LiveLife
Member
Before the shortage of 2008, I used to keep enough reloading components to cover about 1-2 years of shooting. After the shortage, I increased my stock to cover 3-5+ years and thankfully, I have gone through the current "Great Shortage" without having the "need" to purchase reloading components because I "ran out" of particular component. I was able to make purchases the past 2 years because I "wanted" to when the price was good enough for me.
It is my opinion that we are near the end of the "Great Shortage" and to benefit THR members and guests, discussion of guidelines for what to keep on hand after the shortage may help others avoid the problem many faced in future shortage that we may experience. No, I am not a "prepper" but a realistic and practical reloader and shooter who doesn't like the inconvenience of not having ammunition of choice for my firearms.
So, what are some guidelines you plan to use to "restock" for your reloading in terms of components when the "Great Shortage" comes to an end? What tips would you offer to other THR members and guests who were not prepared for the past two component shortages? We should also discuss the virtues of certain powders that are capable of reloading many calibers when more popular powders sell out like Red Dot/Promo/Green Dot/Herco.
These are my guidelines for 380Auto/38Spl/9mm/40S&W/45ACP/.223-5.56/.300BLK/.308:
- Enough brass for each caliber to last 5-10+ years
- Enough projectiles/bullets to last 2-3+ years depending on caliber
- Enough primers to last 3-5+ years
- At least two 8 lbs of primary powders like Bullseye/W231/HP-38/Unique/Universal/H4895/Varget/RL15/H335/H110 depending on preference
- At least one 8 lbs of secondary powders like Red Dot/Promo/Titegroup/PowerPistol/CFE Pistol/WSF/300MP/A1680/H4198
- Consider one 8 lbs of tertiary powders like Green Dot/Herco
Tips:
- Set aside some money each month or use tax refund money to buy in bulk when components go on sale or come across buying opportunity
- Get together with other reloaders and set up group buys to reduce HazMat/Shipping costs
- If you shoot pistol matches, develop accurate match loads with primary powders but practice with accurate target loads using secondary powders
- When primary powders are hard to find, stock up on secondary/tertiary powders to slow down the use of primary powders
- When more popular powders are non-existent, powders like Red Dot/Promo, Green Dot and Herco can be used for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP
It is my opinion that we are near the end of the "Great Shortage" and to benefit THR members and guests, discussion of guidelines for what to keep on hand after the shortage may help others avoid the problem many faced in future shortage that we may experience. No, I am not a "prepper" but a realistic and practical reloader and shooter who doesn't like the inconvenience of not having ammunition of choice for my firearms.
So, what are some guidelines you plan to use to "restock" for your reloading in terms of components when the "Great Shortage" comes to an end? What tips would you offer to other THR members and guests who were not prepared for the past two component shortages? We should also discuss the virtues of certain powders that are capable of reloading many calibers when more popular powders sell out like Red Dot/Promo/Green Dot/Herco.
These are my guidelines for 380Auto/38Spl/9mm/40S&W/45ACP/.223-5.56/.300BLK/.308:
- Enough brass for each caliber to last 5-10+ years
- Enough projectiles/bullets to last 2-3+ years depending on caliber
- Enough primers to last 3-5+ years
- At least two 8 lbs of primary powders like Bullseye/W231/HP-38/Unique/Universal/H4895/Varget/RL15/H335/H110 depending on preference
- At least one 8 lbs of secondary powders like Red Dot/Promo/Titegroup/PowerPistol/CFE Pistol/WSF/300MP/A1680/H4198
- Consider one 8 lbs of tertiary powders like Green Dot/Herco
Tips:
- Set aside some money each month or use tax refund money to buy in bulk when components go on sale or come across buying opportunity
- Get together with other reloaders and set up group buys to reduce HazMat/Shipping costs
- If you shoot pistol matches, develop accurate match loads with primary powders but practice with accurate target loads using secondary powders
- When primary powders are hard to find, stock up on secondary/tertiary powders to slow down the use of primary powders
- When more popular powders are non-existent, powders like Red Dot/Promo, Green Dot and Herco can be used for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP