I continue to wonder at the selection, or lack therof, loaded ammunition. I've been reloading for more years than I want to think about, but components are getting hard to come by. I can understand "military" calibers being i short supply, but propellant and primers..? Government contracts can explain part of it but powders that aren't in their inventories seem short too. Or has our seige mentality caused all this? I've got more hunting loads than I'll probably ever use, but rimfire .17 caliber? First it was they couldn't make it fast enough, but pricing has gone from $8 to almost $14 a box for 50 rounds of 17 HMR. Ouch! But it's still cheaper than therapy.
ScopedIn Forums » Equipment Discussion » Ammunition
Ammunition availability
(2 posts)-
GPR125
MemberPosted 7 months ago # -
admin
Key MasterI'm sure many readers feel exactly the same. It seems like years since obtaining primers was a trivial undertaking; powder's not much better, and apart from the scarcity, prices are heading through the roof.
I think the supply scarcity is a combination of the factors you cited. Given that the shooting sports were somewhat stagnant in the late 20th century, manufacturers probably haven't expanded their capacity much in recent times, and the Middle East engagements pushed demand to near capacity.
But, the stuff was still available before Obamamania. Now, everyone's afraid that the next pound of powder or box of primers will be their last, and they're buying and hoarding. Same thing happened with firearms sales shortly after the 2008 election. Remember how hard it was to get, say, an AR-15 lower a year ago? Ironically, Obama's doing what I feared he might: making it tougher to shoot. The only wrinkle is, he's not doing it with regulation, but rather by fueling explosive growth in demand.
I do think hope is on the horizon, though. A source at Federal told me that they were about to open a third production line for primers that would greatly increase their output. I have to imagine similar efforts are going on at Hodgdon, Hornady and other leading suppliers of reloading components. The stuff's going to be expensive, since we consumers have proven that we're willing to bear the higher prices, but at least it will be available.
Hang in there...
Posted 7 months ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.