Ammo problem

austintexas

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Anyone else have this problem? I spent all winter in the garage reloading 2000 rounds of 9mm, 2000 rounds of 45acp, 2000 rounds of 38 special, 2000 rounds of 223 and every empty 30-06 and 308 case I had. All of a sudden I seems every relative and friend that knows I reload wants to buy or trade me out of 9mm, 223 and 30-06. I tell them I don't sell my reloads and usually end up giving them some for free with the understanding that they are reloads and I won't be responsible if they don't function well in their firearm. I don't worry about running out, I have thousands of bullets, primers and lots of cans of powder that I bought years ago when stuff was cheap. Labor is no problem I have 3 progressives and one old Rockchucker I bought in '64 for $25.
SWCA892
 
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It's likely your are a prepared Boyscout and haven't needed ammo, specifically 9mm. There is a 9mm shortage like I have never seen before. This has been a very unusual shortage. Plenty of 22lr and 22mag right now. I even think there is a little .223 available.
 
You had a good winter. Be careful giving ammo, you have the same responsibility as a manufacturer and will be held liable if anything goes wrong but I do understand your kindness.

Even 22s are very hard to find on line these days and what you do find is more expensive then it was just a few months ago. I have found 9 mm and stocked up.
 
I also have built up a good stockpile of 9mm, .45 acp and .223, but most of my family is firmly anti-gun so I don't have anyone asking me for ammo.
 
During the 22 long rifle shortage a few years ago you could use a web site which listed pricing for ammunition from assorted vendors. The 22 long rifle prices were ludicrous. Some people who worked in stores which sold ammunition were snatching up all the 22 long rifle as soon as it hit the receiving dock and then selling it with huge mark ups.

One of those people said they would negotiate pricing so I contacted him. He had thousands upon thousands of rounds, he didn't negotiate to a price I would accept. Months later 22 long rifle was on the shelves, good pricing and with no purchase limits.

Guess who contacted me wanting to negotiate again...

I hope he had a bottle of catsup handy when he ate that ammo. LOL
 
During the 22 long rifle shortage a few years ago you could use a web site which listed pricing for ammunition from assorted vendors. The 22 long rifle prices were ludicrous. Some people who worked in stores which sold ammunition were snatching up all the 22 long rifle as soon as it hit the receiving dock and then selling it with huge mark ups.

One of those people said they would negotiate pricing so I contacted him. He had thousands upon thousands of rounds, he didn't negotiate to a price I would accept. Months later 22 long rifle was on the shelves, good pricing and with no purchase limits.

Guess who contacted me wanting to negotiate again...

I hope he had a bottle of catsup handy when he ate that ammo. LOL
You should have offered him .10 on the dollar, at today's prices!
A little salt for his meal.........................or wounds!
 
I load 30-06 for my Winchester 70 and my buddy wanted to try some in his Remington 700 on a deer hunt in Nevada.

He saw a deer, sent a round into the chamber but passed on the deer and removed the round from the chamber, however, only the case slide down the ramp with lots of powder and you know where the bullet was still at !!

Make sure the OAL of the ammo works in all rifles that it will be used in.

Stay safe,
 
Even with my own son---you want ammo, you pull the handle.

This recent surge/outage has meant that he has had to actually sit down with dad and learn about loading instead of just pulling the handle. I got the deals on the components and he will do the loading under my supervision. We just started into a batch of 9mm and should be right at $4.25 per box of 50.

Watching friends that don't re-load struggle to find ammo, has led me to make them a similar offer. I have everything you need and will teach you, but you will not only learn, but also pull the handle.

 
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Fortunately, the majority of my shooting friends reload their own ammo. However, I have a neighbor that shoots, and doesn't reload, and he and a few of his friends ask me to load ammo for them. For my neighbor, we have an understanding: if he picks up the components, I will put together "target" type ammo for him, but no exotic barn-burning loads. I have not been asked for over a year since he asked me to load some Lehigh Defense bullets (they were the hardest bullets I have ever tried to load)! I will not load for his friends.
 
Only have a handful of kin' and 'friends instructed in the where and what contents of my stash. Not one has ever asked for ammo, knowing, I'd gladly share half with any one of them....

Life is less complicated with fewer 'friends'!;)
 
My solution to "do you have any ammo to sell/give me?", is "Nope, sorry". None of my shooting friends know my inventory and while I'm not stingy, I will share components, reloads are very personal (as in I don't use anyone else's reloads and I don't allow anyone to use mine)...

A friend told me he just got a new 40 S&W, so I gave him 200+ once fired cases and about 3/4 lb of powder. I don't mind sharing, I just have a thing about handloads...
 
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I load 30-06 for my Winchester 70 and my buddy wanted to try some in his Remington 700 on a deer hunt in Nevada.

He saw a deer, sent a round into the chamber but passed on the deer and removed the round from the chamber, however, only the case slide down the ramp with lots of powder and you know where the bullet was still at !!

Make sure the OAL of the ammo works in all rifles that it will be used in.

Stay safe,

I experienced just the opposite. My -06 loads have a long COL and function fine in my 700, but they wouldn't even fit in my buddy's Win 70 mag. He loaded his ammo on my press and had to adjust the seating stem for his gun.
 
All my friends and family that are avid shooters reload their own ammo. I don't reload ammo for anyone else but myself and I don't give ammo to anyone but family an only in emergencies an they don't go out a shoot it all up and come asking for more.

It's nice to be generous and help people out in times of need but there are those that frankly are to lazy to pay attention to whats going on outside their own little world and find themselves wanting. They may just want your ammo right now but if things get worse they will want all the rest of your essentials at some point as well because you prepared and they didn't.
 
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Oh yeah... here's what I do ,
I'm sorry but it's against Federal Laws for me to sell or even give away reloaded ammunition to others ... unless I have a Manufacturers License and all kinds of Liability Insurance I can only reload for myself .... BUT !!!
I will be glad to help you learn , it's legal for me to instruct you and for you to do the actual reloading to put together your own ammo .
( this means they have to do some work !!!)
Guess how many have taken me up on my instruction - they do the reloading offer ..... not a blessed one of them ... and they never ask again !!!
This works like an old voo-doo woman's black magic charm and the free loaders never appear again ... they want you to do the work ... if it involves effort on their part ....No Thanks .

There have been a few younger family members I would have loved to pass along 50 years of bullet casting and reloading knowledge to ... but so far not one of them has shown any interest , even after going shooting together and shooting some of my carefully made ammo ... just no interest in the hobby .
I wish I had the offer of some help years ago when I started .
Gary
 
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"I'm sorry but it's against Federal Laws for me to sell or even give away reloaded ammunition to others"

Is this true? My brother in law used to give me re-loads all the time and while he did not hunt and actually didn't spend much time at the range, he LOVED to re-load .... So much in fact, that he built a separate building to work in.
 
Some years back a close friend that reloaded 9mm for his MAC 10 was stricken with terminal cancer. He spent his final months at the reloading bench loading 9mm and .45. His very nice Ruger collection and MAC were sold off. Could have had the MAC for @ $450-500 but passed because of having to feed something that burned through 15 rds. a second. Tried shooting a few rds. in my 1911 and HP. Realized he screwed up bad on over and under charges. Still have hundreds of rounds that I pull apart for components. Feel sick when I see what a full auto MAC 10 goes far now a days.
 
I yry to be helpful but honestly, others problems generally arent mine. I have gven out a few 1000 primers to friends that ate short, some 12ga buck to another but gees, Its priorities I shoot so have ammo & components to make ammo. Others that shoot should priorities.
 
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