Picking Brass in Wisconsin Better than Picking Mushrooms in Ukraine

Gun Watch ^ | 2 June, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

A common source of enjoyment in Russia and Ukraine are family outings to pick mushrooms.  Of course, one has to be careful, because some mushrooms are deadly.  In the United States it is not uncommon for families to pick berries of various types.   I recall picking blueberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, pin cherries and choke cherries while growing up in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin.  

A source sent me these pictures of a gun culture family outing.  In the spring, after the snow has melted, the local range offered opportunities for gathering brass that had accumulated over the winter.   The children found picking brass to be much more fun than picking mushrooms or berries.    You can see that their hands are full of .223, .40 S&W, and the occasional .45. 

 
 
Springtime in Wisconsin is cool and pleasant.  The mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies and ticks have not yet hatched/emerged to mar the outdoor experience.  You can see the range berms in the background.  It looks as though there are a few spots where the snow is not completely melted.  The little girls are wearing rubber boots, a good choice for a Wisconsin spring.

The final harvest reveals how the gun culture recycles valuable artifacts, saves energy, and has a good time while doing so.

The grandparents of the children are in Ukraine, and face the growing problems there.  One of the girls was quoted as saying that she wished that they could send the brass to grandma, so that they could defend themselves. 

No doubt the sentiment was picked up from her parents. 

Children say the funniest things!

The father assured me that since the invasion of Ukraine, many former pacifists have decided that they should have weapons.  But firearms are tightly controlled in the legal market.  

If you have money, they are available from the endemic organized crime figures.

The east block type ammunition, most being steel cased and Berdan primed, is much harder to reload than the brass cases common in the United States.

Reloading supplies are almost impossible to come by.

I suspect that brass picking is a uniquely American experience.


 ©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

Children enjoy doing useful things with their parents. Picking brass is an experience far more valuable than watching television for hours on end.

[Ken H]

That would be a useful activity for the GOPe since they currently have no brass sets.

[COBOL2Java]

That would be a useful activity for the GOPe since they currently have no brass sets.

The perfect gift to give your Congressman at the next local forum!

[ChildOfThe60s]

Hmmm....

The east block type ammunition, most being steel cased and Berdan primed, is much harder to reload than the brass cases common in the United States.

Have at it folks. Anyone here actually reload or tried to reload steel cased ammo?

[marktwain]

“Have at it folks. Anyone here actually reload or tried to reload steel cased ammo?”

I have not done it, but I have read of at least one person who claimed to have done it successfully.

[riverrunner]

I know of one person the reloads 223 steel cases and has been successful doing so.

[Lurker]

I haven’t tried it nor do I intend to. I’m almost swimming in spent .45, 44, and 5.56 brass as it is.

L

[rickomatic]

“Have at it folks. Anyone here actually reload or tried to reload steel cased ammo?” I have not done it, but I have read of at least one person who claimed to have done it successfully.

I've done it with Wolf boxer primed .223. I'll try the Berdan primed stuff when I get around to modifying my equipment to seat the primers. I tried a Lee Loader, but one went boom, so back to the drawing board. Their size is slightly different than boxer primers.

[hondact200]

Wait that is not right Obama has supplied every congress critter in DC a gift - two golf balls, one golf club and a sack. So at least the Congress critters could say they have some balls and a golf club for a backbone against the American People!

[Afterguard]

Not me, but I cannot see how you could decap and reprime a burdan primer. The anvil is part of the primer pocket. A boxer-style decapper would destroy the anvil and make the case useless. Also, the steel case is less malleable than brass and would likely split when resized. Just my $.02

[marktwain]

There are several methods for decaping Berdan cases. They all are slower and more cumbersome than Boxer decapping.

Of course, you also wish to use the proper Berdan primers to reprime the cases.

Russians developed improvised methods to refill used Berdan primers with ground up match heads and to reprime Berdan cases with those. They are said to work most of the time.

Strickly done on a must have basis, or under carefully controlled experimental conditions, of course.

I have also heard of Berdan cases being converted to Boxer priming, but those were brass cases.

[Chode]

guy i know made a deprimer with a case holder tacked to a vice grip with a rubber cone tacked to the other side and pops the primers out in a bucket of water using water pressure

[ChildOfThe60s]

Aren’t the Wolf boxer primed brass?

[marktwain]

Yes, I have heard of that method. There are commercial systems available.

[rickomatic]

Aren’t the Wolf boxer primed brass?

The .223 is. The 7.62x39 is Berdan primed. That's what I'm still experimenting with.