never talks to anyone, just sweeps. If he notices you picking up your own he'll cut you a wide berth. When I pick up my own and see others leaving theirs I'll ask.

At first I used to be bothered and chase after all my brass before the brass-rats would get it. I spent more time being distracted. Now I'll shoot five, hunt for my five, rinse and repeat. It slows things down and stretches out 100 rounds to a nice leisurely pace.

If you are really concerned, mark your brass with a sharpie or something. Just a dot or a mark should do. Also keep track of what your shooting. I've shot and collected next to another guy doing the same and we were both shooting .45s. I picked up his if I found it and handed it over, and he did the same - all without much effort. Cooperating sometimes just happens naturally. It depends on the players.

 

[Nate1778]

I would also like to reiterate about not becoming a range vulture. I was shooting at an indoor next to a guy that was also shooting 9mm and he left with a ton of brass on the ground. I still felt wrong about picking it up with out permission from the range. Went out to the front desk and asked, guy looked at me like "Wow, that's a question I have never been asked". Guy said politely "sure, just don't over do it", paused for a second and said, "Thank you for asking". Even though the majority of us believe range brass on the ground is fair game, the range makes money on it one way or the other. Its always good to get permission from the one in charge to do so. Other than that, most the locals at my local range are pretty understanding.

I was at the receiving end of the shells on a .45 and the guy was obviously a reloader. I finished up my session and started sweeping up the range brass around me. You could tell he was hesitant in telling me it was his cause he had been pelting me with it all session, nothing he could really do. But you could tell he thought I was a vulture. I separated his brass and took it over to him, he said thanks, and apologized for the interruption of flying brass. He ended up paying for my range time, and I was appreciative.

 

[danprkr]

I put down a tarp around my firing station, and

shoot five, hunt for my five, rinse and repeat.

Cuts down on the issue. Of course I HATE indoor ranges, and only go to one when I have no other choice. Last time I was at an indoor range I let my brass go, but then it was mostly going in front of the line, and I couldn't have gotten it anyway.

 

[oneounceload]

I would have had handed him my coffee can or old cloth bag and said, "They go in this one, THANKS!"

 

[noskilz]

Some people are just clueless, and they have the manners and ethics of a Ferengi.

Too funny.
Did he look like one of these guys?

 

[Mt Shooter]

If you are really concerned, mark your brass with a sharpie or something

Doesnt do any good I had a Brass Rat still pick it up. I stopped shooting and looked at him....Oh did you want this, he said. Yes its mine and i want it. A little later on the other end of the line, where no one had been all morning, there was a lot of 45 brass. I started to pick it up he saw what I was doing and cut me off and started picking it up. Hows that for RUDE.

 

[DHJenkins]

Our range has rules posted against picking up anyone's brass but your own...

 

[ghoster]

pinch his rear and wink when he looks up.

he will never come close to you again.

messing with a dorks mine is lots of fun.

 

[tcsnake]

Had an LAR Grizzly in .45 win Mag that ejected brass HARD. some spectators behind me got pelted and after that everyone stayed away from "the crazy man with the hand cannon" including the vultures.

 

[hardluk1]

I made a brass catcher that straps to my arm and catches my brass from a 22 to a 40 that i shot . It wieghs only 5 oz's and velcro's to my arm. catches all and can just rotare my wrist to dump out brass after each mag.

 

[Flame Red]

I have kind of a story going to the polite and helpful other end of this.

There was a true gentleman who passed away some time ago that was a fixture at the local range. A former national pistol champion and multiple time state champion, and WWII vet. He was part of the greatest generation and his depression upbringing always stood out. He was always very polite and asked if he could have our brass, and would politely wait around till we were done and collect it. He never understood how we could afford to shoot factory ammo. Every year the range would do berm maintenance and he was always standing by with his setup to recover just about every ounce of lead that hit that berm. He would melt it down and recast it. I think that if he could make his own primers he would have.

He was the ultimate in recyling all way before Al the phony Gore came along.

What a great guy. He would spend countless hours mentoring the up and comming shooters. Very missed.

 

[Tim the student]

I made a brass catcher that straps to my arm and catches my brass from a 22 to a 40 that i shot . It wieghs only 5 oz's and velcro's to my arm. catches all and can just rotare my wrist to dump out brass after each mag.

Can you post pics or a more detailed write up please?

 

[Flynt]

I haven't encountered this particular situation, but I've developed a general rule when calling somebody out: Start with a question, such as "I'm sure you didn't realize it, but did you know that you were really tailgating me back there?" (or whatever) My theory is that this doesn't set up an immediate confrontation and allows the other guy to back down while saving face: "Oh, I didn't realize that. Sorry." (Even though they knew exactly what they were doing.)

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I sure hope the air-conditioner-stealing methheads don't figure out that there's brass on them thar ranges.

Brass Catcher: Deep cardboard box laid on its side. Rock or brick weighing it down. Cheap & good.