how to remove brass from spent shotgun shells

[Tactical Turtle 11]

As the title says I wanna know if there is a easy way to remove the brass from spent shotgun shells. I have a out door range near me with the ground covered in spent shells, a easy 10k and saw a opportunity to make some extra cash to buy ammo with, if I can remove the plastic from the spent brass atleast. If anyone can help lmk, I'm sure at 2 bux a pound and that many shells I should be able to get enough togther to buy atleast a case of ammo

[hd2000fxdl 422]

As the title says I wanna know if there is a easy way to remove the brass from spent shotgun shells. I have a out door range near me with the ground covered in spent shells, a easy 10k and saw a opportunity to make some extra cash to buy ammo with, if I can remove the plastic from the spent brass atleast. If anyone can help lmk, I'm sure at 2 bux a pound and that many shells I should be able to get enough togther to buy atleast a case of ammo

 

 

Knife?? Saw??

 

Harry

[Tactical Turtle 11]

Tried that it took to long, with the steel ones I removed the primer and smacked it with a hammer a few times. It fell off, the brass ones not so.much

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Tried that it took to long, with the steel ones I removed the primer and smacked it with a hammer a few times. It fell off, the brass ones not so.much

 

 

Have any Kids??

 

Harry

[Krdshrk 3,877]

The plastic should melt at a lower temperature than the brass

[Tactical Turtle 11]

Lmao nope

[Tactical Turtle 11]

It's wired I threw one in my fire pit the plastic shriveled up and charred but didn't completely melt. And I already checked the ones I have on a magnet there not brass covered steel there all brass so I already know I'm not wasting my time

[Krdshrk 3,877]

If it didn't melt then the temperature wasn't hot enough

[henrym 19]

The hull is actually press fit into the brass base to make it extremely difficult to come out. If it wasnt this way, a gun would only pull the brass base out when extracting. You may want to make a relief cut in the base of the hull and see if that works.

 

FWIW you might want to see if this is alright with the range owner. Alot of ranges sell their spent hulls and brass to reloaders. You might be stepping on some people toes, or at worst, stealing from your range.

[Parker 213]

Only premium hulls use an all brass base. And they are few and far between these days. Manufacturers are leaning more towards a steel base with a brass wash. Most reloaders covet their all-brass hulls. If you are finding that many once-fired you'd be better off selling them in bags of 100 to reloaders. Depending on the style, size and gauge of hull, they're going for $8 - $12/100 these days. Skeet ranges I shoot at often frown on shooters picking up spent empties that didn't come out of their gun. At the end of the day someone at that club sorts them and they sell them to customers.

[Tactical Turtle 11]

It's a public range already asked the game warden and security guard they both said go for it and clean up lol

[djg0770 481]

$8 to $12 per 100 is more than you will get for the equivalent brass - sell the shells on ebay, throw them in a flat rate box. Done.

[chris327 30]

Seems like you would need alot of spent shells to get any value.but let me know if you do find a way to easily take it off.

[Tactical Turtle 11]

$8 to $12 per 100 is more than you will get for the equivalent brass - sell the shells on ebay, throw them in a flat rate box. Done.

Great idea

[matt6669 71]

Great idea

 

 

It's not that easy. It's the same thing with brass. Go look on gunbroker, there are a 100 listings on gunbroker for brass with absolutely not bids on them. For the most part, people don't buy brass or hulls when they are in abundant quantities for free. But by all means, have a blast.

[DevsAdvocate 112]

What's the scrap value of brass ammo? I've got a (not literal) ton of it.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

What's the scrap value of brass ammo? I've got a (not literal) ton of it.

 

More value to people who reload so I would see if you can sell it to them first, but if it's too bad to do that or 22's, then I would scrap it, you probably will get between 80-100 bucks for a 5 gallon bucket, maybe more if there were a more 22's.

 

Harry

[matt6669 71]

it's currently at 1.60ish the last time I checked. Go to rockawayrecycling.com for further information.

[DevsAdvocate 112]

More value to people who reload so I would see if you can sell it to them first, but if it's too bad to do that or 22's, then I would scrap it, you probably will get between 80-100 bucks for a 5 gallon bucket, maybe more if there were a more 22's.

 

Harry

 

Kk. That's my short term plan... I label and sort my spend brass for future use (when I get into reloading) or sale (for calibers I don't plan to reload). I individually bag each caliber and store em away. I've become a bit of a brass whore at my range...

[chris327 30]

A 5 gallon bucket of 22's is tons. How many would you guess?

[hd2000fxdl 422]

A 5 gallon bucket of 22's is tons. How many would you guess?

 

S-Load, and thats a technical term.

 

Don't know, I have them in a few smaller plastic containers from when I shoot at the indoor range and I don't have enough yet to start moving it to the bucket yet. I figure it's real easy and doesn't take much time at all to separate, and what I will get for it once a year should fund some reloading supplies.

 

Harry

[oneshot 45]

pick up the spent hulls, separate them out by gauge,brand and type. List them on forum for sale.. You will make more money faster. Best if you can find once fired though.

[Socom 19]

what kind of shells maybe i can buy them? if they are AA 12 gauge i will buy all you have

[Tactical Turtle 11]

I have about a dozen I brought home to work on and see what is the best way to take apart, I saw a bunch of winchester red hulls, 12 guage probably about 300 easy in piles where people are shooting, and remmington green hulls, I think were out of a slug cuz there's not as much plastic sticking out. What they worth?? There dirty cuz there on sand, and with rain and wind, but just need to be cleaned oh and easiest way for anyone who is interested, use a Phillips head screw sdriver to remove primer and continue to hammer until it sticks out about a inch, find something hard like I have a vice with a flat area I use and smack.the brass with a hammer rotate hit again and keep doing it. Removed about 5 brass bases from hull in 5 minutes

[matt6669 71]

you do realize that each base isn't even worth a cent right?

 

so less than 5 cents in a minute, i think you'd be better off trying to sell the hulls first imo

[Tactical Turtle 11]

But in the quanity I can get it can be worth it, just trying to offset my shooting cost, I already save my spent brass for my hand gun so when I have the funds I will be reloading, but for now I buy new so if I can make 30 biz that's 100 rounds I can shoot

[hd2000fxdl 422]

you do realize that each base isn't even worth a cent right?

 

so less than 5 cents in a minute, i think you'd be better off trying to sell the hulls first imo

 

5 Cents a minute, 3 bucks an hour in todays market, not worth it at all, Heck I was making more that an hour back in 81 and minimum wage was only 3.35.

 

Harry

[chris327 30]

If each is only worth a cent thats 1cent per minute. doesn't seem to be worth it at that. Take it as is and sell huge lots of it for 5 bucks you would be much better off.or go get a party time job for the time you would dedicate to doing that. You'll make much more.also consider gas to the range and scrap yard.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Also - that's IF they're brass cased. Most shells are now copper washed steel as stated before.

[raz-0 1,259]

It's not that easy. It's the same thing with brass. Go look on gunbroker, there are a 100 listings on gunbroker for brass with absolutely not bids on them. For the most part, people don't buy brass or hulls when they are in abundant quantities for free. But by all means, have a blast.

 

Uhm ebay doesn't allow that anymore as far as I can tell (I also see no listings of it). The gun broker ones appear to get no customers for several reasons.

 

1) They are just overpriced. I can go to a reputable business and get 1k mixed headstamp 40 for $45/k sorted for $61/k. Examples of overpriced gunborker sales are 1k for $75+$12S&H. Another for 1500 for $45_$15 S&H. If you are going to sell and want your price to be reasonable aim at about 2000-2500 in a single flat rate box packed properly (if usins USPS, get the priority tyvek envelopes, put the brass in those ans seal them, then box them in the box and tape the crap out of the box). If I want unprocessed, I look in the USPSA classifieds or on the brian enos forums and can usually score a really nice price like $70 for 2-2.5k shipped with a little patience.

 

2) They are overpriced once you add in shipping. Often these are small lots. If you are going to sell, figure out what the USPS flat rate boxes hold reasonably, and pick the sweet spot in terms of price/count/cost of shipping. It effectively minimizes shipping costs to the buyer, and guys buying used brass are cheap that way.

 

3) THEY SELL LIKE HOTCAKES, you just don't see the bids. for example, I see an auction for 1k of .223 military brass decrimped, full length sized, and deprimed for $98+$11 S&H. That's a smoking deal. It is a 24 hour listing, and will likely be reposted tomorrow even if it sells because it's a business capitalizing on the fact the gunbroker listings are free. Other have buy it now with a reasonable price. SO buyers hit the buy it now.

 

If your brass isn't selling, you are doing something wrong.

 

380 Auto- 8.5 lbs

9mm-9 lbs

357 Sig-10 lbs

38 SPL-10 lbs

357 Mag-12 lbs.

10mm-11 lbs.

40 S&W-10 lbs.

45 ACP-12.5 lbs

 

223 13.25lbs