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Thread: Ammo question

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bimmer View Post
    What would you do with the brass cases?

    Everytime I see an "economical" analysis like this, it assumes the brass goes in the trash. However, we all know that once-fired brass is valuable, whereas once-fired steel is just trash...
    That assumes that it has 1) a recipient willing to give it value, and 2) the cost of all the handling and logistics don't outrun the value the buyer is giving it.

    If I have 10k guaranteed once-fired cases I've shot, but the brass chickens would rather peck for range garbage than give me .02-.03 a case, what's the value of it?
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  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ST911 View Post
    That assumes that it has 1) a recipient willing to give it value, and 2) the cost of all the handling and logistics don't outrun the value the buyer is giving it.
    Understood...

    1. AFAIK, once fired brass goes for 5-10¢/piece. Considering that, brass-cased ammo is cheaper than steel.

    2. It doesn't seem that there's much extra handling, assuming that you're going to police up your steel cases, it's only marginally more difficult to keep brass cases than to collect and trash steel cases. Selling/shipping brass cases would be a chore, but a minor one.

    My point is that buying steel-cased ammo because it's cheaper is like buying beer in cans because you don't want to pay the deposit on the bottles...

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bimmer View Post
    Understood...

    1. AFAIK, once fired brass goes for 5-10¢/piece. Considering that, brass-cased ammo is cheaper than steel.

    2. It doesn't seem that there's much extra handling, assuming that you're going to police up your steel cases, it's only marginally more difficult to keep brass cases than to collect and trash steel cases. Selling/shipping brass cases would be a chore, but a minor one.

    My point is that buying steel-cased ammo because it's cheaper is like buying beer in cans because you don't want to pay the deposit on the bottles...
    While I will be the first to say that selling once fired brass can easily offset brass verse steel ammo debate, it does depend on the area you are in and the general cheapness of the shooters in your AO. When I lived in GA, I was getting between 8-10 cents a piece of brass, be it 5.56 or 9mm, .45acp an .308 I would get more for if I had it in quantity. Premium 12 gauge hulls, AAs for example were goo for 8-10 cents as well. 500 pieces of 5.56 brass was easily $50 bucks there and I was bad for pilfering the dumpster at the one range I frequented for thrown away brass, I mean when a range trip could net $40-50 bucks after cot of gas, ammo, and food, it made sense. I also only dealt local, and face to face with cash because I don't use paypal and most people don't understand that 60 pounds of brass will not fit in a $5 flat rate box. I also only picked up brass that had been left behind or that was going to the garage bin. If the other shooter wanted it I normally was happy to give it to them. The only reason I started selling it was because the person i would normally give my brass to since they reloaded, told me that they had more than they needed for the time and that they ran out of room to store it so since I wasn't going to just toss it I looked online to see what going rates were, priced a little below that, and started selling it.

    In the current AO I am in, brass doesn't bring as large of a pay out since a lot of people just don't seem to want to pay more than a cent for anything and like ST1911 said a lot will go to the range and pick through the gravel to try to get brass to reload, some I have known to go to 4-5 clubs on an off day and go through the dirt and brass bins. Hell, I've had a few who would damn near play catcher trying to pick up your brass while you were still firing so that they could take it home and reload. No joke. Get ready to shoot and glance over to a guy hands spread, crouching, and almost skidding side to side trying to guess which direction the casing is going to go. "What are you doing?" "Waiting for the brass, I need some to reload." Proceed to drop mag, clear round, grab mag loaded with Wolf and proceed to shoot while the guy bitches about no one giving him brass while I bitch about needing to buy some land and have my own personal range.

    So both of you are right really. It just depends on the area you are in as to whether selling the brass is worth it. I'm at the point, except for some select rounds, I'm saving my brass for personal reloading, so I really out of the game. Mostly I shoot brass because most brass cased ammo is just loaded more consistent than steel cased ammo and it groups a hell of a lot better. That said, I still shoot Wolf, and reluctantly Tula ammo in my ARs, mostly because I will stumble across a deal at least twice a year for like 500 rounds with an ammo can, or mags, or something like that for $75 bucks and go, what the hell and grab it for range fodder or blaster ammo for training, since my rifles are set up for 5.56 NATO pressure I Wolf and Tula, especially their 55gr loadings(I imagine due to less dwell time over 62 and 75gr(tula) loadings) will have FTFs and failures to lock back which I find to be decent for training on malf drills and if shooting out to about 200 meters seems to still hold minute of man okay. Don't plan on doing a precision rifle course with Wolf or Tula steel cased ammo though. Also, not all steel cased ammo is equal. Hornady's Steel Match ammo has been very good for me, and since it isn't loaded with a junk round that I imagine is inconsistent as hell, as well as a variable powder charge, close to MOA grouping is not out of the realm of possibility and has fed and functioned well in my BCMs which as already stated are set up to feed 5.56 nato ammo.
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  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wake27 View Post
    How much would you say you shoot in those 2-3 years before replacing the barrel?


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    The carbines see heavy use. I get 10,000 to 12,000 rounds out of a barrel. I replace the bolt and barrel when the barrel is out of service.

    To answer Bimmer's question, I sell or reload brass cases. If I am loading 600 yard ammunition, I use higher quality brass and everything else gets moved. Unserviceable brass is sold to the local scrap yard for $14 per lb. I don't go through the trouble of reloading ammunition for shooting at 100 yards or closer.
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  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by T2C View Post
    The carbines see heavy use. I get 10,000 to 12,000 rounds out of a barrel. I replace the bolt and barrel when the barrel is out of service.

    To answer Bimmer's question, I sell or reload brass cases. If I am loading 600 yard ammunition, I use higher quality brass and everything else gets moved. Unserviceable brass is sold to the local scrap yard for $14 per lb. I don't go through the trouble of reloading ammunition for shooting at 100 yards or closer.
    Sorry to bring up an older thread, but for those that scrap the brass, does the scrap yard require that they be de-primed?

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by sundance435 View Post
    Sorry to bring up an older thread, but for those that scrap the brass, does the scrap yard require that they be de-primed?
    Only one of three scrap yards in our area accepts spent brass due to live rounds detonating, because some people who sold the brass did a poor job of screening it. The scrap yard I frequent does not require brass cases be de-primed. The owner looks closely to ensure the primers are spent.

    If the smelter reports a live primer or live round, we'll lose access to that scrap yard as well.
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  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arik View Post
    Exactly! People keep repeating that without thinking.

    BTW Geco ammo is also bimetal. I don't know about their 556 but the 9mm is

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    I've seen bimetal in many of the economy line domestic ammo as well. WWB 7.62 and .30 carbine has been loaded with bimetal as well as UMC .45ACP hardball.

    The only steel cased ammo I use is for my Com Block guns that I don't reload for. I've got a couple 9mm pistols that won't feed steel case worth a damn and I've been able to stash enough brass cased ammo and components for as cheap or cheaper than steel over the years that it doesn't make sense to start adding it now.
    Last edited by jaholder; 12-31-17 at 11:10.

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