How do you organize your brass?

[ctbreitwieser]

My biggest annoyance with reloading is figuring out what to do with all my brass. Since I reload on a single stage I have 9mm brass that has been fired, resized and deprimed, resized and deprimed and expanded, and fully prepped with primers in. I also have .223 brass that has been fired, resized and deprimed, that plus primer pockets swaged, all that plus trimmed, then all that plus primed. How do you all keep it organized so you don't get them mixed up? Right now I just have a bunch of boxes with labels in all of them for which steps that brass has been through.

 

[BogWalker]

I'm not sure what sort of volume you're doing, but I just do all of my brass in one go. I'm a low volume shooter and reloader though.

 

[red_zr24x4]

I just do all of my brass in one go..

I try to do it like this also everything done to the same stage. It gets stored in 5gal buckets with lids until its loaded, then it goes in ammo cans

 

[8th SPS USAF]

I do not care if it once fired or not. After my range trip, within two/three days I tumble it. I used 30/50 cal ammo can, then got a deal on heavy plastic ammo cans. I mark them tumbled. With cal. Then start on another cal incase I shot several cals. I do not make or separate makers, only make sure each is correct--no 40 in 45 acp or 380 in 9mm. I look as I finish tumbling to make sure none are dented/swashed

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

I don't have nearly the stages you do. I have an ammo can I dump range/used brass in and one I load from. When the can I load from gets emptied, I switch the lids to make the old range can my loading can. I tumble my brass every time I get back from the range and only deprime/prep what I intend to load in the very near future.

 

[jblomenberg16]

A couple ways I sort:

1) Old milk jugs work great. Cut the spout off (leaving the handle) so they are big enough to put a fist through, and you have a cheap container that also stores easily. You can write on the outside with a marker the type and status of the brass (sized/deprimed, expanded, ready to prim, ready to load, etc.)

2) I use the clear plastic pretzel containers that are popular for selling pretzels in bulk, like what you can buy at Sam's club, etc. We have a lady at work that brings them in for snacks for the dept, and she knows I use them, so keeps them for me. Same thing as #1, you can write on them with a sharpie to I.D. what is in them.


Both are "free" ways to store your brass in various stages of processing.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

FYI:

I keep my clean brass in .50USMG cans.

I keep my trading brass (calibers that I do not reload) in ziploc freezer bags.

I dispose of my dead primers in a large plastic vinegar bottle.

 

[red_zr24x4]

I dispose of my dead primers in a large plastic vinegar bottle.

Primers are brass, I put them in a bucket with the junk cases they all go to the scrap yard

 

[jblomenberg16]

Primers are brass, I put them in a bucket with the junk cases they all go to the scrap yard

Mine go into old 1lb powder containers. They hold a lot more than 1lb of primers.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

I try to work all of brass one stage at a time, but a lot of times I don't have time to run through a thousand or so pieces in one sitting. That's why I end up with a lot of brass in different stages

 

[Leo]

A couple ways I sort:

1) Old milk jugs work great. Cut the spout off (leaving the handle) so they are big enough to put a fist through, and you have a cheap container that also stores easily. You can write on the outside with a marker the type and status of the brass (sized/deprimed, expanded, ready to prim, ready to load, etc.)

+1, My popular calibers need the 2.5 gallon water jugs, and those are saved from trash also.

 

[EyeCarry]

I use small tupperware/rubbermaid containers that have been ousted from the kitchen by the Missus. Now how supportive is that, Bless her. I hand deprime first, then ultrasound clean. I do the next stages as time allows and just write a note on paper to place in the container to tell me where in the process I am when I get back to it. Right now there are three tubs awaiting to be primed as all the other work has been done.

 

[EyeCarry]

I use small tupperware/rubbermaid containers that have been ousted from the kitchen by the Missus. Now how supportive is that, Bless her. I hand deprime first, then ultrasound clean. I do the next stages as time allows and just write a note on paper to place in the container to tell me where in the process I am when I get back to it. Right now there are three tubs awaiting to be primed as all the other work has been done.

And NO the containers will never be used for food storage again.

 

[DoctorThunder]

+1 on Tupperware containers. I bought some cheap ones from walmart, cut a hole in the front, and then attached some plastic paint pourers to the front. I have limited space under my workbench, so I didn't have a lot of options. I'm not a high volume shooter, so I always clean and sort everything the same day.

 

[ModernGunner]

How do you organize your brass?

By color?

Sorry, I didn't know there was a test today! ... I didn't study...

 

[Steve B]

My BIL works construction. He brings me nail pails and 5 gal buckets for the high volume stuff. The nail pails are great as they hold a lot, have snap on lids. They aren't as heavy as the 5 gal buckets and are easier to store as well. I have cardboard labels I throw in the bucket to remind me what stage they're in as I'm old and forgetful.

 

[Slawburger]

I have a Dillon 650 so my process is a little different than yours.

1) Dirty Brass, raw stage
2) Dirty but Deprimed brass sorted by rough size (9mm, .380, 38 spc, .357 all together)
3) Cleaned and Deprimed brass sorted by exact size (9mm, .380, 38 spc, .357 separate)
4) Loaded Cartridges

One-gallon plastic ice cream tubs with handle and lid work well.
Large coffee cans (generally plastic with a lid) also work well.

Most of my "inventory" sits in stage 1 or 3. Stage 2 is more like WIP. If I deprime then it will be cleaned and sorted in a day or two.

 

[1775usmarine]

I use 5 gal buckets and as a lot of people are doing they have a bucket for a stage they are in. My problem is I pick up too much brass but not willing to sell any of my 45 or 9mm. I work midnights so when I find time to reload I do what i can in a few hrs. I have a used cat litter bucket for taking to the range to be sorted later.

 

[tk71]

+1 food storage containers buy in bulk and they are inexpensive

 

[ctbreitwieser]

Thanks for tips. I really like idea of the Rubbermaid containers. Being able to stack them would save a lot of space