Author Topic: Gun clubs & non-loaders (Read 1123 times)

stimpylu32 · « **on:** November 12, 2008, 12:15:38 PM »

You just have to love the guys that only shoot factory ammo and leave the brass for guys like us , I stopped by the local club the other night to empty the trash cans and did some looking around for brass as I always do when I'm there .

Not only did I come away with over 150 once fired 45 autos , 200 40 S&W's , 200 + 9mm's , but the icing on the cake was the 50+ once fired 50AE cases .

Now tell who shoots a cannon like that and doesn't load for it ? Somethings will just never make sense to me , and thats on of them .

stimpy

Troyboy · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2008, 01:00:58 PM »

I hear ya! I scrounge every saturday when i go to the range but my club has a lot of reloaders. No rifle brass most of the time some 223 slim on the 45 and 40 lots of 9mm

freedom is not FREE

jasonprox700 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2008, 01:09:14 PM »

I know what you mean. Two weeks ago, I was shooting some of my reloads for a friends 8mm-06 at the local gun club, and I walked away with a small treasure. Between all of the garbage barrels and what was laying on the ground, I came away with about 60 30-06 cases (handy for my friends 8mm), 20 or so 7mm Mag shells (my dad's), and a couple hundred 45 auto cases (don't have one yet, but I will!

).

jhalcott · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2008, 03:54:28 PM »

They put up a "used brass" barrel at our range. With the price of copper/brass being so high we take it to a recycler about once a month. It does keep the empty brass off the floor, but I HATE to see all that shiny stuff go to waste! I guess I wasn't picking enough of it up!

qajaq59 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2008, 12:20:06 AM »

I notice that when hunting season rolls around that's when all the really expensive brass ends up in the buckets. Apparently the guys buy a box for sighting in and a box for hunting. Yesterday there was a load of 270s and 300s in the buckets. Must be nice to have money......

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** November 13, 2008, 12:56:24 AM »

I always feel like such a street bum picking through the wastebaskets at the range and then assuming the 'paper-pickin' position walking up and down the pistol range looking for used brass.

I always feel like a scrounger, until I get home with pockets full or bags full of useable spent brass. It all cleans up nicely in the tumbler and works great - plus, it doesn't cost me a penny. And yes, I just love those guys who buy new factory loads and just toss the brass. One day I though someone had been shooting a 357 autoloader because there was so much new once fired 357 brass laying around. Mikey.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #6 on:** November 13, 2008, 01:58:24 AM »

Glad to hear that I'm not the only " Brass Pack Rat " around. Monday's are the best day to visit all the local sand & gravel pits were the weekend shooters leave there new brass. I've done this for 40+ years. I pick up all the brass, take it home, run it through the tumbler. Then sort the brass by caliber and brand. The calibers that I use I put into plastic boxes of 50 & the calibers I don't have I give them to anyone that can use them. Can't remember the last time I bought new brass.

bilmac · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2008, 02:20:28 AM »

Shooting a full house 50 AE can't be fun, so will a guy who shoots factory ever get good with his gun, even if he makes enough that the cost is no object? And, isn't the AE an auto so it can't be loaded down much so that it wouldn't be a literal pain to shoot. Sometimes I don't understand folks.

I understand brass scroungers though. When I was going to college, being cooped up indoors all the time and doing nothing but head work made me sick, and not figuratively ,but actually sick. I found that an hour at the range scrounging brass made my stomach feel much better. By the time I was a senior, I was spending a lot of time out there picking up spent bullets from the berm.

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2008, 05:03:12 AM »

This is sounding like a "Dumpster Divers Anonymous" forum!

HI! My Name HWD...And I'm a confirmed DIVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love sight in days at the range! Some folks have no idea how much I appreciate their contributions to my sickness.

HWD

skb2706 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2008, 05:42:24 AM »

Yes sir....I like going to the range just before the rifle seasons start here in CO. Can't get in alot of shooting but the pickins are good. I look for the guy that just cracked open a brand new box of any of the following .300 win mag, .308, 30-30, 7mm Rem. mag, .204 Ruger, 40 S&W and several others. 9 out of 10 times he's shootin 'em all and not taking the brass with. I'll hit 'em up for the brass about 2/3s of the way thru the box.

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2008, 06:13:40 AM »

I must admit that if money were no object I'd likely never fire anything but factory ammo again. These days it's pretty easy to find factory ammo that is plenty accurate enough in all my guns but I just can't afford to shoot it exclusively if I want to shoot very much. So I reload but sure would prefer to leave the brass from factory ammo for you guys if I could afford to do that.

bilmac · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2008, 06:26:36 AM »

I'm the opposite. Even if I could afford as much factory stuff as I wanted I would be a reloader. Most of my guns have never fired a factory bullet. Rimfires are the only factory stuff I buy.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2008, 07:25:15 AM »

With the 40 I leave it all over the place when i shoot mine. OK I would pick it up and leave it in a nice pile.
I looked at the cost of the dies and other stuff and it came up to over $300 bucks for the stuff. So instead I spent the $300 on ammo when I could get USA 100 round boxes for around $20 and stocked up. Did the same with 9mm and 45 ACP. Although I did find a used 450 Dillion for a couple hundred and started to reload for the 45. But everytime I look at dies and crap for the 55o and the 9 or 40 I just end up spending that much on bulk packed ammo for the handguns.
So what are you going to do with the 50 AE brass? Neck it to 257, 243, or 223 and make a faster 22, 6, or 25 PPC?

charles p · « **Reply #13 on:** November 13, 2008, 08:11:32 AM »

In contrast to GBs preference (or acceptance) of new factory ammo, I can honestly say that I enjoy reloading more than shooting. That is enough reason to shoot reloads even if the price was the same, which thank goodness it isn't.

bilmac · « **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2008, 08:25:18 AM »

You know if the Dems try to price us out of ammo we may be real lucky to be able to reload. For the cost of primers and not much powder my 357 handloads with lead bullets will be just as good as it ever was.

skb2706 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 13, 2008, 09:01:20 AM »

Quote from: mcwoodduck on November 13, 2008, 07:25:15 AM

With the 40 I leave it all over the place when i shoot mine. OK I would pick it up and leave it in a nice pile.
I looked at the cost of the dies and other stuff and it came up to over $300 bucks for the stuff. So instead I spent the $300 on ammo when I could get USA 100 round boxes for around $20 and stocked up. Did the same with 9mm and 45 ACP. Although I did find a used 450 Dillion for a couple hundred and started to reload for the 45. But everytime I look at dies and crap for the 55o and the 9 or 40 I just end up spending that much on bulk packed ammo for the handguns.
So what are you going to do with the 50 AE brass? Neck it to 257, 243, or 223 and make a faster 22, 6, or 25 PPC?

Buying relaoding equipment is not comparable to buying loaded ammo. That $300 for equipment is virtually a one time purchase. You could be buying factory ammo forever for which there is not total amount but be sure it adds up to well beyond $300.

Jal5 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 13, 2008, 09:49:37 AM »

I'm just a beginner at reloading, but already at the public range where I shoot I can pick up about 100 40 shells and as many 9mm shells as I want on any given Sunday. The rifle brass is harder to find but every once in a while I can pick up some. I plan on trading the brass I can't use for ones I want

skb2706 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 13, 2008, 09:52:25 AM »

Not maybe such a big deal with handgun brass, especially for plinking but I try to get full box lots for my rifles.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 14, 2008, 12:43:11 AM »

My equipment was purchased so far back I can't even remember where I bought most of it, so it has more then paid for itself. But I don't think that reloading is for everyone. Especially if you are busy with 6 other hobbies. And unless someone enjoys doing it I'd never recommend it. It isn't something you want to do half way and quickly. I've noticed that as I get older and have lots of time, my ammo gets better. Being picky (or anal if you wish) does pay dividends in this hobby.

Gun Runner · « **Reply #19 on:** November 14, 2008, 03:37:34 AM »

Have been reloading for over 50+ years. With me it is a hobby. I reload for daughter, son in law, wife, son, and my self. One of the places I shoot is an open range. People show up with NIB ammo and leave their brass. Last week it was full of people leaving brass. I scrounged what I could use plus. Some of it made it to PIF here on GB. Figger some of the troops here might as well benifit from those that can afford to leave new brass.

Gun Runner

buck460XVR · « **Reply #20 on:** November 15, 2008, 02:24:09 AM »

with the gun deer season comin' up, the garbage barrels at my local range have been my friend. Last time I went, there were two kids there with their new ARs. They each shot up a box of 200 .223 Federal rounds from wallyworld. It took me more time to pick up their spent brass after they left, than it did for them to shoot it.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #21 on:** November 15, 2008, 05:00:51 AM »

I never hit the brass lottery at our club. The sheriff's deputies qualify at our club and leave .45 brass like Autumn leaves.

bilmac · « **Reply #22 on:** November 15, 2008, 07:48:56 AM »

Some LE outfits pick up their brass when they leave,mine did. Ours, the US Fish and Wildlife Services Refuges Division is probably the only poor boy outfit in the US gvnmt.

blackpowderbill · « **Reply #23 on:** November 17, 2008, 01:47:42 PM »

I get all the .40 S&W brass I can use at my employer's range. There is alot of .223 also but I don't have one of those. At my club I find lots of once fired 30-06 with HXP headstamps. I love that brass, very good quality. Also someone is shooting lots of "GGG" 7.62 NATO. That has proven to be good brass.
When I lived in town and used an indoor range I used to pick up 9mm brass but was told I could no longer take it as I was cutting into their scrap sales. They eventually let me take it if I dropped off a similar amount of worn out brass in trade.
Another range in that same town had a rule that any brass that hit the floor belonged to them.

JustaShooter · « **Reply #24 on:** November 17, 2008, 03:47:02 PM »

Quote from: blackpowderbill on November 17, 2008, 01:47:42 PM

Another range in that same town had a rule that any brass that hit the floor belonged to them.

If by that you mean any brass, as in what I just shot from my semi-auto, then we'd have had a bit of a disagreement the 1st (and last) time I shot there. That's just unreasonable.

Just a Shooter

jasonprox700 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 18, 2008, 04:57:30 AM »

Quote from: JustaShooter on November 17, 2008, 03:47:02 PM

Quote from: blackpowderbill on November 17, 2008, 01:47:42 PM
Another range in that same town had a rule that any brass that hit the floor belonged to them.

If by that you mean any brass, as in what I just shot from my semi-auto, then we'd have had a bit of a disagreement the 1st (and last) time I shot there. That's just unreasonable.

Just a Shooter

+1

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #26 on:** November 18, 2008, 10:51:22 AM »

We have an outfit, that makes nitevision scopes, test them at our range. The "testers" show up with 4 or 5 ARs with scopes mounted, load up a piss load of 30 round clips and start shooting. They're trying to see how many rounds it takes for a particular lot of scopes to come unglued. I've watched them shoot cases of ammo, all the time switching the scope over to whatever rifle has cooled down and keep right on banging. They'll ask who wants the cases when they're done! I don't thnik many get thrown away. All get scarfed up quickly.

HWD

spinafish · « **Reply #27 on:** November 19, 2008, 02:00:54 PM »

My buddy claims I look like a raccoon scrounging around the benchs and the garbage barrels at our range..to me its like leaving change (money) on the ground. always glad to pick up loose change!