Is It Time To Consider Reloading? by FlyBy

With the rising price and the ever shrinking availability ammunition, reloading may offer an avenue to supplement your reserve and training ammunition supplies. Reloading provides the shooter with the opportunity to fully learn and understand the limits of your chosen platform, be it an AK, AR, bolt rifle, pistol (insert your caliber of choice here). It can also allow you to tailor loads for defined distances and circumstances. But that is a discussion unto itself and deviates from my purpose of this article.

For those of you who are currently reloading, there is really no reason to read this entire article. My target audience is the individual who reloads only occasionally or not at all. I am fully aware that getting started in reloading can be both pricy and daunting. Knowing what to buy and where to buy is a challenge unto itself. For the occasional reloader, the odds are fairly good you already have much of what is needed to produce ammo in your desired caliber. For those who don’t currently reload, my hope is that you have a buddy from work, the range or even better, in your NPT (neighborhood protection team) who has the equipment and the knowledge whom you could ask for some help and assistance. Provide your own components and offer to provide snacks and drinks for a Saturday reloading session, be it morning or evening. A word of caution is needed at this point. Prior to purchasing any components, know what load you will be working on and purchase the components listed for that load. Find a load from a reliable resource such as the Hodgdon Reloading Education homepage. Be sure to follow the recommended minimum and maximum charges! Failure to do so may put you out of the fight before thing get any more heated.

I’d like to offer my experience from the other night as an example. I have some very basic reloading equipment. I’ve used it a few times over the last several years, but I don’t consider myself to be a hardcore reloader. I was unable to find any ammo online to purchase. Every site I visited was sold out of my calibers of choice, so I decided to price individual components. For $150.00, I was able to buy powder, bullets, primers and dies (which I did not have for my caliber). I already have brass for my AR from previous visits to the range. I now have what I need to assemble up to 500 rounds which I’ll use to supplement my training and range visits.

I don’t think it’ll be long before ammunition components go the way of the dodo, but for now, these items are still available at reasonable prices. Take advantage of this resource while it is still available.

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

11 Comments

  1. Mark July 27, 2020 at 11:02

    Bullets are almost non-existent in my area. If the stores are out of regular ammo in popular calibers, then they are out of reloading components too.

    Did a quick check at two of my favorite stores for reloading components, Sportsmans warehouse had NO (zero, none, zippo) bullets in 9mm, .38, .40sw, .45acp, .308, .224(.223). These guys normally have the largest stock in town. Bass pro had one single box of .45acp in 200gr xtp. And two boxes 9mm in 115gr fmj-rn. No others in most popular calibers. If you are just starting out in these calibers, you’re out of luck. They did however have half dozen loaded 20-round boxes of popular types of hunting ammo in .308 and .30-06.

    Reloading components follow supplies of loaded ammo. If loaded ammo is short, then so is reloading components for those same calibers. You might still get some supplies of powder but without bullets you are stuck. This is why it is a good idea to continuously buy reloading components on a regular schedule- whether using them or not. Building inventory during times of plenty. When one component is unavailable, buy another. The biggest expense is bullets. And bullets are first to diasappear during shortages. Plan accordingly.

    Gun shows are next. There is a lag time here, and the phony pandemic has closed most earlier gun shows, but gun shows opening up in the next couple weeks should have limited supplies. Expect these supplies to get bought out fast.

    This is a good time to buy reloading equipment. But components won’t be available in quantity for an unknown time. I am also hearing that component manufacturers were partially shutdown or reduced production due to raw materials producers being shut down for the phony pandemic.

    • johnyMac July 27, 2020 at 11:26

      All good points Mark.

      I have purchased from Lyman molds for all popular calibers, .308, 9mm, .45, etc. I even picked up a mold for .223. Yes a lead alloyed bullet with tin & antimony. Or just be lazy like I am and use tire lead weights from my local gas station. Any velocity lead/alloy bullet with a speed of 2,000 fps needs a gas check.

      If you go the mold route, buy the mold with the most bullets per casting per mold. Don’t ask me how I know \”/

      73 & God Bless

  2. FlyBy July 27, 2020 at 12:18

    HV and Mark
    Yes, getting bullets and primers may be hit or miss. In my area, there is still an adequate supply on the shelves. Keep trying the local mom and pop shops. They will be your best bet. I know that primers are hard to come by online. Sportsman’s Warehouse was offering ship to store this past weekend from their website, so that may be an option if a store is near by.
    Casting bullets is also an option. Personally, I have no experience with casting, but again, it may work for your needs.

  3. Anonymous July 27, 2020 at 13:42

    5

  4. Matt July 27, 2020 at 13:46

    For reloading components, go to the places online that are showing them out of stock. If they offer to notify you when they come back in stock, submit the request. If you get a notification that they’re back, don’t think, buy immediately. I just picked up two bricks of primers this way.

    Matt

  5. Ray Gun July 27, 2020 at 14:48

    An essential skill if you want precision ammo for bolt guns and revolvers. Extra care is required to prevent feeding problems in semi-auto rifles and pistols. Suggest LEE LOADERS, available for most common calibers, because they are LOW COST and you can take them to the field in your pocket!

  6. Green Mountain Shooter July 27, 2020 at 14:55

    As with ammo, reloading components are getting scarce. A year ago was the time to be stocking up on components and learning how to reload. This same thing happened after the Sandyhook shooting, I know, I was working in a gun shop at that time. I think it took around six months for supply to catch back up with demand. I believe it’s going to be a lot longer than that this time. An alternative to purchasing bullets is bullet casting, and from what I have seen on Gunbroker the last couple of months shooters have caught on to that as well. Used bullet molds for centerfire firearms have been selling well, but black powder molds are not. Cast bullets shoot fine in handguns and most long guns but I would not shoot them in gas guns like AKs and ARs.

    Let’s hope that common sense prevails in November and that these insurrectionists are put down soon after.

  7. FlyBy July 27, 2020 at 18:15

    Matt
    I have 5 browsers on my PC and not one of them will allow me to reply to a post. Annoying!!
    Anyway. Good tip!!

  8. FlyBy July 27, 2020 at 18:18

    GMS
    We may be down to using black powder rifles at some point in the future.

  9. Matt July 27, 2020 at 19:31

    For lead pistol and rifle (like heavyweight .300 Blackout) bullets try Missouri Bullet Company. They are the actual manufacturer so if they don’t have the bullet you want in stock they simply produce it.

    They offer their lead bullets either naked or with their Hi-Tek 2-Extreme Coating, which requires no further lubing prior to loading.

    I’ve had good luck with them.

    Matt

  10. Scurvy July 29, 2020 at 21:05

    I can still find 12 gauge 00 and #4 buck near me. Do you have enough to feed your shotgun(s) for the duration?

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