About Us
Tactical Brass Recovery, LLC
Don't try this with your Brass Catcher!
Tactical Brass Recovery is a family oriented and veteran owned business in Southern Indiana.
We, like many who enjoy shooting sports, hate having to pickup our brass cases and the time spent doing so only makes going shooting with family and friends less enjoyeable.
Tactical Brass Recovery was founded in 2010 by former U.S. Marine SSGT Lew Grasser, with the intent of developing a brass catcher to aid in the recovery of spent brass cases in a variety of environments ranging from the casual outing at the range to the covert operation when leaving a trail is not an option. The company’s name comes from the idea behind the original product called the Tactical Brass Bag®. Focusing on innovation, simplicity, and efficiency, we hope to grow our product line in the future and maintain our lead in the industry through continous product improvement and innovation.
We, like many who enjoy shooting sports, hate having to pickup our brass cases and the time spent doing so only makes going shooting with family and friends less enjoyeable.
Tactical Brass Recovery was founded in 2010 by former U.S. Marine SSGT Lew Grasser, with the intent of developing a brass catcher to aid in the recovery of spent brass cases in a variety of environments ranging from the casual outing at the range to the covert operation when leaving a trail is not an option. The company’s name comes from the idea behind the original product called the Tactical Brass Bag®. Focusing on innovation, simplicity, and efficiency, we hope to grow our product line in the future and maintain our lead in the industry through continous product improvement and innovation.
Our Philosophy
There are many types of brass catchers, but this one is mine!
Some brass catchers are ok, most suck! Ever since I became acquainted with the M16 at a resort facility called "Parris Island", I have also endured the painful and tedious process of retrieving spent brass casings. Back then, the cost for not picking up your brass was measured in push-ups. Pretty cheap when you are 19 years old. Now that I have started reloading for my AR15 the price is now measured in money. Not only that, but as a reloader I don't want just any brass, I want my brass back. No offense, but I don't know where yours has been... If you shoot in the snow or in tall or thick grass you already know how difficult it is finding your spent cases even if they pile up right at your feet. Good luck finding them if they go very far when the ground is irregular. Bending over or crawling around looking for brass becomes less enjoyeable with age. Of course, there is always the matter of what you think your time is worth. That is where the so-called brass catcher comes in. Making something like this work takes some thought, ingenuity, and a little experience with this type of rifle doesn't hurt either. Read further and I will share my humble opinion on what distinguishes a good brass catcher from a bad one.
First of all, the device should actually catch the cases when they exit the ejection port. What I mean by this is that normally it needs some kind of aperture for the case to reliably pass through and come to rest in a place where the case will not return to the aperture through which it once passed and then end up where you didn't want it going in the first place, the ground. The idea behind some brass catchers look sound when given a cursory glance but when used even briefly you will find the device almost catches the case but allows it to come back out and land at your feet. Worse yet the case sometimes even comes back into the ejection port and causes a malfunction which you will immediately attempt to clear. The bag isn't really open for the case to travel freely and come to rest at the bottom. I have used these, though inexpensive, they aren't worth the money or your time.
The way the device attaches to the rifle can be an issue. If you have done any looking around you will have no doubt noticed the selection of brass catchers with velcro attachments that wrap around the handguard. These seem to work ok when they are brand new but you should not assume this type of mount will be adequate when the weight of the cases starts adding up. My experience with these devices has taught me that any more than 30 cases is too heavy. The bag starts to sag and before you know it your brass is escaping laughing at you the whole way down. I also believe the brass catcher should hold enough brass cases to allow you to keep your eyes downrange when you need to. If your brass catcher forces you to unload it each time you empty a mag, you can definitely do better.
There are some brass catchers out there that do a good job of catching the brass since they hug the ejection port very closely however, I would submit they are a liability in the event there is a malfunction (failure to feed, double feed, failure to fire, etc.) since you are not able to observe the chamber with these type brass catchers installed. When clearing a malfunction, being able to see inside the chamber is absolutely vital. You would have to first remove the brass catcher before you could even examine the chamber. Hope you aren't in a hurry! Also, if you find yourself at a range where you need to lock the bolt to the rear or insert a range flag in order to show the range officer your rifle is "clear", then you would have no choice but to remove the brass catcher. I find this to be rather annoying and tedious. For these reasons, I believe the brass catcher should allow for access to the chamber in case of malfunction or the need to "show clear". There is another issue with hugging the ejection port you may or may not find to be a problem. The gases that come from the ejection port have to go somewhere and when you put a bag too close it will fill with those gases. Perhaps this isn't a problem for you but I find it annoying when trying to aim in on a target and these leftover gases are wafting toward my face and irritating my eyes. I have even seen this mentioned in reviews for these products, so I am not the only one who finds it to be a drawback.
There are some other brass catchers that are basically aluminum or plastic boxes. Just make sure you don't bump into anything with them and scratch your receiver or even break the mount. If you use your brass catcher while hunting these boxes can be a bit noisy so I recommend you steer clear of these. The aluminum model I saw was overpriced anyway. Also, removing the brass catcher before you put it away would also be a necessity if you keep the rifle in a bag. Getting caught in a sudden downpour will make you a believer in a brass catcher that collapses or can be put away quickly if not already.
Attaching a brass catcher shouldn't interfere with how you mount your choice of optics if you use them. Some of these systems mount to the picatinny rail on the top of the receiver. If you have the room then no biggie but will you always use the same scope & mount combination? I see alot of red dot scopes mounted to upper receiver over the ejection port where these brass catchers would mount to the rail. Using a brass catcher should not make your choice in optics or mounts more complicated.
I would also recommend staying away from anything with a mesh bag on it. These are simply a "snag" waiting to happen if you are moving around at all in the woods or anytime the rifle is set down. Shooting next to a minnow net may work ok if you are sitting in one spot. I prepare for timed events so that means practice moving to and from different positions. If there is anything worse than chasing your brass, it is scouring a large area for your brass.
The bottom line here is you should be spending your time shooting, not chasing your brass or constantly fussing with a brass catcher. If you are tired of inferior products then take a look at the
"Tactical Brass Bag". If you believe in the axiom "you get what you pay for" then this is the brass catcher for you.
Lew Grasser
Owner
Tactical Brass Recovery, LLC.
Some brass catchers are ok, most suck! Ever since I became acquainted with the M16 at a resort facility called "Parris Island", I have also endured the painful and tedious process of retrieving spent brass casings. Back then, the cost for not picking up your brass was measured in push-ups. Pretty cheap when you are 19 years old. Now that I have started reloading for my AR15 the price is now measured in money. Not only that, but as a reloader I don't want just any brass, I want my brass back. No offense, but I don't know where yours has been... If you shoot in the snow or in tall or thick grass you already know how difficult it is finding your spent cases even if they pile up right at your feet. Good luck finding them if they go very far when the ground is irregular. Bending over or crawling around looking for brass becomes less enjoyeable with age. Of course, there is always the matter of what you think your time is worth. That is where the so-called brass catcher comes in. Making something like this work takes some thought, ingenuity, and a little experience with this type of rifle doesn't hurt either. Read further and I will share my humble opinion on what distinguishes a good brass catcher from a bad one.
First of all, the device should actually catch the cases when they exit the ejection port. What I mean by this is that normally it needs some kind of aperture for the case to reliably pass through and come to rest in a place where the case will not return to the aperture through which it once passed and then end up where you didn't want it going in the first place, the ground. The idea behind some brass catchers look sound when given a cursory glance but when used even briefly you will find the device almost catches the case but allows it to come back out and land at your feet. Worse yet the case sometimes even comes back into the ejection port and causes a malfunction which you will immediately attempt to clear. The bag isn't really open for the case to travel freely and come to rest at the bottom. I have used these, though inexpensive, they aren't worth the money or your time.
The way the device attaches to the rifle can be an issue. If you have done any looking around you will have no doubt noticed the selection of brass catchers with velcro attachments that wrap around the handguard. These seem to work ok when they are brand new but you should not assume this type of mount will be adequate when the weight of the cases starts adding up. My experience with these devices has taught me that any more than 30 cases is too heavy. The bag starts to sag and before you know it your brass is escaping laughing at you the whole way down. I also believe the brass catcher should hold enough brass cases to allow you to keep your eyes downrange when you need to. If your brass catcher forces you to unload it each time you empty a mag, you can definitely do better.
There are some brass catchers out there that do a good job of catching the brass since they hug the ejection port very closely however, I would submit they are a liability in the event there is a malfunction (failure to feed, double feed, failure to fire, etc.) since you are not able to observe the chamber with these type brass catchers installed. When clearing a malfunction, being able to see inside the chamber is absolutely vital. You would have to first remove the brass catcher before you could even examine the chamber. Hope you aren't in a hurry! Also, if you find yourself at a range where you need to lock the bolt to the rear or insert a range flag in order to show the range officer your rifle is "clear", then you would have no choice but to remove the brass catcher. I find this to be rather annoying and tedious. For these reasons, I believe the brass catcher should allow for access to the chamber in case of malfunction or the need to "show clear". There is another issue with hugging the ejection port you may or may not find to be a problem. The gases that come from the ejection port have to go somewhere and when you put a bag too close it will fill with those gases. Perhaps this isn't a problem for you but I find it annoying when trying to aim in on a target and these leftover gases are wafting toward my face and irritating my eyes. I have even seen this mentioned in reviews for these products, so I am not the only one who finds it to be a drawback.
There are some other brass catchers that are basically aluminum or plastic boxes. Just make sure you don't bump into anything with them and scratch your receiver or even break the mount. If you use your brass catcher while hunting these boxes can be a bit noisy so I recommend you steer clear of these. The aluminum model I saw was overpriced anyway. Also, removing the brass catcher before you put it away would also be a necessity if you keep the rifle in a bag. Getting caught in a sudden downpour will make you a believer in a brass catcher that collapses or can be put away quickly if not already.
Attaching a brass catcher shouldn't interfere with how you mount your choice of optics if you use them. Some of these systems mount to the picatinny rail on the top of the receiver. If you have the room then no biggie but will you always use the same scope & mount combination? I see alot of red dot scopes mounted to upper receiver over the ejection port where these brass catchers would mount to the rail. Using a brass catcher should not make your choice in optics or mounts more complicated.
I would also recommend staying away from anything with a mesh bag on it. These are simply a "snag" waiting to happen if you are moving around at all in the woods or anytime the rifle is set down. Shooting next to a minnow net may work ok if you are sitting in one spot. I prepare for timed events so that means practice moving to and from different positions. If there is anything worse than chasing your brass, it is scouring a large area for your brass.
The bottom line here is you should be spending your time shooting, not chasing your brass or constantly fussing with a brass catcher. If you are tired of inferior products then take a look at the
"Tactical Brass Bag". If you believe in the axiom "you get what you pay for" then this is the brass catcher for you.
Lew Grasser
Owner
Tactical Brass Recovery, LLC.