Sorry to hear about your loss. Was this an overflowing nearby river or plumbing failure? We live on a high spot about 550 feet above the Illinois/Mississippi Rivers twenty miles away. If we ever get flooding Noah had better be building the ark. Our water is supplied by a well which would run dry filling the basement to one or two inches. You are certainly correct that reloading 9mm does not make financial sense. Nearby St. Louis has housing that floods to the ceiling of the basement and higher.

quote:

Originally posted by Gene Hillman:
Sorry to hear about your loss. Was this an overflowing nearby river or plumbing failure? We live on a high spot about 550 feet above the Illinois/Mississippi Rivers twenty miles away. If we ever get flooding Noah had better be building the ark. Our water is supplied by a well which would run dry filling the basement to one or two inches. You are certainly correct that reloading 9mm does not make financial sense. Nearby St. Louis has housing that floods to the ceiling of the basement and higher.

Gene-
We live next to a stream/creek that feeds into the Ohio River. This was (supposedly) a 100-year-type flood. Time will tell.
When we finish rebuilding, the next house will be on higher ground.

"Yeah I reload for accuracy not cost." That's pretty much my situation as well, for the most part. But I do have several guns that can only be fed by reloading: I have to form the brass in two instances. Too, it's only 9mm that's close to reload cost in my view.

The previous panic changed my buying habits from just enough for a month or two; to years long supply. As the price for primers, brass and powder stabilized, I bought enough for a decade's shooting for me and selected friends and family. It was a good move...

This primer shortage, though, is one that I'd not anticipated. But while I was acquiring other staples, I luckily laid in a supply with an average price I'd estimate to be $30/1000, & in all the four sizes.

These shortages have high lighted another threat to our exercise of our 2nd Amendment rights. It's not just the restrictions on guns/ownership; if the political left can dry up ammunition (w/high prices, excessive tax on any & all components, out-lawing specific calibers etc., outlawing lead as the primary component in bullets as in Kalifornia), they'll effectively have taken our guns in a generation. Read and heed fellow patriots. Best Regards, Rod

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rodfac,

My shooting dropped off with covid. I had stocked well during the Obama early years, and I'm sitting on a rest of my life stock. Still, I buy factory, because I won't let anyone but me shoot my reloads until, well, you have to shoot these. I shoot mine, and I love the accuracy. My son will benefit greatly from my reloading plant and stock. I have almost 40000 primers that I paid 20/k for. I sold what I considered excess. I like reloading, gives me something to do when the range is frozen, or mud

quote:

I won't let anyone but me shoot my reloads

Good advice right here! I have people who ask me if I would sell them reloads. Nope, Nada, it's a liability. I only had one person shoot my reloads, and he was a trusted friend. Never had a problem, but there's always that ONE time!!!!

A few months later now, and I am beginning to shop for a press, etc in hopes of starting back up reloading by summer time.

Which coincides with when we might be moving back in to the house.

.38 spl going for $469/k is the driving factor. I’ve seen .327 Fed. Mag. going for $1-2 per round on Gun Broker. Insanity.

I only load .223, .357 mag, .44 mag, and 45-70. If I had to start over, it wouldn’t be that difficult. The obvious wildcard is will all the components reappear and at reasonable prices.

I also lost all my reloading equipment in a flood. I never reloaded for 9mm, though. It just didn't make sense economically. You needed to reload hundreds or thousands on a progressive press to save any money or not take more time than it was worth.

I reloaded for .357 and a number of rifle rounds.

I never reloaded for an economic advantage.
I reload to get a better load designed for my weapons.
Only I reload just rifle rounds.
Bonus to me as an avid DIY guy is I like to do it.
Luckily, I am well stocked at pre-apocalyptic prices so maybe there is a bit of economic motivation in there after all.

jhe-
You’re right that loading 9mm doesn’t make much sense. However, it is absolutely great for making thousands of custom mild-power rounds to shoot in the USPSA and Steel Challenge games. Really lets you tailor the rounds to the gun.

Where reloading comes in to play for me is it allows me to seat bullets ideally for my handgun I use in competition and get the power factor right over the minor requirement.

I could easily buy factory rounds and probably spend exactly the same, once I factor in the the components and my time, but I like having the additional confidence and consistency in my loads.

I haven't reloaded since getting married and moving. We combined 2+ households into one, and still haven't jettisoned enough stuff to set up my bench. That was just as the pandemic arrived.

But I had already stocked up on commercial ammo when it was cheap. I probably have a lifetime supply of all but 9mm.

Loading super wimpy rifle rounds for the WWII rifles so that the young kids can shoot them is my main reason for keeping my reloading equipment.

Cost is a factor but not hugely for me. The stupid expensive calibers such as the WWII rifles became less expensive, and I just don't shoot them much.

I do enjoy loading as a DIY kind of person. I hope to get at least one of the grandchildren interested in the hobby.

I understand your plight. I don't save anything, but I do get what I want. 9mm made to my specs, same with 6.5 cm and 308. 6 GT, though... There's not much in the way of factory offerings for ammo (limited to Hornady, and my opinion is that the presses and most of the accessories suck their ammo leaves a lot to be desired.

I only load 3 calibers, 9mm, 44 mag (and special), and 45/70.

The only one that really makes economic sense seems to be 45/70. That's about $2.50 a round from the factory. The 44 is maybe a little cheaper to reload. I'm thinking of possibly loading 10mm.


.

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:
I'm thinking of possibly loading 10mm.

.

When I do rejoin the reloading world here in a few months, 10mm will be an addition to .327 Fed. Mag., 9mm, .38/.357 and .223
It will be nice to shoot affordable ammo again.

I've got an insane little man cave reloading room after downsizing when we became empty-nesters and we moved into a smaller 2100 sf home where I was relegated to the small room off the garage. Hundreds of pounds of powder, 10s of 1000s of projectiles, 10s of 1000s of primers, 10s of 1000s of pieces of empty prepped brass .... literally.

Not shooting competitively anylonger, I sold all three of my Dillons and kept a couple of Rock Chuckers, a Rebel, a Partner and a T7. Kept my scales and chargers and the little stuff.

Everything has been paid-for for a few decades for the most part, a couple of years for the other stuff. I'd hate for anything to happen to it all that would force me to start over again, other than the occasional powder, pill or primer resupply I engage-in these days.

I doubt I would start over. I'd probably come to the same conclusion as you OP but, as others have posted, I do it for therapy, as a hobby, and to dial-in my favorite loads for each firearm. I have pet loads for my 9s, so I reload for them as well.

Shooting 300 BLK, especially the subsonics, is too espensive buying over the counter. Piling-up personal defense loads, home defense loads, in just about anything ... is too expensive over the counter.

Surplus milspec 5.56 is fine, but when you load 77 gr smks it's a lot cheaper than over the counter from Black Hills or whomever.

It just all depends upon what you shoot I guess, as to whether or not it's worth it in the long run. Also, it depends upon in what stage of life you are imho.

Gallo-
Yours are thoughts to consider.
I’m 10 years from retirement. Still very active. Used to do 30 Steel Challenge matches per year.
I like the process of reloading. I use the ammo regularly.
When we move back this summer, I will rebuild the reloading setup, chunk by chunk. It’s nothing a lot of time and some money cannot overcome.