Be a "hoarder" with me!

[CZ223]

Being prepared does not make you a hoarder

Buying what you may need in the future when it is available and you can afford it is only prudent. Selling off your surplus at a profit does not make you a scalper. Not buying what you need for the future when it is available and affordable is just plain dumb.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Tell you what...if we ever see pistol powder to be had for the buying? You'll see a man that abhors hoarding laying in enough Unique and BE-86 to last the rest of my shooting lifetime in one credit card transaction.

I'd have no problem buying 32 pound of Unique if I could find it today. Then I'd join you in hoarding.

VooDoo

 

[BullRunBear]

I put having enough shooting supplies in the same category as storing food, water, and other living needs in case of an emergency or long term disruption. I don't pay attention to the resentful whiners who thought a shortage could never affect their precious selves. But I've been approached by several acquaintances (not whiners) who want to learn to reload so they can avoid future shortages. Having plenty of surplus lets me help them get started while they continue to learn and locate components.

In addition to the usual items, I've added an extra supply of good flints and percussion caps and get black powder in bulk locally. I can make just about everything else needed to shoot my BP guns.

Jeff

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I almost became a hoarder.... out of the 15 or so pounds of Varget I've seem recently, I only bought 4.

 

[ranger56528]

Not a hoarder but I'm prepaird,living out in the country kinda of does that, if you get a chance read One Second After that's what got me going but as far as ammo goes I have enough factory ammo to last a long time my issue is the last few yrs have dealt me a bad hand health wise. I have not built up my reloading supplies as much as I wanted to and now I'm paying the price although I have found enough powder and primers for about a 1000 reloads for each of my main weapons.
I still buy ammo at the store when I go out and target practice so as not to use what I already have and I'm still adding factory ammo to it,it's a addiction.
I will admit I did stop buying 9mm,.223 and 7.62x39 3 yrs ago and it's not because I stopped shooting them,sold a case of 7.62x39, 1260 rounds of brass cased round ball to a guy last week,sometimes you just need to say enough is enough and focus on other things like reloading supplies.

 

[bannockburn]

Have always abided by the simple concept of being prepared.

 

[ku4hx]

Among other things, I've got several pounds of Hercules powder and CCI Small Pistol Magnum primers I bought when Carter was President.

I've always been a "scrounger" and likewise have always maintained stocks of certain things. I guess with the advent of reality TV, "hoarders" the word has picked up a bad connotation for all situations.

In my case, and my parents, it just made good sense to be prepared in many ways.

 

[Sav .250]

Everybody has a 22LR................... Can`t say that for other weapons.

 

[Trent]

The reloading supplies I ran out of during the 'shortage' was mainly 30 cal projectiles; 168 gr, 180gr, and 220 gr .308. (I shoot a lot of high power and use 30 cal for it).

By late 2013 I was reduced to shooting... gasp... 223...

The smallbore shooters were generally unaffected. Seems the market forces didn't make a big run on $180/500 rds of match 22 ammo. So I was also able to shoot smallbore the entire time with Eley and RWS match ammo, without ever worrying about "what am I going to shoot?!".

After seeing what the serious guys use for ammo, the more 'casual' rimfire shooters who aren't looking to smoke the X-ring every shot weren't against paying scalper prices on 22 ammo. The way they saw things, they're still paying less than half of what match ammo cost. And if they got serious there was the middle-ground 'club' or 'practice' ammo from the premium vendors to use.

But those 30 cal... ugh. I ran out of the 220gr Sierra Matchkings and faced 12+ month backorders for resupply. Double-whammy, that one. Not only did the shortage cause a run on 30 cal components, in general, but the sudden massive popularity of 300 AAC blackout subsonic shooters also put a REAL hurt on those 220gr matchkings. Particularly since several factory cartridge loadings in 300 AAC started using them.

I was a clever fellow though. Midway through 2014 I ordered 220gr subsonic 300AAC ammo made with sierra matchkings, kinetic pulled the bullets, fertilized the plants with powder, and have a collection of 300 AAC headstamped brass to do load development off of for 300 AAC now. Then I used the pulled bullets in my 300 Win loadings.

This being said... I agree with the OP.

Stock up before 2016.

 

[GBExpat]

By late 2013 I was reduced to shooting... gasp... 223...

What? Not 5.7x28?

BTW, how's that 5.7x28 reloading going? Got all of the bugs worked out yet?

 

[Walkalong]

I don't think there will be a run in 2016, no matter who is elected.

My advise is to buy what you need, plus just a little extra. Stop going hog wild on ordering and let this thing settle down. It's almost there.

 

[Johnny_B_Goode]

I do not plan to take any chances in 2016. I do not know if the rimfire shortage started from lack of production or people buying ammo. Ammo manufacturers could be getting lessons from fuel refineries. Ammo manufacturers claim they are not buying more equipment because they do not expect demand to remain at this level. If six years of record sales are not enough to convince manufacturers they need more equipment I do not know what will convince them they need more equipment

 

[mboylan]

Where were you buying it for $.69 in 2005? I have boxes from a Montgomery Ward store in Indiana that closed in the 60s that are tagged at $.69. I think it was around a buck the last time I bought .22LR in 2000.

Yep. Ammo dropped that much from the early 90s to the mid 2000s. $.49 is what garden variety 22 cost in 1960. $.69 was a little better quality.

 

[Trent]

What? Not 5.7x28?

BTW, how's that 5.7x28 reloading going? Got all of the bugs worked out yet?

Not really, but since I found a source for Fiocci factory ammo again, it's kind of been on the back burner. Current project is finding a better 7.62 load for my SCAR... it loved the Hornady Superperformance factory ammo I tested late 2014 (I mean it REALLY loved it) but I haven't been able to dupe it quite right yet (they're pushing that load HARD..)

 

[CB900F]

Trent;

If I remember correctly, the powders Hornady uses in much of their proprietary ammunition aren't available in canister form (yet). It makes life either "veeery interestink!" or "tougher'nhell " for a reloader.

900F

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, but I keep a healthy supply of ammo for all my guns on hand. It isn't overwhelming, but it keeps me shooting, and in the event of a catastrophe, or civil unrest, no one would be coming in my home without a real problem on their hands.

I stay stocked, and add to the stock when prices are reasonable.

 

[jmorris]

I guess I have been at this too long. It was called "stocking up" back before the 1994 assualt weapons ban.

I just learned a month ago that Hercules no longer makes 2400 and have not needed to buy .22 rounds since they cost $7.98/500.

 

[Trent]

Trent;

If I remember correctly, the powders Hornady uses in much of their proprietary ammunition aren't available in canister form (yet). It makes life either "veeery interestink!" or "tougher'nhell " for a reloader.

900F

I believe that to be true, based on my experiments.

That superperformance ammo is something else. Not only do I get slight over pressure signs on the casings, but the velocity of the projectiles measured on my chronograph exceeded any listed maximum load data I could find in my manuals.

In the couple of powders I've tried, I will reliably blow primers before I even get close to that velocity with that weight of bullet.

They've got some black voodoo happening over at the Hornady plant when they build that ammo.

This is the first time my handloads have been smoked on both accuracy AND velocity for a cartridge. It's irritating me, as it wounds my ego to think some factory can make better ammo than I can.

 

[CB900F]

Trent;

You're going to have to move your reloading bench to N'awlins, you understand that, right?

900F

 

[Trent]

Heh we've successfully derailed this thread completely!

Although, this is not the first time a hoarding thread has been neutralized by a conversation on reloading. These threads usually devolve in to START RELOADING! BUY COMPONENTS!

OR, "LOOK AT THE SIZE OF MY STASH" bragging events.

So let's get this baby back on track properly and pat each other on the backs about how well prepared we are.

I'll start the ball rolling down the hill of ego, with my old reloading room pictures.



















And man can that Dillon press put out some ammo!

 

[Trent]

Sadly it has never been the same since the "great plumbing catastrophe of 2013"

*ALL* of my reloading equipment and ammunition stockpile was rained on by a failed drain pipe.



I made a half-assed attempt to get it back in order but it took a great deal of steam out of my sails to have so much stuff damaged so quickly, and the room is a shadow of what it used to be.

 

[OilyPablo]

Wow. Catastrophic.

 

[saltydog]

i saw the writing on the wall after the 86 machine gun ban. i'm still sitting on plenty of Norinco ammo that will out last me

 

[GBExpat]

I am very sorry to hear about the "Great Plumbing Catastrophe of 2013", Trent.

Your digiphotos got me wondering about my "stock(pile) levels", so I grabbed a pad and headed for the basement ... did a quick count of the ammo cans (mostly milsurp ammo ... and my preferred storage method for opened ammo), unopened milsurp cases, unopened commercial cases, loose unopened battle packs and filled bandos ... I stopped before I got to the reloading supplies, reloaded ammo, filled mags and the ready ammo on The Shelf ...

... and I gotta say ...

*I* ... am a HOARDER!



Good Grief! I am going to have to make some time to sort all of that stuff ... but there is more than I will ever be able to shoot in my life. Nice situation to have, though.

 

[Trent]

GBexpat;

After the plumbing disaster of 2013 I really did start thinking more along the lines of "how to preserve this stuff until I retire", rather than "what new stuff am I going to buy next?!"

At some point you reach a point as a collector (dare I say hoarder) when you really kind of sit back, or rather, atop your hoard, and do some serious thinking about things.

For me this happened when I ran out of room in my safe and room to store more 'stuff'. 20 long and grueling years of buying gun stuff with any spare money I had (coupled with a brief 3 year stint as an FFL gun dealer, with the assorted leftovers when I closed shop), left me in a bit of a state of confusion over what to do next?

I have enough reloading components to get me through retirement now. I have enough ammo to get me through a small war or at least several long years of competitive shooting. I've got my bases covered with the essential firearms for competition, hunting, training students, and recreational shooting.

To prospective hoarders; don't stop hoarding, until you get to that point when you don't WANT to buy anything new, when it seems like a HASSLE to keep doing it. (Turning it in to a day job for 3 years really ruined shooting for me for a while as well, because my hobby was my work, and I lost the "fun" aspect of the sport. Zero desire to go shooting when you spend the day haggling over a few bucks on a gun or ammo, or hauling 2 tons of ammo around to gun shows every weekend...)

So yeah.. all you would be hoarders, go horde.

Seriously.

When was the last time you saw surplus ammo go DOWN in price?

I'm grinning like a cheshire cat over a few sealed crates of 7N6 ammo right now. Just a small amount to store, but my investment of $59 per 1080 round can a decade ago grew more in value than any other investment I'd ever made.

Whenever "new" types of surplus ammo hits the market .. jump on it. Even if all you do is store it, it'll gain value; once the supply runs out or the import stops, it shoots up in value.

Every. Single. Time.