Mysterious Recycle: Used Shell Casing

Once you’ve finished filming in gun range, what is your standard routine? If you’re the same as most people, you probably empty your firearms, hide them in their pouches and cases, organize your shooting bags, clean up your eyes and ear protection, and shoot your shots Reclaim your goals.

But there’s one more thing that’s very important: too many gun owners, hunters and target shooters look down on everything before leaving range. Why is this important?

In the US, it is estimated Approximately 83 million people Tens of millions of people have possessed at least one gun and have hit gun range more than once a year.

It also has a well documented how the filming is in scope. Generates thousands of tons of contamination That shouldn’t be so surprising when you think about how many people go to range each year.

Learning how to dispose of and recycle ammunition in an environmentally sound way every time you go to fire is a small, but insignificant, capable of contributing to this pollution as a responsible gun owner. It’s not an action. This guide will show you exactly what you need and how easy it is.

A short guide to ammunition

First, to make sure we are all on the same page, these are the main components of ammunition (for handguns and rifle rounds):

• Projectile
  
  • A projectile is a bullet propelled by ignition of gunpowder to exit the barrel when the weapon is shot. Most projectiles are made of lead,
    
• Shell Casing
  
  • A shell casing is a metal shell (usually made of brass or aluminum) that houses gunpowder and projectiles.
• Primer
  
  • The primer is a piece of metal at the edge of the shell casing. When hit by the firearm’s fire pin, the shell casing gunpowder is set on fire.
    
• Gunpowder
  
  • Gunpowder is a chemical that is mounted on a casing (usually made of charcoal, potassium nitrate, sulfur, and sulfur). When ignition is made, a lot of gas is produced, and bullets expand and push out from the edge of the shell from the edge of the barrel.

Shotgun shells differ from round rounds of rifles and handguns. Instead of a casing, the shotgun shell has a hull, usually made up of plastic. The shotgun shell also comes with a wad that separates pellets or projectiles from the hull’s gunpowder. Keep these terms in mind.

Prepare the shell casing for recycling

Scrap ammunition that is not properly disposed of can be a surprisingly stubborn form of contamination. The casing (already made of metal and comes with traces of gunpowder or lead from the projectile) will eventually break and release harmful substances into the soil and water. In addition to pose obvious risks to the environment, if these factors invade water or food chains, this can pose a risk to human health.

The gun range produces much of this type of waste. A few years ago, the Saskatoon Police Department in Canada conducted a survey to find out how much leads they produce from the shooting range each year. They discovered that they produced within three years Leads over 18,000 pounds From the bullet, their officers were fired only in practice sessions.

Now consider all the other shooting ranges in the US and Canada. That way you should be able to easily see how fast it will be!

The good news is that the only thing we need to do to prevent this is to recycle the shell casings that are used every time we go to shoot, rather than inadvertently throwing the casing. Here’s what you need to do to prepare for recycling:

Sort the ammunition

The first thing to do is sort the aluminum based on the material.

• Aluminum ammunition
• Brass ammunition
• Shotgun shell
• lead

It is important to sort these ammunition (a bit about this) if you are handing over to a metal scrap yard for recycling. For example, you can pay for every pound of brass, but if it is mixed with an aluminum casing and a shotgun shell, you cannot accurately measure the weight of the brass.

Store the casing

Now you will need to store the shell casing until it is ready for later recycling. Make sure the casing is stored in a cool, dry place. Ideally, it should be stored in an airtight container and stored from moisture.

Clean the casing

It is recommended to remove as much gunpowder as possible from the casing to make recycling safe. The best way to do this is to gently tap the casing to remove any loose powder and soak it in the container to ensure that any remaining residue breaks down. You can also use a brass brush to scrub the inside and outside casings to remove more gunpowder.

One of the most important things to remember is not to try to recycle live ammunition. Recycle only used shell casings and shotgun shells. If you need to dispose of live ammunition or ammunition that has failed to fire, take it to your local gun range or police station. They will dispose of it correctly for you.

Disposal and recycling of shell casings

There are three main options when it comes to recycling shell casings.

Local police station As long as there are small amounts, you will need to recycle used shell casings to recycle. You are advised to ensure that you call or email your local station.

Gun range Provide recycling, if not, Meet face to face with the Rangemaster to see if you want to recycle your used shell casing.

Scrap metal recycle It is often the most convenient and potentially profitable The way to recycle ammunition is simply to drop it down at a scrap metal recycling center.

For example, it is common for recycling centres to pay between 1 pound and 2 dollars per brass. By not picking up your brass and recycling it, you’re literally throwing away your money!

You may wonder how ammunition itself is being recycled by recycling centres. Essentially, the team at the scrap center will make sure the shell can be recycled and remove as much lead and dirt as possible. Then take the shells and use a device that can form them into small pieces. These metal pieces are sent to a brass mill where they melt and can be combined with other metal elements to create other metal materials.

Checklist: Don’t do it

Don’t forget to follow when recycling ammunition.

• Take the casing to a police station, gun range, or scrap metal center for recycling
• Organize the casing into material types before recycling
• Remove as much gunpowder from the casing as possible before recycling
• Don’t try to recycle live ammunition or dad rounds
• Do not fill the casing instead of recycling (metals can contaminate the soil and then contaminate the water supply)
• Do not throw away the shell casing in a trash can or garbage compactor (compactors can fire rude rounds)

Follow the do and dots above. That’s what you should do.

At the end of the next range session, give a rethink to the used shell casings rather than simply throwing them in a bin or placing them on the ground. Recycled ammunition is a simple yet meaningful way to help reduce the amount of harmful contaminants placed in our soil and water. That’s why you should take action to recycle ammunition, as we discussed here today, and be sure to encourage others who go to film to do the same!