How do you load, all you have, or as you go?

S

Shadow9mm

New member
I was reading through a thread titled How many loads do you load for a given gun? here https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=612857 and post # 17 caught my eye
Typically, I’m trying to bring a set of components into tune. Once in tune, I load them all for use. Sometimes I get far enough ahead to do this twice for a gun….it is rare.
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This brought up a couple questions that have been rattling around in my head for a few days now.

How do you guys manage your components? Do you buy and then load all you have? Or do you buy components and load to meet your shooting needs?

Also how do you buy your components? I know there are lots of philosophies on how much ammo you should have reserved for shortages. But how do you manage your components.

I find myself with adequate brass, primers, powder for the most part. Bullets however I find myself in much more of a hand to mouth kind of situation. for example 9mm. I generally load about 1000 fmj at a time. once I get down to about 500rnds I will look for more. for hunting bullets, like my 158g xtp for my 357, I think I only have about 200 total, of which about 50 are loaded up.

It is better to work up a load, and load all your components, or to load up what you need, and have the extra components around?
 
Kind of both. I load until I exhaust one variable of the components. Usually bullets are first to be exhausted. I set aside a monthly dollar amount. Once I save up enough to buy in bulk, I pick what's available or on sale. I try to buy primers/powder from local shops. Nobody, including Big Box stores, have great prices on bullets. That, and they don't carry my favorite brand. So, I buy direct. I let a good supply build up before reloading. If I'm going to reload, I prefer to go at it and knock out several thousand rounds at a time. It's too much work for me to spend time to set up for one cartridge, load a couple hundred rounds, reset/organize, set up for another cartridge for a couple hundred....lather, rinse, repeat.

Going by this method provides a buffer in being a victim of shortages. I just dipped into a brick of primers that had a price tag of $16.95 on it. That should give you an idea of my supply. I watch hoarders buying primers at $200/brick in one shot recently instead of buying/prepping steadily during quiet times and laugh.
 
If it’s something I shoot at high volume, load em up. If it’s moderate to low volume just keep enough loaded up for 3-4 range trips.
 
I tend to load enough for a few months of shooting, and I like to have enough components after that to load a similar amount, at a minimum. For most of my range ammo I would like to have an unopened box of 1000 primers. When I open the box is when I would put it on my list of things to look for. Before though, when I could just walk in and buy 2000 of each off the shelf, I didn't really care.

Right now I'm just trying to rebuild my stash. It had gotten to the point where I had maybe 300 primers for EVERYTHING...

What I'd like to have on hand at a minimum is 2k small rifle for a 300 blackout ar and 454 casull, 2k large pistol Magnum match for a 9x25 Dillon open gun I have, 1k small pistol(I don't shoot 9mm that much) and 500 large rifle Magnum for a 300 rum. Powders I want to have about 5 pounds h110 and at least 2 pounds rl33. I've got enough random powders to burn for so many random things I don't really need to have anything for 9mm.

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During the 2008 shortage, I started putting aside a reasonable amount of components and have not been impacted by the current malaise. Other than self defense, I load enough hunting loads to give me 20-40 extra for hunting season. I usually have 50 to 100 44 Special and 45 Colt hunting loads to keep up practice.
 
I can't take having empty brass and that's why my inventory of loaded ammo is more than I need. I load all fired brass and have bought lots of once fired brass that gets reloaded as soon as possible. My inventory of powder, bullets, and primers is more than enough for a few years. Bullets are the item hard to balance . Gotten older and don't shoot as much and haven't reloaded in a couple years but I still don't have lmuch brass that's not reloaded.
 
I have a 'set' number of loaded rounds I keep around for each cartridge I shoot. That set will usually last me a year or two even if I never got around to reloading anything... I also have a 'set' of new brass that just sits there. When a box of cases (100) gets to 'used' (subjective call), I toss the cases into the trash and replace with new brass. A simple system. Point is as I use them, I will reload them at my leisure when I am in the mood to load shells. No hurry though as there is always more of the 'set' on hand anytime I want to go shooting! I've never been 'caught' wanting to go shooting and nothing to shoot... Never.
 
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Limited amount of storage space so I load as I go. About 500 rounds of each with various powders. For 357 and 44 magnum I probably have 5 or 6 different loads boxed or bagged for the range. Shotgun and rifle maybe 2 or 3 different loads. Components I have 10 to 15k primers and similar amount of cast and copper projectiles. With my OCD I have to have my cast bullets maxed out in their containers all the time. Oh how I love to cast and pc … very relaxing
 
For my pistols i keep 100 rounds of plinking ammo on hand.
50 rounds of carry ammo.

For my rifles, it depends on hunting, or match shooting.
Match ammo i keep 100 on hand.
Hunting ammo 50 total, usually about 10 each of different bullet weights, or design.
IE, (10) ballistic tips, (10) Berger VLD, (10) ABLR.
 
I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting, and I try new combinations all the time. Right now I have 22 different pistol powders, from 700X to 4227, 8 different primers, and 35 different bullets in .41, .44, and .45 calibers. Whenever I get a new powder or bullet I try ladders of most combinations that match the barrel length and usage of the bullet. At any one time I have about 250-300 rounds loaded for each caliber, and as they get shot up (roughly 150 rounds per week) I try new combos. I usually have 30-50 rounds of proven loads boxed up for each caliber and set aside for hunting, field or SD use. I try to keep 50-100 new cases for each caliber and replace them as they go into service.
 
black mamba said:
I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting, and I try new combinations all the time. Right now I have 22 different pistol powders, from 700X to 4227, 8 different primers, and 35 different bullets in .41, .44, and .45 calibers. Whenever I get a new powder or bullet I try ladders of most combinations that match the barrel length and usage of the bullet. At any one time I have about 250-300 rounds loaded for each caliber, and as they get shot up (roughly 150 rounds per week) I try new combos. I usually have 30-50 rounds of proven loads boxed up for each caliber and set aside for hunting, field or SD use. I try to keep 50-100 new cases for each caliber and replace them as they go into service.
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I consider reloading a separate, but related hobby. I find it very relaxing.

I do not load everything.

I load for several calibers and since many components can be used for different calibers,
I always keep a supply on-hand. I never really know what I will decide to go shoot. :)

I will load and keep on-hand 1-200 of my most used calibers.
 
I'm relatively new to reloading, so right now I pretty much load as I go, putting together enough ammo for whatever my next shooting session will be, whether it's load development or just trigger practice.

But for my hunting ammo, I load up enough for the next couple of seasons.
 
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I try to keep primer/bullet/powder combinations to load all the brass of a caliber at least three times and more for the ones that get used more frequently. So "load all", except for brass isn't possible. I do try to keep the brass loaded though as keeping dirty brass, clean-fired brass and new un-fired brass segregated takes more organization than loaded ammo.
 
load as I go for rifle. I loaded up all the brass I had for pistol years back, that year both myself and wife stopped shooting IDPA and ICORE due to (non shooting related) injuries. I still have thousands of 45 and 9mm loaded and several hundred 38 sp's. Not sure if I still remember how to load pistol after all these years
 
I have tapered off as age slows me down. Mostly, the "just in time" system loading for prairie dog shoots or range trips. I have abandoned the "load everything" system because when a rifle barrel goes south, the replacement may not like the loads it's predecessor loved. Sometimes, a gun starts to bore me and gets traded or sold. What to do with a bunch of loads you'll probably never shoot? For medium game, 20 rounds for a rifle will check zero and suffice for the season. I keep enough brass tumbled, sized and prepped so if more ammo is needed an hour will easy get it done.

As to supplies, enough for three years of shooting is the minimum that keeps me in good spirits.
 
I tend to load in batches. I shoot 9mm, .38, .357, and .45 in pistol. I also shoot C&B revolvers and traditional flintlock rifle. I love milsurp rifles, and frequently shoot my M1, K31, no4mk1, Type 99, and sometimes a Mauser. I also have an M44 and a 91TS carcano, though I don’t reload for them so they are rarely shot.

For pistol, I try to keep more than a couple hundred rounds on hand. If I drop to or below that level, I’ll load up a big batch (400-500) that will last another few months. In my younger days I shot much more 9mm and .45. Then I would use up 400-500 rounds in a month or two. Having variety, and enjoying BP, has reduced the amount of semi-auto pistol I shoot and forces me to slow down. It has als9 taken the chore out of reloading. Certainly I do enjoy handloading, but yeah sometimes it’s a chore making 500 rounds of pistol ammo. I have 3 daughters at home! And a wife! Finding time for things can be a challenge at times. But when I do start to load, I tend to load a batch that will last at least 3 or so range sessions of that caliber.
 
I shoot mostly 9mm, so when i get down to 5 or 6 hundred I will crank out another thousand. I usually have 1 or 2 thousand ready (deprimed, wet tumbled, sized, primed and neck expanded.) Other calibers, I wait until I am down to a couple hundred and then run 5 hundred.
 
Most of the time I load in batches of 100 to 500 for handgun. We can burn thru that many 9's in an afternoon, but not so with the 454 hunting loads. Rifle ammo usually are done in 100rd batches of which ever calibers are lacking.

Since most of our stuff is for hunting we usually find a load that works and stick with it. We try to optimize powders to cover as many calibers as possible to minimize bulk storage or having multiple cans. Most all of our rifle calibers are off the '06 or 308 case so usually something that works with one will work with another. Might not always be the absolute best, but most times will group minute of deer and hogs.
 
I order bullets by the case load, it gives me the best price and I won't run out. I have 40K primers that I've built up over the years. I load on a Dillon 650 with all the upgrades, bullet feeder and case feeder so I can load 800 rounds per hour. I typically load 1000 rounds and then make sure I keep my stash up to date.
 
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