barnfrog
Member
Just wanted to give a plug for US Reloading Supply. The Reader's Digest condensed version is that they accommodated me when they didn't have to, and according to the conversation I had with them I believe them to be fair and honest.
The longer version of the story is that I'm in Florida for just a day or two, having brought my mother down to stay with her sister, and will be flying back north tomorrow morning. While here, I dropped my aunt off to pick up her vehicle, and realized US Reloading Supply is practically next door to the dealership. Since I've been looking for .357 Magnum brass but am not truly desperate, I have eschewed the internet in favor of buying in person if I can, and decided to stop in.
On the door I found a sign that says "Sat 9 - 2. Other times by appointment." I tried the door anyway and found it to be open, so I walked in. As I entered, an employee (apparently the owner) said "Can I help you?" I asked if he had any .357 or .38 brass and he said "Yes, but we're closed right now. We'll be open in the morning." When I told him I would be flying out of Sarasota before they opened, he said ".357 brass is over here." Obviously, it's in his interest to sell me something while I'm there, but not everyone would have accommodated me that way. Some wouldn't even have said anything besides "Sorry, we're closed, come back tomorrow."
In the ensuing chit-chat as I was checking out, he mentioned that in-person sales are a very small part of his business, and most of their sales are online. He also mentioned that they are one of the few places that ship to Hawaii and Alaska. When I asked why that was, he said he didn't know, since it costs the same to ship to those states via USPS flat rate as it does to CONUS. That's right, according to him, anyone who charges you more to ship to HI or AK via USPS flat rate is doing so because they can.
Anyway, I walked out of there with 200 pieces of once-fired, cleaned and tumbled brass ($25/100) and 200 Hornady 158-gr XTPs ($33/100) for $115 total. Certainly not pre-COVID prices, but I felt OK paying it since I didn't have to pay shipping of any kind. I will definitely be making an appointment with him when I'm back here in March to pick Mom up and take her north.
The longer version of the story is that I'm in Florida for just a day or two, having brought my mother down to stay with her sister, and will be flying back north tomorrow morning. While here, I dropped my aunt off to pick up her vehicle, and realized US Reloading Supply is practically next door to the dealership. Since I've been looking for .357 Magnum brass but am not truly desperate, I have eschewed the internet in favor of buying in person if I can, and decided to stop in.
On the door I found a sign that says "Sat 9 - 2. Other times by appointment." I tried the door anyway and found it to be open, so I walked in. As I entered, an employee (apparently the owner) said "Can I help you?" I asked if he had any .357 or .38 brass and he said "Yes, but we're closed right now. We'll be open in the morning." When I told him I would be flying out of Sarasota before they opened, he said ".357 brass is over here." Obviously, it's in his interest to sell me something while I'm there, but not everyone would have accommodated me that way. Some wouldn't even have said anything besides "Sorry, we're closed, come back tomorrow."
In the ensuing chit-chat as I was checking out, he mentioned that in-person sales are a very small part of his business, and most of their sales are online. He also mentioned that they are one of the few places that ship to Hawaii and Alaska. When I asked why that was, he said he didn't know, since it costs the same to ship to those states via USPS flat rate as it does to CONUS. That's right, according to him, anyone who charges you more to ship to HI or AK via USPS flat rate is doing so because they can.
Anyway, I walked out of there with 200 pieces of once-fired, cleaned and tumbled brass ($25/100) and 200 Hornady 158-gr XTPs ($33/100) for $115 total. Certainly not pre-COVID prices, but I felt OK paying it since I didn't have to pay shipping of any kind. I will definitely be making an appointment with him when I'm back here in March to pick Mom up and take her north.
