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Posted: 5/5/2015 11:23:24 PM EDT
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210 views and nobody has posted a shell deflector. Am I the only one that uses these things? I knew I was anal about saving brass, but didn't know I was alone in that obsession...  Of all the pictures posted on this site, yours are the only ones I have seen with brass catchers. The brass collectors at the range usually put up a standing net between shooting bays. The downside to these homemade devices is that you can actually hinder proper manipulation and viewing of your rifle in action. The use of such devices might actually increase the chance of causing a malfunction by deflecting brass back into the ejection port. For a few dollars, the commercial brass catchers will allow you to view your rifle less obscured, and the soft mesh will prevent deflection back into the port. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/779085/caldwell-brass-catcher-ar-15-picatinny-rail-mount-nylon-mesh-black?cm_vc=ProductFinding |
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Of all the pictures posted on this site, yours are the only ones I have seen with brass catchers. The brass collectors at the range usually put up a standing net between shooting bays. The downside to these homemade devices is that you can actually hinder proper manipulation and viewing of your rifle in action. The use of such devices might actually increase the chance of causing a malfunction by deflecting brass back into the ejection port. For a few dollars, the commercial brass catchers will allow you to view your rifle less obscured, and the soft mesh will prevent deflection back into the port. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/779085/caldwell-brass-catcher-ar-15-picatinny-rail-mount-nylon-mesh-black?cm_vc=ProductFinding Quoted:
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210 views and nobody has posted a shell deflector. Am I the only one that uses these things? I knew I was anal about saving brass, but didn't know I was alone in that obsession... Of all the pictures posted on this site, yours are the only ones I have seen with brass catchers. The brass collectors at the range usually put up a standing net between shooting bays. The downside to these homemade devices is that you can actually hinder proper manipulation and viewing of your rifle in action. The use of such devices might actually increase the chance of causing a malfunction by deflecting brass back into the ejection port. For a few dollars, the commercial brass catchers will allow you to view your rifle less obscured, and the soft mesh will prevent deflection back into the port. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/779085/caldwell-brass-catcher-ar-15-picatinny-rail-mount-nylon-mesh-black?cm_vc=ProductFinding You make good points in your response tho from experience I can say the fears of malfunction under most conditions are quite overstated. Literally I have had two {2} malfunctions in thousands of rounds that were caused by the deflectors. Those were a .308 case and it bounced back off the deflector into the action and a 5.56 case that did the same {weird shooting position that crushed the deflector}. As for viewing the action, I can see inside the action fine by simply looking under the deflector or by bending it up. For law enforcement or defensive work or whatnot, I would not use a deflector. But for pretty much everything else I do and have no problems with them at all and I don't treat the rifle any different with the deflector on than without it. And the guns get used hard, too. The benefits of saving brass totally outweigh the risk for 99% of the shooting we do. I should add that I don't shoot on a public range ever. I own a range but don't have any walls or nets set up and much of my time with the rifles is spent in the field anyway. If I shot at a public range that had some sort of divider that stopped brass I'd likely use that I suppose. |
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The irony is that you haven't posted a shell deflector either. Deflectors change the direction of an object. Mirrors deflect a light beam. Those devices you've made, while cool, are not shell deflectors, they're catchers. This is a deflector. <a href="http://s774.photobucket.com/user/musicsmaker/media/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i774.photobucket.com/albums/yy26/musicsmaker/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg</a> Quoted:
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210 views and nobody has posted a shell deflector. Am I the only one that uses these things? I knew I was anal about saving brass, but didn't know I was alone in that obsession... The irony is that you haven't posted a shell deflector either. Deflectors change the direction of an object. Mirrors deflect a light beam. Those devices you've made, while cool, are not shell deflectors, they're catchers. This is a deflector. <a href="http://s774.photobucket.com/user/musicsmaker/media/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i774.photobucket.com/albums/yy26/musicsmaker/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg</a> Actually, you are incorrect. Except for when the French Fried Onions box and the bag are attached, they are all deflectors, and even then the deflector deflects the case into the box/bag. Without the box/bag, they simply deflect the shell down so it lands at my feet. I normally don't use the catcher at all, and that's the reason I never bought one of those mesh things. I don't want to be carrying the empties around with me on the side of the gun. |
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I think I have seen a metal clip on deflector that snaps onto the rail. I'll see if I can find a link. It is TC Accessories shell deflector. There a couple different styles. Seems minimalist and possibly useful for me as a lefty. Never used one though. Here: http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx I wonder if they ding up the empties? |
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The snap-on deflectors don't ding brass, or at least not much. There used to be polymer deflectors that went exactly where the Brownells parts do, and they didn't hurt brass at all - but they did get chewed up.
I don't use deflectors. I use either a bench mounted or tripod mounted brass catcher, or one that straps on my rifle. Both of the fixed type use a fabric netting to catch cases, as does the strap on type. I'd use the kind attached to my rifle if I were hunting; while a deflector may make a neat little pile of cases where you were standing, I'm not likely to find that exact spot again, so I "catch" instead of "deflect." |
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The snap-on deflectors don't ding brass, or at least not much. There used to be polymer deflectors that went exactly where the Brownells parts do, and they didn't hurt brass at all - but they did get chewed up. I don't use deflectors. I use either a bench mounted or tripod mounted brass catcher, or one that straps on my rifle. Both of the fixed type use a fabric netting to catch cases, as does the strap on type. I'd use the kind attached to my rifle if I were hunting; while a deflector may make a neat little pile of cases where you were standing, I'm not likely to find that exact spot again, so I "catch" instead of "deflect." Thanks very much. I might try one of those things. They look kind of interesting. We don't shoot off the bench hardly at all {mostly from sitting on the ground and other field positions} so a catcher on a stand wouldn't work too well though now that you mention it I think I could finagle a pretty simple one that would work really well. That's a good idea. |
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Here: http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx I wonder if they ding up the empties? Quoted:
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I think I have seen a metal clip on deflector that snaps onto the rail. I'll see if I can find a link. It is TC Accessories shell deflector. There a couple different styles. Seems minimalist and possibly useful for me as a lefty. Never used one though. Here: http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx I wonder if they ding up the empties? I have one of those deflectors on my slick side A1 clone, I shoot LH so the deflector keeps the brass from bouncing off my nose. Brass hitting me in the schnoz really screws up my concentration. 
When I was issued the M16A1 in the Army you could get a plastic deflector from the armorer if you were a LH shooter. I haven't seen one of those in years but they worked well for me. |
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Here: http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx I wonder if they ding up the empties? Quoted:
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I think I have seen a metal clip on deflector that snaps onto the rail. I'll see if I can find a link. It is TC Accessories shell deflector. There a couple different styles. Seems minimalist and possibly useful for me as a lefty. Never used one though. Here: http://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/range-gear/shell-catchers-deflectors/brass-deflector-prod18554.aspx I wonder if they ding up the empties? They don't ding up mine. I tried one of the net bag brass catchers, but I had trouble with rounds not getting fully ejected and jamming. I also tried one of the plastic box type, and although it worked, it was big and clumsy enough that I found it distracting when I was shooting (I never shoot from the bench). Finally I tried the TC deflector, and it works great. All the brass falls in a pile at my feet, ready to be reloaded. |
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This is a deflector. <a href="http://s774.photobucket.com/user/musicsmaker/media/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i774.photobucket.com/albums/yy26/musicsmaker/Armalite%20M15/PROB2.jpg</a> A little square of fuzzy Velcro tape will prevent those marks on your AR deflector. Vince |
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