Have you ever sold/bought reloaded ammo?

[Hokkmike]

Was going to get into SASS but now it is out of the question. Will be putting my Marlin JM Cowboy on the market - BUT, I have tons of RELOADED cowboy 45LC ammo that I would also like to part with. Also have some factory.

So the question for this thread is: Would you ever consider buying somebody else's reloaded ammo and/or have you ever been successful at selling reloads?

 

[TomJ]

I haven't sold my reloads and won't buy them from a private party I don't know, as I can't know whether that person knew what they were doing. If it was from someone I knew and trusted, I would.

 

[bangswitch]

I won't shoot anyone else's reloads unless I watched him reload them, and I don't sell my reloads because that is my ammo source. I have gifted some small lots to a couple of close friends who trust my reloading because they've watched me. but it was only 20-30 rounds each. The only factory ammo I buy is rimfire stuff and an occasional box of 7.62x54R for my two Mosin Nagants, which I rarely shoot. Doesn't justify buying the dies or brass for them. Otherwise, I reload for 12 different rifle and pistol calibers I own.

 

[Littlef]

Just a thought: You need an 06 or 07 FFL to sell bullets or reloaded ammunition that you have manufactured. The ATF isn't tracking you down if your buddy compensates you for a few rounds you shoot at the range, but if you're selling to the public without licensing, you're opening up yourself to a load of legal trouble (and potential lawsuit if anyone ever gets hurt from an issue with the ammo.) I've seen the guys at gun shows selling freezer bags of reloads. I always wonder if they really have the proper FFL to sell reloads. Regardless, I'm not interested in buying private reloads. There's too much potential for issues, especially when someone is cranking out enough rounds to actually be selling them.

 

[teerex.otw]

I’m not sure about the law as it currently stands, but at one time it was illegal to sell or give away handloaded ammo (without an FFL).
Even if the law has been changed, there is too much liability if something goes haywire with your ammo (even if it’s not your fault !),
and too dangerous to use anything you haven’t seen being loaded.
Even some factory ammo is being called into question.

 

[SunnySlopes]

I bought some reloads. Once. Sporting goods store in my home town circa 1960s. I hadn't been shooting long but I acquired a new Colt Python in Louisville for $300. I went to the sporting goods store for ammo and he had a glass with some loose rounds of 357. I bought a dozen. Or so.

Took them to my folk's back yard (2 acre rural) to shoot into the hillside. Dropped the hammer on the first round. Nothing. Then a hiss. Then the ignition. My first exposure to a hangfire. Just dumb luck I didn't immediately rotate the cylinder. There were other hangfires, and I resolved to never use anybody else's reloads. I won't even use second hand ammo. It's either new ammo I've purchased, or my own reloads.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

No, I have never sold reloaded ammo and will never.
No, I have never purchased reloaded ammo from an unknown individual and will never.

The list of people that I would shoot their reloads is a short one, and they are all known personally to me. I can count them on one hand.
I know their procedures and their level of dedication to the hobby.

There are a lot of great handloaders out there (much better than I, no doubt), but there are also a lot of idiots too.

 

[EMC45]

I bought a .32 Mag SP101 years back. It came with about 600rds of relaoded ammo. All data was on the bags and it hashed out when I weighed the charges. I pulled down every last round and never shot a single one of them.

 

[teerex.otw]

Another thought:
You have no control over how this would be used once it is out of your hands. Most of us know not to use handloads for self defense, but if someone used yours thusly, even if it was a legal shoot, it could expose you to some bad/costly legal consequences.
Part of what you fork over for factory ammo goes to pay for their high-powered (and very expensive) legal representation…something very few of us could afford.
That alone would be enough to make you wish you had just buried it (really deep !) and walked away.

 

[tominboise]

I have shot reloads that came with a rifle I bought (a 22 k hornet). It went fine. I have included reloads when I have sold a rifle or two over the years. I have no idea what the buyer did with them.

I happen to have a couple thousand 12ga trap reloads that I produced. I quit shooting trap 20 years ago and have been sitting on these ever since. All loaded by me, on a P&W progressive press, in AA hulls. I have thought about trying to sell them but haven't. I may include them when I sell my trap gun, if the buyer wants them.

 

[doubleh]

No to either.

 

[Show Me]

Absolutely not. Just read through the pages of reloading questions. I don't care how perfect a stranger sounds they are still a stranger. Reloads are like a chainsaw or wife. Never let someone else use your stuff. I'm sure this isn't popular but my 2 cents. You asked. Good reading to be had here.

 

[Spats McGee]

I've shot some reloaded ammo that I got from trusted friends, but I don't recall if I actually paid them for it, so I can't say I "bought" any. That said, I would never buy reloaded ammo from someone I didn't know and trust. I have bought some remanufactured ammo from a commercial reloader, though.

 

[Starter52]

I sold some reloads, we called them remanufactured, back in the 1980's. I had a Class 6 license so it was legal.
I have obtained reloaded ammo from time to time over the years. I pull the bullet, dump the powder and refill with my own.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I've bought 'remanufactured' and branded ammo at times, but I only bought some gunshow 9x19 cast bullet reloads on one occasion. They shot OK but smoky, possibly loaded with Bullseye or something similarly economical. Strangely, my Luger seemed to like them. Won't do that again -- I mostly shoot my own handloaded fodder anyway.

Never sold my handloads, but in the past I've given a few away from time to time.

CA now requires ammo dealer licenses and background checks, because apparently that will do something to stem crime. :-(

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Would you ever consider buying somebody else's reloaded ammo and/or have you ever been successful at selling reloads?

I would never sell my reloads. I necksize only and consider my reloads unique to the chambers of my guns that the orginal factory rounds were fired in. (.303 Brit, .30-30, 6.5 Carcano, .38 Spl, .30 Mauser, .45 AutoRim).

As far as buying reloads, my answer is mostly NO. My basic attitude is that reloading is something an individual does on their own recognizance for personal use.

A friend of my son inheritred a nice bolt action sporter and a box of his late relative's reloads, with the recipe on a label on the box. On a range trip with my son and me, he decided to shoot the rifle with the reloads. The first gave stiff recoil. The second jammed the bolt closed. The bolt had to be opened by rapping the handle with a block of wood. The primer showed classic over pressure signs: flattened with powder smudges around the primer pocket. At home I checked the reload recipe label against my Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. The charge weight was 2 grains over the maximum charge for that cartridge, powder type, bullet weight. The relative may have been pushing the envelope with that load and never got to test it, or he may have even set it aside to break down to components to be redone but passed away before he got around to it. I informed my son's friend.

Once I did buy a couple boxes of handloaded 6.5x52mm Carcano from a frequent gun show vender who specialized in obsolete, hard-to-find ammunition (labelled 27gr IMR 3031 powder with 160 gr FMJ bullets). The casings were new so I'd call those handloads. The rounds proved to be as mild as my 6.5 Carcano reloads (Norma casings, 28gr 3031, ,264" 160gr JSP, LRP). I think that is the only reload/handload ammo I have bought.

 

[VoodooMountain]

Just a thought: You need an 06 or 07 FFL to sell bullets or reloaded ammunition that you have manufactured. The ATF isn't tracking you down if your buddy compensates you for a few rounds you shoot at the range, but if you're selling to the public without licensing, you're opening up yourself to a load of legal trouble (and potential lawsuit if anyone ever gets hurt from an issue with the ammo.) I've seen the guys at gun shows selling freezer bags of reloads. I always wonder if they really have the proper FFL to sell reloads. Regardless, I'm not interested in buying private reloads. There's too much potential for issues, especially when someone is cranking out enough rounds to actually be selling them.

According to ATF you only need a license if you sell your manufactured ammo for purpose of livelihood.

Similar to selling firearms private party. You don't need a license to sell unless you are doing it for the sole purpose of livelihood.

Or, outside of thr ATF, similar to selling cars. You can sell a car without a license unless you do it for livelihood or (depending on where you live) up to a certain number of cars per year

 

[Charlie Martinez]

Back in the 70's my friends and I shot 38 Special wadcutters & 45 ACP RN reloads because it was all we could afford and later during my CASS days I occasionally bought 44 Special reloads before the match started from other CASS guys that sold stuff there . In fact a lot of CASS shooters bought reloaded ammo prior to the match. I have never had any issues with reloads and aside from luck I attribute this mainly because I bought light target loads and shot them in very strong 357 Mag and 44 Mag revolvers so any overly "hot" 38 Sp. or 44 Sp. loads that might slip through were still safe to shoot in my guns. The 45 ACP reloads gave us no trouble either. I recall that slightly cracked case mouths were very common in the 38 Sp reloads but we shot them anyways and never had any problems.

The fact that I did it back in my wilder and younger days and experienced perhaps a certain degree of luck doesn't mean I would recommend it to others. However, if you are a careful reloader and feel perfectly comfortable shooting these rounds through your guns I suppose there is no reason why others can't do the same. It's a risk that only you are capable of determining if it's worth taking or not.

 

[.38 Special]

I've given quite a bit away. I sold some to an acquaintance during Covid, as he was desperate; couldn't find anything anywhere, and when I loaded some for him he essentially forced money into my hand.

I've fired other people's loads in their guns, either while being coached or just goofing off at the range. And yes, I figure shooting other people's handloads is essentially trusting them with my life, so I only shoot handloads made by people who I'd trust with my life.

I agree with those who say that all of the above practices should be avoided on general principle, and exceptions made only after careful deliberation.

 

[Littlef]

According to ATF you only need a license if you sell your manufactured ammo for purpose of livelihood.

Similar to selling firearms private party. You don't need a license to sell unless you are doing it for the sole purpose of livelihood.

Or, outside of the ATF, similar to selling cars. You can sell a car without a license unless you do it for livelihood or (depending on where you live) up to a certain number of cars per year

Off the ATF website, it states you don't need a license to manufacture for Personal use only. If you are selling your ammo, its gonna be tough to support that its for personal use. Maybe you could win that in a court case, but I'm not banking my life on it. We each choose our own path. Good luck, and God speed.

Is a person who reloads ammunition required to be licensed as a manufacturer?​

Yes, if the person engages in the business of selling or distributing reloads for the purpose of livelihood and profit.
No, if the person reloads only for personal use.
[18 U.S.C. 922(a) and 923(a); 27 CFR 478.41]

 

[TonyAngel]

I wouldn't do either. Buy or sell. The upside is very small compared to what the downside could be.

 

[lightman]

No, I have never sold reloaded ammo and will never.
No, I have never purchased reloaded ammo from an unknown individual and will never.

The list of people that I would shoot their reloads is a short one, and they are all known personally to me. I can count them on one hand.
I know their procedures and their level of dedication to the hobby.

There are a lot of great handloaders out there (much better than I, no doubt), but there are also a lot of idiots too.

This could have been my post!

I've never bought or sold reloaded ammunition. I have shot a few trusted friends reloads and have let those same trusted friends shoot some of mine.

But buying or selling: Nope!

 

[Legionnaire]

No to either. I've bought some rifles that came with hand loaded ammo. I've torn the cartridges down, tossed the powder, and reused the other components.

 

[Thomasss]

So the question for this thread is: Would you ever consider buying somebody else's reloaded ammo and/or have you ever been successful at selling reloads?

Buying reloads at a rummage sale is illegal. But I had the impression that getting stuff inside a family was usually ignored by LEO s.
I've heard of more problems with rummage type reload ammo than I care to remember. You save a buck and lose a $500 gun and maybe a hand and an arm. No thanks.

 

[Hokkmike]

For the record -after reading some response here I will definitely NOT be selling and reloaded ammo... None, nada, zip, zero.