So I decided to take the new 1911 with me to range morning. I arrived at the range with my EDC pistol, the new 1911, 100 rounds of 9mm, and some CCI Blazer in .45ACP. I setup my lane, loaded a magazine with 5 rounds of .45, and squeezed off the first mag full of ammo when I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was the range officer telling me that only brass cased ammo is permitted at the range. But if I wanted to buy some .45 ammo, they had some for sale at $40 a box.
American Eagle at 80 cents per round? I can buy that elsewhere for 54 cents per round, and can buy PMC brass cased at 46 cents per round. No thanks. I don’t want to sound like an old man, but I remember when .45ACP was $8 a box, and that wasn’t all that long ago.
I had to switch to the 9mm and finish my shooting for the morning. After I was done, I asked the RSO why the ammo restriction. It’s because the range sells the used brass to a recycler, and they can’t sell steel or aluminum cases. So not only do they sell the ammo at nearly double the going rate, but they are selling the brass and making more money there.
I would love to find another gun range, but this one is only 20 minutes from my house, and there is only one other range within a half an hour’s drive. That second range is owned by a dishonest meatsack that I wouldn’t trust to sell me a stick of gum. So I can either suck it up and get fleeced by the brass recycling buttheads at the range 20 minutes away, or I can make the 40 minute drive to the third closest range and see if they are any better.
At any rate, I am going to have to order me some brass cased .45 and try to shoot the new 1911 some other time.
14 Comments
GuardDuck · January 11, 2023 at 11:45 am
See, that just annoys me. They are adding a hidden charge of taking your brass. I assume they won’t let you collect your own brass?
Billybob · January 11, 2023 at 11:46 am
You didn’t say how the 5 rounds looked?
Divemedic · January 11, 2023 at 1:18 pm
They looked good and fed well. But how much can you tell with 5 shots?
Billybob · January 11, 2023 at 2:43 pm
Depends on who was receiving them.
Houston is good example.
Bad Dancer · January 11, 2023 at 12:57 pm
At least the RSO didn’t say that it was because steel cases damage the range backstop.
Thats a bummer though, wish ranges would stop passing off their side hustle onto the customers.
dave in pa. · January 11, 2023 at 1:07 pm
find another range. they are ripping people off.
I understand the need to make a profit, but really ?
most ranges sell at list price, but damn.
Will · January 11, 2023 at 2:21 pm
That policy is very typical at indoor ranges and you are not usually allowed to take your brass. Find an outdoor range where you are expected to police up your area, put the brass cased in the brass bucket and the steel in the garbage.
Anonymous · January 11, 2023 at 3:45 pm
Why can they not use a magnet to separate the two?
Dick Tickles · January 11, 2023 at 10:03 pm
Aluminium isn’t magnetic
Ben C · January 12, 2023 at 1:49 am
Where did you get a magnet that separates aluminum from brass?
AC47Spooky · January 11, 2023 at 6:03 pm
Well I got used to the range recovering all brass years ago. In fact most of the local ranges want to see what ya brung. Any steel is held at the front and returned when you leave. Well it is their establishment after all.
The beauty of revolvers is it’s really easy to save your brass. Another reason I consider revolvers to be much more elegant than bottom feeders 😀
Dick Tickles · January 11, 2023 at 10:05 pm
Too bad the quality on most current production revolvers sucks. Taurus is actually a damn good value now… if you can find one.
Dick Tickles · January 11, 2023 at 9:51 pm
The extra 40 mins round trip sucks, but I dont like restrictions by ranges on the type of case my ammo shoots and I assume they don’t let you pick up your brass, so you can’t resell it or reload it (they probably ban reloads too)
Check out the further range, you may be missing out on a better, less restrictive shooting experience.
I use to go to an indoor range 45 mins away (cuz it was cheaper) that banned reloaded ammo and black powder, always had douchey RSO’s, so I finally bit the bullet and paid the money for a membership with a closer club that had several outdoor areas where I could shoot black powder and I usually take home $100 worth of brass a year for reloading and no asshat range officers and no paying for a lane per hour.
I have spent 3-4 hrs at times (.22 goes a long way, lol) and forget that would have cost me $100 a trip to the other place were I not a member of my current club.
Gryphon · January 12, 2023 at 5:14 pm
A long-established Gun Store not far from me has always had a Range out back; Covered Benches and 25, 50, and 100-Yard Target Berms. A separate (newer) section has a pair of Claybird Throwers for Shotgun. They don’t Charge to use it, or a “membership Fee”. They just require you to buy their Ammo at “Retail” Prices. And they have the most Extensive Stock of different Calibers and Brands of Ammo anywhere. So, I think it’s perfectly Fair for them to cover the Expense of the Range by the Ammo Sales.
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