Whose Brass Is It Anyway?

[AmmoManAaron]

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.

Interesting. During the Obama shortage, I converted six Blazer Aluminum 45 Colt cases from berdan primer to large pistol boxer and then reloaded them in the normal fashion. Test fired all six cartridges in a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull and half of the cases split 3/4 of their entire length. I completely wrote them off after that.

Can you share the details of your experiment?

 

[DadSmith]

Interesting. During the Obama shortage, I converted six Blazer Aluminum 45 Colt cases from berdan primer to large pistol boxer and then reloaded them in the normal fashion. Test fired all six cartridges in a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull and half of the cases split 3/4 of their entire length. I completely wrote them off after that.

Can you share the details of your experiment?

It was CCI Blazer 9mm aluminum cases. I looked inside and they were boxer primed.
I then wrote CCI an email about the safety of aluminum cases. I never mentioned I was going to try and reload them.. The support person said in testing the aluminum cases durability that they had in fact reloaded them upto 35x.
So I said to myself. Self they got 35 reloads on these cases let's try it. We agreed to try it and I made it to 5 reloads and had two out of the 50 cases split so decided to stop and call it good to go upto 3-4 reloads.
I was using 5.2gr of Longshot and 115gr Hornady FMJ bullets and CCI primers. So I was well under maximum pressure.

It was around the same time as the Obama shortages also

 

[armalitesheepdog]

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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So if someone wants to give you there unwanted brass the range RO says NO she doesn't want it so its ours? I call BS.
Let's look at it like this. What if she said..you know I don't really like this .22 pistol. Do you want it? Can the range officer say No. Our customer doesn't want there property so its automatically ours? B.S
I think the range officer just wanted the brass for himself. Especially in this time of shortages. She brought her property into the range and its her brass to do with what she sees fit.
I would find a new range.

 

[warren5421]

My range you pickup your brass or pay the grandkids a penny a case to pick it up. Their dad made a lot over the years growing up.

 

[Audie Murphy]

When I go to a public range, I only load my mags to 5 rounds, makes picking up my brass easier.

 

[DadSmith]

When I go to a public range, I only load my mags to 5 rounds, makes picking up my brass easier.

I do the same usual 3-4 rds and one to two snap caps depending on what I'm doing. If target practice 5rds in hand guns magazines.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Yep ruins your whole range day doesn't it, I think you handled it well.

 

[CTBay]

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?

Indeed. They do sell it. I don’t think hardly anyone ever buys it. I see the same stuff in there every week. It cannot be a big part of their revenue. They might be better off not to sort it by caliber and just take it all to the scrap yard. Ill bet the labor to sort it cost more than any money they get from it.
I am fairly confident now, having spent more time under the authority of that RSO that he just wanted that particular woman to hurry up, not prevent me from getting the brass or even ensuring the range gets it. She was a whole lot of mouth. Everything she did was slow because her mouth never stopped running. AND she had two people with her and they shot A LOT. They had brass all over the place. I think he realized at the rate she was going the range was going to be cold for an hour waiting for her. He figured relieving her need to save any of it would make her hurry up. I probably would have done the same.

Also one is supposed to be behind the yellow line when the range is cold. If have a broom and are picking up brass you can be in front of the yellow line but they keep a close eye and make sure you don’t get near any of the firearms. It a gray area. I try to get mine picked up before that. That way I am not in the gray area forcing them to watch me. That woman was all up in the gray area, sweeping really close to the benches while range was cold. Furthermore she had to be told twice to take mags out and lock action open when officers were checking. So she has proven she cannot make her guns safe without individualized attention AND she likes to sweep brass close to them while range is cold. I totally understand why he barked at her and it had nothing to do with me. Im glad I didn’t make an ass of myself turning it into an argument.

I switched to Thursday or Friday since I can work on Saturday. Its overrun on Saturday. Through the week I can shoot for hours and just clean my brass at the end because nobody else is around. Everything is more chill without a million people there keeping the RSOs on edge.


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[CTBay]

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?

Attabury.


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[CTBay]

My range you pickup your brass or pay the grandkids a penny a case to pick it up. Their dad made a lot over the years growing up.

I was one of those kids once. I think I got more than a penny.


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[danatkins]

Love being able to shoot at my parents place only time I go to a range is sugar ridge if it's blazing hot and got some rifle rounds to work on. Rso there is dnr and sits in his truck.

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[OutdoorDad]

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?

Its been a year or so. But I've always collected my brass at Atterbury. Is that not allowed anymore?
Had a guy to my left who wanted to collect both mine and his. But he just wound up with his.

 

[canebreaker]

At the range I like the best they have white buckets for aluminum and steel cases. Colored buckets for brass cases. If the cases are on the floor/ground you pick it up while the line is cold. You can keep all you pick up. If it's put in a bucket it's the range's property now. They separate, tumble and resale.

 

[binkerton]

Attabury.


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Well, since your location says Bedford I was gonna ask you if the jerk RSO had transferred down from Atterbury but everything makes sense now. Lol. Actually, I havent seen the one that ripped me since they first opened that new range, its been a while so I'd assumed he left. The guys I'd dealt with there lately were firm but pleasant, this a-hole was anything but. I was so pissed off from the experience I didnt go back for about a decade. My final straw that day with him was when it went cold and we were told to go straight to the targets and not return to the table. I was not familiar with such a formal range and was a bit unorganized and had forgot to grab my pins for the targets in my hand. They were sitting on the table away from the rifle and I reached over to grab them as I walked by and dude lit into me like I was 10 years old again. You'd have thought I picked up the rifle and pointed it down the firing line.
As for the buckets of brass for sale, I did buy a 5 gal bucket of sorted 9mm last spring for I think $125 or so and got roughly 8000 cases so I consider it a good deal and I dont fret now if I lose a few cases in the grass when I'm out in the back yard, I got plenty!

 

[Altrex]

The OP handled it well. I would not be going back to that range or if I did it would be to give that guy an aneurism from yelling at me.