How much empty brass is enough to have?

[Pensacola Joe]

Remember the only easy day is yesterday

 

[M118LR]

Remember the only easy day is yesterday

I've always been told that it's the first hundred years that are the hardest. Hope to find out. LOL

 

[lakelandmusic]

Similar to the numerous discussions on how much ammo is enough to own, I am wondering how much empty brass is enough. I have been consolidating my reloading stuff from several friends' houses, who no longer reload, to my house. I don't reload much anymore either. It appears there isn't much of a demand for used brass or are prices just too high? I am thinking of keeping a standard size ammo can, full of 9, 45 and 38. The rest would give me at least a 5-gallon bucket for the scape recycler. Anyone else downsizing? What are you doing with your brass? Thanks.

I have a boxes of 2000 each of 5.56, 9mm, .40, and .300 BO brass, tumbled and otherwise unprocessed. I try to keep it that way, replenishing when I make more. I stock most of my newly loaded ammo, set aside what I'm going to shoot, and then keep reloading that until I need new brass. It can get to be a lot of organizing to have multiple batches in different stages of processing and number of times fired. So for myself it's separated into once fired and tumbled, and where ever I'm at in the batches I've loaded and shot. I would keep however much you feel comfortable keeping around space-wise. My storage space personally is minimal.

 

[M118LR]

I have a boxes of 2000 each of 5.56, 9mm, .40, and .300 BO brass, tumbled and otherwise unprocessed. I try to keep it that way, replenishing when I make more. I stock most of my newly loaded ammo, set aside what I'm going to shoot, and then keep reloading that until I need new brass. It can get to be a lot of organizing to have multiple batches in different stages of processing and number of times fired. So for myself it's separated into once fired and tumbled, and where ever I'm at in the batches I've loaded and shot. I would keep however much you feel comfortable keeping around space-wise. My storage space personally is minimal.

Every unloaded round is a round that you can't use when it's
needed. JMHO.

 

[ABlaster]

I personally like to store my brass and bullets in my shed, which I’m not willing to do with loaded ammo. I can clean those things up with no harm done but once loaded up I like to keep it climate controlled and space gets tight. My primers and powder all stay in the house.

Everyone has their own opinion on using handloaded ammo for self-defense too. I fall into the factory ammo camp on that one!

 

[M118LR]

I personally like to store my brass and bullets in my shed, which I’m not willing to do with loaded ammo. I can clean those things up with no harm done but once loaded up I like to keep it climate controlled and space gets tight. My primers and powder all stay in the house.

Everyone has their own opinion on using handloaded ammo for self-defense too. I fall into the factory ammo camp on that one!

When the time comes that you find yourself in a life or death situation, the only load that matters is the one that goes bang when you pull the trigger and are really counting on it to work! It's better to be tried by 12 than Carried by six. JMHO. Unloaded brass no matter the good intentions, can not assist your survival. Just food for thought.

 

[ABlaster]

When the time comes that you find yourself in a life or death situation, the only load that matters is the one that goes bang when you pull the trigger and are really counting on it to work! It's better to be tried by 12 than Carried by six. JMHO. Unloaded brass no matter the good intentions, can not assist your survival. Just food for thought.

I think at some point it becomes more of a security blanket at best or just an easy hill to occupy on the internet at worst. Folks that have legit thousands of rounds on hand for both rifle and handgun can sleep pretty easy with unloaded components on hand.

I agree that you fight with what you have when the fight finds you, and really the negative legal ramifications of using handloads is a bit overstated. I prefer factory because without adding steps to my process they tend to be sealed tighter than my handloads against moisture and I don’t think I’m getting any performance boosts for my effort.

 

[M118LR]

I think at some point it becomes more of a security blanket at best or just an easy hill to occupy on the internet at worst. Folks that have legit thousands of rounds on hand for both rifle and handgun can sleep pretty easy with unloaded components on hand.

I agree that you fight with what you have when the fight finds you, and really the negative legal ramifications of using handloads is a bit overstated. I prefer factory because without adding steps to my process they tend to be sealed tighter than my handloads against moisture and I don’t think I’m getting any performance boosts for my effort.

So since you have invested in thousands of rounds of factory loads that are sitting on hand as a security blanket, why bother to handload if there are no performance benefits? Why bother chasing that expended brass all over the range? Is there a reason that makes the effort worth the trouble? .........

 

[ABlaster]

I handload my competition .40 ammo to smooth out the time/pressure curve to make recoil easier to manage at speed. I shoot USPSA in Limited Division so .40 is the flavor of choice and I shoot a lot.

There’s also the cost savings. Well, for now, at least!

 

[M118LR]

I handload my competition .40 ammo to smooth out the time/pressure curve to make recoil easier to manage at speed. I shoot USPSA in Limited Division so .40 is the flavor of choice and I shoot a lot.

There’s also the cost savings. Well, for now, at least!

Sounds to me like there is a performance increase with your handloads? Along with a slight cost advantage at least for now. ????

 

[ABlaster]

When I said there wasn’t a performance boost I meant in a self-defense context, but yeah, there’s a big difference in the competition world!

Edit: Right now, the cost savings is massive. I had a source of free (albeit Glock-fired) .40 brass and the primers I’m using I bought for $155 per 5,000.

 

[M118LR]

When I said there wasn’t a performance boost I meant in a self-defense context, but yeah, there’s a big difference in the competition world!

Edit: Right now, the cost savings is massive. I had a source of free (albeit Glock-fired) .40 brass and the primers I’m using I bought for $155 per 5,000.

In my experience there is no competition that demands a heavier price for failure than that of self defense, unless it is in defense of others! Yet YMMV?

 

[ABlaster]

That kind of goes without saying, for sure.

 

[M118LR]

That kind of goes without saying, for sure.

So, about that lack of a performance difference during self defense? Maybe that is why SNIPERS have loads tailored to their rifles whenever possible?

 

[ABlaster]

Yeah, my competition handgun ammo would not be as effective as factory self-defense ammo, and any self defense ammo I would make wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Precision rifles are a different ballgame altogether, so I’m seeing it as an apples to oranges comparison.

Funny, I just read the other post and saw you made an apples/oranges comment there!

 

[M118LR]

In the world of self defense, the agility of a handgun is a trade off to the abilities of a short Barreled carbine in resolving the conflict. JMHO.

 

[ABlaster]

In the world of self defense, the agility of a handgun is a trade off to the abilities of a short Barreled carbine in resolving the conflict. JMHO.

I think you can take JMHO off that statement. I didn’t think that was up for debate!

 

[M118LR]

I think you can take JMHO off that statement. I didn’t think that was up for debate!

Perhaps, but the Tunnel Rats may have a differing opinion?

 

[ABlaster]

Perhaps, but the Tunnel Rats may have a differing opinion?

I doubt they would. They just have to choose the mobility end of the spectrum.

 

[M118LR]

I don’t they would. They just have to choose the mobility end of the spectrum.

Problem with conversing with Tunnel Rats, you only get to speak with those 1911 armed folks that made it back out of the tunnel. JMHO.