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Author Topic: Picked ujp brass  (Read 726 times)

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Offline cbourbeau32

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Picked ujp brass
« on: March 15, 2008, 01:45:28 PM »
I sometimes shoot at a local favorite outdoor shooting spot and was wondering if the brass there is re-usable if it has been there for very long. It might be a nice way to reclaim some of the brass I inevitably loose when I shoot my auto loaders. Do any of you do this? Thanks, Charlie
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Offline Hairtrigger

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2008, 01:56:39 PM »
The only brass I leave at the range is brass that I have reloaded several times and feel it is no longer safe to reload.
If you want to pick it up it is fine with me.
Do you think you can tell by looking at brass if it is once fired?
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Offline Badnews Bob

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2008, 02:01:34 PM »
I do it alot, especially for plinking rounds.
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Offline Tom W.

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2008, 02:09:21 PM »
I think most people pick up range brass. I'll check it, clean it and recheck it, and if I deem it unsuitable, I'll discard it. A lot of the once fired brass I collect is picking it up from people who have more money than sense and just shoot it and eject it, without a care as to where it goes. I'll ask them if they are shooting handloads, and usually they'll bemoan the fact that they just spent big $$$ at Walmart for ammo.
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Offline cbourbeau32

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2008, 03:37:32 PM »
How many times do you expect to be able to reload a 9mm or 380 loaded at at mid range pressures? Charlie
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Offline victorcharlie

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2008, 04:04:40 PM »
Quote from: cbourbeau32 on March 15, 2008, 03:37:32 PM
How many times do you expect to be able to reload a 9mm or 380 loaded at at mid range pressures? Charlie

My guess is you'll never wear out pistol brass and most can be used many, many times......
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2008, 05:41:12 PM »
  just make REAL sure it is well cleaned ands there are NO smaller cases inside when you go to prime it. I dumped some 308, 9mm and 40S/&w into the tumbler and polished it . When I started to size and deprime the .40's, one of them had a 9mm stuck in it???
















iIIOt
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Offline Castaway

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2008, 12:12:53 AM »
Charlie, I wouldn't be surprised if you reached 50 reloads with a straight walled pistol case.  Biggest cause of failure is a split neck from over worked brass in the belling process.
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Offline LaOtto222

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2008, 01:21:12 AM »
I think range brass for the most part is once fired. If a guy is hand loading, they pick up their brass. If it is has been on the range for an extended period of time, it might be bad because of corrosion. If it is corroded badly, it will have lots of thick green deposits over the surface. Small or thin green deposits will not hurt anything. If it is that bad, I am sure you will tell the difference. Run it through a cleaning process and then examine carefully for splits, case head separation, etc. Even once fired brass could have a split or imminent head separation. Sort your brass for head stamps and keep it in lots. Do not mix these with the ones you have purchased. If you do not have very many "range" cases, save them, add to it from the next trip and the next until you have enough to make a decent size lot (say 50 or more). Full length size, re-examine and start your normal case prep process. Examine cases after each firing for case failure and discard any questionable cases. DO NOT reload a questionable case under any circumstance. Worse; do not load it, fire it and leave it at the range. Throw it out before reloading. When you start getting several failures in your lot, it is time to discard the whole bunch. Again do not reload; discard them all. As pointed out already, if you run different sized cases in a tumbler, they can get stuck inside of each other. I once run some 22 Hornet cases with 44 Mag cases. Some of the 22 Hornets got stuck inside the 44 cases (packed in with tumbling media) and I had a devil of a time getting them out. Good Luck and good shooting ;)
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Offline beemanbeme

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2008, 05:20:49 AM »
Brass that has been reloaded numereous times and then just left at the range will look "tired" even tho it may be shiny. It'll have multiple little notches or dings around the extractor rim and little nicks and such over the body of the case.  A 1X case has a different shine on it than one that has been run thru a resizer several times and then tumbled.
When I shot at a public range, I picked up all I could get my hands on and culled it when I got home.
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Offline Hairtrigger

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2008, 06:08:19 AM »
I was thinking more of rifle brass than handgun.
Handgun brass will look tired as described before. Rifle brass may not.
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Offline Castaway

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2008, 06:30:05 AM »
For rifle I'll only pick it up if I see it come from a factory box.  I'm guilty of marking my brass so I can retrieve it.  After a few reloadings, especially in my Garand, I leave it lay for others to use.
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Offline Ladobe

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2008, 08:29:10 AM »
It's against the R&R's to just let brass lay where it falls at our private GC.   It's supposed to be picked up (including rimfire) and if you don't want it tossed into the garbage.   

Just as well, because I'm from the other side of the fence and will not use "range" brass.   Aside from the possible safety factor with it, almost all of my shooting is long range and requires precision reloading with components I know exactly where I stand with.    It does make a difference when the target is extra small and the range extra large.   So my "plinking" loads are my target/hunting loads.

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Offline cbourbeau32

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2008, 08:39:08 AM »
Man I was hoping to get a little advice on this subject, but as usual on GBO I got loads of good info. Thanks, Charlie
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Offline John4me05

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Re: Picked ujp brass
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2008, 04:53:24 AM »
Pick it all up... I leave nothing at the range i might can use... I know most all the reloaders in my area so i know who can use what... Ill sort them by size (357, 357 sig, 40S&W, etc..) and bag them for others... Odd stuff like SKS ammo and all the 22 brass goes into a recycle bucket, then to a 55 gallon drum, then to the recycle center... I financed my last handgun purchase from recycling damaged brass and 22 casings.... It buys my powder, bullets, dies.... Not to mention the cases i get and can use...
As far as not using them for competition i would disagree... If you shoot comp with Winchester brass and you find Win brass weigh it against your comp cases once they are trimmed to the same length.. If the weight is the same or close id use them...
I dont shoot comp yet with my .223 but i use LC, Win, FC, RP, military, even brass made by who i dont know.... I have yet to notice a difference by using different cases in my hunting ammo... And i strive for 1 hole groups out of my hunting ammo...
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