Range Barrel Brass....

[Adam Helmer]

Many folks scrounge brass from range barrels. That is ok, but be careful and check the brass closely. The other day a buddy was shooting his Garand on the range with 150 grain handloads when the Garand stopped just out of battery. A careful examination disclosed the 35 .30-06 brass cases he retrieved from the range barrel and reloaded and subsequently fired until the stoppage included two each .270 Winchester cases. Neither .270 case was fired because they were 1.5MM longer than the .30-06 cases and a .270 case jammed in the chamber resulting in the stoppage.

My advice is to only scrounge know once-fired factory brass fired on the range under your supervision. With a little tact, one could encourage non-reloaders to put their fired cases back in the original carton.

Adam

[captain2k_ca]

I'm always picking up useable range brass, but I always clean it really well, then examine it closely, verify headstamps. Etc.

[Dan Morris]

I'm always picking up useable range brass, but I always clean it really well, then examine it closely, verify headstamps. Etc.

I've been a brass rat rat my life....looking carefully, it has never been a problem.....people don't leave it like they used to!
Dan

[Jack]

I've been a range scrounger my whole life, too. But I'm a careful one.
Brass that passes spot inspection at the range is tumbled clean and inspected. Then run thru a universal decapping die and inspected again.
The worst problem I've ever had with a range scrounging is smaller brass sticking inside larger stuff, like a 32 ACP sticking inside a 45 ACP, but that's easily remedied.

[Rapier]

You guys are lucky. Around here the range owners sell the brass to a salvage company at about a grand per 55gal barrel, sorted down to just brass. That was three of four years ago, do not know what the current price is since the Chinese went to a copper based currency.
Ed

[Gil Martin]

Since I work at the local gun club several days a week, i get a chance to pick up a lot of once-fired brass. I have so much brass that is borders on the obscene. So far there have been no problems. Once the brass passes my careful inspection and a trip through the tumbler it gets loaded.

Just a note: the .270 Winchester cartridge can be fired through a .30-06 I know because I did it. I had a box of .270 Winchester reloads that somehow got placed in a .30-06 box. I fired a 5-shot string and was alarmed at the terrible group. A close inspection revealed the problem. There was nop damage to the ammo or the rifle. just a terrible group. All the best...
Gil

[skeet]

That was a reloader error. I have been loading .223 ammo on my Dillon 1050 about 8000 rounds so far. The most time consuming job is inspecting the brass. Better to have all that brass converted to ammo. I bought an M-1A in July and need to load for it next. Just bought a new set of Dillon Carbide dies for a very good price. Found a whole bunch of prepped NM 308 brass(cheap at 6 cents each) and 4000 round of Hornady FMJs for 7 cents each. I think I am fixed for that for a while. After the 223 is done that 308 will be the next project. I also bought about 6000 pieces of military once fired 38 sp brass. Most is Winchester and some Federal. Inspecting all that 38 is not gonna be fun

[Burnt Powder]

If he had bothered to check case length and trimmed there would not have been a problem. Indeed 270 ammo can be fired in an '06. There is .031" difference in bullet and corresponding loaded neck dia. The headspace dimension is the same, use the same gauge. 270 brass necked up and loaded with .308 bullets without trimming to 30-06 length will be problematic as described.

[Adam Helmer]

Burnt Powder,

I agree with you. The .270 case (2.540"), trimmed to .30-06 length of 2.494" can easily be run through a .30-06 die and fired in a .30-06. I routinely use .270 brass for my .25-06, after proper case prep.

My buddy did no close case inspection and the .270 case did tie up his Garand. He had assumed all the salvaged cases were .30-06. Of course, a close glance at cases in the loading block would have disclosed the two problematic .270 cases. He found them on the firing line at the range.

Adam

[wrenchman]

i have never loaded 270 to 3006 just 3006 to 270