This is something I made yeeeears ago. Still useful, however
Okay, so I was at the range on one day and shot 400 rounds of .22lr out of my Ruger MkIII 22/45.
Sounds like fun, right? Well it wasn't fun picking up all of the brass. A thought came to mind
I need a brass catcher. First, I'll have to find one, then I'll have to buy it, then
I'll have to wait for it in the mail--who wants to go through all that?
Being both a frugal bastard and remembering memories from college, I
hate paying for anything
that I can make myself. So I decided to make a brass catcher. What you are about to see was
made with simple handtools with a short period of time. Since I'm prepping for a move I don't
have access to any of my tooling so this a very, very rough draft--call it my 'proof of concept'
if you will.
Since my MkIII has a scope rail I decided to utilize it. First, I gathered the following
materials:
-Old scope ring that doesn't affect the sight picture (by itself)
-Trusty dremel tool /w cut-off wheel
-Cordless drill /w 1/8" drill bit
-Wire hanger
-Old Sock
-Safety pins
First off, I cut the ring off of my scope ring and mounted it to ensure it didn't get in the
way of the iron sights. Then I drilled a 1/8" hole (much larger than the diameter of the wire
hanger) into a part of the scope ring that wouldn't affect the integral machine screw.
I fashioned a cage larger than the ejection port that the sock will be placed over out of pieces of coat hanger. It ensures
the cases will be caught. I added a bulge to accommodate flying cases.
This cage was fashioned out of an old white wire hanger. Since I don't have access to my welding
gear all the joints are held in place with bends and secured with wire or black electrical tape. One of the wires fits through
the 1/8" hole cut into the ring. This holds the cage in place and also allows the entire structure to pivot 180 degrees for emptying
the empty casings.
The sock "catcher" is attached with simple safety pins (to be permanently sewn later) and viola' brass catcher for $0.00 (not counting labor)
a view down the sights, nothing obstructed
the cage
Another angle
Side-view with mounted brass catcher
Photo of the pivot action
The pivot action also allows you to comfortably hold the grip without any interference. Ugly, but functional.
Later on, I used material left over from a laundry sack to improve the design:
Note how it's easy to release the empty shell casings when needed.
Here's how I modified the scope ring to accommodate the hanger I used for my frame
