Poll: Reloading. Which components are most important to get your hands on?

beginners-guide-to-reloading-ammo-equipmentI remember when Barack Obama was first elected. Ammo was flying off the shelves. I had gotten my hands on a few boxes, but most stores in my area were limiting customers to a couple, and prices were nuts.

In March 2009, USA Today reported that concerns about the Obama administration imposing a new ban on some semiautomatic weapons drove gun owners to stockpile ammunition and cartridge reloading components at such a rate, that manufacturers were having problems meeting demand.

In Wyoming, the run on bullets and reloading components reached such a frenzy that Cheyenne retailer Frontier Arms recently began rationing sales, said Becky Holtz, co-owner of the shop. Holtz said she’s also been selling semiautomatic rifles as fast as she can put them on the shelves.

“You know there’s something wrong when I’ve got little old ladies coming in buying 5,000 rounds of .22 shells,” Holtz said.

I remember the guy I was dating at the time was a reloader. We would go to the range, and then we’d police all the brass others had left behind. The brass seemed to be what he lacked most. (Although that may have been because he had an actual armory in his house filled with dozens of various rifles.)

It does seem like people are preparing yet again as Election 2016 approaches.  Much like any other critical supplies ( think milk and bread lines at the grocery store before every severe storm warning or plywood and nails in coastal areas when hurricane warnings occur), reloading supplies are a must when we are expecting a societal storm.

So, for you reloaders out there – what components are most critical to you? Reply below. Explain in comments. Think.

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10 thoughts on “Poll: Reloading. Which components are most important to get your hands on?”

  1. I can not reply to this poll. All of the components listed are critical for reloading, as are the tools required to do so. With the partial exception of brass, all of the components listed are expendable items. (Even if you cast your own bullets, you consume lead in the process.) If you are stockpiling against projected shortages, it is impossible to say in advance what artificialities our beloved government might introduce into the supply chain to limit our ability to reload. Personally, I’m stocking up on everything. It doesn’t go bad, and I’ll make room.

    1. Well, sure, but the question is more about which ones you think will be in critical shortage, and would therefore go out and buy in bulk right now in anticipation.

  2. I remember the generated primer shortage during the Klinton Riech I’m sure that will happen again. I have a lot of them now, and I try to buy powder every chance I get . There are a lot of youngsters out shooting their AR’s at pistol distances who never had to deal with anything other than the present manufactured shortage; who leave brass everywhere. I pick up every bit of brass every time I go to the range, I do cast; I have buddies who scrap for a subsistence and lead isn’t (for some reason) paying real well right now. so I trade for it, I’ve learned a lot of good tips going to the cast Boolits website about alloying and coating. I’ve done some experiments with swaging, but the results will get better if I do more, Time is tight now.

  3. I think primers and powder are more likely to be restricted in the near future. I can cast bullets and brass is reusable a few times at least.

  4. I vote for primers because they are the most difficult for me to produce. I have been reloading my own ammo since about 1952. I learned how to and have made my own priming compound and various types of propellant, including cordite. For the primers I recycle used primers saving the anvil and flattening the the firing pin dipple as I call the little bump left inside the primer. Both making propellant and primers is a pain in the neck but can be done if you are careful (plenty of information on internet and classic reloading manuals) . There are lots of sources for projectile material from wheel weights to mining the backstop berms at local ranges to salvaged boat balast . If things go HOT there will be no shortage of brass laying around and if you do your job correctly there will be plenty of live ammo and weapons lying around for the picking. All this assuming you are training regularly, have backup weapons, stockpiled ammo and components and are learning as many new skills as you can master; in that case you probably won’t have to worry about and ammo shortage.

    1. Bob, I never understood the difference between smokeless powder and cordite. if no bother please explain. Also which one is easier to make at home.

  5. To reload or not to reload that is the question.

    I don’t reload.

    I have enough ammo to last my lifetime, if you know what I mean. If however I happen which I think is impossible to use up all that ammo & still be a kicking IMHO I would have ample resupply opportunities in the process.

    I send a lot of time at the range, save all the brass (brass is money & is good for barter) have thought often about starting to reload or just investing into the equipment & supplies to do so however I just end up instead buying more ammo.

    I have other weapons, slingshot, bow, and way to many things with sharp edges but one thing I have thought about is black powder, you can cast your own bullets and make black powder, being a Civil War buff I have even visited some of the southern saltpeter mines however the big question in my mind is would I live long enough to run out of my ammo and still be needing to make black powder, I’m still going with the resupply opportunities being abundant if I did?

    One other thought is if ammo drys up than so will reloading supplies soon thereafter IMHO.

    However I can’t think of a better hobby if you have the time and I have good friends who do, which are good friends to have.

  6. Powder & primers are going to probably going to be make or break for reloaders.
    Brass is reusable several times. Neck sizing extends the life.
    Projectiles can be molded from recycled metal once you’ve got a smelter and mold.
    What about spare decapping pins?
    Lock rings and set screws?
    Sizing lubricant?
    Batteries for a powder scale?
    A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. What about some ‘spare links’? The reloading process is dependent on many items that may or may not be replaceable. The loss of any one little piece may render your entire reloading operation inoperable.
    But generally, I think powder and primers are worth stocking up on.

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