Recycling rimfire brass

Jimboh247 · December 31, 2012, 06:03 PM

I realize the effort put forth is not really worth it....

But does anyone recycle their rimfire brass?

I'm getting my 12 year old use to picking up the brass that she shoots, and the more we shoot, the more it accumulates.....

spacecoast · December 31, 2012, 06:11 PM

My understanding is that there is very little market for it (.22LR brass).

As far as centerfire brass goes, recycling is better than throwing it away but processing and reloading it as-is is a much more efficient use of resources.

jimbob86 · December 31, 2012, 06:25 PM

In case you did not know: RCBS (the reloading company) got it's name from "Rock Chuck Bullet Swager - the founder's (Fred Huntington) first press was a bullet press to make .223 bullets out of spent rimfire brass.

Rondog · December 31, 2012, 06:31 PM

Get a Brass Mower or Brass Wizard in the smaller, rimfire size that will pick up .22's by the dozens. A 5 gallon bucket full of rimfire brass at the scrap yard is nothing to sneeze at. Scrap brass is worth big $$$.

DFrame · December 31, 2012, 06:35 PM

Thats what I do. Take them to the scrapyard. Hopefully they'll be made into more ammunition somewhere down the line.

Jimboh247 · December 31, 2012, 06:46 PM

Thanks ya'll!
The only reason I have her pick up what she shoots is so she realizes that stuff is still $$$!
When we get into something other than .22, she'll already be use to grabbing the brass. Plus, bigger calibers are sure easier to see in the grass!

jimbob86 · December 31, 2012, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Plus, bigger calibers are sure easier to see in the grass!

Lay out a big blue Wally World tarp.... makes things so much easier!

jcwit · January 1, 2013, 12:16 AM

Last time I turned in rimfire brass from our range we got a check just shy of $1000.00. So ya it worth something.

Sevens · January 1, 2013, 12:36 AM

You can teach a child that even if you can't reload it, or get a bunch of people to mail you thirty bucks for a bag of it, it's still picking up something that you spread all over a landscape over the time you spent there.

Yeah, rimfire brass is small and a little less noticeable, but take a look these days at amount of steel and aluminum stuff that is left behind that very few folks pick up. It's a mess, really.

It's not really that people (or shooters) are pigs, it's pretty much that many folks just don't think about picking up -ANY- brass, but much of the brass never gets a chance to collect because of the handloaders and brass sellers who know it's "worth" the work to pick it up.

m&p45acp10+1 · January 1, 2013, 09:05 AM

I say either save it until you have 5 gal bucket full for selling as scrap. I will bring good money. Or sell it for a little bit to someone that Swages them into .223 bullets. I thought about swagging at one point in time, decided it was not worth it for me. There are people that do though.

FrankenMauser · January 1, 2013, 04:53 PM

If you collect your own .22 LR brass, it's worth a bit to bullet swagers. If you keep the lots separate, it's worth a bit more (consistency and know history).
Generally, it is sold by the pound - with something like 13 lbs fitting in a medium flat rate box.

.22 'Stinger' cases might bring a couple extra bucks per shipment, since the extra length can be useful. (See second note below.)
.22 WMR and .22 Short are worth more than anything else; since they aren't as popular, but make some nice 'niche' bullets.
.22 WRF is desirable, but uncommon enough that no one actively looks for it.
.17 HMR has some value, but is not as desirable (since it usually has to have the neck/shoulder cut off).
.17 HM2 is, essentially, only worth its weight as scrap.

Notes:
-The market is small. You're unlikely to find much interest, without listing it for sale on a well-established website that has a large, active group of reloaders. (Even TFL could be considered too small.)
-Plated brass will get you absolutely nothing. It's only valuable as scrap. Bullet swagers won't touch it, unless there's a zombie apocalypse. Aside from anything else that's plated, 'Stinger'-length cases are only worth saving if they're unplated.
-Most swagers tend to avoid Federal .22 LR cases, since they have a higher failure rate during the de-rimming operation. Just scrap it.

That being said....
I pick up my own .22 LR, .22 Short, and .22 WMR hulls, if at all possible, but don't currently sort the .22 LR in any way. One day, when I win the lottery, I'll be able to afford some proper swaging dies, to put the hulls to use.
Any hulls that are damaged, tarnished, or weren't mine go into my scrap brass jug.

Speaking of which - The jug is almost full...
It's about time to sell the scrap, and buy lead with the proceeds.

December 31, 2012, 06:03 PM	#1
Jimboh247 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2012 Location: Lexington, NC Posts: 102	Recycling rimfire brass I realize the effort put forth is not really worth it.... But does anyone recycle their rimfire brass? I'm getting my 12 year old use to picking up the brass that she shoots, and the more we shoot, the more it accumulates.....

December 31, 2012, 06:35 PM	#5
DFrame Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2008 Location: central Illinois Posts: 451	Thats what I do. Take them to the scrapyard. Hopefully they'll be made into more ammunition somewhere down the line. __________________ Mark Lane to William Buckley: "Have you ever referred to Jessee Jackson as an ignoramus?" Buckley: "If I didn't, I should have"

January 1, 2013, 12:16 AM	#8
jcwit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2007 Location: Upper Indiana Posts: 609	Last time I turned in rimfire brass from our range we got a check just shy of $1000.00. So ya it worth something. __________________ U.S. Army Veteran NRA Certified Range Officer

January 1, 2013, 12:36 AM	#9
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	You can teach a child that even if you can't reload it, or get a bunch of people to mail you thirty bucks for a bag of it, it's still picking up something that you spread all over a landscape over the time you spent there. Yeah, rimfire brass is small and a little less noticeable, but take a look these days at amount of steel and aluminum stuff that is left behind that very few folks pick up. It's a mess, really. It's not really that people (or shooters) are pigs, it's pretty much that many folks just don't think about picking up -ANY- brass, but much of the brass never gets a chance to collect because of the handloaders and brass sellers who know it's "worth" the work to pick it up. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

January 1, 2013, 09:05 AM	#10
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I say either save it until you have 5 gal bucket full for selling as scrap. I will bring good money. Or sell it for a little bit to someone that Swages them into .223 bullets. I thought about swagging at one point in time, decided it was not worth it for me. There are people that do though. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

December 31, 2012, 06:11 PM	#2
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	My understanding is that there is very little market for it (.22LR brass). As far as centerfire brass goes, recycling is better than throwing it away but processing and reloading it as-is is a much more efficient use of resources.

December 31, 2012, 06:25 PM	#3
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	In case you did not know: RCBS (the reloading company) got it's name from "Rock Chuck Bullet Swager - the founder's (Fred Huntington) first press was a bullet press to make .223 bullets out of spent rimfire brass.

December 31, 2012, 06:31 PM	#4
Rondog Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Posts: 61	Get a Brass Mower or Brass Wizard in the smaller, rimfire size that will pick up .22's by the dozens. A 5 gallon bucket full of rimfire brass at the scrap yard is nothing to sneeze at. Scrap brass is worth big $$$.

December 31, 2012, 06:46 PM	#6
Jimboh247 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2012 Location: Lexington, NC Posts: 102	Thanks ya'll! The only reason I have her pick up what she shoots is so she realizes that stuff is still $$$! When we get into something other than .22, she'll already be use to grabbing the brass. Plus, bigger calibers are sure easier to see in the grass!

January 1, 2013, 04:53 PM	#11
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	If you collect your own .22 LR brass, it's worth a bit to bullet swagers. If you keep the lots separate, it's worth a bit more (consistency and know history). Generally, it is sold by the pound - with something like 13 lbs fitting in a medium flat rate box. .22 'Stinger' cases might bring a couple extra bucks per shipment, since the extra length can be useful. (See second note below.) .22 WMR and .22 Short are worth more than anything else; since they aren't as popular, but make some nice 'niche' bullets. .22 WRF is desirable, but uncommon enough that no one actively looks for it. .17 HMR has some value, but is not as desirable (since it usually has to have the neck/shoulder cut off). .17 HM2 is, essentially, only worth its weight as scrap. Notes: -The market is small. You're unlikely to find much interest, without listing it for sale on a well-established website that has a large, active group of reloaders. (Even TFL could be considered too small.) -Plated brass will get you absolutely nothing. It's only valuable as scrap. Bullet swagers won't touch it, unless there's a zombie apocalypse. Aside from anything else that's plated, 'Stinger'-length cases are only worth saving if they're unplated. -Most swagers tend to avoid Federal .22 LR cases, since they have a higher failure rate during the de-rimming operation. Just scrap it. That being said.... I pick up my own .22 LR, .22 Short, and .22 WMR hulls, if at all possible, but don't currently sort the .22 LR in any way. One day, when I win the lottery, I'll be able to afford some proper swaging dies, to put the hulls to use. Any hulls that are damaged, tarnished, or weren't mine go into my scrap brass jug. Speaking of which - The jug is almost full... It's about time to sell the scrap, and buy lead with the proceeds. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.