Where is all the brass going?

[Danth]

Went up to the local range today to pick up some 22mag for jackets. Not a one! Even 22lr was in short supply. People picking them up for the scrap value, or is swaging becoming more popular?

[Hostile79]

I don’t think folks are going to the range much because of the ammo shortage. I noticed this fall that the number of people and amount of brass at the range dropped. I’m glad I stocked up on reloading supplies when things were good so this really isn’t affecting me but if it goes well into next year it will.

[SafetyJoe]

Yeah, not many people are shooting these days. Even 22lr because if you look at the prices online you'll see those 500 rd bulk packs for sale at above $200 which is nuts if you ask me. Right now it looks like steel cased 7.62x39 and 12ga birdshot is the cheapest ammo you can buy. It costs less than 22lr or 9mm. I'm also glad I stocked up a couple years ago on 22lr bulk packs, primers, powder, lead and bullet molds. The ammo and reloading components shortage lasted almost 2 years after the Sandy Hook school shooting. I sure hope this one doesn't last that long.

[Shawlerbrook]

People definitely are not shooting as much due to lack of supply and cost when you can find it. Also the price and availability of reloadable brass will make it scarce on the ground. There already has been a bill introduced into the new Congress for ammo registration and licensing ( whatever that means). With the makeup of Congress and the new President, you will see a bevy of gun laws, especially after the next high visibility shooting incident. I hope I am wrong but this shortage will be like nothing we have seen in the past.

[1blue]

This is an unusual situation. The double whammy. I'm old enough to live through a few other rough times. The pandemic makes this particularly rough. The run on TP, etc. I've been going to the range for a number of months and been the only person there shooting. I don't need brass after collecting for 40 years. I just pick up my own brass. During one dry spell in the past I took to shooting my pellet rifle. Just shooting holes in paper after all. I recently watched a YouTube video of a guy rebuilding spent primers. Don't think I would go there or need to. But interesting on how folks continue to shoot with no components available.

[Mbaker78]

I’m looking into getting an air soft pistol similar to my carry gun just so that I can still get some trigger time in.

[lightman]

Shooting had slowed down some around here but now its pretty much at a complete stop. They were paying the high prices but now theres not any ammo, at any price.

[SafetyJoe]

Shooting had slowed down some around here but now its pretty much at a complete stop. They were paying the high prices but now theres not any ammo, at any price.

I think a lot of people are holding off on shooting the ammo they have for a little while. Something like the " wait and see " mentality. People just don't know what's going to happen, but they have a feeling it wont be good so they aren't shooting up their ammo just for fun anymore. I still see a few people going to the ranges, but they are either reloaders or people just sighting in their rifle with a few rounds. Last year when the lockdowns started and several of the local shooting ranges around here shut down I had a bunch of business cards made that says on one side " I pay top dollar for reloadable brass cartridge casings " and on the back it says " Much more than scrap value paid in cash " along with my email address. I started passing them out to friends, people I saw at the shooting ranges and I pinned them up on the bulletin boards at my local gun stores. It turned out to work pretty good. I've had several people contact me that had been saving brass for a while thinking they might get into reloading, but changed their mind and wanted to sell the brass to me. So there's an idea for anyone else out there that's been having a problem picking up brass at ranges or in case you're just tired of bending over a lot to pick up brass yourself. You can essentially have other people do it for you and then you just buy the brass off them for more than they could sell the brass elsewhere and less than you could buy the brass elsewhere so everyone is happy and your back doesn't hurt as much.

[Pacomdiver]

they havent slowed down at my local club range, i pickup 250-500 cases a week off the ground, mainly 223 and 9mm but a decent amount of other cals too. even the ground looks like gold (theres so much 22s on the ground) when driving up to the range in the sunlight. yesterday i got over 2" in a 5 gal bucket worth and have had days ive gotten 6 plus inches worth

[Happyguy]

I knew it, Pacomdiver has all the brass :)

[Pacomdiver]

just what i dont send to washington state, LOL

[1blue]

I also think that with ammo prices where they are, if you can even find any, shooters are just not willing to part with their ammo. I'm sure they are wondering, if they shoot what they have on hand, what will replacement ammo cost? If they can even find any... I go to an indoor range this time of year and I'm concerned how they will stay in business. There is no ammo to sell. I find myself there alone on the member side. One or two, maybe on the public side. Reading some articles, many say it will be another year before things return to "normal". GunBroker prices are through the roof. So how will this range stay open? I see a time when employees get laid off. When I go in, many are just sitting around or cleaning display cases... I'm afraid they will have to raise range fees, then even fewer will come in... As a member, I'm locked in, but in a few months it will be time to renew. In the past they used to give you a break on your membership fee to renew. I bet that has gone by the way side...

[Mbaker78]

just what i dont send to washington state, LOL

Talking about Mr Sage?

[Happyguy]

No, to me :)

[Mbaker78]

Ahh, lol, ok.

[Shawlerbrook]

At least you can still find brass at a reasonable price if you hunt the web. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about powder and primers.

[Happyguy]

We have a sporting goods store near me that gets primers in off and on and they are selling them at regular pricing but limiting to 500.

[Hostile79]

There is a gun show around me this weekend. I am hoping I can find some primers there.

[Shawlerbrook]

Unfortunately our gun shows have been off for a year now and gun shops, especially one’s that stock anything are far and few between here in Central NYS.

[1blue]

Went to two ranges this last week, they had a small amount of ammunition...? So I wasn't the only one shooting. Didn't really make any difference in the brass buckets. At least half were shooting 22lr. Two other positions were people I actually knew. They asked about my reloading and left me their brass. Some 9mm and 40S&W. Not much. They shot one box and left... I then visited a Murdoch's to pick up some clays, I had hoped they might have some shotgun ammo. But no luck. But while there, in another isle. I noticed a few guys looking at some 9mm ammo. Personal defense rounds, over $1 per round. Behind them were some 5.56 boxes of 50. So in addition to the clays I picked up two of those. One of the guys thought things would return to normal this summer. I've been reading, 2022... But this last week has me wondering???

[Hostile79]

There is a gun show around me this weekend. I am hoping I can find some primers there.

Well no primers at the gun show except for one guy selling older primers $20 per 100!!!!

[Mbaker78]

Sadly, people will pay that much for them...

[DukeInFlorida]

This is a great time to get to know your LOCAL reloading supply shop. What I have often suggested to my reloading students is that after making a lot of effort to get to know the owners personally, you should then offer to pay up front for supplies. This does work. They feel obligated, since they are sitting on your money, to put you at the front of the line. They will thank you for trusting in them. And, that makes for an even more solid relationship. I have a standing positive cash account at two of the local (to me) suppliers. I just don't need anything at the moment (planned way ahead of all of this and am sitting proud on primers and powder.) Overall, it's a short amount of cash to have a great relationship with these local guys who are under pressure from the general public. When I walk through their front door, I'm never just "another customer".
Try this, and report back.

[Mbaker78]

I actually do side work for my local FFL, so I’m in good with him. But he still has no line on primers at the moment other than the inflated ones on gunbroker.

[renofish]

I have an indoor range were they police the brass and sell unsorted to those who shoot.

[renofish]

if you know anyone who needs large rifle standard and or magnum primers I will trade for equivalent for small pistol primers

[Hostile79]

My local gun store got primers this week and I bought 1,000 small pistol for $100. That’s a lot better than the $200 per 1,000 I had been seeing. I would have bought more but $100 per 1,000 still seems pretty high to me.

[DukeInFlorida]

My tens of thousands (all sizes of pistol and rifle) cost on average $28 per thousand.
No, I am not sharing or selling any.

[MT shooter]

I work weekends at some public land near town. I have been there for about 3 years and the shooting has slowed way down. I use to get almost a 5 gallon bucket of assorted brass per day now I get maybe a milk jug of brass. I have lots of some calibers but have sold most of less common ones. maybe one person a day would stop by usually at the end of the day to pick brass, now I see 3 to 5 different people per day swinging through and they are all gong home empty handed. Like others, I see people picking .22 brass now as well.

[DukeInFlorida]

I hope that the people picking brass, like yourself, are doing so to actually USE the brass to reload. Picking brass merely to sell at the scrap metal place is a waste of a great resource. It's why Ammo Brass Trader exists, to facilitate the trading of otherwise un-needed brass. Someone will need it for reloading. I would think that there are plenty of odd jobs that would yield more $$$ than picking small lots of brass to sell at the scrapper.

One of my best friends, an elderly fellow up in Maine, where I used to live, first became known to me when asking others at the gun club there what the club rules were for4 brass left behind. Everyone told me to look for the old guy with the goatee, in the beige Lincoln. He was delighted that I sought him out, and generously GAVE me all of the brass that I needed for reloading. I've since moved to Florida, but we still talk on the phone, and he sends me any brass I ask him for. He's still picking, but never sells it for scrap metal.

That my two cents worth. There's plenty of brass out there, even in the really oddball sizes. When you get that brass, bring it here for trading with folks that really need it for reloading. And, always tell others about Ammo Brass Trader. It would be helpful to us all to get more folks trading brass here.

[gemihur]

Thanks, Duke.
Latest stitch in the thread 7/14/21
I am a resourceful reloader, mostly wildcats, haven't fired any factory ammo short of rimfire in 20 years.
6 months of Joe Biden and it doesn't seem to be letting up
What good is a brass case without a primer?
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I wouldn't let him feed my dog!
I know it's not the government, for Pete's sake, it's the fragile mentality of the mass public.
Hold on and hold out. 1929 is right around the corner again. Déjà vu, Dude!

[Happyguy]

I believe the brass is coming back.