PBR's Customer Brass Program

For customers that collect their brass after shooting and wish to lower their ammunition costs, we offer our Customer Brass Program. Here is how this program works, you supply us with your cleaned, once-fired brass (or new brass) and PBR will load it using our components and strict manufacturing processes. By supplying PBR with your brass and maintaining title to that brass throughout our manufacturing process, the ammunition will be exempt from the Firearm and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET). Not only can you save money by not paying the FAET but we will also discount the cost of your ammunition by that caliber's brass cost.

Due to the overhead associated with processing and keeping your brass distinct from our own supply of brass, we generally require an order of at least a case (typically 1000 rounds) to take advantage of this program but do have a lower minimum for certain larger calibers like 44Magnum or 50AE. Each item will have its minimum quantity that must be added to the cart listed. This program can be combined with our custom load process to tailor a round to your exact specification if you desire something other than the standard cartridge settings that we offer.

The process is both simple and easy. First, sort your brass to cull out steel, deformed casings, and any off-caliber casings. Then, clean your brass to remove any dirt, debris, and to obtain the finish that you desire for the final product. If your brass needs to be trimmed or you trim as part of your loading regimen, then size and trim your brass to the length you prefer. There is no need to derpime your brass unless you condition primer pockets. Lastly, pack up your brass and send it to us.

We recommend the USPS flat-rate mailers due to their low cost and convenience. However, their boxes are constructed from a thin cardboard and can split when loaded to their 70lb maximum. Therefore, we encourage you to tape the box liberally (especially the corners) and place your brass in a sturdy plastic bag(s) to contain it if the box splits during transit. When we receive your brass we will provide a count of the brass you sent us and a sales order for approval before we place the brass in queue for loading.

Please note that the charges for this program are based on the number of casings we put into our line and any loss due to malformed casings, off-caliber casings, steel casings, or cases that do not pass our gage will not be credited to the customer. This policy exists to cover the increased overhead and damage that those issues can cause during production runs. In other words, if we have to pull steel cases or small pistol primer 45ACP brass out during loading it slows us down, breaks parts, and costs money. Therefore, we strongly recommend that customers send in quality sorted brass to minimize the amount of loss during loading. In our experience, random range pickup can have a loss anywhere between 5-10% higher than well sorted brass.

Please take note, PBR will not put soiled brass into our production line. If you don't have a tumbler to clean the brass, we can tumble it for a small, reasonable charge before we begin loading your brass. If brass is received that must be tumbled clean without prior notice, we will give the customer the option of paying the adder or paying to have the brass shipped back. This point is non-negotiable so please be honest about the condition of the brass you plan to send in.

Other items to consider before taking part in this program is whether your brass might require other services before being loaded. Rifle casings that have been fired for the first time, are military surplus, were fired in a fluted chamber, or are range-pickups will probably need to be trimmed before being loaded. This can be a significant adder to the cost of the item because PBR must first size and trim all the casings before loading them. Loading brass that exceeds the maximum case length specification can result in dangerous pressure levels and PBR will not load cases that exceed that caliber's SAAMI specification. All brass will be spot checked to ensure it is within tolerances before loading and like dirty brass, it will not be loaded.

PBR can also process casings using our Scharch equipment, which checks for cracks, foreign objects, removes crimps, and roll-sizes the base of the cartridge (available for most calibers). The cost for additional services ranges from $60-$75 per hour depending on the complexity, speed of the operation, setup time, and should be discussed before placing your order or sending PBR brass. General speeds to estimate cost are as follows.

• Processing and roll-sizing: ~3000 cases per hour
• Rifle brass trimming: ~800 cases per hour
• Tumbling: ~5000 cases per hour

In addition, production loss is typically 2-5% per insertion with trimming having the highest rate of rejection in our experience. These services are not included in the price of any Customer Brass Program item and must be figured into the cost of the ammunition. In some cases, the savings of this program can be completely negated by these adders and increase the price above PBR’s Value Line pricing due to our volume processing methods that maximize production efficiency.

Please contact us for more details if you are interested in this program and have any questions.