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shiberm

Reloading supplies availability

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Good morning all,  over the last few years I have been debating getting into reloading and with the price and availability issues getting ammo these days I am thinking now is the time. 

 

Before I start buying equipment and supplies I wanted to verify that all necessary components are widely available these days to someone in NJ. 

I had heard that last year one of the contributing factors in factory ammo scarcity was that they could not keep up with the demand for primers.

Supposedly that is no longer an issue and all components are available these days. 

So -- are all components I would need to start reloading readily available at decent prices these days ? 

I would like to start with 9mm and 45  and add calibers from there once I get some experience.

I shoot almost every weekend and would like to be able to make 500-1000 rounds a month , depending on final net cost. 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, shiberm said:

Before I start buying equipment and supplies I wanted to verify that all necessary components are widely available these days to someone in NJ. 

 

You're not serious?

The issue isn't NJ.  The issue is everywhere.   Yes, you can ship it to NJ.  No, it's not widely available, not now and likely not for a long time.

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You're late to the party.

Retailers are essentially empty.

Primers won't be around for a LONG time (other than through private sales) and when you do find them they will be costly.

Powder may be available sooner and prices will be very inflated, but it won't be meaningful unless you have a primer to make it go boom.

Bullet heads are still available at moderately increased prices, so now wouldn't be a bad time to get a few thousand as something to get started.

Brass prices are inflated but there's still some (new) out there.  You can get previously fired brass from private sellers (even people here) but prices could vary.  IMO you should find whatever you can get at a reasonable price and stock up.  At least you'll have brass and bullets handy if primers and powder come back.

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4 minutes ago, Malsua said:

You're not serious?

The issue isn't NJ.  The issue is everywhere.   Yes, you can ship it to NJ.  No, it's not widely available, not now and likely not for a long time.

 

 

Are you saying the components arent available or that they are more expensive ?   Which components are hard to find ? 

Yes I am serious

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Primers are next to impossible to find, unless you want to pay seriously stupid prices. Powder, projectiles and cases are available to varying degrees. Everything is significantly more expensive than it was 12 months ago. 

Equipment is for the most part available, again more expensive and you might not get exactly what you want. 

I spend way too much time online in search of components (mostly primers). The days of going to your favorite online shop or LGS and having your choice is long gone and will be for another 12-24 months based on estimates I've seen. 

There's more than one thread here talking about this btw. 

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The very first thing you can do, and IMO should, is buy a couple reloading manuals.  The ABCs of Reloading is a must read for all new reloaders.  Another great book, regardless of what reloading press you end up with, is the Lyman Reloading Handbook. 

You should have a decent idea of what reloading is all about before you go plunking down money on components.  It can save you a lot of time and money in the end.

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I'd imagine reloading books are still available.  Yes, you can find load data online at the powder manufacturer's websites, but the Speer reloading guide (or similar) will have a wealth of useful information, and will collect load data for a lot of different powders on one page, so start with a book, and start saving/scrounging/buying brass.

For 500-1000 rounds a month of handgun ammo, I'd strongly consider a progressive press, and in that case I'd most strongly consider a Dillon (I like the 550, as it's toward the low end of their cost range, uses standard dies, is less expensive to do caliber conversions on, and will still crank out 400+ rounds an hour).   A single stage press will be a lot cheaper, though, and is better to learn on, and is better for loading precision rifle cartridges, so don't rule out a single stage if you aren't put off by how slow it will be for high volume loading.

Search your reloading book for powders that are recommended for at least two bullet weights in each caliber you want to load, and ideally for powders that can be used in multiple calibers you want to load.  That is, look for versatile powders;  You can probably find half a dozen that qualify.   Trying to find a favorite powder in stock can be hard right now, but the more powders that are acceptable for what you are loading, the easier it will be to locate one.

If you aren't pushing handgun bullets over 1000 fps or so (or shooting them in a polygonal-rifled Glock), cast lead bullets will be fine, and they are easier to find now than are plated, coated, or jacketed bullets.  There should be multiple weights that will work with the powders you selected, and there is no need to get hung up on a specific brand when you are just starting out.  Again, trying to find a specific bullet is hard, but if you are looking for, say, one of three weights from any of a dozen manufacturers you're much more likely to locate something you can use at a price that isn't stupid.

Primers will be hard to find and expensive; best you can do is open your search to include any brand, and a lot of load data will work for either standard or magnum primers (perhaps with a small adjustment in charge weight), so don't get too hung up on the std/magnum distinction.

When supplies get better, you can worry about figuring out what powders/bullets work best in your guns, and develop favorite loads.  Right now is the time to be as flexible as possible.

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1 hour ago, shiberm said:

 

 

Are you saying the components arent available or that they are more expensive ?   Which components are hard to find ? 

Yes I am serious

The time to get into reloading was a few years ago when supplies were plentiful and inexpensive.

Primers are next to impossible to find at a reasonable price (few pennies each)   One local gun store near me which sells reloading supplies hasn't seen primers for over 4 months now.  

Powder is also hard to find but becoming more available.  Bullet heads are also difficult to source or are backordered for 3+ months before they ship.  Use the "notify me when back in stock" function.  Have your account set up and credit card on file or handy.  

Prices on just about anything firearm related are generally 2-3x, or much more, then they were two years ago.  

Sure you can get powder and primers on Gunbroker but expect to pay a HIGH premium.  2-3x for powder and 5- 10x (or more) for primers at least.

My suggestion, look for used presses and components on forums and Craigslist.  People periodically sell presses or entire set ups.  Buy some books and learn.  Watch videos.  

You can get into reloading.  It will be very expensive if you want everything now.  I would work on slowly getting your components together when items become available.

Or maybe you are wealthy and price doesn't matter.  You just want the ability to make ammo.  If that is the case there are plenty of components available but at highly inflated prices.

Good luck!

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9 hours ago, shiberm said:

 

 

Are you saying the components arent available or that they are more expensive ?   Which components are hard to find ? 

Yes I am serious

There is absolutely no powder or primers available on powdervalleyinc.com a popular reloading website. I cannot find a single primer or powder I current use in my line up, or would be willing to use.

 

Secondary market is entirely different, stuff is always available on gunbroker if you're willing to take it deep.

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@JackDaWack if you aren't already using it try the 'notify me when back in stock" feature on many sites.  Recently purchased powder from Midway USA by using it.

Ultimate Reloader notified me they recd powder but had already purchased.

If you receive notification and it sells out before you had a chance to purchase just hit the "notify when back in stock" again.

Good luck.

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10 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

@JackDaWack if you aren't already using it try the 'notify me when back in stock" feature on many sites.  Recently purchased powder from Midway USA by using it.

Ultimate Reloader notified me they recd powder but had already purchased.

If you receive notification and it sells out before you had a chance to purchase just hit the "notify when back in stock" again.

Good luck.

I've got some notifactions set for midway and Natchez. 

I dont need any at the moment thank goodness. but with the current outlook I'm thinking of beefing up my stock if I get the chance. 

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Powder Valley Inc is good for regular dumps of powder.

Primers are just impossible. The companies that make primers are selling first to ammo manufacturers to keep up with the huge increase in demand so there's nothing leftover for reloaders.

Getting stuff shipped to NJ isn't a problem.

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Yeah, like everyone has said, prices are high but you can get equipment, it’s consumables that are really hard to find and stupidly expensive right now. Pistol primers in particular are super unavailable and when they come up in the market they are just insane on the pricing. I see some rifle primers come up more often but still pretty rare in the last 6 months...

-Jim

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