I reload and since I started reloading I have developed a mental condition that causes me to be almost as concerned with where my brass lands as where the bullet impacts the target.
With the coming snow I dreaded fishing around in the cold for pieces of buried brass
Ive been looking for a brass catcher and reading the pros and cons of the various commercial items available. Last week I ordered a Tactical Brass Catcher (their name). http://www.tacticalbrassrecovery.com/Default.asp
Yesterday with snow on the ground, a desire to shoot and my brass catcher still in route I decided to use a box that used to hold reams of paper for my brass catcher. The venerable Hammer Mill Great White branded 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper that is the symbol of bureaucracy would go head to head with a commercial brass catcher. The cost of my box brass catcher was the expenditure of one staple to secure it to the bench.
On returning from the range yesterday I discovered my Tactical Brass Catcher showed up. Today I was able to take this new gear to the range and compare it to my Shark box used the day before.
Cost of this beauty was $140 but it is tactical so I should be happy with that price as it makes me almost SEAL like. Still the box had a picture of a Great White shark on it so I think the box gets the nod in the cool department. Certainly the box won hands down on pricing.
I fired off 40 rounds of Fed .223 with my newly attached brass catcher. All brass was certainly caught and the bag did not catch fire or anything crazy like that. The box also effectively caught the brass but it tended to kick the brass back under my forearms and I had an irrational fear of my precious metal rolling off the shooting table. Points go to the Tactical Brass Catcher on this one.
I had one malfunction during my firing but I cant attribute it totally to the Tactical Brass Catcher. While positioning the rifle to get a side view picture I rolled one of the emptys back into the open breech and when I closed the bolt my round jammed up on the dud brass. The Tactical Brass Catcher is Tactical. I apparently am not. The catcher flexed enough in its mount that I could slip my hand between the catcher and the rifle to clear the malf without removing the catcher. Had the rifle been in the cold all day I might have been concerned with the Kydex cracking. Does Kydex crack in the cold? A malf like this would never have happened with my Great White Shark box brass catcher. Points go to the box on this one.
The Tactical Brass Catcher disengages from the rifle easily with an ADM mount. I plan on using this also with my MWS so I went with the quick release clamp rather than one of the less expensive versions they sell. The catcher moves/attaches just as easily as any other ADM mounted item you may be familiar with. Getting the staple out of the bench to prepare my Shark box for travel though was kind of a pain as only one side of the staple released and pinching it from the bench with frozen fingers was not the easiest thing to do. Points to the Tactical Brass Catcher.
The Shark box is approximately 17 inches by 11 inches and about 10 inches deep. Fitting it inside my rifle bag was a no go. The Tactical Brass Catcher on the other hand slips easily into a side pocket of my case. Tactical Brass Catcher beats the box in this regard.
So I learned that a crap load of money can get you about 10 ounces of cotton and kydex that will do just about everything a free box will do. I also learned that Fed .223 55 grainers shoot low right when I hold a centered line of white at 200 yards.
Im pretty happy with my Tactical Brass Catcher but Id be happier if those impacts were center mass. Ill be happiest when the sun and warm temps return.
With the coming snow I dreaded fishing around in the cold for pieces of buried brass
Ive been looking for a brass catcher and reading the pros and cons of the various commercial items available. Last week I ordered a Tactical Brass Catcher (their name). http://www.tacticalbrassrecovery.com/Default.asp
Yesterday with snow on the ground, a desire to shoot and my brass catcher still in route I decided to use a box that used to hold reams of paper for my brass catcher. The venerable Hammer Mill Great White branded 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper that is the symbol of bureaucracy would go head to head with a commercial brass catcher. The cost of my box brass catcher was the expenditure of one staple to secure it to the bench.
On returning from the range yesterday I discovered my Tactical Brass Catcher showed up. Today I was able to take this new gear to the range and compare it to my Shark box used the day before.
Cost of this beauty was $140 but it is tactical so I should be happy with that price as it makes me almost SEAL like. Still the box had a picture of a Great White shark on it so I think the box gets the nod in the cool department. Certainly the box won hands down on pricing.
I fired off 40 rounds of Fed .223 with my newly attached brass catcher. All brass was certainly caught and the bag did not catch fire or anything crazy like that. The box also effectively caught the brass but it tended to kick the brass back under my forearms and I had an irrational fear of my precious metal rolling off the shooting table. Points go to the Tactical Brass Catcher on this one.
I had one malfunction during my firing but I cant attribute it totally to the Tactical Brass Catcher. While positioning the rifle to get a side view picture I rolled one of the emptys back into the open breech and when I closed the bolt my round jammed up on the dud brass. The Tactical Brass Catcher is Tactical. I apparently am not. The catcher flexed enough in its mount that I could slip my hand between the catcher and the rifle to clear the malf without removing the catcher. Had the rifle been in the cold all day I might have been concerned with the Kydex cracking. Does Kydex crack in the cold? A malf like this would never have happened with my Great White Shark box brass catcher. Points go to the box on this one.
The Tactical Brass Catcher disengages from the rifle easily with an ADM mount. I plan on using this also with my MWS so I went with the quick release clamp rather than one of the less expensive versions they sell. The catcher moves/attaches just as easily as any other ADM mounted item you may be familiar with. Getting the staple out of the bench to prepare my Shark box for travel though was kind of a pain as only one side of the staple released and pinching it from the bench with frozen fingers was not the easiest thing to do. Points to the Tactical Brass Catcher.
The Shark box is approximately 17 inches by 11 inches and about 10 inches deep. Fitting it inside my rifle bag was a no go. The Tactical Brass Catcher on the other hand slips easily into a side pocket of my case. Tactical Brass Catcher beats the box in this regard.
So I learned that a crap load of money can get you about 10 ounces of cotton and kydex that will do just about everything a free box will do. I also learned that Fed .223 55 grainers shoot low right when I hold a centered line of white at 200 yards.
Im pretty happy with my Tactical Brass Catcher but Id be happier if those impacts were center mass. Ill be happiest when the sun and warm temps return.
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