Wow, tons of great responses on here. Thank you so much guys for being an invaluable resource to this rookie reloader. My hat's off to you.
To address your points:
ArchAngelCD, good deal and thanks for the heads up. I was planning on experimenting with those powders if they became available again, but they weren't my only option. At least with your data I have something more to work off of.
Very good move on the use of factory ammo for "personal protection".
However, you'll soon find out for your range practice as your reloading/component selection consistency improves that your reloads/handloads may be more accurate than factory ammunition. When I started pistol match shooting, I got into reloading initially to save cost but my match reloads shrank my shot groups by 40%+ over the most accurate factory ammo I tested (Federal/Remington/Winchester/CCI/Speer/Blazer/PMC/Magtech/S&B etc.).
Assuming you are far more advanced in the science of reloading than I am, have even you (or anyone else here who is a vet of reloading?) ever considered making your own personal defense rounds, or does even the vast majority of reloaders stick with factory ammo for that purpose? I'm currently using the Critical Defense rounds from Hornady, and have read fairly good things overall from them.
Also, thank you bds for all the work you've been doing in the "components for sale" thread. I'm trying my best to be patient, but none of my backorders from any vendor have come in yet, and I don't want to splurge on paying for pricey factory ammo until then. I guess I'll continue to sit at home and enjoy THR and skip range time until something shows up. Also, thanks for the heads's up on the VV powders. To make the shipping and hazmat worth it, I'll just wait until more 1lb bottles are in stock somewhere and try a variety of them out before going "whole hog" on an 8lb jug. I figure the 8 lb jugs I have on backorder through MidSouth if they don't work out too well for me, I'll just put on consignment at my LGS. From what I've heard though, they've worked pretty well for most folks.
Patience. Supplies will re-appear.
Yup, I'm not going to go on any buying spree. Sooner or later things have to improve.
Also, I'll to find an old-timer to mentor me locally. That's a great suggestion and one I'll certainly follow-up with.
Everyone else, thanks for all the additional advice. I'll just have to keep scouring the forums for when more components become available. I'm already on a "watch list" at my LGS if anything comes in, they have my phone number. Sooner or later the supplies will become available again. Once more, thank you so much for all the help!
