I don’t just mean the stuff out dated 80 years ago but the stuff that not every store sells. Just wondering if anyone actually buys the stuff or does the majority just load their own? I know on this site most of you guys aren’t the average gun loader but trying to get some ideas. If .41 AE and .50 AE was more available would more buy it? Or is it hard to find because the people with the guns don’t buy ammo. Same goes for .41 Magnum, .44 special, and several others. I know some like the .41 AE just isn’t heard of and the ones that have hoard ammo for it so that round could probably not be in the discussion but the others are more what I’m talking about.
Who reloads for their harder to find ammo?
- Thread starter WV_gunner
- Start date
While it is available locally, I do load most of my 38 Super. My loading is just hobby/recreational, for variations not commonly available in factory ammunition. I don't think it's an ammo availability issue though, for any of the less popular calibers. The other way around IMHO, i.e., lack of demand. For instance, during some of the firearms/ammo panics experienced in the last decade, all the popular handgun calibers disappeared from the local Walmart. The one cartridge that was most always available was .357 SIG. Availability of that caliber must not have made it more popular. I, for one, was not tempted to purchase a .357 SIG pistols due to the ammo being available.
Decades ago I realized one basic requirement for a firearm to be useful is that it be sighted in.
Generally,if a rifle is sighted in,its sighted in for one load.
Rifle or handgun,I have found that if I buy a couple of boxes one day,a few weeks or months later I cannot count on finding that same load.
So I ended up with 40 rds of Reminton brass,20 rounds of Federal brass,40 rounds of WW brass,etc.
Reloading was a disorganized mess.
And these days,ammo is largely + or - about a buck a round.
I made a change.With every firearm,I buy a virgin brass supply.Whether its 300 or 500 or 1000, I have a brass all the same lot,and I can process it in lots of 100 or 200.
If that lot of brass showssplit necks or stretch rings after 4 loadings or 14 loadings,I can scrap the lot and begin fresh because I have it on the shelf.
To answer your question,I buy Starline or WW usually.
I will buy factory loads for carry,and some "white box" 9mm and 45 ACP is cheap enough for practice,plus its WW brass.
Generally,if a rifle is sighted in,its sighted in for one load.
Rifle or handgun,I have found that if I buy a couple of boxes one day,a few weeks or months later I cannot count on finding that same load.
So I ended up with 40 rds of Reminton brass,20 rounds of Federal brass,40 rounds of WW brass,etc.
Reloading was a disorganized mess.
And these days,ammo is largely + or - about a buck a round.
I made a change.With every firearm,I buy a virgin brass supply.Whether its 300 or 500 or 1000, I have a brass all the same lot,and I can process it in lots of 100 or 200.
If that lot of brass showssplit necks or stretch rings after 4 loadings or 14 loadings,I can scrap the lot and begin fresh because I have it on the shelf.
To answer your question,I buy Starline or WW usually.
I will buy factory loads for carry,and some "white box" 9mm and 45 ACP is cheap enough for practice,plus its WW brass.
The only caliber I have that would be considered "hard to find" is 7mmSTW. I've only bought one box of 20. Then bought dies, 300 pcs of empty brass and reloading ever since. Here a couple years ago I ran across a dusty box of 7mmSTW in a small gun shop about 100 miles from me. Nothing special, just Federal soft point. The price sticker said $85. I put it back real quick.
Edit: Forgot I also have a pistol that shoots .32 wadcutter. Available via internet only, and not cheap. I reload those for two reasons. Much cheaper, and no one makes a .32 wadcutter that's anywhere close to being accurate.
Edit: Forgot I also have a pistol that shoots .32 wadcutter. Available via internet only, and not cheap. I reload those for two reasons. Much cheaper, and no one makes a .32 wadcutter that's anywhere close to being accurate.
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I reload 7x57 mauser. Winchester and Remington are pure unobtanium and Federal is anemic and the brass softer than I care for. Besides, factory ammo is deliberately underloaded due to the earlier supposedly weak Mausers. My rifles are on modern actions and capable of withstanding 7-08 Rem. level loads. it's also nice to hunt with a piece of firearm history. 
Paul B.
Paul B.
I debated getting into reloading after buying a 280, but ammo was just enough available that I didn't. There was a local shop with a custom built 338-06 that had been sitting on the racks for about 2 years priced at $2100. It had a $1000 Zeiss scope on it.
One day I asked the owner if he'd make me a deal on just the scope. I must have been the 1st person in a LOOONG time to even ask about it. He said, how about $1000 for scope and rifle. I bought it with the intentions of keeping the scope and selling the rifle. But it came with 17 rounds of hand loaded ammo so I decided to shoot some of it before selling the rifle just so I could say I'd shot a 338-06 and give an honest answer if a potential buyer asked if it were accurate.
I ended up shooting all of it and buying reloading gear. That is how I got into reloading. I've since sold both the 280 and 338-06 but re-load for my other more common cartridges like 308 and 30-06.
One day I asked the owner if he'd make me a deal on just the scope. I must have been the 1st person in a LOOONG time to even ask about it. He said, how about $1000 for scope and rifle. I bought it with the intentions of keeping the scope and selling the rifle. But it came with 17 rounds of hand loaded ammo so I decided to shoot some of it before selling the rifle just so I could say I'd shot a 338-06 and give an honest answer if a potential buyer asked if it were accurate.
I ended up shooting all of it and buying reloading gear. That is how I got into reloading. I've since sold both the 280 and 338-06 but re-load for my other more common cartridges like 308 and 30-06.
ligonierbill
New member
Well, I reload for everything I have. I do buy 5.56x45 and 9x19 when I can find it cheap, but why spend time looking for good .257 Roberts or 8x57? As Paul B said, commercial fodder is probably weak anyway. And expensive. For that matter, I've yet to put a commercial round through my .308. Far better to optimize a load for your gun.
Ruga Booga
New member
303 Savage. Find what I can of the old good stuff on auction sites and reload the rest. Vintage ammo is pretty expensive
FrankenMauser
New member
I reload everything.
That statement used to include "...including rimfire, and excluding .38 Special." ...But I sold the .38 and stopped playing with tiny grenades at the reloading bench.
For the uncommon - or not commonly available - stuff, in particular:
7x57mm -- Ammo is available in this area, if I hunt for it and want to pay $2+ per round. Brass is unobtainable locally, and expensive even with internet orders. ...But it's still cheaper to reload than buy factory.
6x45mm -- It's no longer a wildcat. Ammunition is available. Brass is occasionally available. And a "standard" chamber has been established. ...But ammunition is quite expensive, and is never available locally. I've never fired a factory round.
.32 S&W / S&W Long / H&R -- Ammo is available, but quality ammo is stupidly expensive. It's easier to just reload.
7.62x54R -- Yea, you can pick up ammo anywhere, and get steel-cased stuff fairly cheaply. ...But that's not what I want. I want good quality loads with 'premium' bullets, in brass cases. Those loads are not commonly available. To get what I want, I'm also looking at a starting price of $60 per box ($3 per round). My favorite load uses a 215 gr Woodleigh Weldcore. The only ammunition even remotely comparable was made by A-Square, and retailed for $140 per box ($7 per round, in Norma brass). I used the word "was" there, because, if you are unaware, A-Square folded and the load is now completely unobtainable. But when it was available, I was loading that bullet in Lapua brass for $17 per box (expensive reloads!), which represented a "savings" of $123 per box; or $6.15 per round; or $2.05 per pull of the press handle. That's some serious coin left unspent for a single box of ammo.
But, on the flip side...
I shoot a lot of factory .30-30 for testing new/modified/reconfigured rifles. Quite often, I can pick up a box for $12 (maybe even with a $2-5 rebate, too). I can reload for less than that, but not by a substantial margin. Sometimes, I pay a little bit more just to be lazy.
That statement used to include "...including rimfire, and excluding .38 Special." ...But I sold the .38 and stopped playing with tiny grenades at the reloading bench.
For the uncommon - or not commonly available - stuff, in particular:
7x57mm -- Ammo is available in this area, if I hunt for it and want to pay $2+ per round. Brass is unobtainable locally, and expensive even with internet orders. ...But it's still cheaper to reload than buy factory.
6x45mm -- It's no longer a wildcat. Ammunition is available. Brass is occasionally available. And a "standard" chamber has been established. ...But ammunition is quite expensive, and is never available locally. I've never fired a factory round.
.32 S&W / S&W Long / H&R -- Ammo is available, but quality ammo is stupidly expensive. It's easier to just reload.
7.62x54R -- Yea, you can pick up ammo anywhere, and get steel-cased stuff fairly cheaply. ...But that's not what I want. I want good quality loads with 'premium' bullets, in brass cases. Those loads are not commonly available. To get what I want, I'm also looking at a starting price of $60 per box ($3 per round). My favorite load uses a 215 gr Woodleigh Weldcore. The only ammunition even remotely comparable was made by A-Square, and retailed for $140 per box ($7 per round, in Norma brass). I used the word "was" there, because, if you are unaware, A-Square folded and the load is now completely unobtainable. But when it was available, I was loading that bullet in Lapua brass for $17 per box (expensive reloads!), which represented a "savings" of $123 per box; or $6.15 per round; or $2.05 per pull of the press handle. That's some serious coin left unspent for a single box of ammo.
But, on the flip side...
I shoot a lot of factory .30-30 for testing new/modified/reconfigured rifles. Quite often, I can pick up a box for $12 (maybe even with a $2-5 rebate, too). I can reload for less than that, but not by a substantial margin. Sometimes, I pay a little bit more just to be lazy.
I handload everything, from the common to the obscure (except .223).
A few of my guns have a thousand or more rounds through them without having seen a single round of factory ammo.
I generally like to have at least one box of factory ammo on hand for every gun, but it's for just-in-case . . . in case of what, I don't know?
A few of my guns have a thousand or more rounds through them without having seen a single round of factory ammo.
I generally like to have at least one box of factory ammo on hand for every gun, but it's for just-in-case . . . in case of what, I don't know?
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I reload for these:
HANDGUNS:
1. .32 AUTO
2. .38 S&W
3. .38 SPECIAL
4. .380
5. 9mm
6. .357 MAGNUM
7. .357 SIG
8. .40 S&W
9. .45 ACP
10. .45 COLT
RIFLES:
1. .243 WINCHESTER
2. 25-06
3. .308
4. .303 BRITISH
5. 8mm
6. .223 REMINGTON/5.56
7. 7.62X39 RUSSIAN
SHOTGUN:
1. 12 GAUGE
2. 20 GAUGE
3. 410
The only thing I buy is rimfire and defensive carry ammunition. Let me add 12 gauge slugs and buckshot to the list of purchase ammunition.
HANDGUNS:
1. .32 AUTO
2. .38 S&W
3. .38 SPECIAL
4. .380
5. 9mm
6. .357 MAGNUM
7. .357 SIG
8. .40 S&W
9. .45 ACP
10. .45 COLT
RIFLES:
1. .243 WINCHESTER
2. 25-06
3. .308
4. .303 BRITISH
5. 8mm
6. .223 REMINGTON/5.56
7. 7.62X39 RUSSIAN
SHOTGUN:
1. 12 GAUGE
2. 20 GAUGE
3. 410
The only thing I buy is rimfire and defensive carry ammunition. Let me add 12 gauge slugs and buckshot to the list of purchase ammunition.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
I don’t even look for ammo in the stores. I load .243AI, which can’t be bought any way, but also .243Win, 7mm-08, .22-250, .204Ruger, .30-06, .357sig, 10mm and .357mag.
Makes no difference to me if it’s in the store or not. I use whatever bullet I want, at the velocity I want, OAL I want, etc.
To me, that’s the whole point of reloading. FREEDOM to do it my way.
Makes no difference to me if it’s in the store or not. I use whatever bullet I want, at the velocity I want, OAL I want, etc.
To me, that’s the whole point of reloading. FREEDOM to do it my way.
indie_rocker
New member
Everything except 5.56. Including 38 Special and 9x19. I save the most money on 357 mag and 10mm.
I reload for everything i own.
250 Savage, 284 Win, and my 257 Roberts are not common on the store shelves, usually.
That and the fact that i like the more "premium" bullets. Finding 257 Roberts with 115gr. Berger VLD Hunting bullets loaded to 3,000 fps, well your not gonna find it on the shelves.
Nor the 284 Win loaded with 150gr. Nosler ABLR.
And finding 45ACP in 185 gr. hollow points isn't common to shelves either.
250 Savage, 284 Win, and my 257 Roberts are not common on the store shelves, usually.
That and the fact that i like the more "premium" bullets. Finding 257 Roberts with 115gr. Berger VLD Hunting bullets loaded to 3,000 fps, well your not gonna find it on the shelves.
Nor the 284 Win loaded with 150gr. Nosler ABLR.
And finding 45ACP in 185 gr. hollow points isn't common to shelves either.