How's Availability Now

[BrewerGeorge]

I had just started researching reloading last year before everything disappeared, so I put the project on the back burner.

Over the intervening months, various friends have remarked that primers and powder are still very hard to find. Now more than a year after Newton, is it getting any better? I'd really like to start loading, but I'm not going to buy the equipment if it's just going to sit there for want of supplies.

 

[Sling10mm]

Powder and primers seem to be getting a little easier to find at the gun shows, but it depends on how picking you want to be about brand/type. Brass and bullets seem to be easy enough to find, for the common calibers anyway.

My recommendation would be to get in slowly, picking up equipment and components when you can find them for reasonable prices. When I started I picked up an RCBS Partner Press kit that had all the equipment needed to get started, including a manual, for around $200. This was maybe eight years ago though. You could always shop around for used equipment too so you don't have to drop as much up front.

Ultimately, I think it is a good investment, even if it takes some time to build up an inventory.

 

[gm652]

I reloaded my first .45 rounds last month. Have reloaded over 3000 rounds so far. It took me a few months to collect all the components before I could start. Primers, brass, and bullets were pretty straight forward to get but the powder was the most challenging. I bought 3 different powders initially to experiment with. I'm out of the one I liked most and now cant find any more in stock.

 

[Meyer]

I am getting into it too. I spend alot of time on the web and have been finding stuff. It is time consuming though and pretty inefficient but the price to pay I guess. I buy alot when I do find the stuff I want.

 

[gm652]

I have heard win 231 is pretty universal powder that works in a lot of diff calibers pistol loads.

 

[raptorracer]

Unique powder is a great powder (when available) for most calibers. Started out years and years ago being a shotgun powder. Since that time it has evolved to a vary popular pistol powder. I use it in many of my "favorite" loads. Really like it in .40 cal s and w. with 165 or 180 bullet components

 

[raptorracer]

Some of the components for basic pistol reloading are starting to be more and more available. Just being patient and not over paying is the key in this crazy days. Subscribe to midway and they send out some pretty good deals on primers. Ordering from Montana gold in bulk for your bullets is a benefit if you like to shoot alot. Keep looking and you will find what you want for a reasonable price. Someone once said patience is the key to all success

 

[85t5mcss]

Quick answer is "yes". It's getting easier but still not great. I like Tiregroup and scored an 8 pounder yesterday locally. I'm also getting powders together for .223 and .308 and grabbed those locally as well. Get the equipment and get it set up.

 

[BogWalker]

I've had to do some shopping around but I've been able to find just about everything in some form somewhere. Might not get your favorite powder or primer brand, but it's to the point where you can get everything you need in some variant rather easily.

 

[45fan]

Never put off until tomorrow what you can buy today. Even if you cannot find the components easily that you are looking for, if you can find the equipment (for a reasonable price) pick it up as you can afford it. For a while when things got really crazy, you could barely find reloading equipment, let alone components.

The various powders, primers, and bullets that you will probably be looking for will be difficult, or seemingly impossible to find, but persistence is your friend. I have been reloading for nearly 10 years on my own, probably closer to 30 years if you count the time spent on the bench with my dad. In that time, I cannot remember ever being able to make a list, go to a single source, and order everything that I was looking for. Times have just been a bit more sparse than usual.

The longer you put off the purchase of hardware, the better the odds are that the prices will go up...

 

[Mosineer]

Checked out a number of my normal haunts the last few days here in the southern area. Primers, boolits, not to bad. Powders, especially pistol powders is slim pick'ins. Heck, Bass Pro yesterday had only 3, yes 3 stinking 1# containers of something (not pistol) on the shelf that was useless for me. Very little pistol ammo of any type. Very little at Bite The Bullet (no pistol powder at all). Rifle and some shotgun powder in Madison. Found some Accurate No. 9 I can use for 44 mag and 500 S&W at 256 Sport and Garden over Austin way. Talking to Dale there, he had no idea when any more powder would come in. He said he was even having problems getting pellets and bb's from his supplier. Anyway long story short. Pistol powders seem slim here. Most everything else available for a price!!! Glad I prepared!!! Too bad I lost it all got lost in the same boating accident as my firearms....