Scrapping Brass

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • bwframe

    Loneranger
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
    113
    Btown Rural
    I've been trying to tidy up and straighten out an accumulating dud/scrap bucket. Pulling a lot of bullets also and dealing with shiny stuff I just couldn't let lay at the range.

    I've never scrapped any brass, so I'm totally unfamiliar with procedures. I have some questions for those in the know;

    What do I need to do as far a separation? Is their a higher dollar yield for specific separation?

    What about the brass in used primers? What about the odd case with a live primer?

    What about bullet jackets left from melting out the lead? These jackets seem extremely dirty with slag. Do I clean them somehow?

    I'm near Bloomington, so I assume J&B Salvage is the place to go? Other places worth the trip?
     

    gregkl

    Outlier
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,868
    77
    Bloomington
    I've been trying to tidy up and straighten out an accumulating dud/scrap bucket. Pulling a lot of bullets also and dealing with shiny stuff I just couldn't let lay at the range.

    I've never scrapped any brass, so I'm totally unfamiliar with procedures. I have some questions for those in the know;

    What do I need to do as far a separation? Is their a higher dollar yield for specific separation?

    What about the brass in used primers? What about the odd case with a live primer?

    What about bullet jackets left from melting out the lead? These jackets seem extremely dirty with slag. Do I clean them somehow?

    I'm near Bloomington, so I assume J&B Salvage is the place to go? Other places worth the trip?

    If you are scrapping it, brass is brass as far as JB's is concerned. If you are talking about spent primers, I guess you could see what they would give you for them. They would probably give you the "dirty" price since primers aren't all brass. It might be the same for the lead in the other casings.

    I've sold stuff to JB's before but never this kind of material so I don't know how they will respond.
     

    t-squared

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    May 9, 2012
    1,765
    113
    Crown Point
    I thought primers, except shotshell, were all brass with the cup or anvil sometimes being nickle plated brass. :dunno:

    The few times I've taken brass to the recycler, I just dumped the spent primers in with the other brass and they weigh it all together.

    Both times I got a little over a buck a pound.
     

    gregkl

    Outlier
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,868
    77
    Bloomington
    I thought primers, except shotshell, were all brass with the cup or anvil sometimes being nickle plated brass. :dunno:

    The few times I've taken brass to the recycler, I just dumped the spent primers in with the other brass and they weigh it all together.

    Both times I got a little over a buck a pound.

    JB's might not care about the very small amount of nickel plating on the brass. Heck, like you say if you dump it all together they probably wouldn't even notice. They don't ding me for solder on the copper I turn in. But if I leave a brass valve connected to the copper, I get the "dirty" price. Which is less money than if I had removed it.
     

    Coach

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
    Trainer Supporter
    Local Business Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 15, 2008
    13,411
    48
    Coatesville
    I scarp stuff at Ray's.
    You have to have all of the steel and aluminum junk out of there to get the good price. I sell spent primers from the press as well. I keep them separate but get the same price for them. The first time I took spent primers they looked them over very hard and used the magnet and the grinder on them. They have always took them but I keep them separate so they can reject them and not the whole bunch.

    Make sure there are no live rounds in there. They are very sensitive to that. Run the magnet over things some stuff looks like brass but is not.

    I have sold lead that I melted down into frying pan size chuck. They worked this over long and hard with a hammer and a grinder and dropping it on the floor. But took it. Slag from coatings I don't know how that will go.
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
    113
    Btown Rural
    Thanks a lot for the advice folks! Please keep it coming. :ingo:

    Another question;

    I'm accumulating a fair pile of 9mm brass that didn't pass the chamber check when it was loaded. I have pulled the bullets on these. A lot of this empty brass has live primers. Wondering whether it's worth the resizing or to just scrap these, as I have no shortage of range pickup 9mm brass for reloading? If I scrap them, will the live primers in the empty cases be a problem for the scrapyard?
     

    JHB

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 7, 2016
    502
    18
    Columbus
    Run them through a bulge buster. I have the Lee and the piece that replaces the shell holder in the ram has a hole in the center. The primer in the case is over a hole when pushed through the die. Then re flair the mouth of the case. The scrap yard may frown on live primers.
     

    JeepHammer

    SHOOTER
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 2, 2018
    1,904
    83
    SW Indiana
    I do a lot of brass, any culls/mangled I mash.
    Don't want some salvage dude putting dangerous brass back into the system.

    There are three grades of yellow brass, most salvage yards will only have one or two.
    Bright & shiny is top end. Where I go it pays to run it through the cement mixer before going to sell.

    A general scrap yard will pay less, if you ask around you can usually find a yard that deals with Non-ferrous scrap, and they will pay more.

    I take everything, from .22 shorts to digging them out of the mud banks.
    Magnet separates the brass washed steel out, the rest get cleaned to see if there is anything interesting.
    A couple hours in the cement mixer with black sand and they are clean enough to sell for #1 scrap.
    I do the same thing with copper bullet jackets when I dig/screen the backstops, #1 copper is bright/shiny and sells for a reasonable amount.
    I tried smelting copper & brass, crap load of work and what are you going to do with bricks of brass & copper? Lead yes (I cast) brass/copper, no.
    Just as easy to sell as off fall once it's clean and no extra work smelting it.

    I often sit on mine and wait for the price to go up, it usually jumps in late winter for some reason (I have no idea why).
    Makes a good foot stool until then... ;)
     

    Hawkeye7br

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 9, 2015
    1,360
    67
    Terre Haute
    The scrap yard nearest me won't take empty brass at all, too many live rounds. I haven't sold any across the river, but am told they will take them. I suspect any live rounds would screw things up for everyone. Personally, I would deprime any live primers. Number one yellow brass was $1.65 a pound recently.
     

    jason867

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    112   0   0
    Jan 7, 2009
    1,451
    99
    New Castle
    I tried smelting copper & brass, crap load of work and what are you going to do with bricks of brass & copper?

    I may be getting a bridgeport vertical milling machine soon; and being a reloader, i have been collecting bad brass to eventually scrap out. How hard was it to smelt that copper and brass? Copper/brass ingots might be handy to practice machining on i suppose...
     

    JHB

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 7, 2016
    502
    18
    Columbus
    1700 degrees for brass 1981degrees for copper. You won't do it with a propane torch. A furnace is your best bet.
     

    AGarbers

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Feb 4, 2009
    1,360
    48
    Martinsville
    Atkins in Martinsville has a sign that they will not take ammo. Live primers would be a bad thing. The old method was to soak them in oil to make them inert.
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
    113
    Btown Rural
    ... Live primers would be a bad thing. The old method was to soak them in oil to make them inert.

    I wondered if I could get away with running all the primed brass through the wet tumbler to make the primers inert? Would the scrap yards believe I did this from the exceptionally clean brass? And consequently give me the higher pricing?
     

    JHB

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 7, 2016
    502
    18
    Columbus
    Water shouldn't kill a primer when it dries out the primer should work. I am pretty sure water is what is used to thin primer compound. At least that is what I remember about a video I saw on primer manufacturing. You would have to use oil in the tumbler. Stand the cases on news paper mouth up and use a spray bottle filled with oil or toss the primed cases.
     

    AGarbers

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Feb 4, 2009
    1,360
    48
    Martinsville
    Water shouldn't kill a primer when it dries out the primer should work. I am pretty sure water is what is used to thin primer compound. At least that is what I remember about a video I saw on primer manufacturing. You would have to use oil in the tumbler. Stand the cases on news paper mouth up and use a spray bottle filled with oil or toss the primed cases.

    This is also my understanding. Nothing but oil will destroy them. Proving that they are inert would be an issue. Atkins is so sensitive to hazardous scrap, they won't even take empty refrigerant jugs unless I cut a gaping hole in them. I would say if they were smashed, proving they were inert, you might be safe.
     

    Hawkeye7br

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 9, 2015
    1,360
    67
    Terre Haute
    I wondered if I could get away with running all the primed brass through the wet tumbler to make the primers inert? Would the scrap yards believe I did this from the exceptionally clean brass? And consequently give me the higher pricing?

    Sounds like you need a universal decapping die......just sayin'.....pretty handy little gadget.....
     
    Top Bottom