Scrap Brass Buying/Selling

[Maryland_Shooter]

So here is the question, or rather - questions:

Say I am in GA, near a military base, like Fort Benning and they have like 10,000 lbs of scrap brass from the range. Like 5.56, .308 cases.

First question: what is the scrap price for that type of brass? Is it considered "yellow brass" - i.e. Honey or since it still has the primers, a lesser grade?

OK, so say it's considered the higher grade, goes for $2 a pound, so that's $20,000 and Ft. Benning has auctions from time to time for this and other types of .gov property.

The obvious money making process is to buy it for less than you can sell it for. Say you buy it for $1.20 a pound, then turn around and sell it for $1.80 a pound, net of $6,000.00 less whatever it costs you to transport it to the scrap buyer.

Second Question: if it's that easy, why wouldn't someone else (scrap buyer, transportation company) just do it directly?

Third Question: why wouldn't some enterprising party simply buy it and then sell it as reloadable brass, increasing the profit exponentially?

Really curious about this entire process.

Last question: I remember the .mil was going to mutilate all their brass; how did that play out?

[jreinke]

1.) Call all of your local scrap metal yards and see who will give you the best deal, if need be bring some brass to show them. Be aware that the price of brass fluctuates daily, so the price they quote you one day may not be the price you get on the day of delivery. Some places may lock you in at a price if the quantity is large enough.

2.) Many do.

3.) Many do.

4.) Last I heard congress stepped in and stopped that.

The biggest problem is that since about 2001, DOD washed its hands of selling its own scrap and there is now a single nation wide contractor that auctions off all of this shit on the web. Do a google search, they should be easy enough to find. As far as brass is concerned, once fired brass in stored in tri-walled cardboard boxes, roughly 4' square. They're big, and heavy, and require a fork lift to move. If you win an auction for brass, you are given a time period to come and pick the stuff up, and they expect you to show up with a semi truck and a flat bed so they can fork lift the boxes on the trailer.

If you're going to buy for resale as once fired brass, check out what people are charging on the web for the stuff and do the math. You're lucky as I just happen to have an old DRMO brass chart that lists the approximate number of rounds of once fired brass per pound:

CALIBER 100# 500# 1000#
5.56mm 6,870 34,350 68,700
7.62mm 3,590 17,950 35,900
9mm 11,470 57,350 114,700
45 7,290 36,450 72,900
50 cal 800 4,000 8,000

[tbram88]

Here in OH. cartridge casings must be de-primed to get yellow brass price.

Most of the auctions I have seen are in lots around 35,000 lbs. and go for over scrap price. They also require an end user certificate, there is a 10% buyers premium and sales tax as well.

One auction I am currently watching is for 650lbs of 5.56 brass, it ends at 5:00 today and is at $2.54 p/lb. With gunbroker prices at $80 p/ 1000 plus shipping for mil brass (5.71 P/Lb.) it could be quite profitable if you have the cash to buy them.

I expect small lots like that one to reach well over $3 p/Lb. but the big lots usually end up around $2 to $2.50 P/Lb.

All the best...Bob.

[Maryland_Shooter]

I saw a lot that was mutilated, big weight and still had the primers. Sold for about $1 a pound I think.

[Maryland_Shooter]

I am looking at 15 tons . . . thinking about it - guy said he'd pay me $2 a pound, another $1.60.

I think because I am new to the whole thing I may drop out at 30K, I don't wanna get jammed up.

Plan B is buy it, store it and wait for prices to reach a point that it's worthwhile to sell.

When you drop 30 large, you better have a plan B.

[tbram88]

Here is a good deal if you have that kind of scratch

40,000 lbs for $27,000 all can be reloaded or made into 300blk. waaaaaay out of my price range.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/v ... vertTo=USD

All the best...Bob.

[Maryland_Shooter]

You are dreaming at 27K

Now up to

$94,995.45

My lot was bid up to $85K and not done yet. LOL. I dropped out at 38K

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/v ... 564#bidBox