Press/Component Rant

[G-Man WC]

I've been able to find dies, powder, primer, and bullets.
The bullets have been the hardest, believe it or not.
I had a stash before BO II, but like to keep well stocked.
-g

[EL_NinO619]

9mm (#8) 45 (#45) 223 (#16)

I just ordered all Redding competition dies, So as soon as they come I will have dies on the Market. .45 Hornady, Lee .308, RCBS 9mm. The local gun store has some shell plates on the way, he is holding them for me, I will see if I can get you some.

I let him borrow my shellplate for some measurements if you know what I mean, So he should hook me up...

[NorCalNative]

If you can find a #1 plate, it will work with minimal slop AND it is the proper size for .308. In fact the #1 was originally intended for .308 and 45 ACP, it's only recently that they came out with a dedicated #45 plate.

Thanks, good to know. And yes, been watching them go for just less than a Franklin on EBay and keep telling myself not to go there.

Instead, I tell myself that this is all good. Getting caught up on the honey-do list, so when the backorders arrive I can lock myself in the garage and have some quality time.

[EL_NinO619]

#1 shell plate is for .308, it will work for .45 but not well. With the new EZ-ject they may not self eject, you can open it up with a dremal, but Hornady may not help you out when you go to far. I think I would get my hands on #45 first, I have loaded .308 with a .45 shellplate on accident, and did not notice it until I changed powder loads and was checking weight. But really order #45 for .45acp and #1 for .308. #1 was for both on the projector press, but not for the LnL AP.

[Paul E]

Actually this may not be recieved with any kindness but it is all you panic buying newbies that 50% or more will not keep reloading after the dust settles are the problem. You are the problem that has caused this shortage and made it harder for us that have reloaded for many years.
Heck I could not even get a cleaning jag in 22 or 308 yesterday. This is for rifles I have owned for many years not some recent panic buy.
For those who have bought large amounts of stuff(including firearms) with the thought of selling it at a huge profit later I do hope you get stuck with it and loose money.
I had to borrow a box of 150gr 308 plain jane soft point bullets from a friend to load for the PH on my Africa trip. I have plenty of 308 bullets but they are Nosler/Barnes/Swift and mil surplus147gr. The ph just uses regular cup-n-core bullets. There were none local to buy. When things cool down I will pick up a box to replace them. Maybe even from some newbie who decides reloading is not for him afterall........until the next panic.

Sorry but even though I have helped out a few of you with stuff I do not feel sorry for you. YOU are the ones who have caused this and in doing so you not only inconvienced yourself but us who have been reloading all along

End of rant and flame away if you want.

Sure, its a minor inconvenience now, but rather than looking down on them, how about this for a perspective:

The more people that do it, the harder it will be to legislate. If its a small fringe of "crazy people making thousands of rounds of ammo in their garage", then its easy to get people to turn against us.

But, if theres thousands or tens of thousands of us, we'll have a voice when the time comes to fight off the next poorly thought out ammo bill.

[Divernhunter]

No more voice than we do with all the large number of firearms out there. That has not stopped them.
The reloading may backfire and cause the gov to stick their unwanted nose into that part of the sport. How you discribed it will be just about how the gov and media will also do to convince the sheep to put us crazy ammo making people out of business or highly regulated.
If I am looking down at them it is because 1) They did not use common sense and think ahead and prepare in a timely manner and 2)the ones who bought large amounts to try and rape the follow sportsman with stupid high prices.
Which would not happen if people would refuse to buy at the current prices.

Sorry I prefer to stay under the radar. All that these people are doing is shining a spotlight on reloading for the powers that be.

Yes I will enjoy all the stuff that will come up for sale after it settles down. I do not need any presses(have6) or dies(have at least one set for all 35 different cartridges I load) However I will look for bullets/powder/primers and new brass. I am down to under 15-20K primers and some powders are down to the last 3 lbs.

[damndave]

Are you guys saying the Hornady LNL AP shellplates are going for $100 on Ebay? Holy hell! Those things were $30 each a few months ago.

I think I might have a few extra for 9mm and 223 somewhere in the parts bin.

[Sky_DiveR]

At least you haven't been doing it for so long that shellplates for your press aren't even available anymore. I've been searching for used Projector/Pro-7 shellplates for many years now. Almost bought a L&L just so I can have shellplates. LOL

[gemoose23]

I'm just waiting on a #45 LNL shell plate holder, backorder until April I'm told. Have everything else...I hear you. They can make and deliver presses, but are months behind on shell plates?

If you are in a bind.. just use shellplate #01. The ejection of 45 ACP is less reliable.. but it gets the job done otherwise.

When Hornady moved to EZ-eject system they had to move 45 ACP to its own shellplate for more reliable ejection system. I wish it was a marketing ploy, but Shellplate #45 is very reliable.

Before the EZ-eject system, you just used shellplate #01. Which I still use for my .308 Winchester.

Also if you are near a Sportsman Warehouse, they stock the popular Hornady LNL AP Shellplates as well.

[dog]

Are you guys saying the Hornady LNL AP shellplates are going for $100 on Ebay? Holy hell! Those things were $30 each a few months ago.

I think I might have a few extra for 9mm and 223 somewhere in the parts bin.

I've noticed the shell plates are very hard to come by now. I see the lnl presses available but no shell plates. Maybe hornady cut back on making them.

[dog]

Perhaps I should sell my shell plates...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hornady-lock-n-load-shell-plate-16-223-Rem-/251222378879?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7e05497f

[Divernhunter]

I have an extra set of Lyman 300win mag dies with shellholder. Maybe I should sell them for $75 ......No $105.

Think they would sell?

Actually I would take $50

[diveRN]

No more voice than we do with all the large number of firearms out there. That has not stopped them.
The reloading may backfire and cause the gov to stick their unwanted nose into that part of the sport. How you discribed it will be just about how the gov and media will also do to convince the sheep to put us crazy ammo making people out of business or highly regulated.
If I am looking down at them it is because 1) They did not use common sense and think ahead and prepare in a timely manner and 2)the ones who bought large amounts to try and rape the follow sportsman with stupid high prices.
Which would not happen if people would refuse to buy at the current prices.

Sorry I prefer to stay under the radar. All that these people are doing is shining a spotlight on reloading for the powers that be.

Yes I will enjoy all the stuff that will come up for sale after it settles down. I do not need any presses(have6) or dies(have at least one set for all 35 different cartridges I load) However I will look for bullets/powder/primers and new brass. I am down to under 15-20K primers and some powders are down to the last 3 lbs.

I've only been loading a little less than a year and load almost exclusively for the range. I only reload two pistol calibers and occasionally, 30-06. I just recently began working up some SD loads.

I've found the same problem. Nothing in the area, I don't live far from you. Then again, there doesn't seem to be a true shop in the area that specializes in stocking reloading components. The biggest selection seems to be at Barnwood and they're down to their last bit of powder and other components.

That said, I was up in Sacramento / Roseville the other day and was able to find a decent cache of powder & primers along with a few bullets and cases. A few different stores had some stock of each.

I doubt I keep the inventory you do, but I was able to buy 3,000 primers and a 10lbs of powder from a store up there and they had more left. I've been buying jacketed bullets from a company in Florida because, until recently, have had the best pricing in lots of 2,000 bullets. They still have the best pricing, but stock is non-existent.

Shooting at the rate I am, I'll be down to the wire in late April or May if I can't find more. I'm hoping things will "cool out" over the next few months and suppliers will begin to get more stuff in.

Point is, I know components aren't as readily available as they once were, but there is still some inventory out there if you look for it. Same goes for hard parts and tools.

[Lead Waster]

One reason I kept my RCBS Rockchucker is that all it needs is the shell holder and the dies. If you buy Lee dies, it comes with a shell holder that fits in the RC.

OP, if you can find dies, but are stuck on the shellplate, consider picking up a cheapo Lee single stage and a shell holder.

Wait...holy crap, even the $30 "Lee Reloader Press" is sold out everywhere!

OK, nevermind, I'm guessing when the panic struck, people looked for reloading presses and most people just went and grabbed the cheapest ones possible just to have something. And you'd need a priming tool as well.

Maybe backorder the shellplate and hope it comes?

[Drawman]

One reason I kept my RCBS Rockchucker is that all it needs is the shell holder and the dies. If you buy Lee dies, it comes with a shell holder that fits in the RC.

OP, if you can find dies, but are stuck on the shellplate, consider picking up a cheapo Lee single stage and a shell holder.

Wait...holy crap, even the $30 "Lee Reloader Press" is sold out everywhere!

OK, nevermind, I'm guessing when the panic struck, people looked for reloading presses and most people just went and grabbed the cheapest ones possible just to have something. And you'd need a priming tool as well.

Maybe backorder the shellplate and hope it comes?

Eh I'm learning to be patient. Some on here have offered help, see what turns up. The way things are going in this state I'll finally have everything to reload, but no gun to shoot it in.

Thanks for the help all