Just Doesn't Add Up

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Mark_Mark said:
I just went down the rabbit hole of “I’ll be your huckleberry” I always thought it was a saying right before Doc Holiday cut you down. Was think, What a strange bumper sticker?

true meaning of “I’ll be your Huckleberry”
https://texashillcountry.com/truth-meaning-doc-holliday-huckleberry/
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Oh, that! Down here it means, “Go on ahead. I gotcher back!”
I thought everybody knew that.
If he needs primers, and I got spares, what else can I do? It’s an honor.
 
Bersaguy - if it'll push you over the mark, I have some never fired, pull down Winchester 30-30 pre-primed I can send to ya via snail mail. Just pay for the ride.

You are really gonna want to shoot that 30-30. I love my Marlin...Kicks like a mule with my loads but hey - a good contrast to the other carbines. I got all my cases for reloading when I bought out the remaining stock at the local Wally world when they went woke.
 
Akula69 said:
Bersaguy - if it'll push you over the mark, I have some never fired, pull down Winchester 30-30 pre-primed I can send to ya via snail mail. Just pay for the ride.
Click to expand...
GeoDude too -
If he needs primers, and I got spares, what else can I do? It’s an honor.
Click to expand...

Bersa,
If you aren't paying attention yet -- the universe is telling you -- do this -- we've (via THR) got you covered!
And, if you make it down to SE Florida -- Broward way, I'm sure I can spare some powder.
 
Best advice I can give is be patient, ready to pounce, and offer to barter.
Club swap meets have provided me with many components. I’ve been at this long enough to have weathered three shortages, none as bad as this.
Thankfully I can cast bullets and for any shooting in IL that will suffice.
I’m set with a couple K primers I all sizes and am pacing my shooting more than I like. I’ll bet, if you keep at it, in a year you’ll find brass, bullets, primers and powder for those 400 for well below your estimate. I hope and pray so.
 
Hey guys, again...thank you so much! I just sent PM's out to those who offered help. So looks like I'll be jumping down this rabbit hole...which of course was my preferred path:) I'll start looking into molds. All the casting I've done so far is for pistol with Lee molds. What do you all like for 30-30? I like the Lee molds, but am open to trying something else
 
The Lee 150 and 170 are both considered very good 30-30 bullets. The 170 probably give you a longer effective range if you are think of using it for hunting. One word of caution, I ran across one 30-30 that would not feed ammo with the 170 crimped in the crimp groove with normal length brass. This is not a big deal, if you do get the 170 and the gun does not feed them, the fix is to just trim some cases a little shorter than normal.
 
bersaguy said:
. . . that's still $750 for 1000 rounds, and given the rate I go thru rifle ammo, that's enough to last both me and my son's lifetime.
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So don't reload, especially with current pricing.

Other than my .375H&H, I don't own a bolt rifle I've put less than 500 rounds through, and several quadruple that.
 
bersaguy said:
...or maybe I just need a 12 step program.....:D
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12 steps is too much. Shoot. Pick up brass. Clean brass. Deprime/resize. Prime. Charge. Seat. Crimp.

I count 8 steps.

There are much cheaper bullets available by the way that would be appropriate for the 30-30. Look at cast bullets in the 170 gr range. Last I bought was around 45 bucks shipped for 500 and those were the coated variety.

If you really need more steps then you could try casting. That’s another 300 bucks give or take for a basic setup of melter, molds, sizer, lead, lube… so if you start with storebought ingots you…melt, pour, drop, cool, inspect, size, lube. Then you move to the loading side and your at 15 steps. If you still need more you can scrounge range lead, sort it, and make ingots then check hardness after a couple days. So now I think it’s around 20 steps.
 
Mark_Mark said:
I just went down the rabbit hole of “I’ll be your huckleberry” I always thought it was a saying right before Doc Holiday cut you down. Was think, What a strange bumper sticker?

true meaning of “I’ll be your Huckleberry”
https://texashillcountry.com/truth-meaning-doc-holliday-huckleberry/
Click to expand...
They needed cut down. Doc Holliday was there Huckleberry... It's like saying I have, or am what you need and am willing to provide.

Edit to add. Should have read the whole thread first.
 
Independence. This deer season, there was no 30-30 and 30-06 to be found. At one time, these 'popular' calibers were stacked to the ceiling at Walmart for $9.99/box. Being self reliant and not having to worry about someone else feeding you ammo and being at the whim of the economic machine and government is a very good feeling.
 
My Marlin 30-30 likes the Lee 309-170F which comes out about .310-.311. I still have a 311 die from when the “conventional wisdom” in the fifties said that was the size for 30s. I can seat the gas check and lube with no distortion.
 
We have a local guy with an automatic bullet casting machine in his garage. Pistol bullets are a nickle and gas checked 30-30 bullets are a bit more. Since I met him, my casting stuff stands idle.

If you are going to hunt with cast bullets, consider using heavy bullets. With gas checks, you can get 1900 FPS. A heavy projectile will maximize the momentum you can generate.
 
Yes THR is a wonderful place. If your already set up to cast I feel you would be doing yourself a disservice to not try out the Lee molds for the 150gn or 170gn. I cast and shoot a lot of the 170gn version and it’s very accurate and cost me the same as loading a pistol round.
 
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Like a couple others said, being able to make ammo when you can’t buy it gives a sense of security.

1st best scenario. I have ample ammo for that caliber on the “ammo shelf.”

2nd best scenario. I have all the components to make ample ammo for that caliber, just haven’t found time to do it yet.

Really my only 2 scenarios IMHO.

Like was said, 1st thing I do is look for dies for any new caliber I buy a gun chambered in. Since this state has a 10 day waiting period, I usually have the dies before I have the gun.
 
A problem with the original poster's thinking is that one or more major concerns are being overlooked. First concern is that will the store bought ammo always be available at any price? That is a real uncertainty. Second concern is that if it is available in the future, at what price will it be? I ain't got a crystal ball, but I am certainly willing to bet good money that IF ammo is available in the future, whether it be a year from now or 10-20 years from now, it WILL be more expensive. That is IF it can be had. Lay in the loading equipment and components now and don't worry about it in the future. Case in point: I started reloading several years ago and can reload for just about everything I have. This includes 9mm. When I started this, I could buy in bulk "range ammo" 9mm for about what I could load it for, not counting my time. Many thought I was foolish to do so. I learned by doing so and mastered the art and laid in a good supply of components at what now would be considered very cheap prices. Back then the prices were common everyday market prices for not so long ago. Then, suddenly, the ammo supply disappeared and soon followed by component shortages and even reloading equipment shortages. Nobody had extra ammo to shoot anymore at the public range I frequent. At least not near the amount of shooters there and those that did still go did not shoot near as much. I still have been shooting as much as I always did. So many others for a while now have been crying about no ammo to buy and too expensive when they do find it. I'm still shooting as much as I want.

Now, having said that, if one is pretty sure they will never shoot more than say a 20 round box - or less - per year of hunting rifle ammo and they figure they may hunt for maybe another 15 years, then go buy 10 or so boxes of good quality ammo and forget about it. I know a lot of hunters who shoot 5 or less rifle cartridges a year. Speaking for myself, I like to put two deer per year in the freezer. Last year I used 4 rounds to do that. That included two rounds to check my zero before going hunting. At that rate, two boxes of cartridges would last me the remainder of my expected hunting life. Pistol shooting at the range is a whole different proposition.
 
I would not buy factory ammo right now. If they can't sell me primers, I have no need for their ammo or their BS. I'd take up archery before I'd put a factory round through any of my firearms.
 
I have everything I need to load my own. Rifle, pistol, and shotgun. I have everything needed to cast my own. Primers, powder and brass in sufficient supply. Except for target loads for shotgun, I haven’t purchased factory ammo in I don’t know how long. Are high prices the new norm? Can’t say. I can add that those who buy at high prices encourage others to enter the market. When others enter the market and existing increase production, supply increases thereby putting pressure downward. We are seeing increased supply right now. Does that encourage me to buy? Nope. Can I afford to buy, sure can.

Lessons of the thread. Save your brass even if you don’t reload. Also, the community here is most generous. Reload if you can. Sometimes it cost more.
 
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