Yesterdays Suarez newsletter had this about picking up ammo at the range, it only concerns UNFIRED stuff and is probably not relevant if you make any effort to sort and clean, but worth keeping in mind.
http://warriortalk.com/archive/index.phpThoughts On Ammo Scrounging While Training
Richard Coplin, S.I. Staff Instructor
No one can argue that the price of ammunition has increased substantially. The last two years have seen unprecedented cost increases in all areas and ammunition hasn't been spared. What cost just under $100 per 1000 rounds is now often well over $200.
The type of training provided by Suarez International is very firearm-manipulation intensive. Multiple drills involving clearing malfunctions and keeping the weapon running result in well-polished skills and a certain amount of ammo dumped into the dirt during the process.
The question is: "Is it worth picking the ammo up and putting it back into my weapon?"
On several occasions I have witnessed first hand, the problems associated with ammo scrounging during training.As tempting as it is to pick up what you just ejected during a manipulation, I would caution against it. I have seen .40 S&W get into a 9mm pistol, didn't work out for the 9mm. I have seen .223 cause a major stoppage in a 5.45X39 AK. I have seen a 5.45X39 get jammed into the breach of a .223 AK and cause a stoppage requiring the talents of a gunsmith-to-be to get it cleared.
There are other examples but you get the point. It can cost time wasted trying to fix a boogered up weapon as well as being potentially dangerous. Additionally, unless one has a back-up firearm for the course, it is possible to become a cheerleader instead of a student for the remainder of the day.
What of the cost of the lost ammo if I don't pick it up? My calculations are that it is nominal. In an average two day class I have never dumped more than 50 rounds of ammunition into the dirt during the entire course.
Depending on what type of ammunition you bring to training the cost will either be greater or approximately the same but calculating an average of $0.25 per round (I train with Wolf, Brown Bear or Golden Tiger primarily for long guns and Wolf or S&B or Federal for pistols) the cost for the course
for simply letting the ammo stay where it fell is $12.50. Even if you were very generous with your ammunition and threw away 100 rounds it would still average out to $25.00. That sum, taken in the context of a course, is nominal and can be balanced out by simply shooting one or two rounds instead of three to five on several drills.
There is also the very real possibility of getting some nasty ammo in your gun. I nearly blew up my favorite snubby using the reloads given to me by the family of my recently deceased (former Chief of Police) neighbor.
If we are training at a level that does justice to our expenditure of time and money, we will be somewhat pushed to our physical and mental limits. This means that we may not take the time to look closely at what we have scooped up off the ground. Mistakes under these circumstances are not rare.
One other downside of ammo scrounging is the likelihood of missing important instructions or those little gems of wisdom that the instructors often give at the end of a drill. Bent over, focused on the dirt is not the most conducive state for receiving information.
Bottom line:
I would recommend that you let the ammo lay in the dirt, but if you are going to pick up unfired ammunition, keep it separate from your training ammo and sort it out after class, never during training.
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