I am sick of not being able to find any practice .22 ammo. Last time I was at Perry I picked up 4 cases of CMP's white box Aquilla Standard Velocity to use in matches. When I asked the clerk at the local Walmart this afternoon, they said they are always sold out anymore, but would be getting a shipment in at 7:00 this evening.
They're quoting arrival time of the delivery trucks now???
Everything else I load myself. Even cast most of my pistol bullets from range pickup and wheel weights. Still have to buy jacketed hardball and rifle bullets. Bullets are expensive, but not hard to find. The powder and primers are both expensive and hard to find. The trick is to just not let yourself run low on ammo or components. Things don't look to get less expensive any time soon.
If you are going to be shooting very much at all, it is worth the time to start loading ammo yourself. At the very least, start saving your brass now. Pick up good range brass left by others. The reloading equipment is really no cost at all since you will almost always be able to sell it down the road for more than you paid for it on Ebay or second hand now. The presses and carbide dies do not wear out. A box of .45s cost me around $1.57/50 to make and are more accurate than anything you can buy at a store. 9mm used to cost me less than $2/50 rounds, but that was when I was buying jacketed bullets and when other components were cheaper. .223 are costing me $4/20 rounds since I am buying the bullets, but they will still hold the X ring at 600 yards (just wish I could).
I just hope that cigars never increase in price as fast ammo cost has. Don't want to think about how nasty my own rolled cigars might taste.
They're quoting arrival time of the delivery trucks now???
Everything else I load myself. Even cast most of my pistol bullets from range pickup and wheel weights. Still have to buy jacketed hardball and rifle bullets. Bullets are expensive, but not hard to find. The powder and primers are both expensive and hard to find. The trick is to just not let yourself run low on ammo or components. Things don't look to get less expensive any time soon.
If you are going to be shooting very much at all, it is worth the time to start loading ammo yourself. At the very least, start saving your brass now. Pick up good range brass left by others. The reloading equipment is really no cost at all since you will almost always be able to sell it down the road for more than you paid for it on Ebay or second hand now. The presses and carbide dies do not wear out. A box of .45s cost me around $1.57/50 to make and are more accurate than anything you can buy at a store. 9mm used to cost me less than $2/50 rounds, but that was when I was buying jacketed bullets and when other components were cheaper. .223 are costing me $4/20 rounds since I am buying the bullets, but they will still hold the X ring at 600 yards (just wish I could).
I just hope that cigars never increase in price as fast ammo cost has. Don't want to think about how nasty my own rolled cigars might taste.