I really enjoy shooting AR15 rifles. They are low-recoil and high fun. What I hate is picking up the brass that they throw to the ends of the firing line. With ammunition and reloading components in short supply I am fanatical about picking up my brass. This used to be a very time consuming process on the concrete firing lines and almost impossible if the grass had not been recently mowed. During local matches I would almost always loose a handful of cases. Not any more!
Last year I came across a shooter at our local range who was using a 3Bucc Brass-Savr. In the past I have used brass catchers of various design. All had some problems and most caused the rifle to jam at one point or another. After watching this shooter go through a whole match without a malfunction, I had to try one.
The 3Bucc Brass-Savr is a Cotton-Poly cloth bag that is supported by a steel rod inner structure. The rods keep the upper portion of the bag rigid and away from the ejection port. This allows the brass to fly clear of the port. Since the bag is cloth, when the brass impacts it, the energy is absorbed and the cases just fall the bottom of the bag. There is no tendency for them to bounce back into the port like with plastic catchers.
The Brass-Savr we tested is designed specifically for flat top AR15 rifles. It works equally well on the larger .308 Winchester AR designs. The Brass-Savr is held to the rifle by a small plastic block that clamps onto the upper receiver rail. The block has two holes through it to receive the two rods protruding from the Brass-Savr bag. The rods have ball detents on them to keep the assembly from working apart. During our testing we did not have any issues with the 3Bucc Brass-Savr falling off. Even during dynamic maneuvers with a half-full bag of brass it stayed put. Removal of the bag is extremely fast. You simply pull it out of the plastic block when you need to dump brass or check your chamber. The plastic block can remain on the rifle. Additional mounting blocks can be purchased if you would like to use the Brass-Savr on a number of AR15 rifles.
Removing your brass from the 3Bucc Brass-Savr is a simple matter. You can pull from the rifle and dump the brass out of the top. Alternately you can open the velcro closure and the bottom and allow the brass to fall out. I found dumping it from the top was the easiest method. This reduces wear and tear on the velcro and ends up being faster. The bag has no problem holding a full magazine of .223 or .308 cases.
The only drawback that I encountered with the 3Bucc Brass-Savr is that it may interfere with some cantilevered type scope mounts. The block needs to sit at the front edge of the upper receiver rail, so if you have a scope mount that covers this area some modification will be required.
The 3Bucc Brass-Savr is not cheap at $50 (Brownells). It is Made in the USA and high quality. When you consider the time that this little device can save you, I feel it’s well worth less than the cost of the ammunition I will shoot on an average range day. No more loosing meticulously prepared brass cases in the grass. Thanks 3Bucc!
3Bucc Inc. also produces a version of Brass-Savr for the M1A/M14, FN-FAL, and A1/A2 type AR15 rifles.
I spent considerable time researching brass catchers and only found one worthwhile, the Leave No Trace brass catcher. This is a real gem that attaches to the 3 o’clock rail, fully covers the ejection port, captures all brass with no jams whatsoever and holds over 90 rounds of spent brass. The video for the product is amazing and works as advertised. Attachment is solid and the quality of materials is superlative. The bag is cloth instead of mesh and can be dumped back into a Black Hills ammo box (my choice of ammo) and reattached to the brass catcher frame ready to go in less than 10 seconds, without one casing falling on the bench or the ground. Try that with a mesh bag.
Quite frankly, no other brass catcher comes even close to this one. Attaches and detaches quickly and stows in the provided storage bag. Dave Schmidt is the owner of the company and designer of the product. Customer service is first rate as well. It’s not cheap, but buy once, cry once. I give this product my highest recommendation.
Only has side mounts so there that
Yes, Picatinny or Delta Ring attachment methods. My LMT has a quad rail, so I chose that option. Perhaps the most important feature is that neither version interferes with your top rail at all. To me, that is a key factor.