Reloading supplies 9mm, 5.56 and 45? Should I wait or buy now?

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wacki

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haven't bought much in the way of reloading supplies.

Just wondering what's available, what's decently priced... what's hysteria priced. Yadda yadda.

Ok to buy now or wait? What places are the best?

I'm interested in supplies for 9mm, .45 and 5.56.
 
Powder Valley Inc is starting to get some powders in stock. Mostly it's Hodgdon 1-pounders, but they do have 8 lb kegs of WSF. Prices are just a little higher than they were last fall.

I didn't see any primers yet.
 
Every place I've looked lately, locally or online, has been sold out of .224 bullets. I found one place with 2 boxes of 124gr. 9mm FMJ bullets, but no .45ACP in any weight. It will likely be a few months before suppliers catch up.
 
Hardly anything is available.


I would tell you to buy what you normally reload with when you see it for sale, but the nature of your posts tells me you don't currently reload.


So, go learn to reload before you go buying up all kinds of components.
 
I have gotten lucky at cabellas in my area lately, but I'm sure it's an anomaly. Personally I would wait until the madness clears. If it clears.
 
I put in a small order for supplies that I knew I would be needing soon enough, figuring things could get tight right when I need them. So all I can suggest is just order what you know you'll need a few months out, and don't be in a hurry for it.

Until recently, I've been picking components up here and there as I went along, but I have a feeling it will be a while before things get back to any semblance of normalcy, if at all, as Coldfinger mentioned.
 
You could go to powdervalleyinc.com right now and order Hodgdon HS6 and CFE223 and be pretty set for powder for those calibers, depending on how much you shoot and how much you order. You could order lead bullets from missouribullet.com for .45 and 9mm. You might be waiting a month or so for those orders to ship though. You're on your own for primers though.
 
order yourself a six banger mold for both your 9mm and 45 and start casting up some boolits. that way by the time you are able to put together a powder and primer order, you'll be sitting on a good stash of bullets!
 
It's hard to say when availability will be restored. Even before the shortage, it was fairly rare to find everything you might have wanted for 3 different calibers in stock all at the same store.

Keep an eye out for w/e you can find, locally, at a reasonable price. If that doesn't work, AND if you're willing to purchase in a bit of quantity, then I suggest you put in an order for w/e is in stock with PV, grafs, widener's, etc. I think I saw some Titegroup and WSF in stock at PV, for instance. And if they still have CFE223, even better. Shipping is 3-4 weeks out at these places, anyway.

Then keep checking the stores for their new inventory. If you're lucky, the same store may get something else you need. Call, and they should be able to combine your orders together for one hazmat and shipping fee. If it's afterhours, don't wait. Order it online, and then call them in the morning.

It's a bit of a gamble, I know. But at least the prices are pretty much the same as least year, for these big online retail distributors. The only thing you're sweating is the potential extra hazmats/shipping charges for split orders where you may end up having to buy X,Y, and Z under 3 different orders.

Powder Valley seems to be getting powders in fairly regularly. Bullets, get 'em where you can, cuz there's no hazmat. Primers are anyone's guess.
 
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Good luck finding .224 bullets right now.

They are showing up somewhere every few days, but I've not seen any bulk deals in weeks. Buying at the 100 ct price is not so great, but if I was really out I would.
 
I'm trying to figure out how to make a set of .224 bullet swaging dies on the cheap from 7/8-14 grade 5 (or grade 8) bolts, or Lee bullet sizing dies. The Lee .224 bullet sizing die should work OK for derimming .22LR's with very little modification.

Now, how to make the cores precisely enough (I don't suppose they could be cast directly into the jackets with a nose-pour mold), and how to make a pointing die...

Half-jacket bullets might could be made from .22 Shorts...
 
If you can make the forming dies, yourself, making an aluminum mold for casting 0.185" diameter lead wire should be child's play.
 
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