I am undeniably a boomer. And you know what young shooters always complain about old shooters…
…we’re always stopping to pick up our brass.
And it’s true. At least with me it is. Even brass I don’t load for. Yet.
Even brass I didn’t shoot, if the other guy just left it behind. A lot gets lost in the brush and the sand, but if I’m at the range there’s no reason not to lay down a ground cover first, right?
And then I count it like a miser with his gold, and then I tumble it and store it in a nice dry place…
Because I might want to reload it later. I mean once you’ve got the bench set up dies don’t cost that much, right? Get a brick or two of small pistol primers next time out, find a source for bullets. Already got the powder. And the next ammo drought is just around the corner, if our Dear Leaders have anything to say about it…
Boomers may be predicable, but we’re not senseless.
I’m exactly like you with picking up brass, but it ended up costing me a lot of money. Over the years I collected coffee cans full of 9mm, .380 ACP and .32 ACP which I didn’t have any use for. Then I got a “brilliant” idea. Since I have all this nice brass I need to get guns that use it. First was a lightly used Walther PPK in .380, dies and bullets. Then it was a new S&W 915, dies and bullets. Next up was a new Keltec P-32, dies and bullets. Things expanded from there. Saw a Star BM9 at a good price. Since it looks like and points pretty much like a 1911, which I shot better than anything else, I had to get it. After that it was a beautiful, LNIB Beretta 85 .380 ACP. Liked the Beretta 85 so much that I had to get a Model 81 .32 ACP. In for a penny in for a pound. Had to get a Beretta 87 in .22LR to have at least one Cheetah in each caliber. The 85 was too pretty to carry when I was out fishing, so a bought an Italian police trade in and refurbed it for carry. Things haven’t stopped there. I now have an obsession with .380 ACP and have been collecting different makes and model in that caliber. I think I need professional help. And it all started with collecting brass……..
While I don’t reload, I do know people who do and since I’m a nice guy, I always pick up my brass. I even pick up the steel case surplus Russian/Chinese stuff, but that goes into the trash bin.
😀 Oh, my friend, you fell victim to one of the worst of the common blunders. Also one of the most fun.
One almost suspects collusion between the reloading equipment manufacturers and the gun manufacturers.
Considering that you share a range with a guy who shoots weird and odd guns in weird and odd calibers, some of that brass is probably pretty valuable.
Its all worth picking up if for no other reason than selling for scrap. Maybe that’s a boomer thing as well…..
I can’t walk past a penny without snatching it up, those fired cases are like nickles, dimes and more just laying there.
I wish more shooters would pick up their brass. I find many campsites littered with brass. Then I get to pick up after them and dump it in the trash. Such a waste. I don’t reload because I don’t shoot, so its of no value to me. A clean campsite is.
The number of 5 gallon buckets I still need to sort is somewhat embarrassing…
At the last monthly meeting at my range, one of the members went on and on complaining about “people don’t pick up their brass on the hill!!!!!”
I’m like: “dude, shut up, you are messing with my windfall!”
Another (nearly) lifelong brass rat here. And I’m also puzzled by the folks who just toss brand new brass from factory rounds. I once found about 50 rounds of what looked like once fired 38 AMU brass. How are you shooting that and NOT be a reloader?