How do you guys get your ingredients?

[evan69]

I see people on here who still reload in the midst of this rush. I see people in real life who still manage without having to limit their shooting. I want to know where you guys get your ingredients? Did you have a hoard of them ready for such a reloading drought? Or do you still find a way to acquire them?

I just want to be able to shoot more than 20 rounds on every trip, and actually get practice in when I go, rather than just getting warmed up. I also want a more consistent round. I shoot .270, so there is a significant amount of money to be saved in reloading, despite the slight price increase for ingredients. If you guys are getting these ingredients somehow, even at higher prices, I think it would be worth it for me to get into it.

So how are you getting your stuff?

[evan69]

Ah and I see it's only 293 miles away from my house lol. I wish we had one of those around here.

[gemoose23]

All of my current powder, primer and Bullets I acquired from Retail Stores; Cabelas, Sportsmen Warehouse, and the local gun shop.

It is just different than going into a Walmart and picking up a couple boxes of ammo, since your always buying in bulk.

I shoot lead bullets and they came in 500 boxes, Oregon Laser Cast.
I buy 1,000 primer bricks.
And Powder, I buy in 14oz or 1 lb containers. (1 lb of powder is 7000 grains, I use 5.5 grains per bullet for 45ACP, approx enough powder for 1270 completed AMMO)

This is the main reason why I still shoot on the weekends and have no fears about ammo shortages.

Just keep buying your supplies before you run out and you will never run out. This is where mail order comes in handy and further reduces the expense of reloading.

Don't forget to pick up your brass.

[CSACANNONEER]

No, I never hoarded components. I just bought enough so, I don't have to worry for a while.

[tteng]

I try to buy/shoot ingredients for common calibers. For example: 30cal bullets for my 308/30-06/7.5Swiss rifles. Or medium burn rate powder, such as varget, for my 223 and, all the way to, 45/70; it's applicable if not perfect. I plink only at 100yrd, so match quality components is not important for me. For brass, I just recycle the ones I have.

BTW, I always bring a scoped 22LR bolt-rifle on my range trip to get some cheap fun in between shooting the larger calibers.

[Linus]

Buy online in bulk and you should be good. The smartest thing to do is to buy powder in 8lb jugs and primers in 5k bricks and buying bullets by the thousand, saves money and keeps you stocked for a while.

[r08ert209cali]

I buy whenever I see components that I use. Online and brick and mortar stores.

[Fjold]

I buy whenever I see components that I use. Online and brick and mortar stores.

+1 there. I occasionally wind up with 40-50 lbs of powder and 20,000-30,000 primers in the house but eventually I use them up.

I haven't had to buy anything in the last 6 months except 40 cal pistol bullets (because I started competing again in USPSA matches). So, any shortage that has been going on hasn't affected me in the least.

[Black_Talon]

The smartest thing to do is to buy powder in 8lb jugs and primers in 5k bricks and buying bullets by the thousand, saves money and keeps you stocked for a while.

Bingo! That's the way to do it.

Group buys will get you your components in bulk lots, plus the Hazmat and shipping charges get split between the group so you don't get stuck paying the full boat for them.

[Mstnpete]

I've been shooting USPSA & IPSC since 1994 & shoot 3Gun as well. And we order as a group and do a Group buy. Before, I can get 40's & 9's once fired shells for only $7.00 per 1000. Since I load 200-250 rounds per week, just had to order bulk. Since everything was ordered per bulk, I also have not ordered for a long time. So in regarding to small primers, shells, bullets, powder, I just have plenty in stock. Now with regarding to 38 Supercomp brass, that has always been expensive to buy ever since. The ammo for reloading that caught me of guard is 10mm. Thank goodness it uses the same bullet head as 40's.

[CGT80]

I got luck and bought 2 8 pound jugs of h-335 powder from powder valley while it was in stock, thanks to guys that posted on this forum that it was available. I bought 2000 primers from a guy that lives near where my brother works, so I had my bro pick them up. Just watch this site and see if you can get any friends or family to give you a hand. I am about to try a back order for small rifle magnum primers since there don't seem to be any on the market that I can snatch up.

Powder valley seems great. I wish I would have ordered last fall when things were available, but I didn't want to spend the money and didn't realize it was going to get this bad. I can recommend Berrys preferred plated bullets for 223 bullets and pistol bullets. They have some of the lowest prices, but also seem to have them in stock when others don't. Order direct from the company. It costs a lot more to get their stuff from cabelas.

good luck

[cassius]

Constant prowling for in-stock items. The occasional long-leadtime purchase. And I just recently loaded the last of a large stockpile of large rifle primers I purchased in 2000.

[hill billy]

Constant prowling for in-stock items. The occasional long-leadtime purchase.

These two are the only way I can survive.

[evan69]

I was thinking of just going with longer lead times, like at cabellas, since I'm pretty patient with waiting for packages. Are the lead times really just the 2 weeks promised on the site?