Are reloading supplies loosening up?

[VBSB761]

Snagged some Federal 215Ms online last week. Not sickeningly expensive, as you say, but 2.5x what they would have been two years ago. Powders are the real weak link for me anyways, have seen few if any of the good ones showing up at local stores.

Still seems like reloading is the way to go. Not only are quality factory rifle loads $3-$4 per round, but supply is low enough to be a real pain and cause guys to cancel trips. I personally sleep way better knowing I can load however much of my own stuff I need.

 

[MFG_BOP]

I suspect that this may be local...but maybe not. The last few months I've certainly seen more powder flowing through my local retailer (Brunos) -- Vihtavuori, Alliant, some Accurate, Ramshot and IMR powders too. Notable that the powders showing up are all sourcing from inside North America or from Europe, i.e., they are shipping across the Atlantic not trans-Pacific, the latter being a bit of a log jam right now. No Hodgdon ADI-made powders, but that's no surprise since the Australian government turned its country into a decent impersonation of the Gulag thanks to COVID. (I suspect that drove Hodgdon's acquisition of Accurate/Ramshot, but what do I know?)
Primers though, as you likely know full well, have been as rare as rocking horse sh*t. Some CCI BR, #34 and 41s but that's about it. This last week though I've been able to get CCI LR Magnum and today Federal GM LR Magnum primers from Midway. And not at "Mrs Potterfield needs more new shoes" prices either, although the HAZMAT+shipping makes me wince on a box of 1K.
Am I just lucky or are others seeing this beast turn around some?
I should say I've been OK during the shortages, largely due to a decade of overbuying and a few lucky finds. Bullets, now for me, are more of an issue than powder and primers as there are still some I just can't find.

spot on with the gulag thing hahah... new zealand is going the same way

 

[AckleymanII]

Nosler bullets, Sierra bullets, Speer bullets....where the heck are they? Rem and Win bullets have dried up....perhaps gone forever.

Primers, what primers?

You see some powder, or at least hear of a few dribbles of powder, gone like a flash in the pan.

 

[BlueWater]

Are reloading supplies loosening up?

It's definitely hit and miss, but I'd say overall: no, it's not yet.


A few more shipments of spartan quantities seem to have hit the "big" online shops (ie, MidwayUSA, Grafs, MidSouth, Natchez, etc). I've seen a few jugs of powders in the past two months that I've not seen for almost a year. And when quantities do appear, often within an hour or two (if not moments) that supply's snapped-up by folks.

As for primers, I haven't seen pricing budge, nor availability. A few here, a few there, mostly for objectionable prices.

Lots more bullets seem to be arriving. But still not enough to satisfy demand for more than a day or two.

I'm sure there are a few lucky sods who have a decent shop or two nearby that's gotten small supplies of "useful" items. ("Useful" meaning those items people most need, are down to the dregs on, etc).

I've got more than a couple years' worth of supplies right now, so I'm keeping my eyes open but not too worried. I'll catch the occasional "deal" on items when they come around for reasonable prices. But with how much I'm shooting, I can last a good long while.

Am always watching for a nearby estate sale (in my area). Hopefully I'll catch two or three of these in the coming year. By which time perhaps supplies will begin to increase. Time will tell.

 

[Kea]

Yep,can't get primers, powder or bullets down here in NZ as all the shipping is pacific coast to china and back. Wholesale suppliers are holding back deliveries as shortage of transport.

 

[topclass2017]

FWIW, and recognizing my sample size is 1...I work at an outdoors store central TX. In general, ammo is available at our store, albeit not all calibers at all times. And the prices are reasonable and not inflated. The days of 20-30 people outside at opening waiting to rush the ammo aisle are long in the rear-view mirror. Until quite recently reloading components other than the occasional Hornady or Sierra bullets were scarce to non-existent. In the last week we have received some cases of 1# powder, H335 and BLC-(2), and 2 cases of cci450 primers. Powders were $33.99/pound, primers $64.99/1000. Our shelf with bullets is (relatively) stocked if you want Hornady or Sierra .22 or .30 caliber bullets.

So my response to the OP, again based on an extremely limited sample size, is, yes, things are beginning to turn to the better.

 

[Kurz]

As for primers, I haven't seen pricing budge, nor availability. A few here, a few there, mostly for objectionable prices.

I had a little bit of time while a program was running so I thought I would look for some Primers, Small Rifle Magnum, in stock and for sale. Results:

The vast majority of the websites (4 pages of search suggestions) which showed in stock and for sale were fraudulent sites calling for Zell, Bitcoin, no credit cards, etc. as payment. The prices were good, as one would expect; $29.99/1000 was the lowest with $56.00/1000 for the highest. It was interesting that most of these called for minimum purchase price of $200.00 or more before you could use the checkout system...

The 3 major known websites that showed in stock were for the CCI #450 or #41 type primers. Prices were as shown above, $75.99/1000 as the lowest and $150/1000 as the highest. Most which showed as out of stock listed prices in the $80 - $90/1000 range.

No interest at this price level.

Enjoy!