Whose Brass Is It Anyway?

[CTBay]

So I am at the range today. There are three nice ladies to my left shooting a .22 rifle and a 9mm micro compact of some sort. Their brass is coming in to my lane. My brass is going in next guys lane. Just part of it. I keep my brass picked up so its not a slip hazard. I collect it and I keep it. Might reloaded it. Might melt it into blocks in my little forge. I absolutely don’t mind to pick up someone else’s brass that came into my lane when I am collecting mine. I always ask the person if they want it. If they say yes I give it to them and I still pick it up so I don’t trip over it. If they are saving it I help them collect it an separate it from mine if it gets mixed on the ground. It isn’t about me wanting the brass. It’s about me wanting to keep my area of responsibility clean and safe.
So I ask the ladies if they care to keep the brass. They misunderstand and think I want them to collect their brass for me. I don’t. I explain to them three times I don’t want their brass I just don’t want to be stealing what I pick up.
If I pick up brass to keep from slipping on it, I am keeping it. Period, unless the adjacent person who just shot it, wants it. These ladies are loud mouths. They were safe. Just loud. I was about done. Range Officer Friendly called the range cold. I had my guns packed up in the case but didn’t want to take them away from the firing line while the range is cold. So I was patiently waiting for the range to go hot again so I could grab my case and take it to the car. Well Range Officer Not So Friendly checks the firing line to verify all actions are open. Well mine are cased because I am about to take them. “Take Them Now!” All condescending and jerk like. Jeeze, chill. Had I approached the firing line with range cold I would have gotten barked at as well. Damned if I do, Damned if I don’t.
So back to the brass. I walked all my not firearms stuff to the car while the range was cold. Guns cased on the line still, waiting for hot. As I am approaching I hear one of the loud mouthed (albeit nice) ladies tell RONSF she was saving the brass for me. He tells her no. That isn’t allowed. I am only allowed to keep my brass.
WHAT!? That lady paid a great deal for that brass. That brass is her personal property. If she wants to save hers and give it to me that is 100% her prerogative, ITS HERS! Ultimately I think he just didn’t like her loud mouth either and just wanted her to hurry up cleaning the brass and get behind the line. Also, I was just walking up so he didn’t expect me to hear it. I will give him the benefit of doubt.
Its just the stupid brass, not worth an argument. By god I sure wanted to make it an argument but I resisted. Figured I would just vent here.
Do you think its really a rule you cannot give away your brass? That would be ignorant and unenforceable. I didn’t ask because that would have been starting an argument. Best way to win an argument… avoid it.
Am I the A-hole? I have all of 6 months and maybe 5000rds of experience. Is it well known that all unwanted brass is property of the range and all brass gifting is prohibited? I’ll find a private range one of these days.


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[BigRed]

And this is yet another reason I do not go to public ranges.

 

[Leo]

That is kind of a let it go deal. Just shrug your shoulders and forget about it. I have been to ranges that any brass that hits the ground becomes property of the range.

My .45 is well trained and will drop 90% in my pistol box if I stand slightly to the left, especially with soft shooting lead bullet reloads. My .40 & 9mm would need a box the size of a UHaul trailer. Just part of the game when you shoot some places. If I don't feel like loosing brass, I shoot revolvers or .22 rimfire.

I can see you are not trying to be a jerk. After a while you get a feel for what actions fly at some places. Even in places that allow you to pickup brass, I don't discuss it much, with the other shooters. I might say "do you recycle your brass?" when I am picking mine up. If yes, I pick up carefully.

 

[natdscott]

Brass catchers exist.

UBC1003-Ultimate Brass Catcher, optional 20 stem

www.cm-machine.com

 

[Cameramonkey]

You did no wrong. That RSO is a.... jerk. (had to catch myself)

Find a new range or complain to management. That is ridiculous.

 

[EyeCarry]

Brass catchers exist.

UBC1003-Ultimate Brass Catcher, optional 20 stem

www.cm-machine.com

I have actually made something like this out of a Dollar tree laundry bag and some coat hangers and a two by four.

 

[DadSmith]

That guy was a jerk. I've been to ranges and I was shooting beside a Indiana State Trooper who was getting some practice in. He told me I could have his brass. He told the RO and he had no problem with me picking up the Troopers brass. The Trooper and I had a good time and talked about reloading and beer

 

[ScouT6a]

It sounds like you handled it well. I have always picked up my brass, when at a public range. One because I reload, two to keep the place looking nice. I also picked up any trash or empty boxes on my lane.
If there was brass that had been left from other shooters, I always picked it up, too. For the same reasons.

If you pay for range time, it shouldn't matter what you are doing on the lane, shooting or picking up your brass, within safety and reason, of course but on the flip side I can only imagine some of the people that range officers have to deal with.

 

[DadSmith]

Brass catchers exist.

UBC1003-Ultimate Brass Catcher, optional 20 stem

www.cm-machine.com

I've got a few. 2 for my AR type rifles, and a big one for pistols and none AR type rifles.

 

[DadSmith]

It sounds like you handled it well. I have always picked up my brass, when at a public range. One because I reload, two to keep the place looking nice. I also picked up any trash or empty boxes on my lane.
If there was brass that had been left from other shooters, I always picked it up, too. For the same reasons.

If you pay for range time, it shouldn't matter what you are doing on the lane, shooting or picking up your brass, within safety and reason, of course but on the flip side I can only imagine some of the people that range officers have to deal with.

Our club requires you to clean up the cases and trash after you are done. Which is sensible to keep the range trash free.

 

[rooster]

I’m pretty sure selling brass is part of the profit model for places like atterbury. Why else do Privately ran public ranges collect it all. You think they spend the time to pick up and collect it out of the goodness of their own hearts?

 

[rosejm]

on the flip side I can only imagine some of the people that range officers have to deal with

This is the biggest factor in most cases. The idiocy knows no bounds.
They're expecting everyone that walk through the gate to be ignorant, untrained and uncaring. In most examples, they're not far off.

I've been approached by an RSO for sweeping up dirt/rocks/brass/steel, sorting the cases from the natural material, depositing the cases in the range bucket and REPLACING the natural material. He assumed that I was simply sweeping 'em into the dirt.


In the OP's case, this RSO seems a bit on edge. When they want to press the point beyond simple range safety and include attitude, try a bit of verbal judo.

"Hi, my name is Jim! What's your name? Steve? Steve, nice to meet ya. My firearms are safe and unloaded in that case, but I will not touch anything on the line until we resume firing. Seems busy today, are you having any trouble with the equipment or supplies? Do you want/need any of these target stands replaced? Can I bring you a can of decaf for the office next trip?"


Interrupt the "everyone is a retard" mentality. Often this can be preempted by picking up old, uncollected cases from the cracks, fences, grass/gravel and in front of the firing line (during cease-fire) and depositing in the the range bucket. Clean your space and empty lanes that others haven't - leave it better than you found it.

And on the flip side of that coin, there are weirdos reloaders that come to the range and collect up empties from the entire line (including rimfire - too slow to sort all that on the line) to take home, clean/melt & resell. Part of keeping the fees low is the recycling contracts for the precious metals deposited there.

 

[ScouT6a]

I am very fortunate to have a 50 yard pistol/rifle/shotgun range and a 200 yard rifle range, in my front yard. Literally.

I would not go to a range that didn't at least let you pick up your own brass. Sorry, but I have to keep my operating costs down, too.

 

[DadSmith]

I am very fortunate to have a 50 yard pistol/rifle/shotgun range and a 200 yard rifle range, in my front yard. Literally.

I would not go to a range that didn't at least let you pick up your own brass. Sorry, but I have to keep my operating costs down, too.

I can shoot to 50yds just walking about 100' out my back door. For 100yds I've got to get back in the woods. Or go to Laughery Valley Fish and Game.

 

[Bill2905]

A DNR range where I shoot had a problem with some guys who would come in and scrounge up every piece of brass and then pass it over the fence to a waiting friend. The range operator was fine with shooters collecting their own brass but viewed any brass left by other shooters as property of the range. They weren't concerned with someone grabbing some here and there but they had no tolerance for the organized brass scroungers. They collected, sorted and sold the better stuff as once-fired brass in their shop. The rest of it they sold to a metal recycler.

 

[Mark106]

No, you weren't being an A-hole and the RO does sound like a bit of a jerk.
That said, at public ranges, quite often I find it best to shoot & leave. I don't collect my brass -- although I'll sweep or squeegee where it's a part of the routine -- and I try to keep any conversations I might get into short. I'm of course civil and polite and would of course call out a safety problem, but in terms of unnecessary interactions, I try to skip 'em.
It's not that I'm unfriendly, it's just that I've found there are too many types -- and too many of them ignorant in one sense or the word or the other -- to engage much while at public ranges. That's kind of why if I'm shooting at paid ranges or state park ranges, I generally like to get in, get my work done, depart.

 

[NHT3]

Easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Pick up the brass that easily available to you and if someone says something tell them you are just harvesting the amount you are shooting, hard to tell my brass from those around me.. I'm curious what facility you were at when you had the problem?

 

[Leadeye]

Haven't been to a public range in many years, if I did go I would take a revolver.

 

[tbhausen]

I’d be tempted to shoot a bunch of aluminum case Blazer and walk away from it at that place next time.

 

[DadSmith]

I’d be tempted to shoot a bunch of aluminum case Blazer and walk away from it at that place next time.

I tested reloading aluminum cases in 9mm. I got 5 reloads from them before the cases stated splitting. Not hot loads just normal velocity 9mm. So I noted that 3-4 reloads on them is safe if one needs to use them.