How do you collect your auto brass

[edward5759]

I use a brass magnet it picks them right up with no problem.
You can see her on the front cover of the Dillon catalog called the Blue Press.
Sometimes it clogs up and it requires water, but with my hearing protection on I never heard it squeak or speak!

[Clark]

When I am doing an overload work up in a semi auto pistol, I usually wrap a towel around the pistol to catch the ejected case. I examine the case with magnification before shooting the next round in the work up.

[rickdavis81]

big tarp. But it sucks if you want to move while you shoot.

[zippy13]

big tarp. But it sucks if you want to move while you shoot.

And, the guy next to you might not wanna stand on your tarp.

[snuffy]

I use a fishing-landing net. Clamped to the shooting bench, it captures the brass BEFORE it hits the ground. My bad back doesn't need all that bending and stooping. After shooting one caliber, they're all collected in the bottom. Just gather them up and dump 'em in the brass bag.

This is a real bonus when I shoot my 7.62 X 25. That bugger tosses the brass 20-25 feet! Re-loadable brass is hard to find for it, so I don't want to loose any.

Another thought; You have to consider the damage that can happen from brass hitting concrete or gravel. Dings, scratches. or being stepped on when they're hiding isn't good for them.

[shooter1911]

I shoot at an outdoor range so I lay out a big blanket to my right and a little behind me. It catches about 90 of my brass, and the rest I just pick up and through it on the blanket. When I'm done I grab all four corners of the blanket and lift.

[Mike40-11]

I sic my brass monkeys on it.

3 kids, 12-23, that shoot more of my ammo than I do. They do most of the gun cleaning too. It's like having gun caddies.

[J A]

Works great and reasonably priced. Saves the back and time searching for that last spent case in the grass.

[jmorris]

I have used many methods, they all work and have their applications. Hands and knees work for as long as you can stand. Nets and tarps are good for one position, if the gun/guns eject into or onto the “catcher”. Kydex catchers work well but tend to become a PITA. It’s hard to beat a broom and large dust pan on concrete and asphalt. The bag a nut is great, very fast and large quantities, for a manicured grass surface but picks up other small objects and leaves a lot behind if the terrain is uneven. The nut wizard works in less than ideal terrain and allows you to be picky about what you pick up but again small rocks and larger voids are a no go. The last method I developed after our last state match (around 40,000 rounds down range) to pick up what others left behind. It uses a yard vacuum through a homebuilt manifold into 5 gallon buckets. You can’t have brass go through the mulcher but you want the grass/dirt to pass on through. It will suck it out of cracks in the dirt, will pick up brass you don’t even see in tall grass, allows you to skip cases you don’t want (if you can see them) and if you adjust the speed just right, won’t suck up rocks.

Bag A nut






Nut wizard





Homemade brass vac









Here it is ready to go except I did add a strap to keep the handle around 45 degrees so I didn’t have to bend down to pick it up, moving from one honey hole to another.

[noylj]

I try to pick up all my brass and thought about a brass catcher. Then I considered how many cases I could buy for the cost of even a home made brass catcher. Decided that the few extra I pick up at the range makes up for the few that I can't find.
One thing I hate are the ranges that won't let you pick up brass that ends up in front of the firing line even if you use a broom. I hate losing .32 S&W long or 10mm Auto. There is no picking up "make up" brass at the range in certain calibers.