Changes in buying patterns?

[JTHunter]

For some reason, none of the local (10 mi. or less) stores have the brass, bullets, or powder I normally use. Sometimes they have the primers but that is "iffy". These stores include three LGSs, a regional discount chain, Academy, Dick's, and the now closed Gander Mt. store. The only store where I can find those first three items is Graf's in St. Charles, MO. Fortunately, I don't do a lot of reloading so I'm able to plan my trips accordingly and call ahead to see if they are missing something.

 

[NoirFan]

I used to buy most of my ammo mail-order from the now-defunct Mastercast Ammunition. You could send them your cases for a steep discount on reloaded ammo, which was a better price than buying new from pretty much anywhere, and they always had stock ready to ship even in the Obama panic years. Then I went out of the country for a while, and when I came back I found Mastercast had discontinued their reloaded ammo business. That was one big reason I bought a press and started handloading myself, and one nice bonus is that I had a bunch of mixed headstamp cases from Mastercast to get started with - I'm still using most of them minus a few casualties from cracks and splits. These days I buy powder and primers from the local Cabela's and bullets mail order from whatever website has them on sale.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

The owner of my LGS is a friend of mine so I pretty much buy my guns and holsters from him. Ammunition, magazines and other accessories I buy on line.

I don't think I've even been to a gun show in 5 or 6 years and the last time I went the only thing we bought was a movie (The Rock) and a thunder vest for our dog.

 

[OneFreeTexan]

The last gun show I went to was in Ft. Worth in October,,,typical, almost all gun related stuff,,,I enjoyed, and my wife had a ball,,, she loves looking at guns,,,,doesn’t shoot much, but loves looking.

Buy most new guns at Dunham’s,, the local one always gives me a sale price,
Gunbroker for used.
Ammo,,, local hardware store beats any online price.

 

[WestKentucky]

Mixed. I hadn’t bought online before this year, simply because I have done more trading than buying. This year I just got lucky on gunbroker and scored 2 for opening bid which let me buy both very reasonably. I also bought 1 in a gun shop because they had it available at about the same price I would pay after shipping. I bought another from a coworker because he priced it stupid cheap and wouldn’t take more money. Bought that one sight unseen and was very pleased with the gun once I got my hands on it.

I think in the future it will be more predominately gunbroker though, it’s so convenient that I look around to just kill time. The gun shops all close before I can get to them through the week, and now on Saturday I’m tied up with Daddy duty.

 

[bassjam]

I buy almost 100% of my ammo online. Same with bullets for reloading. For now I still buy powder by the pound locally, but I'm still just starting out reloading and haven't made the jump to buying powder in bulk where I can save on that extra hazard shipping charge.

 

[kmw1954]

I will be making a change next year. As a reloader I was buying my supplies at the local Cabela's because I could buy the smaller quantities that I needed or wanted and they use to have fairly regular sales on primers, powders and either Xtreme or Barry's bullets. Since the buyout this store has not had primers in stock at all. I purchased the last 2 boxes of small pistol primers they had in the store and that was in February. So now to make it worth while to buy online I will have to buy basically what will amount to as almost 3 years worth of primers in both large pistol and small pistol. I'm already set for powder. OH WELL, all good things come to pass.

 

[rskent]

So now to make it worth while to buy online I will have to buy basically what will amount to as almost 3 years worth of primers in both large pistol and small pistol.

You might want to sign up for the Emails from Powder Valley and places like that. They have sales and Has Mat deals all the time.

 

[9mmfan]

Overall, I like gun shows, though I don’t attend them nearly as often as I once did.

When I lived in Dallas, it seemed as though there were three every two months.

Sometimes more often than that.

On the west side of Fort Worth, it’s not as common an occurrence.

I still go sometimes, though I haven’t bought a firearm proper of late.

Last ones I procured were from a hardware store/gun shop down the street from my house. One before that was a run-of-the-mill model I picked up at Academy.

There was a Cabela’s purchase somewhere in the mix.

Basically, I get what I want whence it can be sourced.