Componant shortage

[Toepopper]

Reloading components are still very hard to find. The DHS and military have issued large purchasing orders and suppliers must take care of them first, before anything can be released to the civilian market. For handloaders, all the powder is gone, primers are spotty and when you find them you can only purchase 200 at a time. To get bullets you must be standing there in the store when they set them on the shelf and immediately grab what you can get. One source of projectiles that sells exclusively to the civilian market is the Montana Gold Bullet Co. They are located in Kalispell Montana. I ordered some 45 cal handgun bullets from them and they shot just fine. You can order direct from their factory, one case of each caliber per week. One case holds 1000 bullets so that amount can keep a reloader busy for a while.
I talked to a gun shop owner who sells reloading components and he told me they were having such a hard time getting powder they were going to stop ordering it. All powder is now being made overseas in places like Australia, the Czech Republic, Canada and Sweden, then imported into the U.S.

[Watchman]

That's scary! Guvmint is exerting control through the back door ----- since they regulated all imports.

[308gun]

That is true , last 2 gun shows were almost no powers, for reloading, a few lead bullets, a few primers and most was from Russia. Look to see the UN arms treaty to dry up this too...I look to see ammo cost to sky rocket next year, still looking for 22 long rifle, have some , but gun shops have not got any this year in my area....

[Toepopper]

There is no 22 ammo here either. The ammunition manufacturers are using their 22 making equipment to produce 5.56 for the military, same equipment but different tooling which can be changed over to make either round.

[Watchman]

Report from Free Wyoming........No 22 ammo whatsoever in three sporting goods stores. Though I am not a reloader, there is plenty of powder and primers. Looked at a Bersa Thunder 40S&W for our son for a year-end bonus from the business.

[308gun]

Had some reports Bersa pistols having jam problems, I got a Hi-point 40 S&W this year to have a pistol in 40 S&W shot 4 boxes in it NO jams, and cost $ 189.00 Hi-Point gives live time free factory repairs and is 100 % American made. and it shot great groups... Just saying and now you can get the carbine in 40 S&W and it will use same mags. as pistol a double plus...

[Toepopper]

Well, I guess the handgun reloading will be curtailed until powder becomes available once again. I can't find any pistol powder of any type anywhere in this country. None, nada, zero. On Memorial Day I received phone calls from friends in Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Nevada, Washington State and Texas, every one of these people are avid shooters and reloaders but they are out of powder too. There are small amounts of projectiles and primers available but they need powder to complete the process to make things go bang. Last week the farm bureau released a bid for one and a half million rounds of ammunition and any govt contract gets filled before these components reach the civilian market so the powder shortage may not end until Mr Obama leaves office.

[Watchman]

I might as well use this to give a trip report to the Fremont County Wyoming Memorial Day Gun Show. I wish I had known of your needs - I saw a LOT of powder but did not look to see what kind. Read between the lines. The show used to occupy one of the fairground buildings, now it is jam-packed into TWO buildings. Tons of weapons of all types including 'long-range marksmanship'. Was able to pick up 200 rounds of .38SPCL, 158GR, HP, for $20 a box. Much better than a retail store. This was re-loaded ammo by the guy who had the huge table. There are a lot of people who would not BUY re-loaded ammo but I felt good about him - he was retired military. I inspected the casings and they were pristine - did not look like old, multiple-re-used cartridges. Something I noticed but never noticed before is that many people offered BAGS of shell casings. Don't know if they were scavenged or bought from a manufacturer. At any rate there was incredible amounts of re-loading supplies. I had a Ruger .22 commemorative copy of a Buntline Special that I gave to my oldest son over the past weekend and he is tickled pink. Speaking of pink, next weekend we are going on our monthly trip to the range with "pinky", my 9mm FNP, a 22/45 target pistol, probably a 40S&W. Wouldn't ever want to get in my wife's way - she has really taken to her Charter Arms .38 Pinky and handles it real good.

[308gun]

Will be a gun show my area next month, anyhow was reloading this week and found out that I was all out of pistol primers , so now I need small and large pistol primers too, and powers, and bullets too.. Let you know what I find , have ammo on hand for target shooting, and local stores not selling any reload stuff, small amounts ammo but prices are sky high.. Are the good old day gone??

[acet7]

No stuff is coming back slowly. I saw lots of rimers at my last show but didnt pay attention to the price as I have stock.

[knobster]

I'm so glad we've come out of this shortage. I started reloading Christmas of 2012. Yeah, right around Sandy Hook shooting... Spent the next year or so wondering where all the components were. Thankfully the shelves are once again fully stocked (pistol powder may be hit or miss at times though). Any extra cash I find usually finds itself being traded for another box of primers or bottle of powder though. Just in case.

[308gun]

primers and powers are now back in good supply, some bullets get hard to find local , but the internet supply is great now...