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Is this a bad time to buy reloading components?

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A friend of mine gifted me his reloading equipment when he moved out of the Country a few years ago. I've finally taken inventory of what I have vs what I need. Looks like he didn't do any 9mm, which is mostly what I shoot, so I know I need the die set and casing holder. Otherwise I think I'm good.

I started to look at prices on primers, powder and bullets and noticed a fair amount of no-stock on some. Also, since I have never priced these components, I have no idea if these prices are higher than they were 3-4 months ago like factory ammo is/was.

I am not "in need of ammo right now", if I was I'd pony up the cash for factory stuff. Last time I was in a LGS they had a case of 9mm for $250, I paid $200 at the same shop over the Winter and just before the lock downs. If individual components have had a similar increase percentage wise, it would make sense for me to wait. If pricing has not gone up, or it's a minimal increase I'd buy now (once I determine what I'm buying). I'd hope the current pricing is at the high side and would start to drop; but it's also an election year, so who knows.

 

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Nick at Northeast Reloading is a solid NJ guy and a seriously solid guy all around.  I would look on his site for brass/bullets.  Powder and primers are always in a constant state of flux.  Pistol stuff is usually not too difficult to get a hold of.  Rifle powder can be difficult especially some of the "newer" powders like H4350 which is usually about as easy to get as a gallon of unicorn tears.  

Older technology powders are usually a bit easier to find.  And I must say, don't be weirded out about using them.  They work.  Find something that is in the range that you want to use and grab it.  You won't be sorry.  

PM if you think I can help and want my advice.  

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I try powder valley first (they have H4350 rn, btw) and go from there. They’re constantly restocking and they haven’t raised prices, although market forces would say they should. If you follow them on FB you’ll get notice when popular stuff comes in
 

online just order enough to justify the hazmat surcharge 

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1 hour ago, Bully said:

Nick at Northeast Reloading is a solid NJ guy and a seriously solid guy all around.  I would look on his site for brass/bullets.  Powder and primers are always in a constant state of flux.  Pistol stuff is usually not too difficult to get a hold of.  Rifle powder can be difficult especially some of the "newer" powders like H4350 which is usually about as easy to get as a gallon of unicorn tears.  

Older technology powders are usually a bit easier to find.  And I must say, don't be weirded out about using them.  They work.  Find something that is in the range that you want to use and grab it.  You won't be sorry.  

PM if you think I can help and want my advice.  

FYI - PowderValley tends to have plenty of H4350 in stock more than any other retailer. https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/hodgdon-h4350/

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7 hours ago, Greenday said:

FYI - PowderValley tends to have plenty of H4350 in stock more than any other retailer. https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/hodgdon-h4350/

Thank you. I don’t typically need enough powder to be able to justify the shipping/hazmat. A pound here or there is usually good for me. 

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Component price and availability can be very regional as well.  Every powder type is available in the stores near me, pistol bullets (.357) are less available here. Brass is plentiful and cheap here as well.  Small pistol primer and small pistol magnum availability is very low here as well. I ordered some Hornady and Sierra .357 bullets from Midsouth Shooters Supply. The prices have not really changed much over the past year.

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I found tales of people saying they could reload 9mm for 13-14 cents /round as recently as 4-6 months ago. I'm seeing bullets alone in that price range currently, so prices have gone up.

I know my costs will be higher in the beginning since I won't be buying bulk until I know the recipe works for me.

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You can reload using lead bullets and the bullets will cost you about .06 each.  I haven't loaded 9mm in a few years because 9mm hasn't been too expensive.  Reloading .357 mag, 44 mag, 45 Colt, and 45ACP does save me quite a bit. I also cast a lot of my own bullets. I was given about 500lbs of wheel weights for free. This bings the cost to time spent.

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For small orders of powder, Midway is doing free shipping over $49 currently and that covers powder/primers - just $12 for hazmat. I needed only a lb of a specific rifle powder so I threw in a spare magazine in my cart

 

even buying components  in bulk i usually can’t the beat the cheapest factory ammo but I use plated or coated bullets in pistol. I do it bc I can tailor the loads

 

for rifle I make match ammo for the price of garbage ammo so I guess that’s a win but still not really saving me $$$

 

ETA: I also have a .222 which is hard to find good ammo. That’s a different story for reloading 

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The last several hours of research has driven me a little batty. It's great that there's so many options, but it makes deciding difficult. I've concluded I should start by choosing the projectile I want to use, then look for a powder that works well with it and/or I can find the recipe for. Primers seem to have the least options to choose from and the main difference is the hardness. I've read more than one source rate them as Federal the hardest, CCI the softest and Remington in the middle. I'm less clear on which I should use. I figure between the factory ammo I have on hand an what I can scrounge at the range I shouldn't need to buy cases for a long time, if ever.

I still haven't decided on the projectile! I know I want jacketed or plated and that's about it. 147grain American Eagle has been my go-to simply because I've never had a problem with it and it seems to run cleaner than other brands I've shot. Of course a lower weight projectile will drop my costs even more. 

For now at least, reloads would be dedicated to practice and competitions (whenever they restart). I plan to stick with factory ammo for home defense use.

I've order the needed die set and case holder as well as some manuals. With any luck the manuals will help me decide. In the meantime I should start looking at what is available locally as well. I've never bothered to look before.

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 Prices have gone up a little on components right now, but like buying ammo you have to stock up when you find good deals. 

  As of last week it’s costing me .11 cents for 9mm and .15 for 45ACP.  That’s using coated bullets. Normally I use plated bullets. I’ve loaded 9 as cheap as 9 cents.

  I enjoy reloading for the technical/ tinkering side of it. The time I get to be in my own zone. Also reloading lets me load to my liking, big difference in factory loads when shooting matches. Depending on how much you shoot, It can save you money and the press will pay for itself over time.

 

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You seen to have a solid plan.  I am still shooting reloaded 9mm ammo from 10 years ago.  I loaded thousands of rounds back then.  I agree with Shocker about loading quality ammo for rifles.  I worked up very accurate loads for 270, 30-30, 308, and 300 Win Mag that are way more accurate than factory hunting ammo. My latest obsession is loading accurate 357 and 44 mag hunting ammo for my lever actions.  My new property is very heavily wooded and I need good brush gun loads.

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24 minutes ago, Tony13 said:

 Prices have gone up a little on components right now, but like buying ammo you have to stock up when you find good deals. 

  As of last week it’s costing me .11 cents for 9mm and .15 for 45ACP.  That’s using coated bullets. Normally I use plated bullets. I’ve loaded 9 as cheap as 9 cents.

  I enjoy reloading for the technical/ tinkering side of it. The time I get to be in my own zone. Also reloading lets me load to my liking, big difference in factory loads when shooting matches. Depending on how much you shoot, It can save you money and the press will pay for itself over time.

 

When you say 11 cents for 9mm coated, you must be basing that on the price you paid for the components back whenever, not now, right? Because I have not seen any jacketed or plated bullets for under ~12 cents right now. Primers seem to be going for around 3 cents each. I haven't attempted to price powder per round yet since there are so many variables; but I'm guessing I'd be between 16 and 20 cents per round all in (using "free" cases). That's ok with factory pricing right now, but not worth my time at factory pricing 6 months ago.

I do not hunt, nor am I currently into long distance rifle, so for me reloading is about cost, not performance. I'm not saying that won't change in the future, but currently that's where I'm at.

 

 

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Ibejiheads coated bullets. Not sure about 9mm but just ordered 45 at .105 cents. 3 cents for primers and rule of thumb is 1 cent for powder. Brass of course is range brass or old ammo...... free.

Check out Everglades Ammo. Thats where I usually buy my plated bullets. But they raised their prices recently and am trying coated for the first time. Quite a few people at the club use Ibejiheads so figure ill try them out.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Bully said:

Thank you. I don’t typically need enough powder to be able to justify the shipping/hazmat. A pound here or there is usually good for me. 

Gotta post up when you are in need and share hazmat with others — I’ve never had an order from powder valley that wasn’t a full box — 48 pounds I believe— sometimes my own but often enough 1 or 2 others are involved

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Ibeji heads — if you’re close enough go pick them up — save on the shipping — near newark

I think my loaded cost on 9mm is somewhere around 8 or 9 cents per round — honestly I don’t calculate it ever — just doesn’t matter — what I make is way better than anything your going to buy at anywhere close to the cost — you must buy in bulk

 

 

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Website has minimal information. I like that they have sample packs. Prices include shipping & insurance, so I don't know what I'd save. I guess I need to call or email. I don't mind going near Newark, but I won't be going in Newark.

 

 

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7 hours ago, kc17 said:

Website has minimal information. I like that they have sample packs. Prices include shipping & insurance, so I don't know what I'd save. I guess I need to call or email. I don't mind going near Newark, but I won't be going in Newark.

 

 

It’s outside of Newark — Might be Bellville — it is really easy though — 1 or 2 turns off the parkway

Won’t hurt to ask — tell Alex that Jeremy mentioned picking up at the shop to save shipping 

I haven’t bought in over a year now,  took a couple of seasons off from pistol shooting and just before that bought a rather large order which I’m just running out of

Alex from Ibeji is good people — maybe a little hard to get a hold of but should be worth it

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3 hours ago, silverado427 said:

It's never a bad time to buy ammo or reloading components,  You will just pay more for it in times of crisis.  

BUY CHEAP AND STACK IT DEEP.  

 

Its all relative... right now its not a good time for ammo. Prices are way up from just 6 months ago. However, election year.... price can still go further up, and availability down. Very unpredictable. 

 

There was a run of reloading components about 2 months ago.. seems a lot of stuff is in stock and prices look decent. 

 

However, certain powders were hard to come by late last year, hodgon had issues with production, i think it was a supply issue.  Not sure if other companies had issues too..

 

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The above was my point.

Since I do not have a current pressing need for ammo, I'm debating if I should wait to purchase reloading supplies. I know how high factory ammo prices are now; I don't know how high bullet, primer & powder pricing is currently since I have not priced them before.

It would be a shame to pay top dollar now only to see pricing drop 25% in a month.

Edit to add: Yes, it would be even worse not to buy now and prices go up another 25% or have no stock available. I'm not expecting anyone to predict the future. I'm just trying to determine avg pricing during "normal" times.

 

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Dollar cost average ammo and component purchases.  Buy a little when it's expensive, a lot when it's cheap.

I wouldn't place a huge order now, but buy enough to get you started.  Being local is especially good for small purchases, as the hazmat charges make small online purchases expensive

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I have tens of thousands of primers and many pounds of powder along with a lot of brass and bullets.  I don't think you can have too much (unless you are moving). Some of the purchases were made many years ago and some were made recently.  I think the secret is to start stocking up supplies and once you have a good stock never let it deplete. I went to Cabelas in Gainesville, VA on Sunday to meet up with a guy to trade guns in the parking lot. I got there early and went inside to check out reloading supplies and they had no powder and very few primers.  My local gun stores are very well stocked.  I would check out mom and pop stores because the big box stores are wiped out.

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I do not see anything getting much better between now and november. I think right now might be the best time to buy looking forward. 

Election time there will be a run on stuff, and if Joe Biden wins, another run... if he is in office and we have another 2012? it could be 2 years before prices calm down or worse.

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Next question is on barrel & bullet sizes.

Using Ibejiheads as an example, they offer three sizes for 9mm, .356, .357 & .358. I measured the muzzle of three 9mm barrels, they were .346, .347 & .348. Assuming my caliper is accurate (I'm using a budget Rockler digital caliper I bought for woodworking), I'd want the .356 bullet, right?

Do my measured diameter sizes sound right or should I suspect the accuracy of my readings?

 

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4 hours ago, kc17 said:

Next question is on barrel & bullet sizes.

Using Ibejiheads as an example, they offer three sizes for 9mm, .356, .357 & .358. I measured the muzzle of three 9mm barrels, they were .346, .347 & .348. Assuming my caliper is accurate (I'm using a budget Rockler digital caliper I bought for woodworking), I'd want the .356 bullet, right?

Do my measured diameter sizes sound right or should I suspect the accuracy of my readings?

 

With lead bullets I usually order the size that is .001 larger than the caliber.  For 9mm (.355) I would order .356.  This can vary, mostly with guns like revolvers that may have a slightly oversized bore. A gunsmith can slug the barrel for you. For a 9mm I think your best bet would be .356.

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You can slug your own barrel — look it up

drive a lead bullet through your barrel using a dowel then measure what size the slug is — the widest part 

Using this measurement go either the same size or the next size larger — do not go smaller with lead, hot gasses will not seal properly and could cause major leading

all my 9mm have been .355 

 

Just be sure to use a bullet larger than expected size — .357 in a 9mm would be best to see what it squeezes down to

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8 hours ago, Heavyopp said:

You can slug your own barrel — look it up

drive a lead bullet through your barrel using a dowel then measure what size the slug is — the widest part 

Using this measurement go either the same size or the next size larger — do not go smaller with lead, hot gasses will not seal properly and could cause major leading

all my 9mm have been .355 

 

Just be sure to use a bullet larger than expected size — .357 in a 9mm would be best to see what it squeezes down to

The way I have seen it done is different than you describe.  I have seen a round ball (pure lead) hammered into the end of the barrel and then driven out with rod.  I have never heard of a bullet being forced through a barrel.

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