Thread: Rimfire Ammo Shortage...

Originally Posted by HNSB

Chris - if you cast your own bullets and figure about six loads per piece of brass, you can load just about any handgun caliber for under 15 cents / round.
(This assumes component prices haven't gone up in the last couple of years. The last time I had to buy powder or primers was a couple of years ago)

This also assumes you have all of the equipment necessary to cast, resize/lube, and finally load the cartridges. No small investment and a lot of lead has to go downrange before you start getting in the black side of the ledger. We won't count time spent to reload, especially if you are on a single stage press. I know, horse and buggy nowadays, but increases the cost per round exponentially if you count labor.

Oh yeah.
I forgot about all of that.

It's just like how I'm saving money by shaving with a straight razor. (when I overlook the thousands of dollars I have invested in it)


Regarding the cost, assuming someone already has the reloading equipment, it's pretty cheap to get into casting. A cheap Lee mold will get you started and form good bullets, lead can be melted in an old cast iron pan on a gas burner and poured with a slightly modified gravy ladle. A person might need to invest in a sizing die - most modern bullet molds cast pretty good bullets, the sizer would only really be needed if the finished case diameter is too big, or if a post sizing die is causing a loose fit from the brass to the lead.
OTOH... If a person doesn't have any loading equipment yet, it'll be a fair investment to get started.

Originally Posted by HNSB

Oh yeah.

Regarding the cost, assuming someone already has the reloading equipment, it's pretty cheap to get into casting. A cheap Lee mold will get you started and form good bullets, lead can be melted in an old cast iron pan on a gas burner and poured with a slightly modified gravy ladle. A person might need to invest in a sizing die - most modern bullet molds cast pretty good bullets, the sizer would only really be needed if the finished case diameter is too big, or if a post sizing die is causing a loose fit from the brass to the lead.OTOH... If a person doesn't have any loading equipment yet, it'll be a fair investment to get started.

Sounds like there might be some math involved, better if I just hide out behind the Wal Mart & catch the truck, as it is unloading the rationed ammo. It arrives between 4:30am & 5:00am.

Forget about hand loading for the time being. Primers and powder are more scarce than factory loaded ammo. And, from what I've read, ammo manufacturers have first dibs on current production primers and powder. Gun stores near me have re-arranged the shelves where reloading components used to be. The shelves that previously held primers are now stocked with shotgun wads. There is no space allocated for primers.

If you have a big sporting goods store like Bass Pro or Cabelas, look there for ammo. Seems like they get bigger shipments in. You have to get it before everyone cleans them out though.

this brings me back to when i used to shoot 5stand 2 times a week and sporting clays every weekend ... i used to sit infront of a mecjr. and load shotguns shells for HOURS !!!

i know a lot of the police departments my way have switched to shooting the S&W ar that is a .22 ( ive been told ) and maybe the case around the country .. a tri-county range master by me told me that was part of a big push by S&W to get there handguns into the police departments and ar's by basically showing low cost cost trainning and everything pretty much being identical to the .223 on the .22 gun ... makes sense but i dont know if it is part of a shortage ...

Alls I know is .22 is selling on forums for twice what it was in stores last I bought (a few months ago). I'm mighty glad I picked up enough to last the last time I went shopping.

Same here in PA cannot find ammo and when it comes in they limit you on how much you can buy I'm surprised like every one else can't find 22 anywhere figures be shortage of 5.56 but never 22s

It's the same in the area that I live in in Norway. Some handgun calibers are getting hard to find.
Specially 9mm. I don't know about the .22LR I have a bunch that I bought last year. And I mostly shoot .45 anyway.
4 or 5 of us in the local gun-club got together and bought the ammo we needed in 9mm, .40 and .45 and various rifle calibers from a whole-seller / dealer that ships them from a different part of Norway.

Went to the gun show today and there was no ammo shortage. A 500 round brick of 22lr was $60.00 though. So it is out there but be prepared to pay 3 times what it was to get it. Same with any assault type rifles. ARs and AKs are way up there if you want one.

Way up there and climbing. I went to a store a couple weeks ago to pick up a lower. I almost fell over when I seen the $3699.99 price tag on a very low end AR. They wanted $65.00 for 30 round mags there too.