For those concerned about panic buying and ammo shortages with the next election,

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Zaydok Allen

Zaydok Allen

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I suggest you consider this.

Yesterday I was shopping around and I picked up some powder and primers. Then I reached for some 9mm ammo because it’s so cheap it doesn’t make sense to reload it.

None the less I’ve been saving my brass.

So I did some quick math. With taxes it will cost me $141.12 to load 1000 rounds of 9mm. You aren’t going to find factory ammo that cheap. But more importantly I’m stocking up on components so availability of the ammo I want to shoot isn’t an issue. When the shelves are empty I’ll be making my own. So I also bought some dues and a toolhead for my press yesterday.

So if you’ve been on the fence about reloading, now is a great time to invest in the equipment and supplies you need to start. It’s a fun hobby for anyone who enjoys tinkering. It’s probably not going to save you money though, it’ll just increase your shooting time. But that’s really the point isn’t it? You usually can work out loads that shoot more accurately from your particular guns. And ultimately in the long run, if all you want to do is save some money, but not increase your shooting, then it CAN save you money.

It needs to be done right, but it’s not as hard as some folks think.

In any case, given the reoccurring questions that crop up on THR about panic buying, I thought it a good time to encourage folks to start a great hobby. We have another year before the next election. Seems there’s no time like the present.
 
Could not agree more and it can’t be overstated.

Reloading is the best thing I’ve ever done to keep me interested in shooting. I love it and so do most people serious about shooting which is why so many people advocate for it so often on this forum. Even when that isn’t the question.

But I agree, if you are one of those fence sitters who keeps saying “next year” or “let’s see what happens with the election...” Just do it. It’s not going to get cheaper or more available than it is right now and there’s no downside if you buy now and the market stays like this forever. But it won’t and there may be an enormous upside to buying your basics right now and then making a big purchase if you have to, say, next November.
 
Can't tell you how many thousand rounds I've loaded on my El cheapo Lee single stage press. I think the whole kit was $160 plus $30 for dies and I think $17 for a digital scale.

Even at only a few cents a round I've long since paid for it loading 9mm and .45, not even mentioning .308 where I can save over $.50 a round.
 
9mm
7.5 c per for bullet
2.95c per for primer
1.2c per for powder

$11.7 per 100 rounds going by todays prices in bulk. i'm still loading around 9 cents cause i was patient and waited for deals and bought in bulk a long time ago, so i'm still shooting primers i paid $15/box for.

my 1050 with bullet feeder cost a lot more, but the advantage is i can load those 100 rounds in under 5 minutes, including filling primer tubes etc.

in any event, it's not too late to start. hit the reloading forum...
 
Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder. My plan has been to invest in factory ammo while prices are low. But regardless of your method or your opinion on elections you would be wise to stock up while supply is plentiful.
 
A number of ways to make shooting less expensive per round.

The best I have done was back around 2004 when BA10 was dirt cheap.

$18/1000 for 230 grain 45 ACP. IIRC it was my first post here.

#5 in this thread.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/magma-engineering-master-caster.158478/#post-1944416

If you reload and cast assuming you can recover your brass and lead, all you pay for is powder and primers.

Not as cheap now as back then but last bulk buy on primers I made were $20/1000 shipped with Hazmat and with fast powders, a pound will load more than 1000.
 
Plan2Live said:
Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder. My plan has been to invest in factory ammo while prices are low. But regardless of your method or your opinion on elections you would be wise to stock up while supply is plentiful.
Click to expand...
It’s not for everyone.

I use a progressive press and find it relaxing.
 
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Plan2Live said:
Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder. My plan has been to invest in factory ammo while prices are low. But regardless of your method or your opinion on elections you would be wise to stock up while supply is plentiful.
Click to expand...

You only need to set the powder measure once.

I cast my own bullets and 9mm is running me right at $5/100 right now.
 
Thinking along the lines of the OP, I recently bought a gazillion rounds of once-fired military 9mm brass and some inexpensive dies. For the most part I only shoot rifle, so reloading pistol for me (especially on my single-stage press) is not something I plan on doing a lot of. But it is good to have the ability if, as suggested, the government decides to make things difficult. Actually, since I am in California, I can attest that our government ALREADY has made things difficult for ammo purchasers. The OP's advice is well taken.

Tim
 
Plan2Live said:
Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder. My plan has been to invest in factory ammo while prices are low. But regardless of your method or your opinion on elections you would be wise to stock up while supply is plentiful.
Click to expand...




This kind of sums it up for me as well.
 
Plan2Live said:
Having watched other people reload I find the process tedious and boring. Aside from that I don't trust my attention span during critical phases like measuring powder. My plan has been to invest in factory ammo while prices are low. But regardless of your method or your opinion on elections you would be wise to stock up while supply is plentiful.
Click to expand...

Everyone is different but I like loading almost as much as shooting (and a lot more than static target shooting with a pistol). I have two toddlers I watch daily and they are LOUD. What hours I get in the basement loading bench are daddy's quiet time and a much needed sanity break.

A shell holder really makes the whole "did I fill that case yet?" Question simple. Fill case with powder, put in holder. When the plate is full, load bullets. When empty, repeat.
 
In my opinion the single most important question one should ask themselves before getting into reloading is: Does it sound interesting and/or fun? Because if neither of those won't hold your interest the other benefits (calmness in anticipation of or during an ammo panic, cost savings, whatever else one might think of) aren't strong enough to make it a worthwhile hobby. Plus, I think satisfying the "interesting and/or fun" dimension is required for true understanding of what is going on....and consequently reduce the chances of making a mistake. If it's viewed as tedious, boring, a chore that must be accomplished before going to the range, then he chances of making a mistake increase.

Back to the main topic - now is the time for everyone to stock up - be it ammo for the non-reloaders or components for the reloaders.

OR
 
460Shooter said:
So I did some quick math. With taxes it will cost me $141.12 to load 1000 rounds of 9mm. You aren’t going to find factory ammo that cheap. But more importantly I’m stocking up on components so availability of the ammo I want to shoot isn’t an issue ...
Click to expand...
One primary component of what my dad taught me as we learned together about reloading, was what I have always thought of as Reloading Math. I seem to recall that the breakpoint for 7,92x57 ammo back in the late '60s was ~5¢/rd. He said that if I can find milsurp for less than that, buy it, since that was only a bit more than it was costing us then to reload ... not factoring in effort, o'course. ;)

We were using a Lee Loader (a.k.a., Whack-A-Mole) and every round was rather dear, relative to work expended.

... but, back in those days, local 7,92x57 milsurp sources were rare ... and so long as I had cases, primers, propellant and bullets ... I had ammo. Which is your point.

Good Point, 460Shooter. :)
 
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When I stopped by Walmart the day they announced they were no longer re-stocking handgun ammo, I grabbed as much 9mm as I could afford and went to stock up on small pistol primers and they were all already gone. Grabbed a couple of boxes of Hornady bullets instead.

I just have a Lee single-stage and it works fine for producing small batches of 100 rounds of very accurate match ammo. I enjoy the process, but after 3 hours of sitting there loading 9mm plinking ammo for what used to cost $17 at Walmart, it gets tedious.

I need to focus now on loading up supplies of .40 S&W, 10mm, .45 Colt, and .450 Bushmaster.
 
All my reloading stuff is packed up for the moment as we get ready to sell the house in the upcoming future, but I'm always on the lookout for sales on components.
 
Thanks to Walmart I am set for years to come....

IMG_20190908_201029.jpg

Total of 220 rounds. I'm done with buying ammo which should leave more for other people.
 
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Even if one doesn't get into reloading, what components are bought, will not devalue in a panic era. In fact, it seems one could almost name their price. This is taking into consideration that the components are for a common cartridge.

I, for one, have given up on the "how much I save" angle. I found I like to see what I can make of a recipe per components on hand. I don't see it as boring, but as a challenge on a small scale. :)
 
Before the last presidential election I bought enough primers and powder to last through Hillary's first term had she been elected. Getting ready to do the same thing again. It was a little rough and time consuming finding primers and powder during the Obama years.
 
kcofohio said:
Even if one doesn't get into reloading, what components are bought, will not devalue in a panic era. In fact, it seems one could almost name their price. This is taking into consideration that the components are for a common cartridge.

I, for one, have given up on the "how much I save" angle. I found I like to see what I can make of a recipe per components on hand. I don't see it as boring, but as a challenge on a small scale. :)
Click to expand...

The old proverb to live by: don't concern yourself how to save more instead concern yourself with how to make more.
 
As long as I can buy factory ammo @ $8/50 rounds including tax locally I'll not reload 9mm. That would be a savings of only $18.88 on 1000 rounds. And I have several thousand in stock. My time is more important than that.

I do reload for 308, 30-06 and 6.5CM. I can still buy factory ammo for about the same price, but re-loading allows me to shoot premium hunting and target bullets, get better accuracy and in most cases better velocity for about the same price as budget factory loads.

I don't load for 223 yet, but may start soon. Not to save money, I have enough bulk FMJ plinking ammo to last the rest of my life. At this point I'm more interested in better accuracy with better bullets.
 
I look at it like this:
I can get 9mm plinking ammo around 17c/rnd for brass cased. Steel and aluminum are even less.
Reloading components NOW are in the same ball park (closer to steel/alu costs.)
IF you were to build up reloading components now, in the expectation of a sharp increase in new ammo, then yes you could make out.
The same can be said of stocking up on new ammo now.
It's like investing in the stock market really.
 
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