Scavenging Brass - Inside MDT

If you're a handloader, you already know that powder, bullets, brass, and primers are often in short supply. And if you can find components for handloading, rest assured they won't be on sale. This makes it the ideal time for handloaders to explore alternate sources for the most expensive component in a cartridge, the brass case. We can't reuse the bullet, powder, or primer, but the case is a prime candidate for recycling. Of course, we can buy new, unprimed cases or explore alternate sources for acquiring those cases. The technical term for this is "scavenging"...which I do all the time. Below are the steps I take to find and prepare brass for use.

STEP 1: FIND BRASS

Scavenging brass usually takes one of two forms. Many hunters who don't handload save their brass and then sell it. These are typically once-fired cases; if the seller is reasonable about the price, it's a great way to score brass. Expect to pay about 50% of the price of new brass.

A second way of scoring cartridge cases is to scrounge for it at shooting ranges. Not every shooter saves their cases, either leaving them on the ground at the range or tossing them into the ever-present brass bucket. Finding exactly what you need takes a lot of persistence and a good dose of luck. Keeping some friends alerted to what you need and making a mutual assistance scrounging agreement will increase your odds of success.

STEP 2: EVALUATE

Whatever scavenging method is used, success cannot be declared simply because cases of the right caliber have been located. With rifles, it's always best to stick with the same manufacturer to ensure a certain level of consistency. Next on the list are cases that are worn out from multiple firings. Signs like split necks or headstamps that are hammered flat are dead giveaways that a case can be declared deceased. Personally, I'd reject any scrounged cartridge case that doesn't look like it's been subjected to a single firing.

Primer sealant and an unchamfered case mouth are indicators of once-fired brass.

Determining that once-fired status can be tricky, but there are two good signs to look for. At the top of the list is bright-colored sealant around the edge of the primer. Not all manufacturers use this technique, but if it's there, it's a guarantee of once-fired. A second indicator is found on the case mouth. Look to see if it's been chamfered; if it has, the case has been reloaded. Manufacturers bell the case mouth before seating the bullet; they don't chamfer as hand loaders do.

STEP 3: SORT IT

Detailed sorting should be your next step with scrounged brass. I start by using a decapping die to punch the primer out. Don't use a sizing die; a decapping die is cheap, will do all calibers except .17 and .20, and will last a lifetime. As a side benefit, depriming as a sole operation provides the opportunity to evaluate how tight that primer fits into the pocket by judging the effort required to pop it out. After you've done a few and developed a feel for it, any that come out too easily should raise suspicions because enlarged primer pockets are usually a result of repeated high-pressure hand loads.

Any primers that come out too hard also warrant a close examination of the case to determine if the primer was crimped in place. Manufacturers typically perform this crimping operation on cartridges, which might see use in full-auto or semi-auto firearms. In the commercial market, it's common to see it in the .223 Remington and the .308 Winchester. But it also surfaces in other calibers, so it's worth watching for. Cases with crimped primer pockets can be reloaded successfully; they just require additional work to remove the crimp.

Cartridge cases with a crimped primer require extra work before reloading.

The next step at this stage is to check for uniform primer size. While it's rare, you'll sometimes encounter brass manufactured with small primer pockets when you expect large. This is done for varying reasons, and I've seen it in 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win.

A final but optional step is annealing the neck. Typically, I won't do this if I'm satisfied this is all once-fired brass. However, after firing it once in my rifle and thus forming it to my chamber, I'll anneal it for the next reload.

STEP 4: CLEAN IT

Now is the time to clean that brass, and several techniques are available. I use both a wet ultrasonic system and dry media in a vibrator. Both do a good job, as do some of the other systems on the market. Use whatever system you like, but cleaning is critical, especially for brass that has been picked up from the ground at the range.

STEP 5: PREP IT

With clean brass in hand, you can begin the reloading process, with sizing as the first step. This should, of course, be full-length sizing. Follow all the usual steps and processes for this, and follow up by trimming to length, then deburring and chamfering.

At this point, scrounged brass looks new and shiny and is ready to accept primer, powder, and bullet. However, I'd suggest one more step, and that's to sort the cases by weight. You've made the cases as similar as possible. Still, they could be from different manufacturing lots, and internal capacity could be different. If it's drastically different, sorting by weight and throwing out cases that are either overly heavy or light will go a long way toward negating that problem.

Weight sorting fully prepped cases is the last step in using scrounged brass.

Success! You now have cases ready to load and shoot, and you've also saved some money. If you're a top-level competitor, scavenging brass likely isn't something you want to consider, but for the rest of us, it's a viable alternative.

RELOADING RESOURCES FROM MDT

• 6mm GT Load Development
• Fire Forming and Loading 223 AI
• Loading 6GT with Hodgdon H4350
• Loading 6MM ARC AND .223 Remington with a Dillion Progressive Press
• A Look at Reduced Loads
• Crimping Handloads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Al Voth calls himself a "student of the gun." Retired from a 35-year career in law enforcement, including nine years on an Emergency Response Team, he now works as an editor, freelance writer, and photographer, and keeps active as a consultant in the field he most recently left behind—forensic firearm examination. He is a court-qualified expert in that forensic discipline, having worked in that capacity in three countries. These days, when he's not working, you'll likely find him hunting varmints and predators (the 4-legged variety).