Primer prices from the online vendors seem like they may have gone up like $1-$2 per 1k. Powder I haven’t noticed much of a change. Bullet prices have changed depending on the vendor. I shoot lots of blue bullets for 9mm and their prices have yet to increase in the ~5 years I’ve been using them.
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9mm shortage...
- Thread starter 55_grain
- Start date
bottle-cap
NES Member
Some vendors just giving SPP away free with minimal purchase cuz of surplus inventory.
55_grain
NES Member
Reading all these replies makes it clear to me that I need a progressive. I have a Lee turret, and I've made many 1000's of rounds on it, but it's crazy slow compared to you progressive types.
Grendizer138
NES Member
Pretty good actually. I bought ammo cheap and have no desire to spend any more time in my basement than I have to. If reloading is a hobby to you, awesome; I’d rather do other things.
When I get set back up, I'm going Full Semi-Retard with either a new 750 or a used 1050.
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
Which is why I said if people don’t want to then I get it. It’s just not my way.
If you see it as a chore then no matter the savings you won’t do it anyway.
DPR
NES Member
I also bought cheap and when prices started to rise I bought more. But the current pricing and availability (none) of ammo made reloading an easy decision for me. sure I'd rather be doing other things but worrying about buying ammo isn't one of them.
headednorth
NES Member
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This right here. Guys that hate it won't do it regardless, guys who enjoy it will do it even though its costing them money.
I do it because I like it and because I like the freedom it affords me. As long as I accumulated the components, I dont have to scour the earth and pay what someone asks. I can tailor loads for my guns and for different people. Heavier loads for my cousin and me, light loads for my aunt, somewhere in between for my uncle. Everyones happy and shooting.
People always mention the monetary part and the time spent but often overlook the fact that you get to customize your own ammo for each gun and for different types of shooters. Otherwise you're stuck with what the factory gives you.
kerryman71
NES Member
I was in the camp of "Why reload when you can buy ammo so cheap?" a while back, but I didn't know the other benefits of reloading at the time, such as being able to make a round tailored to your firearm, shooting style, recoil etc. I didn't begrudge anyone for reloading, I was just ignorant of all the benefits.
As I've shared before, I started purchasing reloading equipment just prior to COVID breaking out full fledged. I could see the writing on the wall, with ammo prices going up, ammo shortages, etc. Bought my last case of 9mm through TSUSA at about 174 bucks shipped earlier this year, and then the reloading frenzy began on my end.
Luckily I was able to stock up on primers and other components before they became non existent and am in pretty good shape for the very foreseeable future. It's nice to be able to keep shooting on a regular basis, knowing that all it takes is a few hours on my end to replenish my ammo supply
As I've shared before, I started purchasing reloading equipment just prior to COVID breaking out full fledged. I could see the writing on the wall, with ammo prices going up, ammo shortages, etc. Bought my last case of 9mm through TSUSA at about 174 bucks shipped earlier this year, and then the reloading frenzy began on my end.
Luckily I was able to stock up on primers and other components before they became non existent and am in pretty good shape for the very foreseeable future. It's nice to be able to keep shooting on a regular basis, knowing that all it takes is a few hours on my end to replenish my ammo supply
Artie
NES Member
Got My LTC in 2011 and then Sandy Hook happened shortly after. We were all scrounging for target ammo and it sucked bad.
Bought a box of random stuff from a NESer and there was a cheap Lee single stage in there. Started collecting my reloading stuff and in 2018 won a Lee turret in a Karma from @EddieZoom (lots of other stuff included) and I havent looked back. He is the main reason I really started reloading. Slowly bought dies for everything i shoot and collected components and powder even when i wasnt ready to reload for that caliber. Attended several casting seminars and have been almost self sufficient now thanks to @Michael J. Spangler and @1919FAN. It is another aspect of the hobby and another way to challenge myself.
Bought a box of random stuff from a NESer and there was a cheap Lee single stage in there. Started collecting my reloading stuff and in 2018 won a Lee turret in a Karma from @EddieZoom (lots of other stuff included) and I havent looked back. He is the main reason I really started reloading. Slowly bought dies for everything i shoot and collected components and powder even when i wasnt ready to reload for that caliber. Attended several casting seminars and have been almost self sufficient now thanks to @Michael J. Spangler and @1919FAN. It is another aspect of the hobby and another way to challenge myself.
not new guy
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You’re going to end up with headspace issues with any of them.
i keep saying im going to by a progressive press above and beyond my pro 1000s , they do what I need them to do but i would like a nice machine some day.
i set up 4 load masters for friends and i prefer my pro1000s over the Load Master, yet to see the new version of tbe Pro 1000- think its the 4000?
I help set up 2 hornady presses last year. Had some quirks but eventually panne d out.
i have used a 550 .....dont have a clue what i would get these days?
BTSDOG
NES Member
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
There’s something special about ammo that stacks perfectly into a box. It’s like 45-70 ammo loading almost perfectly into a 12 gauge 3” magnum box. It’s a thing of beauty.
Yep. Before the SHTF, people got hung up that 9mm prices were so cheap that it wasn’t worth reloading. They always overlooked the fact that you’ll be able to make your ammo during shortages etc like we’re in right now.
That faggotry has been repeated so often over the years going past like 20 years at least I think it would hope to be debunked by now. Anyone who says that, my reply to them would be "you're not very bright, are you? "
Also none of the guys who say that, ever seem to have like 30K of commercial 9mm just laying around. If they did, then I could understand them saying it.![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
Serious question: aren’t components hard to find now, too? Being able to load now means you had a lot of powder and primers from the good times, at the very least, and probably brass and bullets.
How is that different from just stacking factory ammo in the good times (aside from cost)?
Yeah primers are insanely tough to get now. Powder and bullets not so much. Yes I stocked up when the times were good.
I mean if you stacked tens of thousands of rounds of factory ammo, then it’s not too much different I suppose. Then again you can’t tailor the ammo to the gun/shooter like us reloaders can.
Outside of primers, everything else is not nearly as hard to find as 9mm is. And most guys who reload have at least anywhere from 1-3 sleeves (5k/sleeve) of primers at any one given time, for something like small pistol primer. So when this shit hit in March, the "typical" centerfire pistol reloader, by then (most serious guys go full retard loading in Dec-Feb, because they're not shooting nearly as much) had already reloaded up his (insert however many thousand rounds for 2020 here) plus probably had a reserve of 5-10k in primers. Bullets are slow but not unobtainium. Having a season worth of shit hanging around at any one given time is not a "lot" of material, its SOP for most reloaders. Also remember, reloaders saw this train coming in early 2020, so the smart guys started zipping around and gathering extra shit last january or febuary and going balls to the wall, because they already KNEW what was coming. Remember that
before things got super-retarded, sleeves of primers were likely under 200 bucks.
Let's also do some simple math... if I set out an annual budget of say, like, a few grand for ammunition, or components. Guess who has more shit to shoot... the reloader or the guy doing strictly commercial? The guy reloading, on a bad day, has capability for at least 30% more ammunition than the typical shelf buyer does, maybe more, in some cases, for the same amount of money
spent. Sometimes its 50% or more if we're talking higher margin stuff (like big bore pistol calibers) or if the reloader is a big time skinflint (example, only huge large type skinflints even cast bullets for 9mm, lmao...)
I'm a bum and I'm not even "active" at reloading now, but having been through this game before, i I know that it makes a huge difference. Back during Obamascare 1 I did it and had I not
been handloading that year, there was no way in hell I could have afforded to shoot more than a couple of pin matches that year.
Well that and you would have had to spend like 20-30% more on that same amount of factory ammo quantity wise.
If I one bought 9000 rounds of commercial the reloader on the other hand would typically have an easy 12,000 rounds or more worth of components for the same amount of cash, possibly more.
I have been going strictly commercial, before this kicked off. Before things went full retard I had about 12K of commercial 9. I estimate if I had been reloaoding right along, I would have easily had 16-17K rounds worth of ready 9mm mats acquired with the same amount of cash.
You can reload anything, obviously getting competent JHPs for defensive purposes is more challenging, but otherwise for general shooting you can load whatever your gun likes (or you
like). For cheap JHPs the cost was only marginally more than FMJ/CMJ jacketed bullets. In some handguns JHPS can be more accurate, etc. I did mostly FMJ/CMJ but I used to load
JHPs for some weird shit. The one and only time I loaded up .40 S&W, I actually used Hornady HAPs, which basically were shaped like JHPs but designed for cheaper practice.
kerryman71
NES Member
A
So far I've only reloaded FMJ. just started reloading earlier this year. I am thinking of adding some HPs to my reloading, as I can get them for just under 2 cents more per bullet than the FMJs I use. I would only use them for target ammo, but to see if I can get it as close to my factory defense ammo I carry.
I try to get all my reloads to behave as closely to my defense ammo as possible. I don't shoot competitions so there's no need for me to make a load tailored to that...yet!
I have quite a bit of factory carry ammo stocked up (Federal 124 gr HST HP). TSUSA had a deal each month where it was basically 50% off, so I'd buy a couple boxes each month, sometimes more, ending up with a little over 1K rounds before things went sideways.
So far I've only reloaded FMJ. just started reloading earlier this year. I am thinking of adding some HPs to my reloading, as I can get them for just under 2 cents more per bullet than the FMJs I use. I would only use them for target ammo, but to see if I can get it as close to my factory defense ammo I carry.
I try to get all my reloads to behave as closely to my defense ammo as possible. I don't shoot competitions so there's no need for me to make a load tailored to that...yet!
I have quite a bit of factory carry ammo stocked up (Federal 124 gr HST HP). TSUSA had a deal each month where it was basically 50% off, so I'd buy a couple boxes each month, sometimes more, ending up with a little over 1K rounds before things went sideways.
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
I’ve done some cast hollow points. Given the proper speed they perform beautifully in ballistic gel.
Lead tends to mushroom well and if you have the right alloy retain a very high % of its weight.
This bullet was a hollow based wadcutter (cast not the thin skirted swaged stuff) that was loaded backwards. The first bullet was fired from a 1 7/8” barrel. The second from a 4” barrel and the third from a 18” barrel.
Alloy was spot on but velocity makes a huge difference.
forget about the cost, look to see how much you spend on ammo yearly or at least average. You can tool up and start in on your supplies with in a short period.
i stopped shooting for 6 months and saved every penny I normally would spend shooting. I also add the other costs like coffee,lunch,snacks or what have you. I easily stock piled enough cash to buy a press and all the dies for the cals i shoot and load for. At the time that was 8 sets, 007 hornady press a few case gauges , bullet puller, calipers, tumbler
I never got into reloading to save money. i was tired of going around looking for ammo every few weeks or so. I also and im sure many here had a few hours a day/night you not doing shit. i dont watch tv to often so between 9pm and midnight im usually fussing around with other stuff and its perfect time to reload.
Saturday during that storm was a good day to get some brass cleaned up and sorted.
The real beauty of having at least a inexpensive single stage is the ability to load what you want.
I seldom see any powder puff 45acp SWC facory ammo, or some really light 38/357
Not to mention the wide selection of bullets to be had.
I shoot 308/30-06 in cmp matches. i can load from 200 gn cast to 110gn fmj tailored for 200 yards , virtually no recoil , I dont even want to know how much factory 308 , 110gn SmK , at 2200 fps will cost since not many want it.
Also reloading and casting affords me to make ammo that is tailored to the rifle at hand. You can size cast bullets to fit a worn , wartime production rifle bore to get back some accuracy. i cant order 7.7 jap with a .315" bullet.
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nstassel
NES Member
You're missing the thing that goes up.
