View Full Version : Case/Brass Shortage?
Is there a shortage of common caliber cases? I know the other components are in short supply, but they are also 1 time use, cases can be reloaded numerous times.
I have some 308 brass I picked up at the range but figure no one wants to mess with 50-60 cases (even paying shipping only). Do we need to scrub our brass stashes and start putting cases in the Pay it Forward thread to help out other shooters?
Andy
Speaking only for myself: I'm not short of anything except time.
I have enough cases, projectiles, powder, and primers to shoot for the next 5-10 years. (I learned the lesson of 2008 and 2013.)
I do have a shopping list of stuff I want to order once things go back to normal, but it's nothing urgent, and I'm not lacking anything (except time) to reload, shoot, etc...
If you have good .308 cases to give away, then I suggest giving them away locally...
I was at the range today. I hate going there and only being able to shoot what I have deemed replaceable. these times suck. What are you gonna do? (I don't golf) That's another thread.
I saw exactly what you are talking about! There was no brass. Just piles of rusted steel cases. It was odd. So odd that it stood out to me and my son too. He said "it looks like theres more dirt today."
BTW this is a range that is owned by the sheriff's department. Mostly LEO's with the exception of a few club members shoot there (most LEO's AFAIK don't pick up their brass).
Anyways I stumbled across the 5.56 cases that I shot as they were the only things shiny out there. And I happened to find a pile of 300blk cases near the targets where someone must have had a brand new sbr and suppressor and they let 'er rip without realizing those cases were valuable these days.
Not to snub in on you, but PM'd you about 50-60 cases in 308 for the price of shipping.
PracticalRifleman
02-01-21, 09:35
I’m wondering if a WTT thread may be useful. For instance I use Lapua and Federal brass in .308, but I have a lot of Winchester, Remington, and military stamp brass laying around that I’d never use. I dunno, just an idea.
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TexasGunNut
02-01-21, 10:05
I second this.
Time to set up alternate trade routes gentlemen.
I’m wondering if a WTT thread may be useful. For instance I use Lapua and Federal brass in .308, but I have a lot of Winchester, Remington, and military stamp brass laying around that I’d never use. I dunno, just an idea.
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I was at the range today. I hate going there and only being able to shoot what I have deemed replaceable. these times suck. What are you gonna do?
Keep kicking yourself for putting yourself in this position, and keep reminding yourself to stock up once the guns/ammo market crashes and prices and inventories go back to normal.
I saw exactly what you are talking about! There was no brass.
That IS weird... My club has just begun allowing lessees (CCW classes, LEO groups) to use it again, and the brass bucket (a 20 gallon drum) was 5-6" deep.
I’m wondering if a WTT thread may be useful.
Brass doesn't seem that heavy, until you go to ship it... I would post something on a bulletin board at your local club.
PracticalRifleman
02-01-21, 12:17
Keep kicking yourself for putting yourself in this position, and keep reminding yourself to stock up once the guns/ammo market crashes and prices and inventories go back to normal.
That IS weird... My club has just begun allowing lessees (CCW classes, LEO groups) to use it again, and the brass bucket (a 20 gallon drum) was 5-6" deep.
Brass doesn't seem that heavy, until you go to ship it... I would post something on a bulletin board at your local club.
Flat rates aren’t bad, you can fit quite a bit in a small box.
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m1a_scoutguy
02-01-21, 17:06
Flat rates aren’t bad, you can fit quite a bit in a small box.
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I bought 6K of 9mm Brass in early Fall and it fit in a Large Flat Rate Box. It was marked $24 bucks ! Not bad for 6000+ pieces of 9mm. I have also bought from these guys and prices were always fair,, there reflecting the market now I guess, but he still has brass if ya need it.
https://www.diamondkbrass.com/ I typically shoot every Sunday morning during the Winter months and yesterday was the 1st time I saw a significant amount of brass in the buckets. There is always 22 but not anything else lately. Being the "hoarder" that I am I gabbed it,,about 300 (9mm,150ish 45ACP with some 380 crap mixed in ! Also as good & bad as Gunbroker can be my buddy found mixed 9mm brass around $54ish per 1K & you had to buy 5K I think. Not sure what shipping was or if it was included. That was last week I believe.
I shipped 520rds of 40cal (full bullets in factory boxes @ 20.05lbs) for $16 from a UPS customer center. I figured if you were shipping 1,000 brass of anything other than 50 BMG it would be similar size and less weight; even for 308 brass.
Plenty of brass was found at a local Field and Stream near me. Picked up some Hornady .308 brass but there was all manor of .45/9mm/.38 and even some .300 blk out.
If I live to be 100 I will not run out of brass. For 10 years I had as a client the Range Master of the Regional LEO range. About every 2-3 months I would acquire 2-3 buckets of once fired, dropped on concrete range brass. 9mm, .40, .45, .223, .308 and even a bit of .38 Spl. from time to time. I have 3 15 gallon plastic drums full of 9mm brass and more than that in .223 and .308.....I have no idea how much that is, but it's a lot....I quit taking the 9mm after a short bit and told him I only needed the other, less common stuff. There are several state and local agencies that use that range including a 300 man department....Fortunately I have access to a fork lift and have stacked the drums on pallets in a corner of a shed so they take up less space.
Brass doesn't seem that heavy, until you go to ship it... I would post something on a bulletin board at your local club.
Use those USPS Priority mail boxes with no weight limit. I sent 2 buddies getting into 300BLK one each of 5.56 brass to convert.
It 2018/19 I gave away about 500-1000 once fired cases of EACH .38 spl, .357 mag, .44 spl and .44 Russian. (S&w 8-shot .357 and moon clips really got me burning revolver ammo)
I had only saved them for a couple months thinking I might start reloading. Decided not to reload at that time and gave the casings I'd saved away.
Not only did they not sell, I couldn't give them away! It became work just to give them away it seemed and I nearly trashed them. Left hundreds in bags at the range for any lucky schmoe.
I've started saving the cases again, wondering if I should be buying new cases if one day i do start reloading.
Black_Sheep
02-05-21, 13:00
No shortage here, I saved brass for 20 + years with the intention of someday reloading. Once I began reloading, friends and family save their.38 and .45 brass for me and I pick up all the 5.56 and .223 range brass I could ever want or need. Primers and projectiles are a different story, there’s none to be found anywhere...
Left hundreds in bags at the range for any lucky schmoe.
I've started saving the cases again, wondering if I should be buying new cases if one day i do start reloading.
Some lucky schmuck probably took those cases to the recycling center and cashed in the brass...
My local club does this when the brass bucket (a 20-gallon drum) is full. Really.
... wondering if I should be buying new cases if one day i do start reloading.
I generally don't/won't buy new cases, simply because they're usually lying around for free, and they last almost forever.
Exceptions:
1. When I reamed my S&W 610 to 10mm Mag, I needed cases to start loading for it...
2. Same with .38 Short Colt, to produce puffy loads for revolvers chambered in .38Spl.
3. Same with .45 Long Colt and .30 Mauser... I had some once-fired cases, but not enough.
4. I like nickel cases, and once-fired nickel .40 cases are dirt cheap, so I bought several thousand.
I generally don't/won't buy new cases, simply because they're usually lying around for free, and they last almost forever.
Buying any brass (except for precision rifle or oddball caliber) is nuts. Like you say... it's free to pick up.
Buying any brass (except for precision rifle or oddball caliber) is nuts. Like you say... it's free to pick up.
This discussion reminds of when I used to brew my own beer...
There were some nuts who would actually buy special bottles to bottle their own beer.
Of course, most of us knew better ways to acquire empty beer bottles!
Leaveammoforme
02-05-21, 14:19
I hold on to whatever I happen to pick up at the range. Have bags with a few pieces each of rando calibers that I don't reload. Maybe they will be handy one day, maybe not.
I had a 7wsm before I started reloading. Kept the brass knowing I would probably reload one day. Sold the rifle and the 600 or so brass just sat in a bag to collect dust.
A few years later I saw a WTB 7wsm brass ad that was offering something like over a buck per case. Of course, I couldn't find the brass. I think it somehow made its way to the trash during a move :(
Still have 6 live rounds though, come on big money.
Some lucky schmuck probably took those cases to the recycling center and cashed in the brass...
My local club does this when the brass bucket (a 20-gallon drum) is full. Really.
I generally don't/won't buy new cases, simply because they're usually lying around for free, and they last almost forever.
Exceptions:
1. When I reamed my S&W 610 to 10mm Mag, I needed cases to start loading for it...
2. Same with .38 Short Colt, to produce puffy loads for revolvers chambered in .38Spl.
3. Same with .45 Long Colt and .30 Mauser... I had some once-fired cases, but not enough.
4. I like nickel cases, and once-fired nickel .40 cases are dirt cheap, so I bought several thousand.
I called a recycling place and it wasn't worth about 1.5 hrs round trip and gas for $25-$35. IIRC. Have to save a bunch to make driving to the recycling worth it.
Buying any brass (except for precision rifle or oddball caliber) is nuts. Like you say... it's free to pick up.
Well that's good to know! I just need more .32 mag brass then. I'm good on the other calibers I'm interested in.
Now I just need reloading equipment, More space, and all the consumables. 😬
PracticalRifleman
02-05-21, 18:11
Buying any brass (except for precision rifle or oddball caliber) is nuts. Like you say... it's free to pick up.
I’ll be moving soon. I’ll have my own 1200 yard range. The nearest public range with brass for the taking will be two hours away.
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I’ll be moving soon. I’ll have my own 1200 yard range. The nearest public range with brass for the taking will be two hours away.
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I feel bad for you sir...
Just a guess from a few of your pictures but I am thinking you got me beat on tools and supplies by a factor of 2 to 3 or more. As bad as it sucked for me moving all my reloading stuff it is going to REALLY suck for you! LOL! :)
I got to mentally adding up how much stuff I moved one day. Knew I had a hundred lbs of this and that those boxes were 50lbs each and that I had so many of them, then the damn cans that were stupidly filled full with projectiles making them a real PITA to move times X number of them for each caliber... A thousand 45 projectiles can easily get upwards of 30lbs for just the projectiles. A few K here or there of this and that adds up and gets heavy quickly. No doubt in my mind that I moved a good thousand lbs of stuff before I even got around to any of the boxes with tools, dies, presses, etc.
You sir, Are going to have it much worse than I did. LOL! :)
PracticalRifleman
02-06-21, 16:29
I feel bad for you sir...
Just a guess from a few of your pictures but I am thinking you got me beat on tools and supplies by a factor of 2 to 3 or more. As bad as it sucked for me moving all my reloading stuff it is going to REALLY suck for you! LOL! :)
I got to mentally adding up how much stuff I moved one day. Knew I had a hundred lbs of this and that those boxes were 50lbs each and that I had so many of them, then the damn cans that were stupidly filled full with projectiles making them a real PITA to move times X number of them for each caliber... A thousand 45 projectiles can easily get upwards of 30lbs for just the projectiles. A few K here or there of this and that adds up and gets heavy quickly. No doubt in my mind that I moved a good thousand lbs of stuff before I even got around to any of the boxes with tools, dies, presses, etc.
You sir, Are going to have it much worse than I did. LOL! :)
Haha I know it’ll be rough. Last time we had two truck beds full and it made them squat! Who ever decided to make lead so heavy? Maybe next time I need a 3/4 ton truck!
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