Is there any point in buying a reloader now?

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A few months back, I decided to get back into reloading.....apparently for reasons unique to me. I can see the day when those who would seek restrictions on 2A rights figure out there is no way they will ever get the guns out of circulation, but won't need to if they can take ammo out of circulation. It scares the bajeezers out of me that 3 or the 4 US primer makers, and a large block of commercial ammunition, are under the Vista roof. It also occurs to me how many powdery eggs are in the Hodgdon basket. IMR, Western and Hodgdon powders to name a few.

All that has to happen is for the wrong sort to get control of those two outfits and what we now believe to be a temporary shortage becomes permanent. Without ammo to shoot, the guns we enjoy so much become nothing more than expensive and largely ineffective clubs.

So to scratch my itch, I've decided to bank in a supply of components to last me a lifetime. Factory for .22 and air rifles, factory and reloading components for big bores and shotguns. I don't shoot nearly as much as some do, but don't want to come up short for lack of means to plug something that needs plugging.
 
My first post was just to show that some fine tools are still available at normal prices.....finding them in stock is the hard part. But that could change too. Prices could double before you know it....and still be hard to find in stock. I'm a building contractor, and have seen prices of most materials used to build a house double since the first of the year. Price a simple 2x4 tomorrow..... Same thing is likely to happen to reloading equipment before the year is over....nothing to do with covid now.....everything to do with national fiscal policy creating inflation.
 
I imagine if you started now, you wouldn't find components

I haven't seen primers in a year.

.
 
I only started filling in the blanks about 3 months ago. With only one exception, counting the few components I had, I managed to find the rest I needed for normal retail price or less. Only exception being a few primers off GB that were 2X retail. I'm not set for life but can last for a couple years.....and if normal buying opportunity returns by then, I'll be set for life.

It can be done. Not easy....and not in a day, but can be done.
 
Prices on reloading equipment is coming down and staying in stock. From the factory is the best place to get a Dillon (for the Blue Kool Aid Crew), and RCBS. Saw some 550’s for $575 with caliber conversion kits and they have the 750’s dollied up for $1300. Even some SDPs for under. $500. Titan still has plenty of other brands available as well. Fin and Fur has Lyman 8 hole turret press for $250 still. Seen the Lee Breechlock Pro 4000 for $225 at Titan. But then the BL550 is just $299 as well.

But the question to answer your question is will you use it once ammo is plentifully again? I reload for all my revolvers, but normally buy cheap for my Glocks when I do matches. And will again once ammo is back down and my shoulder is healed. If you are just buying to get through the drought, it’s not worth it. If you have oddball calibers or want to load for accuracy, then yes.
 
I just went through the remainder of my reloading supplies. I found,

1) RCBS Rock Chucker, single-stage press, complete with powder charge canister, trimming lathe, 4 or 5 different shell holders
2) 8 pounds of AA7 (years old), 8 half used 8 pounds of AA7.
3) 2 trays of primers (maybe 1000, likely Small Riffle or small pistol. Have to measure)
4) 9mm dies, 357 dies (need 10mm auto dies)
5) brass

Looks like I need
* 9mm bullets,
* 10mm dies,
* large pistol primers

At least to test. I'm going to load up some dummy rounds (blanks) in 9mm, to test the powder and primers. The powder has been stored in original containers, but the primers were about half exposed to air. Will test those first. I have a little over a thousand of those. But I'm going to measure each one. On the first couple I got 0.173 for width. This seems right for small rifle/pistol. But I will check the size of each and every one. And count them as well. That's enough 9mm primers to do me for a while. I have plenty of 5.56mm ammo, so won't need for that. Just need bullets.

And I have to find a source for 10mm bullets (these will be hardest to find, and large pistol primers. I'm sure I can find dies. I have only 150 commercial rounds, in 10mm.

primer.jpg
 
LPP: Bad timing. Wait and see. Buy later and bargain shop.

Gear: I predict flea markets and garage sales are going to abound with NIB/barely used reloading gear about mid-2023. If you need dies now, shop around but don't be in a hurry. Some very unscrupulous people are selling things that aren't what they seem.

The good news is, .40S&W and 10mm will mostly use the same projectiles and now that the fanboy community has declared .40S&W DRT, bullets for reloading .40/10mm are coming down in price and going up in availability.
 
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MikeSD said:
I just went through the remainder of my reloading supplies. I found,

1) RCBS Rock Chucker, single-stage press, complete with powder charge canister, trimming lathe, 4 or 5 different shell holders
2) 8 pounds of AA7 (years old), 8 half used 8 pounds of AA7.
3) 2 trays of primers (maybe 1000, likely Small Riffle or small pistol. Have to measure)
4) 9mm dies, 357 dies (need 10mm auto dies)
5) brass

Looks like I need
* 9mm bullets,
* 10mm dies,
* large pistol primers

At least to test. I'm going to load up some dummy rounds (blanks) in 9mm, to test the powder and primers. The powder has been stored in original containers, but the primers were about half exposed to air. Will test those first. I have a little over a thousand of those. But I'm going to measure each one. On the first couple I got 0.173 for width. This seems right for small rifle/pistol. But I will check the size of each and every one. And count them as well. That's enough 9mm primers to do me for a while. I have plenty of 5.56mm ammo, so won't need for that. Just need bullets.

And I have to find a source for 10mm bullets (these will be hardest to find, and large pistol primers. I'm sure I can find dies. I have only 150 commercial rounds, in 10mm.

View attachment 1005801
Click to expand...

Primers will be fine. They are very hard to kill. Primers are coming back slowly, so be patient.. Powder normally keeps for decades if stored properly. Crack the lids and take a sniff. Should have a solvent smell. Then pour some out on a clean white sheet of paper. Look for clumps and clouds/smoke. This indicates its breaking down. I just opened some Herco in the small metal popup cap, that was from the 70's, still good.

Bullets can be had but may have to wait a few weeks/months depending on what your after.
 
Get back into it as a hobby if you enjoy it. But not right now. You won't gain anything, as components are just as scarce as ammo. Wait until the market catches up, and prices bottom out, then pick up a Dillon 750 that was never taken out of the box for half what it cost new, because some poor dude bought it when ammo was scarce...but never found primers so never set it up. Just like the last several times we played this game.
 
EricBu said:
Get back into it as a hobby if you enjoy it. But not right now. You won't gain anything, as components are just as scarce as ammo. Wait until the market catches up, and prices bottom out, then pick up a Dillon 750 that was never taken out of the box for half what it cost new, because some poor dude bought it when ammo was scarce...but never found primers so never set it up. Just like the last several times we played this game.
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I have really never left. I just stopped reloading. :)

I was just down looking at my bench again and started checking my dozens of bullet boxes and found 217 handloaded 9mm. I'm not sure I want to shoot these. I went through a period of shooting Major 9, in USPSA competition and these may be over loaded rounds. I'm going to try and unload all of them and use the components to make a standard 9mm load. This gives me over 200 primers and 200 jacketed bullets ( I suspect 124Gr, but will weigh to be sure). Things are so scarce, I might even try to save the powder. :D

Actually, before I disassemble all of these I'm going to measure the overall length. When I was shooting Major 9, there was an OAL length mandated. Then I'll disassemble a few and weigh the powder and bullet and determine if they ate Major 9 or standard loads.

9mm-1.jpg 9mm-2.jpg
9mm-3.jpg
 
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I dont much care for purchase limits any more than i care for high prices. My recommendation is to get what you can used like dies and the press, you may pay new price for used but beats 2-3x markup like other components. Check your LGS for powder and primers. Cast your own bullets or backorder them from a good dealer if you have to.

Lee makes some great equipment and wont break the bank.
 
Supplies of equipment and reloading components are going to come back. Probably take a year to get generally caught up. Just a guess. Sorta a long term interest with me and I am coasting right now. To go out and try to buy everything to load shells this month is probably a terrible idea. To pick up stuff as you can looking ahead to next summer is doable.
 
This manner of thinking is foolish and short-sighted.

A bit over a year ago, restaurants closed. Any person who was wholly dependent upon restaurants for their source of food thereafter died of starvation, while those with equipment, skills, and supply to cook for themselves at home managed to survive, even despite significant interruption of grocer supply.

Risk management in supply chain always includes diversification of supply - putting all of your eggs in one basket leaves you more vulnerable than does having multiple options. A shooter capable of utilizing components OR loaded ammunition has more options than a shooter wholly reliant upon loaded ammunition supply.
 
Varminterror said:
This manner of thinking is foolish and short-sighted.
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Only if things get worse and signs are not pointing in that direction around here. More ammunition is staying on shelves, limits moving higher, allowing higher quantities to be purchased to keep stuff moving but the next step will be lower prices.

If you get everything you can get your hands on at current prices, I would say that would be foolish and short sighted.

Not completely unlike, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”

If you have an abundance, now is the time to sell, rotate your stock and acquire even more with the profit, as the market cycles, again.

The only people making good decisions to buy right now are the ones instantly selling the product once they mark it up and they don’t want to get caught with stock when the music stops.

That said, the OP just needs some bullets and LPP. I’d just get enough of each to get by now.
 
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MikeSD said:
Is there any point in buying a reloader now?
w
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A question that each person must answer for themselves, o'course, but ....

... relative to me, I am setup to reload over a dozen different types of cartridges and I have, over time, stockpiled enough components to be self-sufficient for many years.

For some folks, stockpiling bulk factory and/or milsurp ammo when the prices are low is adequate.

Actually, I have followed both approaches for a long time so that, relative to my ammunition supply both now and for the future, I am comfortable. :)
 
jmorris said:
Only if things get worse and signs are not pointing in that direction around here.
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More short sighted thinking. This fad will pass. But unilaterally, ammunition and component costs have increased over time, typically ahead of inflation. We’ll see more interruptions and panic purchases in the future, just as we have in the past 20 years, so again, if having ammunition is important for a buyer, then limiting themself to one source of ammunition is foolish and shortsighted.
 
GBExpat said:
A question that each person must answer for themselves, o'course, but ....

... relative to me, I am setup to reload over a dozen different types of cartridges and I have, over time, stockpiled enough components to be self-sufficient for many years.

For some folks, stockpiling bulk factory and/or milsurp ammo when the prices are low is adequate.

Actually, I have followed both approaches for a long time so that, relative to my ammunition supply both now and for the future, I am comfortable. :)
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Comfortable? I'm not lacking at the moment, but I won't feel comfortable until 1/2 of America comes to their senses......and I don't see that happening. Can't get the picture out of my mind from yesterday. Man and his wife on the court steps having paid a big fine and having all his guns confiscated for protecting his home from a mob by pointing his gun at them. Do you see mob members in court for charging his home? or breaking windows and doors at his neighbors? We are in deep trouble.

So is having components and Reloading Equipment confiscated that far off? Hope I'm wrong, but I think maybe this time is different.
 
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GW Staar said:
Comfortable? I'm not lacking at the moment, but I won't feel comfortable until 1/2 of America comes to their senses......and I don't see that happening. Can't get the picture out of my mind from yesterday. Man and his wife on the court steps having paid a big fine and having all his guns confiscated for protecting his home from a mob by pointing his gun at them. Do you see mob members in court for charging his home? or breaking windows and doors at his neighbors? We are in deep trouble.

So is having components and Reloading Equipment confiscated that far off? Hope I'm wrong, but I think maybe this time is different.
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Yep! if we are all criminal then who’s the real criminals
 
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