Do You Shoot Tarnished Range Brass?

[shooterg]

Sometimes I shoot on an unattended short range steel plate range where the gutter in front of me is filled with brass. I leave with three kroeger cottage cheese tubs full of it. Anything I pick up that is berdan primed, damaged, or a caliber I do not have, goes back to that same range and is dumped into their brass tub at the office.

If I pick up stuff that is steel, aluminum, or as you put it unusually heavily tarnished, I will still load and fire it somewhere where picking up brass is impossible. Twice a year I have to fire 100 rounds on an indoor range that never stops and most of the brass goes in front of the firing position where I can't get it back, and that stuff gets left there.

Have reloaded aluminum .45 cases up to 5 times . Some of 'em useta be Berdan primed but all I've picked up lately are Boxer small primer.
.45ACP is low pressure anyway, and I just use H&G 68 BB . Just have to go slooow when belling 'em . Many times get a small split on 4th or 5th load, still shoot OK though, then they get recycled . Great for any occasion you don't want to bother picking up cases, they were free anyway !

[max it]

me too. only that lately I am aware of lead stryphonate in primers.

[44magLeo]

I do collect range brass. A bit of tarnish won't hurt anything, shoots just as good. If corroded, I recycle that brass. The corrosion can weaken the brass because it thins the brass at the point of corrosion.

[Brassmonkey]

This shot fine, was tumbled for 24 hours in dry media. The only parts that got shiny were the edges.

https://imgur.com/a/1WILMgv

[atfsux]

That right there is what the Iosso Case Cleaner solution is perfect for. It would take the majority of that darkness right off, and then you'd only have to run it in cleaning or polishing media for a few hours to make it like new.

[RogerDat]

I have enough range brass that "range P/U" is a label more common than "new" on several bins in several calibers.

Wet tumbling with ss pins handles most tarnish leaving it clean enough to inspect. As someone mentioned range brass can easily be brass that someone pitched for a reason. Have a hard wire bent at one end and sharpened to check inside the case for any ridges, neck condition, and primers that come out too easily are all possible signs of brass at end of life.

Anything I reject gets the mouth smashed with pliers and goes into the scrap metal can. I don't want anyone to get brass that I found unsafe to use. Lot of beginners out there, or just people who might miss the issue that I happened to catch through dumb luck or paranoia.

I do have some 8mm Mauser pull downs with primers (corrosive) that are pretty dark. I'll not load them hot but they will probably get loaded eventually.

[SeabeeMan]

Discolored/tarnished, yes. Corroded or crusty, no. As long as it feels smooth to my fingernail, I'll shoot it in "bulk" practice ammo. Anything for accuracy or hunting gets the good stuff.