When do you ditch a caliber?

I usually get rid of my stuff about 3 weeks before I need it again... timing is everything, you know.

But seriously, now is a good time. If you can use the cash, for whatever reason, do it. If you are a past lottery winner and money means nothing, keep your stuff.

I sell stuff on ebay all the time.

I normally keep all of my old no longer needed dies. The only ones I've sold are my duplicate sets that I did not want.

It's your decision. Normally if you have to replace them they will cost more than what you sold them for and possibility more than the original price.

Duplicates of calibers you no longer load for are barter goods for calibers that you may want to explore. If your shooting .44 Mag why haven't you traded a duplicate for a set of .44 Mag dies? Take stock of your current powders, are they the ones that you are using or are they the left overs from calibers that you no longer load for? Follow the powder, it will point you in the direction that you intend to go. JMHO. Projectiles can be cast or purchased by the thousands, it's the powder that you need to keep dry. Just my Humble reloading opinion.

I give away my old reloading stuff. 50% of it was given to me, so it just feels right to keep it going.
I've also learned that unless I have the spare space, keeping stuff I dont use isn't worth it.

I don’t remember where I heard about this technique for getting rid of the unused junk in a kitchen junk drawer, but it worked well for my wife and me. And I think I might try using the same technique for getting rid of old dies and handloading components I no longer use.

What you do is put everything in your kitchen junk drawer (or all of your dies and reloading components) in a cardboard box or two. Mark the box(s) with the date, then for the following 6 months, every time you take something out of the box(s) to use, it goes back in the drawer or on the shelf when you’re through with it. At the end of 6 months (I personally would probably shoot for a year instead of just 6 months) everything that’s left in the box(s) either goes to the dump or is given away.

Like I said, my wife and I used the technique for cleaning out our kitchen junk drawer. It worked well. Unfortunately, it’s probably been 5 years, and it’s time to do it again.

BTW, my wife, a retired Secretary tells me she used a similar technique for purging files from her file cabinets. She would mark the date on the cabinet, then every time she pulled a file in the following 5 years, she would stick a little, colored dot on it before putting it back in the cabinet. After 5 years, files without dots were purged.

My dad, 2 of my brother's and I reload. We seem to cycle through certain cartridges. Because of this dies stay.
Bullets on the other hand are given back and forth each time a new gun is purchased. Makes it cheaper to test more bullets.
If they don't perform like we want they go back into circulation.
I have a 3 dollar box of 160 gr 6.5 bullets.
If you have a mom and pop reloading store trade with them or trade with friends.

You know its funny you said this. I have a 44mag that gets about 5 rounds through it a year because its a backup hunting rifle. I have thought about just loading up say 200-300 rounds and ditching the 44mag dies cause it would take me 30yrs to shoot 200-300 rounds. If I end up selling the rifle I will also sell the dies.

I have yet to ditch a caliber.

Just recently I pulled a 1930 Mosin Nagant 91/30 out of the safe. It had been sitting undisturbed since 2012. I know that, because that's when I purchased the rifle, and I hadn't fired it .

I was considering selling it, but decided to shoot it first. Now I'm keeping it. Come to that, I'm even smoothing the trigger, which is heavy, creepy, and horrible.

I'll shoot it at the club military bolt-action shoots.

The moral - don't ditch it. You may come back around to it in a few years.

WestKentucky said:

That’s basically what I did. I sold the gun, loaded until I ran out of something (bullets I think) and then packed away the ammo...2 years ago. I have probably 400 rds packed away. Similar with .308, I loaded a bunch of trailboss subsonic loads and packed it away. 44 dies left with an entire bench setup to a disabled vet. 30-06 and 45acp dies went to him too. I had extra sets of 45 and 06. Now I have several calibers of die sets where I know I am set up for several years in ammo and I’m probably never going back to a few others. I’m only in my 30s though so I may circle back which is what pains me to part with stuff.

I’m a hoarder I think. Maybe not since I do part with stuff for good folks, but even then it hurts.

Click to expand...

Happens to me too. I use Burris targets from midway and they have like 12 shooting points and I have about 30 of them sitting in a box because they have 2-3 shooting points left. I just cant bring myself to burn them because I still have a couple spots left I can shoot. I've got bow parts, old scopes, and other misc hunting gear I don't use but I cant seem to get rid of it. I have a hopps cleaning kit I'm staring at now with the metal rod, patches, brush I wont use because I have better cleaning stuff but I cant seem to give it away or toss it. I also have two 223 savage bolt actions and keep saying ill sell the one I don't use but cant seem to do it.

The only cartridges I've ever come back to after getting out of completely are the .223 and 300win mag. The .223 only because I can't get rid of my AR, and the 300 cause I'm an idiot.

So those I have dies and components.....waiting for that next bout of foolishness.

Ask the Mrs. a week or two after she puts me in the ground.
Pretty sure that's when all my calibers are going to be cleaned out.

Buy, sell, trade. If you aren't using it move it along to someone that will. If you need that thing again - buy, sell, trade.

I consolidated calibers not to long ago. Got rid of a couple i wasn't impressed with and streamlined projectile and powder selections to make buying in bulk more meaningful and less inventory selection wise. Don't regret it at all.

I wouldn't just get rid of stuff just to get rid of it. Retaining things is not hoarding. Gifting to new reloaders, or good friends makes more sense to me than just selling it off, willy nilly. Who honestly gets the price they think it's worth anyhow? Finding a buyer can be a challenge.

Hooda Thunkit said:

I have yet to ditch a caliber.

Just recently I pulled a 1930 Mosin Nagant 91/30 out of the safe. It had been sitting undisturbed since 2012. I know that, because that's when I purchased the rifle, and I hadn't fired it .

I was considering selling it, but decided to shoot it first. Now I'm keeping it. Come to that, I'm even smoothing the trigger, which is heavy, creepy, and horrible.

I'll shoot it at the club military bolt-action shoots.

The moral - don't ditch it. You may come back around to it in a few years.

Click to expand...

LOL I have a CMP M1 Garand that I received 4 years ago and it's still in cosmoline. However, as soon as the weather improves, out it comes now that have a dedicated clean up bench. Run out of excuses.

I don’t seem to get rid of anything. Heck I tried to give away some .204 bullets that were given to me by mistake and with no luck, they just sit there waiting for me to buy a firearm in order to use them..

Keep everything. You may find yourself in a position to pass on reloading to a new guy one day.

I recommend selling what you aren't using, BUT I have not done so! Dies today are 2-3 times what they were when I started reloading 30 yrs ago. I am more inclined to gift a rifle or handgun and when that is the last firearm in that cartridge and not likely to be replaced I gift the dies and supplies as well. The practical thing would be to sell unused stuff and use the funds for more of what you need. I do however strictly limit my investment in tools and such according to the amount of use a cartridge gets. For me, .223 and .30-06 are the main high volume cartridges so I have bought other dies to try out like the RCBS X-Die, and tools like the Little Crow World's Finest Trimmer. 6.5x55 and .308 are much less used so I just have a basic set of dies for them.

I usually only buy guns and reloading equipment for those calibers that I know will frequently shoot. I'm not an impulse buyer so I tend to consider buying a certain caliber only after I've thought about for awhile. There have been many different guns I have wanted but after careful consideration have changed my mind saying nope I not going to be able to use it. So I usually don't end up with stuff I don't use.

I have made the mistake of selling dies, holsters etc. with a gun when I sold it, and lived to regret it.

1. It's a sunk cost
2. You normally don't get a lot for them, I for one steer clear of used dies unless I know the owner
3. I often end up getting the caliber again anyway
4. I end up knowing or meeting someone that shoots that caliber.

Since I've gotten into shooting, and especially reloading, my priorities have changed.

I am a brass buzzard. I pick up just about everything that someone else leaves behind. When I get enough of a caliber that I don't shoot, I buy the dies and the gun to go with it. I've got almost enough 50AE brass to load three mags, I figure 4 mags worth will be critical mass - Already thinking about a Desert Eagle.

If there is a really cool used gun at the LGS, I can't help myself, I have to buy it. Doesn't matter if I don't load for it, I will buy the dies and components for it later.

If I have bullets/dies that can be used for a different cartridge, I start thinking about buying a gun for it. That is how I got my 10mm (same bullets/dies as 40 S&W).

Hi, my name is Bob. I'm a reloadaholic.