Commercial Brass Sorting?

Matt VDW · April 25, 2000, 08:00 AM

Do the companies that reload commercially have some sort of automated brass sorting machinery, or do they just have lots of minimum wage workers picking through the brass they get?

Suppose I want to send some brass to one of these outfits that will reload using the customer's brass. I have what I think is a box of 2000 9mmP cases. In fact, though, I only have 1900 that can be reloaded; mixed in with them are 27 .380 cases, 23 9mm Mak cases, 14 .40 S&W cases and 36 Berdan-primed 9mmP cases.

If the manufacturer takes my box of brass, cleans it and dumps it into the case feeder of his automatic press, odds are he's going to have his press jam every 100 rounds. Can he really keep his production line running economically if he has to clear a jam that often, or does he have some way to sort out the bad cases before he begins?

I'm curious because I bought a five gallon bucket of range brass and that's a lot of cases to sort. Picking out the .44s, .45s, .38s and .357s hasn't been too hard, but now that I'm at the stage of having about 70% 9mmP brass with 30% "impurities", it's getting to be a pain.

Banzai · April 25, 2000, 06:29 PM

Get some cheap beer, and call everyone you know/reload for! Works for me twice a month!

Tom

------------------
A "Miss" is the ultimate overpenetration!
You can never be too rich, too skinny, or too well armed!

Matt VDW · April 26, 2000, 01:07 PM

I'll have to check my Emily Post book to see what the proper etiquette is for throwing a brass party. "You are cordially invited to join us for an afternoon of swilling cheap beer and picking through a big ol' bucket of brass..."

Paul B. · April 26, 2000, 03:14 PM

Matt. It don't take long. I did it with about 2500-3000 rounds of .223, seperating them by headstamp. Took about 7 hours over a couple of night.
Paul B.

April 25, 2000, 08:00 AM	#1
Matt VDW Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 1999 Posts: 1,315	Do the companies that reload commercially have some sort of automated brass sorting machinery, or do they just have lots of minimum wage workers picking through the brass they get? Suppose I want to send some brass to one of these outfits that will reload using the customer's brass. I have what I think is a box of 2000 9mmP cases. In fact, though, I only have 1900 that can be reloaded; mixed in with them are 27 .380 cases, 23 9mm Mak cases, 14 .40 S&W cases and 36 Berdan-primed 9mmP cases. If the manufacturer takes my box of brass, cleans it and dumps it into the case feeder of his automatic press, odds are he's going to have his press jam every 100 rounds. Can he really keep his production line running economically if he has to clear a jam that often, or does he have some way to sort out the bad cases before he begins? I'm curious because I bought a five gallon bucket of range brass and that's a lot of cases to sort. Picking out the .44s, .45s, .38s and .357s hasn't been too hard, but now that I'm at the stage of having about 70% 9mmP brass with 30% "impurities", it's getting to be a pain.

April 25, 2000, 06:29 PM	#2
Banzai Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 275	Get some cheap beer, and call everyone you know/reload for! Works for me twice a month! Tom ------------------ A "Miss" is the ultimate overpenetration! You can never be too rich, too skinny, or too well armed!

April 26, 2000, 01:07 PM	#3
Matt VDW Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 1999 Posts: 1,315	I'll have to check my Emily Post book to see what the proper etiquette is for throwing a brass party. "You are cordially invited to join us for an afternoon of swilling cheap beer and picking through a big ol' bucket of brass..."

April 26, 2000, 03:14 PM	#4
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,801	Matt. It don't take long. I did it with about 2500-3000 rounds of .223, seperating them by headstamp. Took about 7 hours over a couple of night. Paul B.