Empty Brass Casings

[ConductorX]

So what kind of brass is contained in spent brass used for rifles? The government liguidation site is offer spent rounds in 1000 lb lots.

Could it be cast?

Is that type of brass suitable for machining?

What is the going rate for spent brass casings (shells)?

"G"

 

[rhitee93]

It used to be a special alloy called "Cartridge Brass", but I don't know if it still is.

Once fired military cases have less value than civilian brass because the primers are crimped in, and the pockets have to be reamed or swaged before they can be reloaded. It has been a while, but I think the last time I bought some I paid about $100 for 500 cases of .223.

Fired casings can be hard to sell as scrap. Many scrap dealers won't mess with them because of the possibility of running an unfired round through their process.

 

[ConductorX]

I was thinking of me melting them down to make castings for machining. A 1000 lbs would keep me busy for a long time I think. "G"

 

[aonemarine]

There was a guy on the AA form that had melted them and cast with them, I think he had good results. When I tried it the brass was very dirty so I wont be trying it again.

 

[Lawijt]

I clean them always with a tumbler or ultrasonic , before I reload them. Maybe a idea for the melters??

 

[rhitee93]

I clean them always with a tumbler or ultrasonic , before I reload them. Maybe a idea for the melters??

Yeah, a few hours in a tumbler with basic walnut shell gets them very clean!

 

[Lakc]

Its not considered suitable for casting. Its very stretchy as the cartridge has to expand and grip the inside of the chamber, can also get a bit gummy when trying to machine.
We learned that the hard way as we collected brass at our local range for a memorial plaque, local foundry did not want anything to do with it.

 

[fltenwheeler]

Cartridge Brass, UNS C26000 is basicly 68.5-71.5% Copper and 28.5-31.5% Zinc. The spec shows that it should have <=0.050% Iron, <=0.070% Lead, and <=0.15% other.

One would need to reduce the percentage of Zinc and add some Tin and Lead to turn it into something that could be machined after casting.

Tim