I have been a competitive skeet shooter/shotgun sports for many years, can easily go thru 1,000 rounds in a week. In CA you now have to pass a background check to buy ammo which doesn't sound like much but(and it's a big, hairy butt) so does every part of the retail chain who handles the ammo... so every person at Walmart who stocks the shelf, rings it up, checks you background check, etc. also has to go thru this every year at a cost of $150 per year(what I was told by the manager at WM). It doesn't take long to figure out with employee turnover that they will not be selling ammo very much longer. I can no longer get a $5 box of shells and if I can find any they are ~ $14 a box plus 10% tax and an ammunition fee of $2-$5 for my background check. You can no longer buy ammunition online unless it is shipped to an FFL and they charge a flat $25 per shipped box, there can be whatever like 1,000 rounds in the box, but Natches shipped my last order in 3 boxes so add $75 to the total, so tack that on. It pretty much ends shotgun sports for me. I reload .410 and 28 but not 20 & 12 as they were affordable. The olympic skeet shooter Kim Rhode has a custom field at my range and California almost put her out of competition by having a 100 round per week limit on ammunition, thankfully it did not pass.
I bought 2lbs of H4831sc from Precision and 2lbs from Mid-South and with Hazmat and freight they were around $65/lb. For right now I'm still willing to pay that to shoot, but it really reduced my rounds per session.
Also no armored cars in the funeral procession.
With shipping and hazmat, it usually comes out around $40/lb for 8lb jugs. If only 1lb jugs are available, I've only been buying several 1lb at a time.
Not easy.
I'm not on a fixed income, but I live conservatively. This shortage doesn't really surprise me, and I have been planning for it, keeping 2+ years of components on the shelf. Luckily, I have been able to do some trading and finding a few small deals here and there to keep me from having to touch my stash. For the next two years, I hope to be able to shoot as much as I want and scrounge for a little more along the way.
These are facts. He’s in Central Nebraska, but same thing in NE Nebraska…. either too damn cold or way too windy. I got a pile of reloads and a couple rifles to work out yet, but spring is here.
Yep, I got the "very little big magnum" business figured out the other day also. Couldn't remember if my plinking load for my 41 mod 57 was 8 or 9gr of unique behind 215gr SWC so I loaded up 5 ea with 8,8.5, and 9gr. Sat down at the bench and turned on the chronograph and with a two handed hold off of the rest sent one of the 8gr thru the lights. And damn it!! I didn't remember that much recoil, unloaded the revolver and went to the safe and got the carbine out and shot the rest. Seems like 7grs is all I need anymore. Loading up a bunch of 750fps 38 stuff and shooting it thru a 6" 686 and it's a lot more fun.... John
