So, ads for this have been popping up on my feed for the last couple months. I decided to try one and it took until now for it to rise to the top on the priority list. It arrived yesterday.
Over the years I have tried several mesh bag type brass catchers, and one ABS type, and they all come up short on four points.
1. The method of attachment is either poor enough for the bag to slide around once there was some weight in it, (Velcro strap) or it required a mounting piece to attach to the Picatinny rail. This means you have to buy extra mounts for each rifle you want to use the brass catcher on, and you have to re-adjust the bag position if the mount is not in the same location on each gun.
2. If the mesh bag didn't have an internal framework with support around the ejection port, the bag would droop with weight in it and foul the ejection port causing malfunctions.
3. The mesh bag wants to swing around once it has some empty cases in it, which is no go for any type of dynamic course of fire or field use.
4. If the grade of mesh is not heat resistant enough, the hot cases melt the mesh and stick to the bag.
The ABS catcher was from the 80's and only works on A1 and A2 integral carry handle uppers. Anything with a Picatinny rail is out.
What was needed was a brass catcher not dependent on the upper to attach to the rifle.
The Brass Goat attaches to the lower and alleviates all issues surrounding optics, handguards, and upper type etc.
The only downside to the design is that it will only work on mil-spec lowers that meet mil-spec dimensions for magwell length and width. (see pics) And if you roll the rifle 90 degrees to port, gravity can cause the cases to roll back into the ejection port.
The magwell needs to be no wider than 1.102" and no longer than 2.618". There is mention of shimming on their FB page, but no details or pics.
So, the fancy lowers with skull or shark's mouth designs aren't going to work.
This pic from the website illustrates the required dimensions.
The only other thing I see is that the part of the catcher that snaps over the magwell on the port side will leave a wear mark after repeated installation and removal. The website recommends putting a drop of oil at this location to minimize this. I've been wondering if a piece of athletic fabric tape would also work.
Anyway, if you use the gun hard and scuffs and scratches don't matter, no worries. If it offends your OCD for your safe queen to lose its luster, you will have to come up with a solution.
The catcher itself is made from ABS and appears more than sturdy enough to do the job. They made it thicker than I expected where it needs it.
I have a variety of different brands of lowers to check fit on, and here's what I observed.
Receivers that are GTG:
PSA
BushMaster
Anderson (before Ruger acquisition)
Anvil Arms
Colt SP-1
My 80% lowers
Receivers that almost fit, but not 100%. These receivers are slightly longer than 2.618". It almost snaps into place and would probably be OK.
PWA
Pics
Here's the fit issue with the PWA receiver. You can see it doesn't fully click into place.
The removal of the forging seam appears to have been done by hand with a belt sander. There is a slight rounded shape instead of being flat. This could be fixed with a file if desired. They also left a remnant of the seam on the magwell lip.
The catcher is supplied with a hopper rated to hold 30 5.56 cases. It is about 1" shorter than a standard USGI 30 rd. mag.
Rear view.
Rear view with 20 rd. mag.
There is also a mini hopper that can be purchased separately or together with the chute and no large hopper. This would be useful for bench shooting or when shooting prone.
You can also remove the hopper altogether and the cases will be directed down next to the rifle.
Case capacities for the mini hopper.
In addition to the AR15, they also make brass catchers for the following other rifles:
AR10
Ruger SFAR
S&W MP15-22
I will try and slip the leash and get out to the range to get a range report.
Over the years I have tried several mesh bag type brass catchers, and one ABS type, and they all come up short on four points.
1. The method of attachment is either poor enough for the bag to slide around once there was some weight in it, (Velcro strap) or it required a mounting piece to attach to the Picatinny rail. This means you have to buy extra mounts for each rifle you want to use the brass catcher on, and you have to re-adjust the bag position if the mount is not in the same location on each gun.
2. If the mesh bag didn't have an internal framework with support around the ejection port, the bag would droop with weight in it and foul the ejection port causing malfunctions.
3. The mesh bag wants to swing around once it has some empty cases in it, which is no go for any type of dynamic course of fire or field use.
4. If the grade of mesh is not heat resistant enough, the hot cases melt the mesh and stick to the bag.
The ABS catcher was from the 80's and only works on A1 and A2 integral carry handle uppers. Anything with a Picatinny rail is out.
What was needed was a brass catcher not dependent on the upper to attach to the rifle.
The Brass Goat attaches to the lower and alleviates all issues surrounding optics, handguards, and upper type etc.
The only downside to the design is that it will only work on mil-spec lowers that meet mil-spec dimensions for magwell length and width. (see pics) And if you roll the rifle 90 degrees to port, gravity can cause the cases to roll back into the ejection port.
The magwell needs to be no wider than 1.102" and no longer than 2.618". There is mention of shimming on their FB page, but no details or pics.
So, the fancy lowers with skull or shark's mouth designs aren't going to work.
This pic from the website illustrates the required dimensions.
The only other thing I see is that the part of the catcher that snaps over the magwell on the port side will leave a wear mark after repeated installation and removal. The website recommends putting a drop of oil at this location to minimize this. I've been wondering if a piece of athletic fabric tape would also work.
Anyway, if you use the gun hard and scuffs and scratches don't matter, no worries. If it offends your OCD for your safe queen to lose its luster, you will have to come up with a solution.
The catcher itself is made from ABS and appears more than sturdy enough to do the job. They made it thicker than I expected where it needs it.
I have a variety of different brands of lowers to check fit on, and here's what I observed.
Receivers that are GTG:
PSA
BushMaster
Anderson (before Ruger acquisition)
Anvil Arms
Colt SP-1
My 80% lowers
Receivers that almost fit, but not 100%. These receivers are slightly longer than 2.618". It almost snaps into place and would probably be OK.
PWA
Pics
Here's the fit issue with the PWA receiver. You can see it doesn't fully click into place.
The removal of the forging seam appears to have been done by hand with a belt sander. There is a slight rounded shape instead of being flat. This could be fixed with a file if desired. They also left a remnant of the seam on the magwell lip.
The catcher is supplied with a hopper rated to hold 30 5.56 cases. It is about 1" shorter than a standard USGI 30 rd. mag.
Rear view.
Rear view with 20 rd. mag.
There is also a mini hopper that can be purchased separately or together with the chute and no large hopper. This would be useful for bench shooting or when shooting prone.
You can also remove the hopper altogether and the cases will be directed down next to the rifle.
Case capacities for the mini hopper.
In addition to the AR15, they also make brass catchers for the following other rifles:
AR10
Ruger SFAR
S&W MP15-22
I will try and slip the leash and get out to the range to get a range report.
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