New reloaders.....

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earlthegoat2 said:
Never needed to reload but do on occasion. I have a hefty supply of ammo and dont shoot that much just enough to maintain a modicum of proficiency. I’m not looking to be a high speed low drag operator.

I have 3 presses, a few lbs of powder and a couple hundred bullets and I save all my brass. I have been collecting primers like a social disease for around a decade now. I think I have around 20 thousand of various makes and sizes. Even ones I will never need. Before you start screaming hoarder....and you would be right in a way.....I bought 10000 at once at a swap meet for pennies on the dollar so I have not really contributed to the “shortage” in that regard since I bought them second hand.
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If I wasn't friends with a fellow "hoarder" like you I'd not have the 3000 SP primers he gave me for $40/1000 recently. I just got myself set up for my first attempt at reloading and was dead in the water with no primers. When I called him about the scarcity of components he said he had 20k SP primers. He had no idea of the shortages or prices going on now. He got obsessed with building large remote controlled airplanes a couple years ago and distracted from reloading. So guys like you can be very helpful sometimes. I was getting really frustrated before I thought of my old friend's legendary hoarding reputation.
 
I'm another that hopes some of these new reloaders will stay with it after this panic is over. I have a young guy here in town that wants to get into it and we have plans to get together after the Holidays. I'm going to let him sit in and watch me load a few hundred rounds. I'll talk him through the procedures and let him help.

I'm also seeing more post about guys wanting to get into casting. I think thats great but by reading some of their post I think their desire is more panic driven. Casting and reloading simply is not for everyone!

I've been reloading since I was a teenager and I do it for several reasons. Saving money is one of them but is also one of the lesser ones. My ammo shoots better than anything that I can buy. Better than Federal Gold Metal Match, better than Blackhills Match, better than LC Match.

About savings, my BIL is a hunter but not really a gun guy. He didn't know anything about any shortage until just before Deer season opened. He called me in a panic about not being able to find any 270 ammo. I made a few calls and found some. I bought 2 boxes at $38 each plus tax. At those prices you could pay for your equipment fairly quick. That is if you shoot a lot. But the average hunter will take years to shoot 2 boxes of shells. If those 270's were something else like a 7STW or one of the Weatherby calibers the pay back would be even quicker.

Its a tough time to get into either reloading or casting. I never expected to see all of my regular places not have dies in your common calibers like 243 or 270. But they don't!
 
BCR#1, I am chilled out and you are right I was happy to score 2,000 primers a little while back . was under the imrpession/ hope that I would be able to trade them for the ones I really need , so far no takers . been listening to all of the suggestions to get some of what I am after . like jimmyvegas29 said you see all of these primers floating around out there at crazy prices so it appears that a lot of the people buying them or doing so just for profit which normally would be fine but to me they are adding to the shortage for somebody like me only looking to score a thousand . tried buying from a few people and they all diod not come though . looking for hand sanitizer and Lysol for my wife took a lot of work but I was able to score some here and there and figured out patterns / shipments at loclal stores. the local gun shops have no srp and I get a laugh when I ask when they are getting them . when I was seeing Lysol at Walmart I bought some and gave it away for free to a person I never met who was looking for some , the look on their face was priceless . I had a few cans and could have bought more and sold it but that was not the right thing to do so I told people lookigh for it where to find it . seeing the groups that stillquietvoice posted is why I want to get in this game thanks for the pictures. I am sure money will be saved with the prices of ammo now and that would be a nice bonus. my Dad has the presss and won't set anything up until I have the primers . been depriming all the brass by hand and had a wet tumbler on my list for Santa . I have hung out with a couple guys at the local range that reload and have picked their brain , also gave them some of my brass and pick up the spent brass fo them for when I see them . guess the annoyance is that I would have figured since April I could have found some of the srp primers I needed and this is the time my Dad and I have the most free time after the holidays . live and learn I got in at the wrong time
 
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flatsticks said:
BCR#1, I am chilled out and you are right I was happy to score 2,000 primers a little while back . was under the imrpession/ hope that I would be able to trade them for the ones I really need , so far no takers . been listening to all of the suggestions to get some of what I am after . like jimmyvegas29 said you see all of these primers floating around out there at crazy prices so it appears that a lot of the people buying them or doing so just for profit which normally would be fine but to me they are adding to the shortage for soembody like me only looking to score a thousand . reied buying from a few people and they all diod not come though . looking for hand sanitizer and Lysol for my wife took a lot of work but I was able to score some here and there and figured out patterns / shipments at loclal stores. the local gun shops have no srp and I get a laugh when I ask when they are getting them . when I was seeing Lysol at Walmart I bought some and gave it away for free to a person I never met who was looking for some , the look on their face was priceless . I had a few cans and could have bought more and sold it but that was not the right thing to do so I told people lookigh for it where to find it . seeing the groups that stillquietvoice posted is why I want to get in this game thanks for the pictures. I am sure money will be saved with the prices of ammo now and that would be a nice bonus. my Dad has the presss and won't set anything up until I have the primers . been depriming all the brass by hand and had a wet tumbler on my list for Santa . I have hung out with a couple guys at the local range that reload and have picked their brain , also gave them some of my brass and pick up the spent brass fo them for when I see them . guess the annoyance is that I would have figured since April I could have found some of the srp primers I needed and this is the time my Dad and I have the most free time after the holidays . live and learn I got in at the wrong time
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Thank you for your kind words.
 
I reload to shoot, and to shoot better.

I don't actually enjoy reloading all that much. But don't assume that means I'm sloppy or have low standards. Quite the opposite. The things I value the most are accurate ammo, and lots of it, and having a consistent supply.

By "consistent supply" I mean I've mostly been shooting the same loads for decades. I still occasionally look for something new but it's not often I find anything better. Though I may find something just as good that I can use later if I have an issue finding components.

Factory ammo comes and goes with or without shortages. Every time I had to switch factory loads it made me lose a little confidence that I knew what it could do. This brand shot well, that brand didn't. This load jammed, that load shot low. It's not good.

For example I've been shooting W231 and 158gr SWC's in .38 Special since the early 80's. A couple-three thousand rounds every year. I know exactly what that load will do in my guns every time I go. No matter what's going on, I've got the same ammo I've always had. That's why I value reloading. It took me a long time to recognize the importance of that. I think it really helps you improve your shooting.

I prefer to buy my bullets but only because of the time involved in casting. I used to cast all my own a long time ago. Because of their weight I don't keep thousands and thousands of them on hand. I have everything to cast my own and if I ever run out of bullets I'll pull it out. I have enough of everything else to shoot for years.

I've helped a few folks get started over the years. Will gladly do it again.
 
The only way I would consider it hoarding would be if you had 2X times more than you could possibly use in the rest of your lifetime. Even then it might not be either. Or you never plan on reloading or owning furearms.
 
FROGO207 said:
The only way I would consider it hoarding would be if you had 2X times more than you could possibly use in the rest of your lifetime. Even then it might not be either. Or you never plan on reloading or owning furearms.
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Sorry but that amount would be considered hoarding . the fomo ( fear of missing out ) is killing the people who are not able to find components.
 
I just got into reloading at the end of 2019. I have been shooting most of my young life (39 years old). I ended up getting a press for free from a friend that had it sitting around. It was given to him for free too and he just never got into it. I went all in and ended up buying most of an estate sale as far all this guys reloading gear and components for what I needed! It was a the time a huge investment since I did it all at once! I got powder and primers and bullets and all the reloading gear minus the press in one huge batch!

If I would have slowly got everything in early 2020 and beyond, I'd probably be out of luck! Being an estate sale I thought I was going to be a bargain. I was just getting into it and was looking at the prices going up and the inventory going down for everything. By the end of the bidding, I had pretty much bought most everything at just below new prices. But I bit the bullet and spent the money. Glad I did now. I have been able to reload almost all my calibers from that one estate sale purchase and I'll wait for things to settle down hopefully before I spend the crazy money people are paying right now.
 
Flatsticks do you consider it hoarding if one buys things over the years in times of plenty that they can actually use and afford. Some of us have supplies of food, toilet paper, reloading supplies, and clothing that are more than enough to get is to the next paycheck. I thank my experience and a good job for the ability to ride through the rough patch intact and not wanting. I feel bad for those that want----no, need something and can't get it now. I have been there in the past. This will pass and we all will come out smarter and leaner. If I was in your area I would help you as I have helped a couple other local guys start by supplying missing components in the last 6 months. Still saying another reloader is hoarding because they learned over the last dozen or so times this has happened to buy ahead seems short sighted to me. Guess I am a dinosaur because I remember a time when I wanted something I filled out an order form, put it and a check into an envelope then waited weeks for what I wanted to arrive. Amazon is amazing IF they have what you want in stock, we are spoiled because of this buisness model I am afraid. I also hope primers are back in stock soon as I need to replace what I gave those starting reloaders out of my modest " hoard". Just sayin'.
 
Some may call it hoarding, but by definition, hoarding is no different than accumulating a savings account.
hoard
n.
1. A supply or store of something held or hidden for future use.
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I, for one, consider it a trove;
trove
(trōv)
n.
A collection of valuable items discovered or found; a treasure-trove.
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As I was taking an inventory of supplies this last spring, I realized I had a treasure-trove. :D
 
FROGO207 said:
Some of us have supplies of food, toilet paper, reloading supplies, and clothing that are more than enough to get is to the next paycheck.
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---
Good point. We live kind of in "the country" - okay, more like "the swamp" but you get the point - we're in a rural area but incorporated (we've got a traffic light! :) - so when I found out the supplies of TP and some canned goods had been wiped out at the grocery stores, I checked our supplies. We were good for about four months. Longer for some things. That's normal for around here. If there's a big wind with lots of rain (a.k.a. "a hurricane") we may lose power and roads for a few weeks. When they do come back, it will be more weeks before stores are re-supplied and the less fortunate (the elderly, sick, families with young children, etc.) get first crack at those. We aren't likely to flood out but we are likely to flood in, if you get the difference. That's one more good reason to reload: boredom. If you live in a rural area or may have to hunker down in a suburban neighborhood for a while, reloading is something more fun and entertaining than most of what's on TV and busy hands tend not to fall to no-good. Plus, even if you can't go shooting NOW, you can later and won't have to be bothered by empty shelves or high prices.
 
FROGO207 said:
Flatsticks do you consider it hoarding if one buys things over the years in times of plenty that they can actually use and afford. Some of us have supplies of food, toilet paper, reloading supplies, and clothing that are more than enough to get is to the next paycheck. I thank my experience and a good job for the ability to ride through the rough patch intact and not wanting. I feel bad for those that want----no, need something and can't get it now. I have been there in the past. This will pass and we all will come out smarter and leaner. If I was in your area I would help you as I have helped a couple other local guys start by supplying missing components in the last 6 months. Still saying another reloader is hoarding because they learned over the last dozen or so times this has happened to buy ahead seems short sighted to me. Guess I am a dinosaur because I remember a time when I wanted something I filled out an order form, put it and a check into an envelope then waited weeks for what I wanted to arrive. Amazon is amazing IF they have what you want in stock, we are spoiled because of this buisness model I am afraid. I also hope primers are back in stock soon as I need to replace what I gave those starting reloaders out of my modest " hoard". Just sayin'.
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FROGO207,

What you have described would be collecting over a period of time . nobody can find fault with that . I apologize if I have offended you or anybody else that was not my intention. . I jumped to conclusions and that was my fault . have been trying to give the perspective of a person just getting into the world of handloading and searching to finally get the awesome groups we have seen here. it is nice to see that you and others have take the time and your components to help others out. for people keeping daily items in stock at their house that is smart and I applaud them . stocking up on reloading supplies when times are a plenty sure seems like the right thing to do in light of what I am seeing now . I too remember my friend and I ordering from Bass Pro sending in the check with our paper order in the envelope and never knowing when the goods will arrive. repeating myself but I feel like I have checked and posted online, stayed up late and lost sleep and all of the gun shops I could within a few hours of me to find what I am looking for . apparenlty I really underestimated how long the search would take . was good until hunting season got here as I knew it would be over soon and my time was here but product missing . listened too all the adivice I could to score primers and turned over all the rocks I could. guess in the end I am really dissapointed in myself .

kcofohio ,

Congrats on having a nice treasure trove that is something to be proud of !

Hope everybody ybody else finds what they need and thanks for educating me how things work when it comes to finding reloading components.
 
It's all cool!
It can be really frustrating looking for stuff that suddenly becomes unobtanium. We all will be on the lookout for primers but I fear the ammo suppliers will use their primers to build their own ammo for a larger profit before providing us reloaders any more in the pipeline. It truly sucks.
 
FROGO207 said:
It's all cool!
It can be really frustrating looking for stuff that suddenly becomes unobtanium. We all will be on the lookout for primers but I fear the ammo suppliers will use their primers to build their own ammo for a larger profit before providing us reloaders any more in the pipeline. It truly sucks.
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Using your experience it makes sense that the ammo producers will require more primers and then we have even less in the pipline . add to that the shortage going on already and I can see why it becomes more challenging .

Appreciate the insight you and the rest of the members bring to me .

Thank you !
 
FROGO207 said:
...do you consider it hoarding if one buys things over the years in times of plenty that they can actually use and afford.
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Thank you, Frogo207. It's a public service to buy during times of plenty; it convinces the manufacturer to invest in another small pistol primer line. :thumbup:

As a new (<4 yr) reloader, this is my first shortage. A more-experienced reloader "lent" a brick of SPPs to me - and asked that I replace the brick when they're available. (I had earlier sent 1000+ primed .38SPL NPB his way.) While down to my last 500, there are a fair number of rounds in storage - enough for monthly range trips for the next couple of years.

When this shortage is over, I plan to drag my feet for a few months to give the newbies a chance, and then slowly build the component supply to 5 years. Invest in commodities - lead, copper, brass, and nitrates.
 
It's hard to be patient,but that's all we can do.I got a lot more careful of my inventory after Sandy Hook,but I still got caught by this shortage because I looked at a box of primers wrong.I thought it had 500 primers in the back,but it was empty,and it was the BR-2 box.I was also getting low on 200 LRP's,and wasn't worried because I had all those BR-2's until the local store got another load in,which is what he always does towards fall when guys start loading for hunting season.Long story short,I didn't have,the store couldn't get any,nor could anybody else in the U.S.Thankfully all the other primers were on my shelf in the usual quantity,which is at least one thousand of each type I use.In the good old days(this time last year),when I was getting down to the last 100 primers in the box,I would move the box of 1,000 that was behind the box I was using,I would grab another thousand on my next trip to town,that way I always had plenty,but I messed up back in the late summer.Thankfully I've been able to stay in good shape on powder with the exception of Varget,which I'm down to my last 3 pounds in my 8 pound jug,which I kept full because any time I was anywhere there was Varget,I would buy a pound and dump it in the jug.This worked great,I was able to keep 8 pounds on hand,and I wouldn't buy it if I didn't need it so if someone else needed it,there would be some to help them out,and I didn't feel like I was hoarding.If we all try to help each other out,we'll make it through this.It may take some time for it to get better,but the winter months do slow down shooting for a lot of people,so that might help.Until most people get what they think they need,I'm going to cut back on how much shooting I'll be doing,and catch up on other work that needs done in the gun shop.I think one thing that would really be great is to have enough of us join together and not buy one single primer off of the Gunbroker Gougers.Make them have to sit on their primers that they have money tied up in until hell freezes over or until primers become plentiful again(whichever comes first).
 
Still comfortable with the 2500 spp, 900 srp and 2500 lpp that I accumulated over the years. I load for a grandson or two, one has a Makarov 9mm, other has a .380, so after a little practice, I can trim 9x19. Bought a small box (250) Mak .364 bullets, so he's set. Learned a lot while trimming those. Even discovered that I could make 'em on my 550B by using the #5 shellplate from my 40 cal set and the #3 pins from the .380 set, and I use a Lee Auto Drum measure on that head, much quicker than doing it on my Lee Classic Turret. Surprised also that I could find Mak dies at a decent price from Lee..
 
WVRJ said:
I think one thing that would really be great is to have enough of us join together and not buy one single primer off of the Gunbroker Gougers.
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You don't have to worry about me, I'll take that pledge for sure.

Like others here this is the first reloading component shortage that I have experienced. I can WALK to a store that sells components and be home in 20 minutes, and I took that for granted. At the beginning of 2020 I had a total of maybe 600 primers on hand (SP/SR/LR combined) I was lucky enough to get 1000 of each from midway before they all disappeared. And even managed to get 500 LPMs at the Denver bass pro for my new .458 socom in October. (I wasn't even there for primers, I rode along with a friend that wanted a crossbow)

When this all settles down I'll be a lot more careful to keep a larger stock of supplies on hand. But I guarantee I won't be paying scalpers prices to make that happen.
 
Whether you like it or not, the biggest problem is an incoming Democrat in the white house.
We saw this when Obama was elected.

I stocked up a bit over the last 3-4 years, knowing this was coming.

Just relax, it'll let up in 18-24 months.
 
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