Sierra Bullet Shortage Explained

Originally Posted By: DABSeems like WE are our own worst enemy.



I don't think that it is us [established reloaders] per say, but rather the guys that were caught behind the eight ball, so to say, and the NEW reloaders who have figured out that you can stock pile components cheaper and easier than loaded ammo.



If this ever levels out, it will be fun to go to the swap meets and I am sure some yard sales. Stuff will be in bulk, and CHEAP! When the newbies figure they don't need their stock piles, or at least not all of it, the 'pickn will be good.
 
Originally Posted By: SmokelessOriginally Posted By: DABSeems like WE are our own worst enemy.



I don't think that it is us [established reloaders] per say, but rather the guys that were caught behind the eight ball, so to say, and the NEW reloaders who have figured out that you can stock pile components cheaper and easier than loaded ammo.



If this ever levels out, it will be fun to go to the swap meets and I am sure some yard sales. Stuff will be in bulk, and CHEAP! When the newbies figure they don't need their stock piles, or at least not all of it, the 'pickn will be good.

I would suspect not till we get a much more conservative change in political figures high up. Then they'll get comfortable, and the wife will want them gone and new furniture or a new car/Iphone/deck, etc. Keep some cash handy in a few years.
 
Thank you smokeless for the info. Months ago i would have bought into what Serria and others have put out, especially the popular one's the 223,224,some of the .30,pistol stuff like 9mm, 10's, even .38's, but not any more.

No, i don't have any serious and reasonable explaination for all the shortage. I can understand the dealers asking for more money for a product that is short, however, no matter what supply house i go to lacking powder, primers, projectiles, even the odd one's, just doesn't make sense. OK so everybody bought double or triple what they bought and a few wanted to cash in on the times, but in every supply house. Granted the powder goes to master dealers, jobbers, then to the supply houses, i can see if this were miltary powder, but not civilian powder, and over half the powders are imported and made in other countries.

I've talked to my Canadian friends and there is no shortage up there of any type. Austraila has not stopped makeing powder nor have any of the scandinavian countries or France, Canada and the like. These are all civilian powders, not a blended mix especially for the military.

As i've said previously, i have no explaination for this, there are a lot less re-loaders than ammo buyers. Yes, most people on this type of a blog will reload and shoot much much more than even the other reloaders in the market.

I'll give this another 6 months before the ammo makers, begin to choke on inventory. yes, a lot of guns were sold, which should translate into more shooting of weapons. but that will die down also.

Granted there are no more scares or rumors of "them" coming to outlaw guns. All it takes is to make one componant of reloading off the market and we are out of our sport.
 
Can you only imagine how many bullets are falling off the presses every day? It is mind boggling to think about all those bullets being absorbed every day. Just amazing, to think about the manufacturing capabilities of the modern day and that that effort is not felt on main street.

It's like a black hole that eats components.
 
Quote:there are a lot less re-loaders than ammo buyers....I'm not so sure about that position anymore...While I will agree that those that jumped into the firearm buying frenzy lately, have probably bought what they considered an ample supply of ammo at the time of purchase, I think that only a small percentage of them will actually go out and burn up all of it...Keeping some supply on hand...I know a couple of doctors that had the private connections, with their patients that were retailers, and the available cash to buy heavy and they were not previously into shooting...

However, if your just go back and look at the difference in the number of newer members on this board, and there are many like it in the respect of reloading, there has been an enormous ground swell of new reloaders that are getting involved...

You may be right about future availability at bargain prices through private sales, if and when, the political climate changes in the future, however, I didn't see a lot of that following the '94 AWB, or when it expired in '04...Prices for firearm accessories came down, but reloading components stayed about the same...
 
Originally Posted By: OldTurtle
However, if your just go back and look at the difference in the number of newer members on this board, and there are many like it in the respect of reloading, there has been an enormous ground swell of new reloaders that are getting involved...

Might be interesting to have a poll on this topic.
Click to expand...
 
While there has been a huge boost in the numbers of reloaders created by the latest scare the percentage to ammo BUYERS is still relatively low I would guess. I agree there has been a big jump on forums like PM and others in questions and discussions about reloading. It's actually a good thing for all parties if that trend to roll your on continues but I am afraid that most will fall by the wayside as the market gets back to normal.
I have helped set-up a couple of friends in the last few months and since we loaded that first batch and got them off and running NOT one has loaded a round since.
 
Yep, I recently had a guy give me a XL650 with 4 sets of dies and conversion kits. He bought it when "O" was elected the first time and never loaded a single round on it. He said as long as I would do his reloading for him, he would buy the components.
 
When I took an interest in the type of shooting that doesn't involve the target shooting back, it was prior the 2008 election. When ammo got hard to find I took to reloading. I got myself a Forster Coax and the related pieces and parts. Components were VERY HARD TO FIND. Eventually we were able to find Componants again. The catch is it never got as easy to find as it was before anyone ever heard of Obama. I decided that I would never be caught flatfooded. Since then I have added a Dillon XL650, built an AR15, and I'm still working through primers I bought in 2008.

The point I am trying to make is components will once abain be avalible, but I fear it will never get back to where it was. There is to much fear amoung shooters. A classic example is me. When ever I can acutually find componants, I either buy all I can afford or what ever limit the vender has in place. I do this even if I have a good bit on hand. Why? Because we all know we are only a pen stroke away from it getting much worse. If you live in California, or the upper east coast, this goes double for you.

I don't even load 9mm because its too cheap to buy. I do however save my brass and have a set of dies. So far I put up 5,000 primers, and 1000 projectiles in case I have to start. When I find more projectiles and powder I'll put them up too.

We are a long way from being out of the woods. Why? Because there are to many people like me who are afraid of an uncertan shooting future. I don't hoard, for hoading sake. In better times I tried my best to shoot at least 1000 round a month, and more when I could. Obviously I can't to that right now because I can't replenish compants that fast. I may have to face the fact that I just won't be able to shoot that much anymore. I really hope I'm wrong but right now I don't think I am. This is a long way from being over.
 
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It will go nack to mormal eventually, this isnt our first rodeo. Unfortunately not even the first time this decade. At some point hoarders stop hoarding, people dont stay scared indefinitelyand panic buying stops. Then supply starts catching up with demand. Some places are seeing a slow return of stock, but its slow.

Then the good starts. The panic buyers decide they panicked for nothing, they see a room full if guns they bought only because they were affraid. And they decide they want their money back and sell. But because lots of people are doing the same, they sell cheap.

By my ballpark figuring of history, thats in about 18 months.
 
Originally Posted By: NdIndyIt will go nack to mormal eventually, this isnt our first rodeo. Unfortunately not even the first time this decade. At some point hoarders stop hoarding, people dont stay scared indefinitelyand panic buying stops. Then supply starts catching up with demand. Some places are seeing a slow return of stock, but its slow.

Then the good starts. The panic buyers decide they panicked for nothing, they see a room full if guns they bought only because they were affraid. And they decide they want their money back and sell. But because lots of people are doing the same, they sell cheap.

By my ballpark figuring of history, thats in about 18 months. When we get to that point maybe I can score another Dillon on the cheap. You are right about one thing. The pendulum will swing back in our favor. I do however don't think the prices will come completely back to pre panic levels. When I look in my safe I don't see anything I would ever sell unless something beyond my control forced my hand. I shoot the snot out of my AR 15 and even managed to score a replacement barrel during all the panic buying. When the powder supplies start coming back I'll make sure I order enough to last me through another dry spell. This isn't the last rodeo for sure.
 
I would fit the category of new reloaded. I just can't find the ammo I use for my 243, so I bought the components and my backyard neighbor will do the work. I probably will only burn 150 rounds per year, but when I can't find the factory loads I want , I made the move.
 
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