Hunting caliber question: ammo availability

[hardlyworking]

I am feeling a bit conflicted here. On the one hand, if you are making your own ammunition, you can custom tailor your rounds in whatever chambering you want, you can make the perfect cartridge for your particular set up, for the game you are hunting, at the ranges you expect to shoot.

On the other hand, I see people recommend popular hunting cartridges (e.g. 270 or 30-06) all the time because of ammo availability. "It is stocked on shelves from coast to coast" is something very commonly mentioned.

These two concepts seem to be at odds and clearly people wildcatting a new pet cartridge are left *completely* in the cold when it comes to factory ammo.

For people hunting in their home state, or who will drive to a neighboring one, how important is Factory Ammo if you can roll your own?
Does this change when flying for a hunt? What if you ship it out ahead of time?

Here I was thinking with my reloading setup that the world was my oyster, I could do ANYTHING I want within safety limits, and yet there is that nagging "Factory Ammo" thing that keeps popping up.

Please advise! Thank you

[lewdogg21]

It's not important if you reload and have the time to put into reloading and finding a load that your rifle and you both like. If you hunt in CA come 2019 it must all be lead free.

[RAMCLAP]

If you roll your own it doesn't matter if you have a popular cartridge or not. You're not going to use factory ammo in state or out. So, why worry about it?

[hardlyworking]

Excellent, thanks guys!

I've heard that flying with ammo needs to be in "factory box" but seems one or two boxes of whatever that was the right size for the rounds would be fine. Not like the people at the ticket counter have any idea what it is other than "scary" but legal.

[Fjold]

The issue that comes up is that if you travel to hunt and your bag with the ammunition in it doesn't show up. It's nice to be able to stop by the store on the way out of town and pick up some generic ammunition so you don't lose any hunting time.

I've had bags missing for up to three days travelling overseas and from a trip from Ohio to Bakersfield, Continental lost 4 out of 6 of our bags and we didn't get the last bag for 5 days.

[hardlyworking]

The issue that comes up is that if you travel to hunt and your bag with the ammunition in it doesn't show up. It's nice to be able to stop by the store on the way out of town and pick up some generic ammunition so you don't lose any hunting time.

I've had bags missing for up to three days travelling overseas and from a trip from Ohio to Bakersfield, Continental lost 4 out of 6 of our bags and we didn't get the last bag for 5 days.

Now that right there stinks. Given that, and I've had a lost bag as well, I can see not wanting to stray too far. Lots to think about!

[John Browning]

The issue that comes up is that if you travel to hunt and your bag with the ammunition in it doesn't show up. It's nice to be able to stop by the store on the way out of town and pick up some generic ammunition so you don't lose any hunting time.

I've had bags missing for up to three days travelling overseas and from a trip from Ohio to Bakersfield, Continental lost 4 out of 6 of our bags and we didn't get the last bag for 5 days.

I have had a similar event happen.

Long story short, I now travel with a back-up rifle in .30-06 or .308 on every trip because you can find ammo anywhere. Good luck finding 7mm Weatherby, .280, 6.5 Swede, 6.5-284, or .22 Velo Dog at the local WalMart. If your primary rifle breaks, you lose the ammo, etc., you're still able to hunt.