Why did the People's Liberation Army pick up the bullet shells after shooting? Is it because of poverty?

Friends who have had target shooting experience have the impression that after everyone has finished shooting, there will always be one or two unlucky ones who have bad performances. They are responsible for picking up all the bullet shells in the shooting position and putting them in the box and pulling them away. Some people say it is to recover the copper in the cartridge case, but is that really the case?

▲ Picking up bullets has also become a competition

The history of China's recycling of cartridge cases can be considered relatively long. As early as the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Eighth Route Army had recycled bullet shells on a large scale. Not only did they recycle what they had used, but the enemy and comrades also picked them up for recycling. This was mainly for the production of reloaded bullets.

▲The bullet case is golden

Those who understand military industry know that "guns are easy to make but difficult to make bullets." Without an industrial foundation, it is very difficult to make suitable bullets. It is even more difficult to produce bullets in a workshop-style military factory of the Eighth Route Army. No punching machine can be used to produce bullet casings alone. There is no way but to pick up used bullet casings, reload gunpowder and warheads, and produce reloading. Bullet use.

▲The Eighth Route Army once launched soldiers and civilians to pick up bullets

In the memoirs of some veterans, it is mentioned that the shooting efficiency of the reloaded bullets using black powder is poor, but it is barely usable. Due to the slow burning speed of black powder, the outer trajectory is much worse than that of the original bullet, so they generally shoot at close range. Only reloaded bullets are used, and original bullets are still used for long-range shooting.

▲In "The Name That Will Never Die"

It is also mentioned that the reloaded bullets produced by the Eighth Route Army are "not easy to use"

In modern times, China has formed a complete recycling mechanism for the recycling of cartridge cases, but it is no longer for the recycling of copper. After all, the cost of recycling the thin layers of copper is too high. Another important reason for recycling steel is to prevent the loss of bullets.

▲This task is generally arranged for the unlucky ones with poor shooting performance

Take Japan as an example. After the shooting of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces is over, the self-defense team members must collect all the bullet shells to see if the number of ammunition fired can match. If not, no one is allowed to leave the shooting range. Once the Japanese Self-Defense Force lost 7 shells during a training session. The last 1,000 self-defense team members found all the missing shells after a 14-hour carpet search.

▲Of course, there is nothing to do with such blatantly stealing the cartridge case

China also has similar regulations. In the 2008 "General Ammunition Business Management Regulations" issued by the General Assembly General Assembly Department, a recovery rate of 95% or more of shell casings is required. In this regard, China has also learned profound lessons, such as Baibaoshan, which shocked the country back then. Gun case.

▲Bai Baoshan (still photo)

In the early days of Bai Baoshan, he was just a worker. He was obsessed with firearms since he was a child. He often liked to take some air guns to shoot birds, so he developed a good marksmanship. Later, due to economic reasons, Bai Baoshan went astray for many thefts and served his sentence in the northwest after being imprisoned.

▲There was a period of air gun fever in the folk in the 1980s

You can buy air guns in department stores

The first batch of bullets in Baibaoshan were obtained from herders. The management of bullets was not so strict back then. Herdsmen militia all had ammunition for hunting. When Baibaoshan was working outside, the herdsmen lost their sheep and were discovered and detained by Baibaoshan. Baibaoshan blackmailed the herdsmen. The herders had no money and could only exchange them with bullets and shells. Therefore, Baibaoshan had the "first pot of gold". ".

▲The original source of bullets at Baibaoshan

After serving his sentence, Bai Baoshan began to retaliate against the society. He successively robbed 56 semi-automatic rifles, 81-1 rifles and 54 pistols. The bullets that Bai Baoshan accumulated were also useful. He took these bullets and committed robberies and murders one after another. Robbed more than 1 million in cash with guns.

▲The goal of Baibaoshan

They are all guns that can use bullets in their hands

Baibaoshan exchanged fire with the police many times during the roaming period. Except for the 75 rounds of ammunition he obtained from the herdsmen, the rest of the ammunition was made by Baibaoshan using the cartridge case and the knowledge he learned in prison.

▲81-1 buttstock can be folded for easy carrying

Although the performance of reloading ammunition is unstable and not suitable for standard equipment, it is a good way for a bandit to reuse bullets. By the time Bai Baoshan was arrested on September 5, 1997, he had caused 17 deaths and 15 injuries, including 5 police officers.

▲The million robberies in the 1990s shocked the country

After the Baibaoshan gun case, the country has strengthened the management of ammunition and cartridge cases. Foreign countries also have similar ammunition recovery regulations. For example, the US military requires the recovery of shells after some training, and then unified disposal.

▲American soldiers are also picking up bullet cases

If this recovery mode is to shoot at a shooting range, it is enough to pick up the shells around the shooting position, but if it is a combat shooting, the picking up of the shells can be fatal, so foreign countries invented the shell collector installed outside the shell ejection window.