Hoarders? Really?

[DiffEQ]

I've always thought the "Hoarder" accusation was pretty much sour grapes.

100% agree.

For every rifle or I have bought or built, I have purchased enough brass, bullets, powder and primers for the reasonable life of that barrel. Time is my most precious commodity.

 

[JFrank]

So basically this thread is split between those that HAVE and those that HAVE NOT, those that prepared and those that didn’t, those that money is no object and those that money is an object

Not just procrastinators and preppers theres also those fellas that are just into a hobby and looking for components and trying to stock up, all while getting their chops busted by some guys that already have a few things from a couple years ago.

Jim

 

[Uthink Uknow]

I only buy enough to get me through one administration or two.

 

[searcher]

Demand raises prices simple as that, if you have enough stock to last 6 months and not buy a single primer or pound of powder the prices will crash.

I remember folks saying that when primers were available for $1.00 (Russian and off-brands) to around $2.00 per box only about ten or so years ago. Adding 5% per year (above the inflation amount during that time span), the cost should run about $1.62 per box for the cheaper primers. Now - the Russian and some of those other foreign primers are no longer available due to politics. That, in essence, took away a lot of the competitiveness, I think, for the domestic producers. Seeing how they are going for anywhere from 400% to 800% of that amount, it is clear that shooters are taking it on the chin in what appears to be questionable increases for years. And why should those increases stop? Are folks really going to stop buying primers (and stop shooting) long enough to bring prices down? I think not. If demand were to drop that drastically - there is an equal chance some of the manufacturers just stop producing them and, even if only temporarily, would make the problem even worse in the long run. In prior "shortages", the list prices never really went up that much. The higher prices came from those that had them in stock and charged what they wanted. this time around - it is different. List prices have shot up and one seldom sees those list prices retrace much - if ever. We may have a re-introduction of some foreign primers again at some point to cool the market - but I'm thinking these may be the "good old days" of future years. One needs to look at the cost of loaded ammunition increases to make a determination as to whether the extra component cost is worthwhile to continue to reload. Those ammunition prices have continued to climb right along with component costs. For the average deer hunter who shoots a few boxes of ammo a year, I doubt there is too much complaining going on. Guess it really depends on how much we shoot. For those of us who shoot thousands of rounds per year - it is a big deal. But we must also look at what the alternative is in buying loaded ammo.

The average cost of "reasonable" loaded varmint ammo like Hornady V-Max, etc. is around $1.40 per shot. Reloaded ammo for varmint shooting costs roughly: .12c primer
.16c powder
.25c bullet (like a .223 V-Max)
.04c (.223 brass fired 8 times)
total $.57c per shot

Of course, for those loading the big cartridges like the Ultra Mags and such, it only takes a few hundred rounds to pay for an entire reloading setup - even with all these increases.
Seems reloading is still very viable from a cost comparison standpoint, despite the cost of components having risen as much as they have. Looking back in time since I have reloaded (52 years), I cannot recall loaded ammo prices ever dropping.

 

[Dave M.]

I was priming 230 pieces of 22-250 brass today with Federal 215 LRM primers.
Price on the box is $19.95 per 1000.
I have about 300 left. Next I go with the Tula LRM.

If I had a Time Machine I’d buy 3,000,000

 

[Dave M.]

In 2017 the ice broke and jammed up at the bridge then backed water up, I had 3’ in my barn and loading room. Lots of stuff got damaged some lost that floated down the river but fortunately my powder was in totes and up so it didn’t get damaged! I pulled it out later to cleanup the water damage and sand! Thank goodness most of my primers and a lot more powder was up at the house and not in the flood zone. Unfortunately I did lose 5 five gallon buckets clear full of CCI standard velocity 22 shells they were in my machine shed and they set a long time full of water but I guess I have enough powder in just my loading room to be considered a hoarder hahaha… so be it I guess I am
Wayne

I assume you don’t store your powder like this normally, correct?

 

[dryhumor]

What little I have, I bought with the intention of not buying it in retirement. Hell, I just opened a can of coffee I bought in 2015 or 16. Buy what you’ll use and use it when you get to it. That ain’t hoarding.

I think there’s enough stock available that the flippers have stopped buying. Stockers and re stockers are likely doing just that. And that ain’t hoarding either.

 

[AckleymanII]

For those that only like to buy what they need as they need it, good luck! There is always bowling, flying remote control airplanes and cars, fishing, hunting, and the best indoor sport of all, eating!

Survival of the fittest.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I guess some people took their money and bought a electric car instead making sure had they had plenty of reloading supplies

 

[bozo699]

I assume you don’t store your powder like this normally, correct?

No the cows don’t like it very well
Wayne

 

[CJ6]

I've always bought what I could when I could..powder, primers, bullets and brass.Politics only played into a couple purchases and that was when Clinton started to run (magazines and a couple AR's). The only powder I've bought in the recent past was 15.5 and N555, because I wanted to try it not that I needed it. Call it what you will.....

 

[Dgd6mm]

If I had a Time Machine I’d buy 3,000,000

I ran across the last vendor in the USA that had Tula's. I was told they had about 800,000 of each SRM and LRM. I wasn't shooting much SRM cartridges at the time and had plenty. But I did buy LRM. Now I'm shooting a lot of .223 and 6br. I posted on this forum about them and barely got a response. Members acted like they weren't interested. $19.99 - 1000. I bought 30,000. Wish I had bought 50,000 SRM.
Coulda, Woulda, If..... I'm not SRM poor yet, I still have about 5 years worth.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Brownell’s is trying to sell H4350 for $55 a pound now.
I would be proud to say I stocked up before this stupidity.

 

[searcher]

I was priming 230 pieces of 22-250 brass today with Federal 215 LRM primers.
Price on the box is $19.95 per 1000.
I have about 300 left. Next I go with the Tula LRM.

Those Tula primers aren't too shabby. I bought a dozen sleeves from Powder Valley when only $1.00 or so. So - for $600.00 (no small amount for primers at the time), I didn't have to worry about primers in future shortages. Now - that amount won't even buy me few jugs of my favorite powder. Amazing.

 

[benchrest]

Hoarding, affording, prepping, stocking up personal inventory... call it whatever.
The year before election year is/was always a good time to stock up. (ha, good luck this year)
In early 2019 I bought 16lbs of Varget, 8lbs of 4166, 8lbs of SW Precision & 10,000 cci 450s. Back then, all of this stuff was available so i wouldnt call it hoarding. Its prepping... No way would I pay todays prices. When and if I ever run out, I'll stick to just fishing.
I do have regrets not buying a few more cases of 22lr Geco Rifle @ $200 a case, my cz455 loves that stuff.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I feed my babies regularly. I will continue to do so. I don't spend my wife's money on anything else.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

So the so called hoarders are now setting back and enjoying shooting
meanwhile the non hoarders are spending all day looking for what they need and paying the higher prices

 

[ChristCross]

With CBDC on the way as soon as the bank crash. You ability to buy components will be a distant memory. So keep stacking

 

[Kracken McGraw]

With CBDC on the way as soon as the bank crash. You ability to buy components will be a distant memory. So keep stacking

At what point are we going to say no to these people?

 

[Dave M.]

I ran across the last vendor in the USA that had Tula's. I was told they had about 800,000 of each SRM and LRM. I wasn't shooting much SRM cartridges at the time and had plenty. But I did buy LRM. Now I'm shooting a lot of .223 and 6br. I posted on this forum about them and barely got a response. Members acted like they weren't interested. $19.99 - 1000. I bought 30,000. Wish I had bought 50,000 SRM.
Coulda, Woulda, If..... I'm not SRM poor yet, I still have about 5 years worth.

SRM is a lot more desirable than LRM in my house. In retrospect, you probably wish you would have bought all 1,600,000 of them ($32,000 would have been a steal for them and you could have quadrupled your money easy….hindsight is 20/20).
Dave