I’m starting reloading. The lack of cheap surplus in some calibers is motivating me. You still have to buy bullets (or materials to cast bullets), though, so it’s not a cure-all.
I reload.
Free wheelweights to cast bullets, powder and primers in bulk, and once-fired brass from various outlets.
.38 spl costs about $0.10 per round; 9mm about $0.08 per round; and .223 about $0.20 per round. I don’t know yet what 12ga costs to reload as I have just bought the equipment to reload shotshells, but I’m guessing it’ll be about $0.35 per shell.
I haven’t bought any powder or primers recently, have they gone up in price also?
IMHO, if you are paying more than a dollar per cartridge, it’s definitely time to start reloading. There are some cheap import ammo deals still available such as Wolf with steel cases, but the next Democratic Congress will end all that. I am afraid they will drive ammo prices through the roof intentionally...just make shooting unaffordable.
We hear from the mills that alloy steel prices are up 42% since April.
Weak dollar.
Doesn’t it unnerve anyone that governments, state, local, federal, foreign, are buying ammo as fast as it can be made?
Sounds like 1977 again in so many ways. Shotgun shells jumped by 100% during the late 70’s.
Yeah, I’d ruled that out because of the initial cost to get set up but it’s looking better all the time.
What a remarkable balanced article.
I live in the county that elected Sheriff Dever.
Ammo availability has been terrible since I moved back here in ‘05.
time for a congressional investigation into Big Ammo.
ping
This is why I cast my own bullets and reload with them. Now if I could only make my own primers.
Been making my own for a long time, and making strategic purchases when the opportunity arises. I won’t say how much I’ve got, but it’s probably pretty close to the total rounds fired during the Revolutionary War.
I suspect that there is going to be an international effort to restrict the market for 7.62x39mm M43 ammo, in a back door effort to neutralize a lot of the world’s AK-47s.
The idea is that since the AKs are everywhere, everyone wants ammo for them. So if they can somehow restrict production, it will drive the price out of range for most owners. In a lot of places, ammo will just become unobtainable, and this will subdue some of the 4th world troublemaking.
It's a shame that gun buyers must consider the cost of ammo when looking at different calibers, much the same as car buyers must consider fuel mileage. Although 9mm FMJ's are still (barely) under $20 per 100, all other serious loads (.380, .38, .357, .40, .45, etc) are over $20, even over $30 per 100.
WWB .45 still $30/box
Rem .223 55gn $.43/rnd
at WallyWord
And that is about as good or better than can be gotten in bulk over the net, without the hassle of shipments and the s/h cost.
Was in there yesterday and there was a line at the counter.
Which reminds me...time to change the tag line...
I just paid 22.50 for a box of 50 .223 Black Hill Seconds.