What is your minimum comfort zone for brass stock?

[gnappi]

For revolvers my minimum comfort zone for on hand brass is 500, 1000 is even better if I have two launching platforms and for automatics 2-3x that many. I avoid buying into calibers which do not have a parent cartridge just in case a caliber turns up out of style and brass becomes scarce. The few exceptions are the ubiquitous .357, .45ACP, and .38 super.

That said, last year I lucked into a short barreled Ruger SBH in .480 and immediately got to casting bullets but the seller only had a couple of boxes of brass and early last year was not a good time to be looking for 480 brass, Grrr... So I bought a couple of hundred Starline .475's and cut them down, and a purist on another site sold me a handful of Hornady brass which got me going to the range shooting instead of talking about it.

Recently Starline came through with a back order and between them and Midway I finally reached my comfort zone. So, what's your comfort zone in on hand brass stock?

 

[Mobuck]

Are we talking about pieces, pounds, or buckets? :unsure:

 

[the_leper_colony]

For revolvers my minimum comfort zone for on hand brass is 500, 1000 is even better if I have two launching platforms and for automatics 2-3x that many. I avoid buying into calibers which do not have a parent cartridge just in case a caliber turns up out of style and brass becomes scarce. The few exceptions are the ubiquitous .357, .45ACP, and .38 super...

That's pretty much my approach, FWIW. Also, I learned years ago to not pass up range brass, so I've accumulated brass in a few calibers I don't shoot, and have been able to pass some of that on to friends during past shortages (I didn't own a .45 back during one of the Obama panics, so a coworker got all of my .45 acp cases).

Plus, I've got extra brass for some calibers - seems like folks don't much bother picking up 9mm cases at the range where I shoot, even though it's a rule there: pick up your own brass. So, I was able to pass along 600 9x19mm cases I had just picked up, to an out-of-state friend the last time I saw him.

Still working on getting enough brass for my own use, for a few less-common calibers like 44!

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.
:-)

 

[contender]

Never gave it any thought. as long as I had brass to load & use,, to suit my purposes,, numbers of whatever didn't matter.

 

[DeletedMember275]

I pretty much share the OP's mindset. I just finished trimming the last of my .475 Linebaugh brass to .480 length last night. I hope to never be in that position again! Rifles, now - that's another matter. For gas guns like the .223, I prefer to have 3-5K pieces of brass on hand. But, I have been called a hoarder, too.

 

[bigbillyboy]

For me 500 new brass as a reserve . I do inspect my brass and scrap some after inspection .

 

[epags]

Rifles:
223 ---1,500 pieces with 5X powder, 1X projectiles and 2X primers
243 --- 200 pieces with 5X powder, 3X projectiles and 1-1/2X primers
To extend the life of the brass, I also have an annealing machine
@ 84 years old I think this will last me. My grandson, when he does claim these rifles, can buy his own components.:cool:

 

[NikA]

Don't even think about this for handguns. For rifles, 2-300 per caliber for bolt actions, more if the caliber will be used functionally rather than recreationally. 1000+ per caliber for semi-autos, though more likely to just buy ammo in those cases and save the empties for a rainy day.

 

[kmoore]

I found out a mortar can will hold about 8,000 5.56 cases. 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp a 50 cal ammo can full is enough. About 12 other calibers I am loading a 30 cal ammo can full or nearly so is enough.

 

[epags]

Just for S&Gs

 

[gnappi]

Are we talking about pieces, pounds, or buckets? :unsure:

Pounds and buckets.

A few years ago a local shooter decided to move over from .38 Super to revolver shooting and sold me a 5 gallon bucket of Super brass for not much more than the price of the empty bucket. I added that bucket to the buckets of .45, .40, and .357 mag I have :)

 

[DeletedMember275]

I found out a mortar can will hold about 8,000 5.56 cases. 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp a 50 cal ammo can full is enough. About 12 other calibers I am loading a 30 cal ammo can full or nearly so is enough.

How much does that mortar can weigh, once it's full? Might be a real chore if you have to move it!

 

[Mobuck]

I just moved a big share of my brass supply from basement to the new shop building. Grandson helped on about half of the job but still took a long time. Keep in mind, some of the time was spent checking, labeling, and sorting the dozens of containers into caliber groups. I use empty Folgers plastic containers for most of the brass(the café in the little town where I worked went through 2-3 per week and I got all the empties).

 

[gnappi]

My GF was giving me the grande size (43.5 oz) Folgers containers for some of my odd unused calibers like .38 special, 9mm and .44 special but I needed room and gave away the "dinky" caliber brass. I hate to recycle them but I will... someday :)

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I don't reload , but I do have a couple barrels of empty brass I have collected over the years.
I'm saving it for my retirement . The way the world is going , it might be worth more than gold one of these days.

 

[Rich/KY]

I keep a few hundred for each of my rifles, maybe 800 or so for my 38 and probably 3K for my 45 ACP. Also have enough powder and primers to load what I need. The only reason I have so much 45 is people left it on the range and I couldn't leave it. For the 45 have about 1K of the SP brass in case LP primers get hard to find, I'm turning 74 and figure I'm set for life and will have a lot left for my son.

 

[bigbillyboy]

I don't reload , but I do have a couple barrels of empty brass I have collected over the years.
I'm saving it for my retirement . The way the world is going , it might be worth more than gold one of these days.

Quite possible

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I try and keep the open end of that brass stuff filled up with those bullet things. :) :)

 

[xtratoy]

I find it hard to not pick up any brass i find while up kicking around in the woods. So i have buckets and coffee cans and boxes and bags full of sorted and not yet sorted brass. So i have enough to get by on but always like finding the unusual not commonly found cartridges.

 

[bwct]

Won't live long enough to use up what I have.

 

[DRAM40A1]

I just keep buying it. My wife asks, did you need more of that. My answer, what’s need have to do with it?!!!!

 

[kmoore]

How much does that mortar can weigh, once it's full? Might be a real chore if you have to move it!

I don't move it around. Just open and scoop out.

 

[protoolman]

I can tell you a full 5 gallon bucket will hold around 7000 .38 special brass. I figure 2000 .357, .45 auto and maybe as little as 800 .32 mag and .45 colt I think will last a lifetime. I figure my 1500 lbs of lead for bullet casting should keep the brass fed. So how many primers is probably the better question??

 

[irishjack]

Ditto to what bwct said above.

 

[dannyd]

Dividing the time I have left by the buckets of brass on hand, I am good to go. :)

 

[Pál_K]

I have one or two empty brass cases of 7.62x25, about two cases of .357 SIG, and a few of 5.7x28 that I all keep in a small box.

But I don't shoot those calibers: they're just part of my random case collection. Bottleneck pistol rounds look good.

Other than .22 rimfire, I reload everything I shoot; this consists of the more common calibers from .380 ACP to .50 BMG. I never bought into the New Caliber Craze that started around the year 2000; what I have is pretty traditional. 7mmBR might be the only "exotic" round I have - that's for Silhouette in an XP-100.

I try to have a few hundred rounds of brass and projectiles for everything. Oddly, primers and a wide variety of powder is what I have the most of.

 

[XP100]

Only factory ammo hav ebought since I started loading in 1981 was for resale in my gun shop. I have enough powder, brass, bullets primers and shotshells hulls to last longer than I will.

 

[hike]

I try to practice/shoot twice a week. If I feel bad, I shoot around 100 a session but, if I feel normal, I shoot around 200. If I feel better-than-normal, I shoot 250-300.
The last time I went shooting with a family member, we went through 1,200 rounds in a weekend.
500-1,000 doesn't last long around here.

 

[Rclark]

Won't live long enough to use up what I have.

My estimation as well.

 

[Mobuck]

As the one armed Deputy on Unforgiven said(while loading his third Colt single action): I don't intend to get killed for want of shootin back.
I may die with a truck load of 'stuff' but I don't intend to die because I ran short of 'stuff'.