First day

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Gunnee

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Hey all...thought I would introduce myself. Just got into shooting rifle. Love it. Had a blast on the range today. Decided on a Remington 700 SPS Tactical and a 4-16x42 Nikon Monarch scope. Amazon had the Nikoplex reticle version for $335, so couldn't pass it up over an SWFA, Bushnell Elite(3200), Vortex, Burris, or Leupold for the price. It has side focus, and spring loaded zeroing turrets.

I like the 16 power, seems perfect, although low field of view. Punched out the center of the target pretty good at 100 yards(I know, but I'm a NEWB) my second time shooting rifle, first time with this one....Next stop 200 yards.

Question for you...as the guy next to me was scooping up my 100 rounds of spent brass per my permission. Other than reloading, is there a market for my spent brass...say after a few hundred/thousand rounds? Not really ready to reload, but it seems to be a give away, as I could carry the brass out with me.

Thanks, I've had alot of help from here with my choices.
 
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Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm mostly a handgun shooter and don't get into rifle shooting much. Other than reloaders there isn't much of a market for spent brass that I am aware of. Sure there are some folks that will buy small amounts for "art" projects but most of the market is geared to reloaders. You may want to consider reloading later on. You can cut the cost of ammo nearly in half by loading your own. Reloading is a great way to get practice ammo as well as hunting ammo. If you were considering ammo for home and personal defense I would stick with factory ammo, but for everything else your own reloads are just fine. If you do consider reloading find someone willing to set you down and teach you how to do it safely. There is more to it than just replacing the primer, putting some gunpowder in the case, putting the bullet in place and crimping it. Some range clubs may even offer a course on it. Years ago I kept buying ammo until I needed a large ammount for an instructors course. Then I got into reloading with a Lee loader. From there I went to a single stage press. One day I will try to go with a progressive press. Good luck and again welcome.
 
Yeah, probably not worth the shipping costs. Always thinking. We'll, I might have to start askin some reload questions.
 
Welcome.
There is a scrap market for brass, if you have enough to bother with.
Some folks take away all the brass they can, if it's allowed.
Not necessarily for their own reloading, but to sell at the recyclers.
But check with the range owners, first, as they might have someone they've contracted with to do it.
 
Yep, the range allows you to clean all the brass you want. I'll start collecting, and start from there. Thanks! I'm talkin .308 brass, so it's got to be worth something to someone..I even asked the guy who was collecting, if he would sell me reloads. He just laughed... but seriously...why is this not a good business? I would buy them for sure.
 
Scrap brass is about $3 a pound, and good .30-caliber commercial brass cases, 'once'-fired, sell for about 30 cents each quite often. $20 or $30 a hundred is the norm.

Save all your brass, even if you don't reload. Find a reloader and pony up for powder and bullets, get it reloaded. Even if you have to buy him dies, you'll be money ahead on your ammo costs in a short while.

You can reload .308 for about 50 cents a round : primer, 4 cents - powder, 20 cents - bullet, 25 cents or less. Good hunting bullets cost more, maybe 50 cents.
 
Find a reloader and pony up for powder and bullets, get it reloaded. Even if you have to buy him dies, you'll be money ahead on your ammo costs in a short while.
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I would disagree with this advice and suggest that you do not go this route, Gunnee.

There are two main reasons for my disagreement, and as a new shooter they may not be readily apparent to you:

1. If one is making ammunition in order to sell it, that requires a license from the BATF (assuming you are in the USA). People are allowed to make ammo for their own personal consumption without any permission from the government, but selling it is a big no-no without the proper license. Even if this does not apply to you if you are outside the USA, there is this;

2. While handloading ammo is a hobby that is enjoyed by tens of thousands of people, there is an inherent risk factor associated with it. You are making things that are designed to be small, controlled explosives. All it takes is for the handloader to becomes distracted for one minute and they accidentally double charge the case (fill it with powder twice). While this is not likely to happen with a .308 as it would usually overflow out of the case, it is possible (or they could do any number of other things to cause a pressure spike) and it has the potential to destroy your gun, or worse, YOU.

If someone asked me to make ammo for them or to even shoot my handloads, I would never accept this proposition for these two very reasons. The only people that shoot my reloads are me and my wife, and only in the guns they were designed for.

Handloading is great, and a great way to wring every bit of accuracy out of a rifle. But it does require attention to detail and some basic knowledge, and I would just not trust a stranger with the well-being of my gun, my hand, or in the worst case scenario, my life if the gun catastrophically fails.
 
Great to see another person enjoying some range time!!

Huge +1 to jay24bal

Never shoot someone else's handloads, conversly, never give your handloads to others. Even your BEST friend may have a change of heart with a bolt sticking out of his cheek!

Try to find some good deals on factory ammo that has brass worth reloading (remington, winchester, norma, etc). That way you will have some ammo to keep practicing with while building up a stash of good reloadable brass. Also, go pick up a reloading manual it will clearly explain every step of the process and everything that is needed. Plus, there's great info in reloading manuals, anytime I'm curious about a bullet or caliber I'm not familiar with reloading manuals are the first place I go.

Also, handloading just to save money on ammo, is like gardening just to save money on vegetables. If money savings is your only motivation-you must not think your time is worth much. It has to be a labor of love-for higher quality, better precision, and pride of craftsmanship.
 
Yeah, if you want to save money on ammo, only buy reloads from a commercial reloader with a good reputation.
Not from some guy at the range.
Just do a web search for reloading companies to find them.
 
only buy reloads from a commercial reloader with a good reputation.
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Good point here. I did not intend to scare a new shooter away from reloads, and I apologize if my post was possibly construed that way by anyone.

Commercial reloads are very different from some Bubba who makes ammo in his garage and then posts a flyer at the range. Commercial reloaders do have the required paperwork and they have the same safety checks in place that are used by companies making new ammo. A lot of times, the same companies that reload ammo also make new ammo as well. Not to mention, companies offering commercial reloads also have appropriate insurance to cover anything in case that rare instance happens where the ammo is defective and you get injured.

Commercial reloads are usually cheaper than factory new, and can be a good way to get inexpensive plinking ammo. But do not expect them to help with accuracy as they are not tailored to your gun like a "traditionally" reloaded round (hence why I like the term "handload" when describing precision rifle rounds and "reloads" when I refer to plinking ammo).
 
No need to hold back, I appreciate the help. I knew reloading is not something to be taken lightly...gunpowder igniting, squib loads etc. I was curious to see what options there were for the used brass. I knew I'd get the answers here.
 
I am always looking for fired brass to reload. and you can get a little cash for it and that is better than nothing. Enjoy shooting! I do! And get into reloading. It is as enjoyable as shooting for me!
 
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