Bennies of cleaning up the range...

thedaddycat · November 18, 2012, 08:13 PM

I went to the rifle range at my gun club last weekend and noticed that the trash cans were getting close to overflowing, mostly due to a lot of guys sighting in for deer season would be my guess. I decided to put in a little bit of "public service" time and dump the cans, then haul the trash bag to the dumpster. Well, this past Friday I finally made it up there with the box of contractor bags to take care of things. Well, I ended up with a full 42 gallon bag of trash....

And all of this...

Top left is some .243, a pair of .308, and assorted pistol brass. Next is one each of 7mm Rem. Mag, .303 British (I think, looks like mil headstamp), .30-30, and .222 Rem. Bottom is a double row of .30-06 (nickel plated and brass), a half dozen 7.62X54R, four 7.62X39, and a handful of 5.7X28.

And this...

A potful of .223 Rem.

I was a little bit suprised at the nickel plated .30-06 brass, not by all the steel cases or .22 LR in the trash. I guess some guys don't even save the fired brass. At least they cleaned up and put everything in the trash cans.

saitek · November 18, 2012, 10:29 PM

no good deed goe's unrewarded ! look's like you hit the mother load .

hooligan1 · November 19, 2012, 06:58 AM

Last two trips to my range rendered 60 .243 win (once fired)and twenty 3006, as well as 80 .223 rem. brass.

jaguarxk120 · November 19, 2012, 08:42 AM

Be sure to double check the 7.62x39's for berdan primers. I picked up a few brass cased ones and there were the two flash holes!!

Also months back I found some 30-06 that had a light ring at the ctg.base, they proved out to be brass plated steel cases.

rodfac · November 19, 2012, 02:51 PM

Gotta say...I don't use anyone else' spent brass...I just don't know how it's been loaded, nor how many times it's been shot, how it was stored etc. Too many question marks that involve safety issues...I'd see some benefit in taking it to recyclers for the brass value but that's about it. Good luck...Rod

jaguarxk120 · November 19, 2012, 03:38 PM

You can generally tell by the case condition if it has been reloaded.
Most range pickings are once fired brass from the sighting in for deer hunting this time of year.

m&p45acp10+1 · November 19, 2012, 03:43 PM

I can tell if it is once fired when the guys that shot it leave the box, and the bag it came out of with he receipt from the store they bought it from. My jaw tends to drop when I see how much they paid for the factory ammo.

warningshot · November 20, 2012, 04:01 AM

Back in olden days...the range invited 3 or 4 local prisons and a half dozen LE agencies to train there. The result was mulitiple 50 gallon barrels full of once fired 9mm & .38 special brass. The range offered such free to anyone willing to haul the brass away. Then came the talk of .05 cent tax on each cartridge. That cookie pan brass is money. Money, money, money.

RobertInIowa · November 20, 2012, 04:42 AM

I wish there were more "leaftovers" at my range. Seems like all I can ever find is rimfire, shotshells or tons of that steel cr*p lying all over the place. Not to mention it's all mixed in with gravel. Oh what i'd give for a nice sportsmens club and range.

thedaddycat · November 20, 2012, 08:16 PM

RobertInIowa, that's just a little bit from the rifle range. If you like 9mm, you'd love being a member at the R&G I'm a member of.....

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506489

scottys1 · November 23, 2012, 10:31 PM

I occasionally come across some good finds at my local club. I once found 100 rds of very nice .44 mag brass. It looked like someone shot a couple boxes of factory ammo and left the brass for someone such as myself to put to good use. Not everyone loads their own ammo. Another time I found a half dozen bowling pins in the trash. It lent a whole new meaning to bowling. They made it to the range a few times before being too shot up to stand on their own.

res45 · November 24, 2012, 06:58 AM

90% of all the brass I have came form a public range I used to shoot at or somebody else's. It was a pretty good ride to my public range so I spent the day there shooting various weapon I brought along and helping others out with gun related issues.

The bonus was I got to pickup all the free range brass everyone left behind for myself and friends and family that reload as well. I was never lucky enough to find any 54r or X39 reloadable brass lying around,those would be a real find compared to all the other calibers I shoot.

November 18, 2012, 08:13 PM	#1
thedaddycat Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2011 Posts: 388	Bennies of cleaning up the range... I went to the rifle range at my gun club last weekend and noticed that the trash cans were getting close to overflowing, mostly due to a lot of guys sighting in for deer season would be my guess. I decided to put in a little bit of "public service" time and dump the cans, then haul the trash bag to the dumpster. Well, this past Friday I finally made it up there with the box of contractor bags to take care of things. Well, I ended up with a full 42 gallon bag of trash.... And all of this... Top left is some .243, a pair of .308, and assorted pistol brass. Next is one each of 7mm Rem. Mag, .303 British (I think, looks like mil headstamp), .30-30, and .222 Rem. Bottom is a double row of .30-06 (nickel plated and brass), a half dozen 7.62X54R, four 7.62X39, and a handful of 5.7X28. And this... A potful of .223 Rem. I was a little bit suprised at the nickel plated .30-06 brass, not by all the steel cases or .22 LR in the trash. I guess some guys don't even save the fired brass. At least they cleaned up and put everything in the trash cans.

November 18, 2012, 10:29 PM	#2
saitek Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2011 Location: iowa Posts: 100	brass no good deed goe's unrewarded ! look's like you hit the mother load .

November 19, 2012, 06:58 AM	#3
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Last two trips to my range rendered 60 .243 win (once fired)and twenty 3006, as well as 80 .223 rem. brass. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

November 19, 2012, 02:51 PM	#5
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	Gotta say...I don't use anyone else' spent brass...I just don't know how it's been loaded, nor how many times it's been shot, how it was stored etc. Too many question marks that involve safety issues...I'd see some benefit in taking it to recyclers for the brass value but that's about it. Good luck...Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

November 19, 2012, 03:43 PM	#7
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I can tell if it is once fired when the guys that shot it leave the box, and the bag it came out of with he receipt from the store they bought it from. My jaw tends to drop when I see how much they paid for the factory ammo. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

November 19, 2012, 08:42 AM	#4
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	Be sure to double check the 7.62x39's for berdan primers. I picked up a few brass cased ones and there were the two flash holes!! Also months back I found some 30-06 that had a light ring at the ctg.base, they proved out to be brass plated steel cases.

November 19, 2012, 03:38 PM	#6
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	You can generally tell by the case condition if it has been reloaded. Most range pickings are once fired brass from the sighting in for deer hunting this time of year.

November 20, 2012, 04:01 AM	#8
warningshot Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2009 Posts: 995	Speaking of range clean-up bennies... Back in olden days...the range invited 3 or 4 local prisons and a half dozen LE agencies to train there. The result was mulitiple 50 gallon barrels full of once fired 9mm & .38 special brass. The range offered such free to anyone willing to haul the brass away. Then came the talk of .05 cent tax on each cartridge. That cookie pan brass is money. Money, money, money.

November 20, 2012, 04:42 AM	#9
RobertInIowa Senior Member Join Date: March 4, 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 149	I wish there were more "leaftovers" at my range. Seems like all I can ever find is rimfire, shotshells or tons of that steel cr*p lying all over the place. Not to mention it's all mixed in with gravel. Oh what i'd give for a nice sportsmens club and range. __________________ Guns don't kill people, fathers with pretty daughters do. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three comes pretty close. Proud NRA member

November 20, 2012, 08:16 PM	#10
thedaddycat Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2011 Posts: 388	RobertInIowa, that's just a little bit from the rifle range. If you like 9mm, you'd love being a member at the R&G I'm a member of..... http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506489

November 23, 2012, 10:31 PM	#11
scottys1 Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2004 Posts: 316	I occasionally come across some good finds at my local club. I once found 100 rds of very nice .44 mag brass. It looked like someone shot a couple boxes of factory ammo and left the brass for someone such as myself to put to good use. Not everyone loads their own ammo. Another time I found a half dozen bowling pins in the trash. It lent a whole new meaning to bowling. They made it to the range a few times before being too shot up to stand on their own.

November 24, 2012, 06:58 AM	#12
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	90% of all the brass I have came form a public range I used to shoot at or somebody else's. It was a pretty good ride to my public range so I spent the day there shooting various weapon I brought along and helping others out with gun related issues. The bonus was I got to pickup all the free range brass everyone left behind for myself and friends and family that reload as well. I was never lucky enough to find any 54r or X39 reloadable brass lying around,those would be a real find compared to all the other calibers I shoot.