Its actually opposite, early game you are swimming in brass because your collecting it long before you can use it so it stockpiles up, and then once you get bullet crafting it still kind of increases because your getting better tools, harvesting and looting more, then eventually the hordes get so big your supply runs out and your scrounging for it.
Good luck trying to find brass in a game where 5 other players have looted before you.
The "no recycling of brass rule" worked fine when the world size was unlimited. And to some
extent, the door knobs (with or without the magazine) works well enough for singleplayer.
But with A18 comes what seems like a much higher focus on guns. And that is one of the
reasons i'd like to see recycling of spent bullet casings. Either by default, with a perk magazine ,
or weapon mod.
And even with recycling, one still need to mine coal, nitrate and lead and do the reloading.
Unlimited ammo, well, kinda , but so are feather based weaponry with the nearly endless supply
of birdsnests and vultures. And melee weapons do not require ammo at all.
For a long term play, or multiplayer, it does not take a lot to see why guns are less desirable then
feather based weapons or melee. Simply because guns are not sustainable in the long run. Unless
doing some quest reset or duping, or beeing very aware of not wasting brass.
So please consider a way to not run out of brass. I don't really care how, as long as it is done.
Recycling spent bulletcasings just seems to be the most logical.