Range recommendation for policing brass? (Pistol)

[SA Justin]

I've only been to 3 local ranges but all three make it difficult (if not impossible) to police your brass. Where do you reloaders shoot?

 

[vmax]

I'm lucky enough to have my own land to shoot on. when I was shooting public ranges, you could pick up brass when the range was cold when others were putting up targets

 

[jrbfishn]

I am lucky enough to be able to shoot a small range near Solado on my days off, when they are closed. Police the range, shoot, then police my stuff.


from a non-recovering coffeeholic

 

[Gilgondorin]

I'd suggest trying Bracken Range on a day when it's not busy. They provide coffee cans for you to put your spent brass in that they claim every so often, but if you don't want to donate it you I think should be able to keep it (check first to be sure and save yourself a trip), so long as you keep it in your range bag. They also provide brooms and dust pans to sweep up spent cases, to be done periodically -- keep on top of it, or you might find some of it wandering off especially if the RO/cashier is bored and making rounds.

I don't suggest shooting at Nardis (then again you may already know this, since it could be one of the three you mentioned). They have a recessed floor with a metal grate in which almost all spent brass falls into -- the only stuff you can keep is the few cases that bounce off the grate or berm divider and hit the concrete behind it, or land back on your shooting table.

 

[TXDARKHORSE361]

When I used to shoot at Bracken they never had a problem with me picking up my brass, same goes for Cedar Ridge in Bulverde, Bexar Community, and the indoor range at Bass Pro Shop.

 

[benenglish]

When I want to hang onto most of my brass while shooting an autoloader, I use a brass catcher.

When I want to hang onto ALL my brass, I shoot a revolver.

 

[Southpaw]

I've seen people put up screens at different ranges to keep their brass from flying away to far.

 

[rsayloriii]

There are places that make it difficult to pick up your brass because they put down grates, like was mentioned above, or have other barriers in place that you physically can't get around to get it. (I've personally seen it at A Place to Shoot ... grates on the pistol range and physical barrier on the rifle for those that fling brass forward like my Garand). As far as being told not to, only, then I say screw that and do it anyways. It's YOUR property until you relinquish ownership by leaving the premises. So long as you're not scavenging EVERY piece of brass that is obviously not yours, I haven't had a problem with picking up my own brass. Bexar County is pretty decent (and where I wanted to go) but was closed Mondays, hence why I went to A Place to Shoot, which I will not be visiting again.

 

[shortround]

If you go to Bracken, do not put your salvageable brass into the coffee cans. Sweep it up and put it in your range bag. Good people at Bracken; but when you put the brass into THEIR coffee cans ... they pretty much consider it theirs.

The only problem with brass recovery I have had there, was when the folks at the next table swept up my brass and put it into the coffee can on their table. Bracken makes it a point to sweep up brass to prevent folks tripping and falling. Can't fault that.

At Cedar Ridge, the Range Lady saw me picking up my brass and said quite sternly: "Pick up only your brass!" There was so much discarded brass, I picked up every bit I thought I shot (only the shiny ones). There is so much trashed brass at that range, they could pave the road with it.

 

[TXDARKHORSE361]

At Cedar Ridge, the Range Lady saw me picking up my brass and said quite sternly: "Pick up only your brass!" There was so much discarded brass, I picked up every bit I thought I shot (only the shiny ones). There is so much trashed brass at that range, they could pave the road with it.

Troof, I don't always save my brass and when I do I only picked up a few just started picking up more. Anyways I used to shoot at Cedar Ridge often and would bs with the old man that ran it, was there on a weekday during the panic and was the only one out there when he brought my id out to me and let me know that it was just about closing time. I thanked him and while I was packing up we were chatting and he asked if I was gonna pick up my 9mm brass since it was basically gold, told him no I don't reload and didn't really have the space at the time to save it. Actually asked me if I was ok with him picking it up, said go for it man it's your range.

Back on topic I was shooting out at Bexar Community, I actually think it was a TGT range day and I believe M. Sage was with me, when a guy set up an interesting contraption on the bench at the pistol bay to catch his brass. It was a small fishing net rigged up to one of those heavy bottom desktop microphone stands, positioned it just right that it caught the majority of his brass when he fired.

 

[Big Phil]

At The Bullet Hole you're allowed to pick up the brass you shoot. They keep the bays pretty tidy so it's easy to find it.
If I see someone else shooting a caliber I want I ask them if they're going to keep it and if not I ask for it. So far no one has said no.

 

[benenglish]

Back on topic I was shooting out at Bexar Community, I actually think it was a TGT range day and I believe M. Sage was with me, when a guy set up an interesting contraption on the bench at the pistol bay to catch his brass. It was a small fishing net rigged up to one of those heavy bottom desktop microphone stands, positioned it just right that it caught the majority of his brass when he fired.

Uh, yeah. To wit:

When I want to hang onto most of my brass while shooting an autoloader, I use a brass catcher.

I should have illustrated. Again, to wit:

 

[TXDARKHORSE361]

Uh, yeah. To wit:



I should have illustrated. Again, to wit:

Looked very similar but was home made, I have one the AR brass catchers that wraps on the hand guard with velcro but never use it.

 

[benenglish]

So long as you're not scavenging EVERY piece of brass that is obviously not yours, I haven't had a problem with picking up my own brass.

At Cedar Ridge, the Range Lady saw me picking up my brass and said quite sternly: "Pick up only your brass!"

There was a local range (that everybody in my area that knows guns hates) that became pissy about picking up only your own brass a few years ago. The reason? I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but there was a local family that would bypass paying at the office and just pull up and park right behind the firing line. Then, out of the van would pour dad, mom, 5 kids, grandma, and (it seemed) a half-dozen other cousins, all equipped with scoops, rakes, and 5-gallon buckets. They'd descend on the range, grab all the brass that had any shine on it at all, pile back in the van, and tear out of the place.

At that range, the RSOs were next to non-existent and when they were present, they were unobservant. The guy calling the line from inside had no good eyeline to any of the firing line except what was right outside his window...which he paid no attention to, anyway. Because of these factors, the brass scavengers got away with probably over a hundred pounds of brass every time they did this.

Eventually they were caught, the police called, there was a dust-up that ended with formal notice to the family that they were not allowed on the property again and would be prosecuted for trespass if they ever returned.

And then all the good shooters at the range were forevermore doomed to be given the stinkeye, as if they're criminals, whenever they pick up their own brass.

I'm reminded of something about how it only takes a small number of bad apples to ruin a barrel.

 

[benenglish]

Looked very similar but was home made, ...

Home made ones are easy and cheap. Just bend the handle of a short-handled pool skimmer and attach a weight to the handle to hold the whole rig upright.

 

[texagun]

I was shooting .45 autos one day at Alpine. There was a little fat guy walking behind the active shooters picking up their brass as they shot. He started to pick up my brass directly behind me so I stopped shooting and told him I kept my own brass and asked him to move on. He seem offended but moved on. Some guys just don't realize how annoying they can be.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Or the little kids that will run back and forth and catch your brass out of the air before it hits the ground and put it into buckets. I have seen it a few times, dad comes out to shoot and brings the kids to collect everyones brass for him.

 

[kantor99]

I shoot .45 acps and reload nickle plated brass. Much easier to find and pick up at the range

 

[Army 1911]

I made a brass catcher out of PVC pipe and some netting. It mounts on an old Photo tripod I had. In retrospect, I made it too big but it works great.