What to do with brass?

[DoctorDawg]

Because I have my own range, I get to collect all my brass. Since buying my XD-9 a month ago I've managed to fill up two of the large ("3 lb." size) coffee cans with once-fired cartridges...I'm guessing that's close to 2000 rounds. I'm shooting about 50 rounds a day these days (I'm gonna get good with this gun or go bankrupt tryin'), so it's easy to imagine one corner of my garage slowly fillin' up with coffee cans full of once-shot 9mm brass. I really don't see myself ever getting into reloading.

What's the best thing to do with this stuff? Copper is expensive these days and cartridge brass is 70% copper, so I imagine recyclers will pay something for it. I would think that it would be worth more to reloaders than it would be to recyclers, given that new brass in 9mm seems to sell for about 10 cents a round, but so far, asking 5 cents each, I haven't found anybody eager to take it off my hands...plenty of folks willing to take it for free, though. Commercial reloaders are out of the question, of course, because they typically won't buy in lots smaller than 100,000.

Since I shoot only new ammo and am spending a fair amount of money on it, I'd be right pleased to get some of that back from the cartridges. So what's the best (highest yield) way to do that...sell it as scrap, or keep trying to sell to reloaders?

P.S.: in case it matters, we're talkin a 50-50 mix of Remington UMC and WWB, plus a tiny amount of whatever my neighbor is shootin when I invite him over occasionally.

[mtcraigco]

Dawg

Hop over to ebay and search "9mm brass"

Lots of folks there selling it and once fired is the usual condition. This will give you a very good idea of the market value. It's also a good place to sell it, maybe not for as much as you'd hoped to get, but a few bucks is better than a garage full of brass.

Alternately, you might consider getting into reloading yourself, as much as you are shooting, the equipememnt would pay for itself rather quickly in ammo savings.

thanks

[tec]

Your own range???

You know, I can be adopted. I cook, clean, yard work, sew, laundry (no ironing) locksmith, general contractor. I only require range use, room and board. But, no touchy feely stuff, got it. I do require 2-4 weeks of vacation time a year (with occasional weekend road trips) with my wife and daughter.

Let me know.

[Loves2Shoot]

It sells for about 2 cents each delivered generally. Depending where you are located you probably have a local IDPA/USPSA club where someone would be interested in it.

[Old School]

Around here, once fired 9mm goes for about $20/1000 of mixed 9mm, $30 for all one headstamp.

Hope this helps.

OS

[DoctorDawg]

Originally Posted by tec

I cook, clean, yard work, sew, laundry (no ironing) locksmith, general contractor. I only require range use, room and board. But, no touchy feely stuff, got it.

Sorry, tec, my wife already handles alla that for me...and I even get the touchy-feely stuff if I'm real good. And all it costs me is keepin' her horses in hay, grain, tack, pasture, shoes, water, vets, tests, trailers, trucks, tractors, barns, rings, fences, trails, and training....hmmm, now that I think of it, you may be offerin' me a better deal. Still, I've gotten kinda fond a the ol' girl.

[tec]

Originally Posted by DoctorDawg

Sorry, tec, my wife already handles alla that for me...and I even get the touchy-feely stuff if I'm real good. And all it costs me is keepin' her horses in hay, grain, tack, pasture, shoes, water, vets, tests, trailers, trucks, tractors, barns, rings, fences, trails, and training....hmmm, now that I think of it, you may be offerin' me a better deal. Still, I've gotten kinda fond a the ol' girl.

Don't know unless ya ask, right? and I asked.

Try taking your spent cases to a gun show. They need to be sorted and baged with a count on each bag. Find somebody selling reloaded ammo and sell it to them, or even trade it to them. Thats what I am saving all of mine for.

[DoctorDawg]

In order to get the most value from selling my brass, does it make sense to clean, polish and deprime it, or do most reloaders prefer to buy it 'as-is'?

[Jamess67]

I just bout 3000 once fired stuff 9mm for 1.5 cents a piece. This was "dirty brass" and included shipping I believe. Most Ive seen goes for .02 a piece as OS said.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by DoctorDawg

In order to get the most value from selling my brass, does it make sense to clean, polish and deprime it, or do most reloaders prefer to buy it 'as-is'?

Although everyone like clean brass, most will tumble it when they are ready to use it. I would not waste your time depriming it either.

For me, dirty is OK as long as it is a decent brand brass.

OS