Have I missed the boat?

S

skybolt

New member
Howdy, long story short-years ago I acquired a bunch of reloading stuff, presses, dies, trimmers, scales, bullets, and things that I have no idea what they do. All the stuff is a bit older but is Lyman. In the last month (for obvious reasons) I decided to finally educate myself on reloading and thought I’d gather some components.....WRONG!

Have I missed the boat on reloading? Seems there isn’t a primer/bullet or powder in my neck of the northeast. Do you guys think things will settle down and manufacturers will be able to catch up?


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In short, if you already have the equipment no, your not too late.

What calibers are you thinking about loading for?

Now is a good time to get brass prepped and research loads you are interested in.

There is plenty of once fired brass available if you look for it at reasonable prices.

Build a system, first, second, third choice so you have options if you cant find your preferred primer or powder.

Get on some websites and sign up for e-mail notification when products come back in stock. when they do, jump on it as fast as you can. you will get some eventually.

Eventually things will settle down again, just a kink in the supply chain right now in my opinion.
 
Shadow9mm said:
In short, if you already have the equipment no, your not too late.

What calibers are you thinking about loading for?

Now is a good time to get brass prepped and research loads you are interested in.

There is plenty of once fired brass available if you look for it at reasonable prices.

Build a system, first, second, third choice so you have options if you cant find your preferred primer or powder.

Get on some websites and sign up for e-mail notification when products come back in stock. when they do, jump on it as fast as you can. you will get some eventually.

Eventually things will settle down again, just a kink in the supply chain right now in my opinion.
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Excellent advice, thanks!

308
38/357
9mm
10mm (would like some REAL loads)
35

On account of your handle can I assume you’re into MR920’s ?

Thanks


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no problem. No, had that nickname for a long time, added 9mm onto it.

If you have not handloaded before, I would start with the handgun calibers. Handgun brass, in my experience, is a LOT easier to work with than rifle.

Also, powder for pistols goes a LOT farther. You can get a lot more testing, and round loaded on 1lb of powder. For example, with HP-38 for 9mm I can get about 1300 round per pound, vs benchmark for 223 at 285 per lb.

As far as research, with what you are trying to load for, i would look for powders that can do all your handgun cartridges, 38/357, 9mm, and 10mm. They may not have the best performance, but if you can load all 4 with 1 powder it will save some money and keep you from having to track down multiple powders.

I have been researching 9mm powders. Looking for the best performance with 115 and 124g bullets. Short answer is N340. I built a spreadsheet and cross referenced all the loads I could find to see what would work in both bullet weights, and the best performance.

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6837457#post6837457

Last note, Midway does have some of the vihtavuori powders in stock as of yesterday. they are expensive, especially with shipping and tax, and hazmat fees but they were available.

Did a bit of research, I love data and spreadsheets. It is far from comprehensive. A lot will depend on the bullet weight you want to shoot and the powders you can get your hands on, and now many manuals and websites you want to look through. but you can find powders that work well across the board, or work for 2-3 of them.
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Welcome to the hobby. If you have steel pistol dies, I recommend you replace them with carbide pistol dies. All of my brass comes from the range. If your outdoor range allows you, start collecting as much brass as you can, clean, and prep them so when powder and primers become available, you can just prime and insert a bullet..
 
burbank_jung said:
Welcome to the hobby. If you have steel pistol dies, I recommend you replace them with carbide pistol dies. All of my brass comes from the range. If your outdoor range allows you, start collecting as much brass as you can, clean, and prep them so when powder and primers become available, you can just prime and insert a bullet..
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I love my Hornady carbide dies, but steel will work in a pinch. If you nee to buy dies, spend the extra on carbide. If you already have dies, i would save your money to spend on powder, primers, bullets, so you can buy them when you find them.
 
Yes you missed the boat but timing can suck.

However, I made it through a previous outage. I carried a list of powders for my calibers and scored it when it came up.

R17 was not popular at the time, fond it on the shelf. Grabbed a Hornady and yes it was listed in 06. So I took the 3 or 4 they had.

I scored some at smaller gun shops (same with primers which are your biggest issue).

You can get bullets and brass at Natchez, Mid South, Midway and others. Once fired 308 can be had (I prefer RP over FC etc)

Last week I came across H4831 in a gun shop that does not normally carry powder. I got 8 lbs (it works in all my calibers).

Probably can be done.

Amazing the frenzy people get into. 2008 to 2010 would have been legislation if there ever was going to be.

I just accept it and I keep stocked up. Sans a situation like the 4831 (1 lb) I buy in 8 lb containers (5 lb for R17)

Powder can be shipped in the lower 48 at ok price. Not sure if they can ship primers. Neither can be shipped to AK (at any sane price) unless you want to buy your own boat.
 
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Evidently you’ve not reloaded before, and since you’re finding out supplies aren’t available, now’s maybe a great time for study. Did you get reloading manuals with your equipment? There’s much for you to learn as you start to get into reloading. One thing that’s not on short supply is reading material. If you want to make good, safe ammo, there’s lots to learn before you seat that first bullet. Now’s a good time to learn all you can by hitting the books while you wait for components to come around to the shelves again. 2021 ought to be a very interesting year ahead. Yup, very interesting indeed.
 
As evidence you have not missed the boat. I just got powder and 1000 CCI small pistol primers and 1lb of powder pistol. Neither was cheap, primers were $60, I'm used to paying $35-$45. powder was $32, I'm used to $28-$$30. Got it from a small shop near where I grew up. You can find things. They are still coming in, you just have to be patient and diligent in your search, be willing to drive. My buddy picked them up for me, gonna be a 2hr drive to get it from him, but worth it.
 
Just when I thought I had misses the boat......Reloading is my new old friend. I used to load 25-30 years ago. Mostly shotgun and some hand gun. I sold everything off except for the knowledge that one acquires. About 3 years ago after talking with a good friend who reloads, I took the plunge and bought a D750 progressive and components and along the way have amassed a nice selection of other components by trading up and down for things I need and would like to have. I made my own wet tumbler and loading bench too. Hang in there. There are a lot of great folks out there and on this forum who can and will help out. Hang in there.
 
reinert said:
Evidently you’ve not reloaded before, and since you’re finding out supplies aren’t available, now’s maybe a great time for study. Did you get reloading manuals with your equipment? There’s much for you to learn as you start to get into reloading. One thing that’s not on short supply is reading material. If you want to make good, safe ammo, there’s lots to learn before you seat that first bullet. Now’s a good time to learn all you can by hitting the books while you wait for components to come around to the shelves again. 2021 ought to be a very interesting year ahead. Yup, very interesting indeed.
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Correct, I have never reloaded before but have been exposed to it. I did not get any literature with the goods but have since acquired a couple manuals and have started educating myself. I'm super excited and have begun rearranging my office/work space to accommodate a station. My plan is to keep things super simple until I get the hang of things, not looking to squeeze every bit of performance out of each round, I just want reliable, decent rounds for training purposes...for now.
Thanks for all the encouragement!
 
Oh yeah, I've ordered 250 rnds of 115gr rnd nose, just ordered some N340 powder and a tumbler. I have a bunch of various caliber pistol brass that I've kept in anticipation, now Im waiting on 9mm dies (watching a set on ebay for $80) and primers. In the stuff I acquired there are dies for .44, 45, 38/357, 30-06, 308, 270, 32 Remington and I think a 257 Roberts?
 
One thing I don't think those books tell you is focus on your reloading and don't let your mind wander. Keep your table clean and simple so you don't cross components. Powder is one example. Another is the brass you're sizing or filling in each step. Do one task at a time with nothing else around it. I've caught myself more than once possibly not filling a case or taking unflared brass that's next to a tray of flared cases. Fortunately I did not but still.. I've pulled bullets I've picked up at the range that people tossed and when I pulled the bullet, found the case empty. You don't want a bullet stuck in your barrel, especially if you are shooting fast. And, after I fill my cases with powder, I look into them, even under a light to make sure all the cases are filled. You cannot afford a double charge. I don't mean to scare you but be careful
 
That boat sails every 4 years. Maybe, if we're lucky, things will ease up a bit in a year or two. Buy what you can, but just remember, the boat sails again in 2024.

Don
 
burbank_jung said:
One thing I don't think those books tell you is focus on your reloading and don't let your mind wander. Keep your table clean and simple so you don't cross components. Powder is one example. Another is the brass you're sizing or filling in each step. Do one task at a time with nothing else around it. I've caught myself more than once possibly not filling a case or taking unflared brass that's next to a tray of flared cases. Fortunately I did not but still.. I've pulled bullets I've picked up at the range that people tossed and when I pulled the bullet, found the case empty. You don't want a bullet stuck in your barrel, especially if you are shooting fast. And, after I fill my cases with powder, I look into them, even under a light to make sure all the cases are filled. You cannot afford a double charge. I don't mean to scare you but be careful
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Thanks for the heads up.
Surprisingly I have an eye for detail, that’s not to say I don’t make mistakes though!


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