I don't relaod, but I may eventually get into it.

Whenever I read many posts about manufactured ammo. Some people will complain or mention that the brass is non-reloadable and stuff like that.
If people reload their own ammo, then why do they worry about the brass from manufactured ammo?
Do most reloaders first buy manufactured ammo then reload it after firing it one time or do most reloaders buy the empty brass casings and make ammo from new brass?

For those who reload their own ammo. Do you pick up every empty you fire even if you just fired 500 rounds that landed all over the ground around hyou and use it again and again or do you just save maybe a handful or just go ahead and buy new brass?

I scrounge brass. I use range sweepings, buy once-fired, and yes, do buy commercial ammo to shoot, and get the brass. Buying brass is fine, but virgin brass costs a bit of money, it's easier to scrounge it.

If it has a boxer primer you can reload it. If it is berden primer you cannot. Most of the 7.62x39 are berden primer.

The number of times you can reload depends on caliber and brass.

I use to save my brass everytime I went shooting. Now I do not save it anymore. I have a cheap source for once fired brass. That makes it not worth saving it.

Actually berdan primed brass can be reloaded. They have tools for decapping them and PMC sells berdan primers. However, it's not widespread and you are best to stick with boxer primer brass (understatement of the year).

Some consider military brass witrh crimped in primers non-reloadable but it is once you remove the crimp. I use a Dillon Super Swage on Military brass. However I did recently buy 3K pieces of Remington headstamp .223 brass from BrassManBrass since it's the only one without a primer pocket crimp.

This post has been edited by ROBZ71LM7: November 23rd 2006 4:39 PM

Yes.

What Pepper said. I wish I had a source like Nonya's, but I need to scrounge too. Most of the brass I buy I pick up at fun shows. You normally get like 500 rounds of once fired, tumbled clean brass for a real reasonable price. I think last time I bought .45 ACP brass like that it was something like $19/500.

I also sometimes buy storebought ammo and save as much of the brass as I can. Why would a reloader buy storebought ammo? Lots of reasons really. You may come across a great deal on surplus .223 rounds you want to use for plinking and just don't want to reload 1000 rounds to save $18. Or ... you just picked up a new handgun in a new (to you) caliber and are on your way to the range. Etc.

I avoid Berdan primed rounds when I buy surplus, and pick up as much of the brass I've shot as is reasonably possible. Works out to be easy with the AR as it seems to drop everything in one spot. Don't have many issues finding the brass from my S&W 1911 either, but from my Springer they're all over the place so I lose some of it. And ... I recover 100% of it all from my 625.

There's also always the auction sites too, but once you've payed shipping you've lost any real savings.

Janitor, here's a trick I used. I don't know if it will work for your range, but it did for mine. I used two old tent poles, and a 10'x12' tarp. I put rocks on one edge, put the tent poles through the grommets at the top, and set it up about 6' from my shooting position. I was able to capture 95% of all the brass that day, and it was easy to fold the tarp, and pour the brass into the buckets.

Thanks Pepper. I've tried a tarp on the ground and it helps, but I still lose a lot. This looks like it will work mo better. Next outside shooting trip I'm gonna try it.