ammunition-reloading, shooting-rangeDo ranges typically care if someone picks up brass (as long as they’re being safe), or are there different etiquettes when it comes to picking up brass depending on the range you’re at?
There are two issues here: range policy and attitudes of other shooters.
Each range will have a policy. Don’t assume, ask. For some ranges, recycling brass is an income stream for them so they do not want you to pick up your own spent cases. With these places, you’ll may hear “once it hits the floor, it belongs to us”. Don’t argue with the range. If you don’t like their policy, don’t give them your business. Some of those ranges will bend the rules for their regular customers. So once you get to know folks there or if you see others collecting brass, you might try asking again. At other ranges, you are expected to clean up after yourself (this is often called “policing your brass”) this includes taking brass home or putting it in their containers.
Assuming the range allows you to pick up brass, the other part of this is picking up brass from other shooters. It is rude to pick up someone else’s brass without asking or until it’s clear it has been discarded (that shooter has left). It is pretty common to ask other shooters if you can have their spent cases, so be friendly and ask. Even if given permission, be sure your collection doesn’t interfere with whatever it is the other shooters are doing.
Different depending on different ranges. Some ranges require you to pick up your own brass, regardless of whether you are interested in keeping it or not. In my experience you mostly find this at rifle clubs and publicly owned ranges. Others, generally commercial operations, discourage brass pickup because customer’s expended brass is a source of income for them.
At the ranges I have been to you are always required to pick up your own brass. However, one said that you can only pick up yours and another said as long as you had permission from the other shooter you could pick up theres.
Some ranges I have noticed have a place for you to put your brass if you are not keeping it, allowing members of the range can take it if they want. It might not hurt to see if there is something like that at your range.
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