As MCK accessories go, brass catchers really aren’t all that special, and they sure aren’t high in cool factor.
But, all the same, a brass catcher can be one of the most indispensable accessories you add to your MCK.
As it turns out, this is about function and not form, as is often the case with shooting accessories (but not always - just check out the MCK flamethrower we sell here, lots of fun but not the most practical).
Anyway, back to business. Here are some of the top reasons that an MCK brass catcher is without a doubt one of the most valuable accessories we sell here.
Saves You Time (and Therefore Money)
Do you shoot at a public range? Is that range staffed and does it have a rangemaster? If so, you probably pay for time.
If you pay for time, then every second you’re not shooting, you’re pouring money down the drain. Many ranges have requirements for cleaning up fired brass, too, which means you need to burn some range time doing that.
Which is most unfortunate, because it means you’ll be wasting hard earned dollars cleaning up your bench and not shooting.
A brass catcher will utterly eliminate the need for you to squat around your bench after you’re done shooting, in vain pursuit of all those tiny casings.
The brass catcher should hold several mags of spent brass, so you can spend more time at the range doing what you went there to do.
(By the way, this isn’t an MCK accessory, so to speak, but it is still worth its weight in gold: get a speed loader for your mags so when you’re through them, you can save money and time by wasting less of it loading.)
Another tip - before you get to the range, make sure all your mags are fully loaded so you don’t have to waste time loading them once you get there.
It’s Courteous to Your Range Mates
You know the range jig? It’s a special dance that only ever occurs to people that share shooting benches and lanes at the range, and it is never coordinated to music.
In fact, the “range jig” is almost never coordinated in any sense of the word. Rather than a proper dance, it’s a painful spectacle to watch - or to perform.
It occurs when someone’s hot, fired brass falls down the shirt, or worse, into the pants or boot, of a range mate. That brass is hot, and, well, you know what follows.
A cringey, jittery attempt to dislodge the casing that is more instinct than active effort. If it’s ever happened to you, you won’t soon forget it.
It is often not the fault of the person who fired the round. Semi autos just spit brass out where they like, which means to shooters on your right (where the ejection port is normally located) there’s a perpetual risk of “friendly fire” if you know what we mean - except it’s not that friendly.
Anyway, a brass catcher is an immense courtesy to your range mates, as it will prevent your spent brass from ending up just where it shouldn’t go. If you don’t get it for you, get it for their sake.
Saves Your Back
Even if you shoot at an unsupervised range, such as those provided by states that have training areas for hunters, getting a brass catcher for your MCK will save you the trouble of scooting around the ground looking for your spent brass.
Truthfully, time is money even here. You have things to do and rarely if ever does someone put “clean up the area around the range bench” as an item on their daily “to do” list.
Either way, getting a high-quality MCK brass catcher can save you time and trouble at the range, while also improving your comfort. Bending over is bad for your back, remember?
Indispensable for Reloaders
Lastly, and perhaps most compellingly, a good brass catcher is an indispensable MCK accessory for those that reload.
Whether you shoot outdoors on your own property, at an indoor range, or at a public outdoor range, keeping your brass off the ground is the most important first step for reloaders.
For one, brass that gets tossed on the ground is going to be exposed to sand, dirt, and dust. Fouling is bad enough, but these things are downright nightmarish. You know what makes sandpaper abrasive? Sand. and it’s just as bad in powdered form. It will scratch the ever-loving daylights out of your bass if you give it the chance. The best first step? Don’t let your brass get on the ground in the first place.
But it gets worse. Brass that hits the ground could get wet, or worse than that, stepped on. Stepping on brass can scratch it, add dents, deform the neck of the cartridge, or crack it outright. Brass is a soft metal. This is one of the things that makes it reloadable in the first place as it can be easily resized. That is, as long as you don’t step on it.
Is it conceivable that you could safely reload a brass casing that’s been stepped on? Sure, but why would you when you can just as easily install a high-quality brass catcher and prevent that issue at the source?
Our answer? Get a brass catcher if you reload your brass? It will pay for itself several times over by preserving your fired brass in the most fireable state possible.
Gear Up with These and Other MCK Accessories
Here for high quality MCK accessories? Looking for something other than a brass catcher? We have them - just don’t look the other way. You can always remove your brass catcher for those times when you don’t need it.
Having one in your range bag is good enough. You never know when you might want to save brass or just save yourself the trouble of picking it up.