Are reloading supplies loosening up?

[Woofie]

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.

 

[BigWyoming]

I think things are getting better, but we are just a small crisis away from it falling off again.

 

[Fuj]

It's trickling, but still in the wrong direction. Maybe if the ships
at anchor log jam gets cleared, things could brighten up a bit.
Right now we are all playing whack-a-mole.

 

[Mark W]

I have discord set up for in stock notifications. I have definitely been receiving way more notifications in the past couple of weeks.

 

[Spike A]

A friend is in ND duck hunting and went to a sportsman store…not sure which one… but they got a large shipment of 100 or so boxes of primers… federal match… he doesn’t reload rifles… but I may have spit and sputtered and asked him how much he’s comfortable with spending haha… noo I’m not greedy brick of small rifle and 2 of large…

 

[john 800]

Yes, I have seen more suplies locally in the last three weeks pr so than I have in a while, vv powders, with a few others, a few primers, ammo is getting better each week as well. Bullets and lead shot are gaining also

 

[Retired Grunt]

I haven't really been out locally to search for components, I was using Berger 140 VLD's. I haven't seen any in months, I was down to 100 or so. I made the plunge and got 1000 Lapua 139 Scenar's.

 

[iukamedic]

I have seen more components showing up in the stores. All higher priced.

 

[rebel]

This is what I tell my customers - it's a trickle, like a water hose compared to the Mississippi.

 

[Kurz]

For decades, we reloaders have crowed and bragged about how smart we are to buy cheaper components and load our own ammunition for less than factory ammunition. We constantly bragged about the superior performance of our reloaded ammunition when compared to factory ammunition. (there are exceptions, of course...)

Well those days are coming to an end and we (reloaders) will start paying a significant increase in the cost of those components, there is no doubt of this as we are seeing this currently. Prices rarely if ever come down. We may see some slight relief from the excessive gouging but the reality of higher prices is here and we have no one to blame except ourselves. Capitulating to some of these higher prices only serves to set the pole at that increased level or potentially even higher.

There are dozens of reasons which have contributed to our current reality, not just one or two. Every support system in The US has failed or is failing because we sat back and ignored the potential for these failures. We wring our hands but do nothing to help curtail the problems.

 

[drop_point]

supply<demand

 

[SShooterZ]

I remember buying 25 lbs bags of lead shot for $13 from the club 15-20 years ago. Demand of lead went through the roof and bags went to $45 per bag. Haven’t seen them come down much since.

 

[Road_Clam]

As long as gun guy's panic every time they read on the 'net that there "might" be a supply issue or worse, political atmosphere fear , we will have continued major supply/demand issues causing seriously elevated reloading component costs. I spent every extra penny over the past 6 years building a huge reloading component inventory, thus I have not had to step foot in a LGS for the past 2 years. I have 93K primers of which I paid about $32 / per 1K. Unfortunately they won't last forever and i'm seeing that the new norm for primers is $90 per 1k . It is what it is, when it comes to guns and ammo we act upon fear , never calm logic..

 

[Davidb187]

I'm stocked for the next 10 years sooo... F them.
Also started making my own bullets in the mean times..

 

[Woofie]

For decades, we reloaders have crowed and bragged about how smart we are to buy cheaper components and load our own ammunition for less than factory ammunition. We constantly bragged about the superior performance of our reloaded ammunition when compared to factory ammunition. (there are exceptions, of course...)

Well those days are coming to an end and we (reloaders) will start paying a significant increase in the cost of those components, there is no doubt of this as we are seeing this currently. Prices rarely if ever come down. We may see some slight relief from the excessive gouging but the reality of higher prices is here and we have no one to blame except ourselves. Capitulating to some of these higher prices only serves to set the pole at that increased level or potentially even higher.

There are dozens of reasons which have contributed to our current reality, not just one or two. Every support system in The US has failed or is failing because we sat back and ignored the potential for these failures. We wring our hands but do nothing to help curtail the problems.

I appreciate the point of view but only partially agree in that I think we have taught our suppliers that yes, we will bear higher pricing, across the board.
We were hit with a black swan event, aided and abetted by a confluence of other significant sociological factors and what we now see as the fragility of the global supply chain that we *all* rely, or relied, on.
But I look elsewhere for the real problem. Wall Street, and more to the point, the public company executives in companies like Vista whose quarterly bonuses must have become huge out of all their expectations (Vista's investor preso here: https://s24.q4cdn.com/982007713/fil...nvestor-Day-2021-Presentation-for-website.pdf). If you go to their SEC filings you'll see the growth in sales, EBITDA and even, compensation at an individual level. Enjoy. If I have to watch that bald bloat Vanderbrink be dragged onto YouTube, dressed in a plaid shirt by his PR flacks, so he can weep crocodile tears about how hard they're all working, I think I'll puke.
Vista isn't the only one, there are are plenty of others who have completely lost customer focus to the allure of the obscene profits they can make in loaded ammo.
<rant off>
And no, in case you're wondering...I'm not some wannabe commie who thinks we should get all our stuff free. I'm a died-in-the-wool capitalist and recently retired public company CEO and later, Chairman, who, sometimes, is just embarrassed by his erstwhile colleagues.

 

[Kurz]

I appreciate the point of view but only partially agree in that I think we have taught our suppliers that yes, we will bear higher pricing, across the board.

This is only one of the points I brought up but since your reading only captured that thought, that's all you reply to.

Your reference to the confluence of events (Black Swan) is part of what I was conveying with my response. I find it difficult to cover every single point in an analysis on the short answer forums when most members don't want to have to read so much information which doesn't necessarily interest them.

The tenuousness of the market for us is bad enough but those that are wielding the power and control the monetary systems are truly the despots.

Best regards.

 

[Bc'z]

I haven't really been out locally to search for components, I was using Berger 140 VLD's. I haven't seen any in months, I was down to 100 or so. I made the plunge and got 1000 Lapua 139 Scenar's.

Page 8 of classified are 1000 136L's for less than retail shipped.
Great bullet for a great price.
I've still got 1900 or I'd swoop them up.

 

[Rsadams]

A tiny bit...

 

[perazziguy]

I remember buying "tons" of $12 and $13 dollar shot. Boy, when it went to $15 to $18 a bag, woof!
Jonathan Taylor

 

[Tommie]

Saw about 20 boxes of CCI no. 41’s yesterday. I have no use for them but it was cool to finally see something on that shelf.