Are Component Prices High Now?

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All good information so far. I have seen prices go up maybe a little, but nothing like factory ammo prices. Availability seems to be the limiting factor. I'm all set, I have stocked up over the past few years. I've gotten in the habit of buying at least twice what I shoot. I generally buy hazmat items at the local gun shows so that I don't have to worry about hazmat fees, but the shows have been shut down due to the 'Rona. Recently, I came across a good deal on 223 55fmj bullets (seconds) and a deal on WC844 powder for $14.34 per pound, shipped, so I have the cost of 223 plinking ammo down to $0.15 each. I think there will still be some deals, they will just be harder to find, and less frequent.

I will add that I got started right before the 2013 shortage, and was lucky enough to find a 4 lb jug of Power Pistol, and a 1000 primers, to get started with, right before everything dried up. First, small pistol primers evaporated. Then, when the primers started showing up, the pistol powders evaporated. I would go to the local gun shows (we have about 6 per year) and scrounge for supplies. Prices were jacked in some cases, but I was able to pick up a pound of this, and a pound of that, just to try out. (Buying online, a pound at a time, was out of the question, and I did not want to buy 8lbs of something that I may not like.) The benefit was that I found what worked well and that I liked, and now have data available for powders that I can use - if I have to. Over time, I have settled on a few powders that I really like, and am in the process of using up those that I don't want to stock. It almost became a challenge to me, to find a powder, try it in a few calibers, evaluate it against others, and decide whether to buy more or use it up. If I have to buy online now, I know what I like and can buy in a quantity that makes the hazmat fee worthwhile. But for most of what I load, I have more than enough to keep me busy for a few years.
 
peeplwtchr said:
You just answered my 1st question regarding primer size to buy, thanks. I get from everyone the importance of primer stash.
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Oh forgot to mention when you looking for primers only get small pistol and small rifle. Do not get magnum of either. As far as I know there aren't any published loads for magnum primer for either 223 or 9mm. Some guys do use magnum primers in those but they have experience and know what warning signs to watch out for. For a new reloader ONLY use published loads until you have a good amount of experience.
 
somethingbenign said:
Oh forgot to mention when you looking for primers only get small pistol and small rifle. Do not get magnum of either. As far as I know there aren't any published loads for magnum primer for either 223 or 9mm. Some guys do use magnum primers in those but they have experience and know what warning signs to watch out for. For a new reloader ONLY use published loads until you have a good amount of experience.
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Depends on the powder your using. My Speer manuals going back to the late 70s all show loads using Magnum primers for 223 in both 55grn and 62grn bullets.

WB
 
I stocked up last fall with enough for several years. Right now I see powder prices about 6-8% higher than they were. I see a lot of out of stock condition on primers. I don't need them, so I'm not looking hard. I see many of the cheap bullets are out of stock, but there are hunting and self-defense bullets in stock. Although I expect the health crisis to expand, I'm anticipating demand for ammo and components will go down and supplies will increase, at least until the election nears. This would have the effect of increasing inventories and putting downward pressure on prices. It may take a few months. Another major factor will be political and the election results, not just for the presidency, but also congress. Any movement left will create a spike in demand. This is likely to happen before the election based on polling and predicted results, but can't happen before those things show meaningful clarity. Longer-term, beyond the election, a protracted recession could greatly dampen demand. Long-term unemployed people don't buy tons of ammo. Even retired people whose social security and pensions are eroded by stagflation due to spiraling unemployment and massive currency-creation, don't continue to consume lots of ammo. The recently new ammo buyers are just unlikely to join the ranks of high-volume ammo consumers. The result of this will eventually be damage to the supply chain. Small component makers will go out of business, the bigger ones will further consolidate and downsize. Prices will go up in spite of downward pressure on demand. Although there is a significant deflationary force at the moment, it won't last.
 
As others have posted, start with pistol reloading to get your feet wet and learn the process. I started with a Hornady manual, and the free powder manuals when I could find them. Added the Lyman manual, which I recommend as well.

I started on a 550b, which was nice as I could start like it was a single stage. Which lasted all of a dozen rounds before I was cycling all the way through. A 750 is a different animal. Which would be fun to have, but more than I need for now.

Components are always a challenge to stay ahead of. But for starting out, you could just focus on getting enough to load and learn with. At some point you'll want to make a large purchase, and if you keep looking you'll find what you want / need. One thing you may have to do is get primers and powders separately. Maybe not ideal from the HazMat perspective, but when supplies are running short, it's rare to have both in stock when you want them. The other option is go someplace that allows you to backorder, and wait your turn.

As others have pointed out, over time you save up your pennies and learn to buy as the deals pop up and slowly build up inventory.
 
Today I bought a pound of W231 25.00 and a pound of imr4227 35.00.

The 231 seemed about normal but the 4227 seemed a bit high.
 
Yikes, you’re way late to the party. I had a pretty good stock before this mess as I learned my lesson the last time Obummer was in. It’s going to be hard to find stuff at this point. And, I believe prices will go up, yet again. Supply and demand...and gouging. I suggest getting what you can without selling the farm and when the shelveS return to stocked...start loading up.
 
peeplwtchr said:
I've watched several dillon 750 videos, initial setup seems a bit daunting, but not rocket science.
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I have a Dillon 650...almost the same as the 750. I highly recommend starting off with a single stage setup. Get the Dillon later. Yes, the progressive can churn out ammo like warm butter, but that doesn’t mean it’s good ammo If you don’t know how to develop a good recipe (Wasted money). I like to develop loads that are match grade on my single stage setup (which is far easier than progressive btw), and then move the winner load to the Dillon if I need lots of ammo in that particular caliber.

For my big mag or precision shooting ammo, the Dillon isn’t even in the equation. I really take my time on consistency there. And I’m only loading 20-50 rounds at a time anyway. Pistol or rifle.

Yes, you’re looking to load calibers that would be perfect for a progressive. I’m a big fan of the crawl, walk, run approach to things. Less headaches and less money spent over the long haul.

Remember, charging powder and seating bullets is the fun part. Brass prep is the tedious necessity that takes most of your time. When you want to pump tons of ammo through a Dillon, you need all that prepped brass (and the equipment to prep it) to start yanking that handle down.
 
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