You’ve seen the AR-15 brass catchers that are common in the shooting sports industries. Many people use them; some ranges and competitions require them, and others use them just to make it easier to collect their spent brass.
In this current ammo crisis, who wouldn’t want to keep their spare brass, anyway?
So the value of a brass catcher is more or less self-evident.
What isn’t self-evident is why anyone who was thinking clearly would design them to mount to a section of rail, either over the receiver or on the handguard. That is something that, frankly, makes little sense.
Overtly, it does. The rail is there for mounting shooting accessories, and a brass catcher is a shooting accessory. But once you actually get behind the stock and start burning brass, it just starts to fall apart.
The best AR-15 brass catcher is not mounted to a section of rail.
And, just to paint a clear picture, this is the reason why brass catchers like the Brass Goat, which mount to mil-spec AR-15 magwells, do not mount to the rail.
Keep It Clear for Other Accessories
Your rail and handguard are there for you to mount shooting accessories. That much makes sense and it has already been posited that the brass catcher, as a shooting accessory, might as well go on the rail.
Well, sure, until you have a model that mounts over the receiver. We hope you weren’t planning on mounting a scope or a red dot there! Now it’s under the purview of a brass catcher – great.
Models that don’t obstruct your rail keep the rail clear for mounting other, arguably more important attachments.
Keep Your Sight Picture Unobstructed
Speaking of not having room for optics, there is another problem with rail-mounted brass catchers – and all of them, not just the Picatinny rail mounting ones that mount over the receiver.
Even those brass catchers with heat-resistant mesh bags that mount to the handguard and cover the ejection port have big, sloppy profiles. They do a banner job of completely obliterating your sight picture, especially off to the right side of the sights.
High-quality brass catchers that are easy to attach elsewhere – like the Brass Goat, which mounts under the receiver, will not get in the way of your sight picture.
Bonus Perks
By the way, there are other reasons the Brass Goat is one of the best brass casing catchers on the market.
It’s not made of heat-resist nylon. It’s made of solid ABS resin, so it won’t melt or catch fire. It also won’t jam, whether you’re target shooting, hunting, competing, or whatever you do.
It’s just as easy to empty spent casings, even though there’s no “zipper at the bottom” of this brass trap. It’s compatible with a conveniently removable hopper that holds plenty of spent brass.
Get the Best AR-15 Brass Catcher for Yourself
Heard enough about why the best AR-15 brass catcher is not a rail-mounted model? Get yourself a Brass Goat shell catcher and say goodbye to the days of “heat resistant materials” that melt, wire frames and hook and loop closures that get in your way.
