Brass Deflector

francist

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First off I need to say I'm not a gun person, so if I get the terminology all crooked please bear with me. But, I do have a buddy who is a gun person and who wanted one of these thingies so he wouldn't keep pinging the guy in the next booth when they were at the range.

I think he calls it a "brass deflector", and a few days ago there was a post about eye protection over glasses where I mentioned that I like to trim down my full face shields a bit so they don't cover my mouth. Well, the trimmed off piece is what I made this deflector out of.

It's 0.040" polycarbonate which cuts readily with a razor knife and took a surprisingly clean crease in my D&K brake. My buddy had picked up a scope mount that attaches to the side tactical rail, so I drilled and tapped a couple of holes in that and the whole thing can come off and on pretty easy. I also made him a second one out of a tinted grinding shield (you know, like a welding tint in a face shield) but it's quite a bit softer plastic than the polycarbonate so not as rigid. I think it looks cooler with the tint, though.

So that's my little foray into firearms, apparently it works a treat. Hope you enjoy.

-frank

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Very nice!

My father and my owning a gunsmithing shop paid for a LOT of machinery, schooling in Machine Tool Technology, and hundreds of thousands of shotgun shells!

A gunsmith is nothing more than an applied machinist.
 
"pinging the guy in the next booth" . . . I've always kind of enjoyed that. :grin: Had to give it up after I accidentally planted a hot 5.56 brass down the front of a girlfriend's shirt.

Nice piece Frank.

Tom
 
Nice work, clean and functional.
It is not just about pinging the neighbouring shooter but also about not scattering the empty cases on the ground.
Could that design be upgraded to a brass catcher? Something like a mesh bag and hoop, hung or snapped on?
No more picking up brass off the bench or ground.
 
Very nice!

My father and my owning a gunsmithing shop paid for a LOT of machinery, schooling in Machine Tool Technology, and hundreds of thousands of shotgun shells!

A gunsmith is nothing more than an applied machinist.

I guess that there are gunsmiths and then there are gunsmiths. It is difficult for me to imagine a 'master machinist' who can excel at 'gunsmithing' without fully understanding the service requirement of the part or parts being 'smithed'. A firearm is no ordinary machine and it has to stand up SAFELY to extreme conditions. There is more to good gunsmithing than first meets the eye.
 
I guess that there are gunsmiths and then there are gunsmiths. It is difficult for me to imagine a 'master machinist' who can excel at 'gunsmithing' without fully understanding the service requirement of the part or parts being 'smithed'. A firearm is no ordinary machine and it has to stand up SAFELY to extreme conditions. There is more to good gunsmithing than first meets the eye.

Having spent nearly 20 years in industry, most of the time the job title of "Engineer", I can assure you there is no difference as EVERYTHING anyone designs/builds must be safe.

Good Engineering Practice ensures such requirements are met.
 
Commercial hoop and bag brass catchers are already available and fairly cheap. That's what I use at the range.

The deflector idea is great though, much more practical for field shooting and hunting when retaining your brass is secondary to not planting brass in someone's face. I can also see it helping when I work with my kids since I am usually on that side of the gun, and the bag is a complication not wanted during instruction sessions!
 
Is the brass deflector at an angle outwards? Since .22 brass is so light I wonder if a case could bounce back in the chamber before the bolt closes again.

Smart thinking, or a nice coincidence that you made it from clear plastic. You'll still be able to see any kind of jam without removing the deflector.
 
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