Has the shortage changed your shooting habits?

[Jim]

The shortage has definitely changed my shooting habits. No matter what the load is, every time you drop the hammer, that will cost you a primer. However, I have been rethinking my strategies toward being more economical.

I have a .45-70 bolt rifle that I normally load and shoot 500 or 540 grainers through. That's been parked. I have a Winchester '94 in .375 that eats 250 grainers. I still shoot it, but significantly less than I did before this shortage situation manifested.

I have stopped casting and loading 200 grain boolits for my 30 caliber bolt rifles and switched down to 150 boolits. And I'm loading a lot more Bator boolits in my pair of .223s over light loads of pistol powder instead of larger charges of rifle powder.

I've got about 500 55 gr. NATO FMJs and about the same quantity of 7.62 FMJs. These are now in a holding pattern.

I had 15 to 20 pounds of 45 caliber and 375 caliber rifle boolits cast, sized, lubed and bagged. They're in the casting shed to go back in the pot for lighter weight boolits in smaller calibers.

I did manage to get fairly well stocked up on 22LRs before the crunch hit, so I can afford to shoot my rimfires, but I won't be shooting just to hear them go off, either. Throughout the summer, most of my rimfire ammo will go toward Janet shooting her Stevens.

I've got people I don't know calling me, "Joe gave me your number", and asking where they can find ammo.

In the 30 something years I've been rollin' my own, I've never seen anything like this. Never before have I ever thought about economizing because of a shortage of components.

[imashooter2]

Not a bit. I got while the getting was good, have stores to ride out the shortages and panic buying, and will restock at my leisure after the panic passes and supply catches back up to demand.

[FISH4BUGS]

I listened to the little voice in my head when Obama was elected in '08. I had 4 years to stock up....and stock up I did. Since I shoot machine guns anyway, it was commonplace to buy primers in 10,000 lots, FMJ bullets in 2000 (or more) lots, powder in 8 lb jugs, and brass by the 2,000-10,000 lots (when it was cheap). I am shooting my 223 and 308 full auto stuff less now (just saving the components) but cast and shoot more for the pistol caliber submachineguns.
Don't really shoot less, just different now.

[btroj]

Been too cold to shoot much lately.
I have plenty of primers and powder to last a few years. Lead isn't an issue for me.

If all else fails I will shoot 22 rimfire and I have many thousands of those on hand.

[WILCO]

I haven't been shooting much of anything either. All of my supplies are parked, save for some old stuff that I'm still tinkering with. As for 22LR, I'm using rounds from the misfire cans for plinking and then odd ball stuff after that. I wouldn't melt down those 15-20 lbs of boolits Jim. Surely you've enough lead to let those sit until you need some big medicine.

[Jim]

I haven't been shooting much of anything either. All of my supplies are parked, save for some old stuff that I'm still tinkering with. As for 22LR, I'm using rounds from the misfire cans for plinking and then odd ball stuff after that. I wouldn't melt down those 15-20 lbs of boolits Jim. Surely you've enough lead to let those sit until you need some big medicine.

I've got loaded ammo in the calibers I mentioned, so it's not like I have nothing to feed the rifles. But since I've decided to back off how much I shoot the bigger calibers, I decided to convert the boolits to other calibers in lighter weights. E.G., I can get three shots out of a 30 caliber rifle with the lead I'd loose firing one shot from my .45-70 bolt rifle. Plus, a 150 grain boolit in 30 caliber uses a lot less powder than that big ol' Howitzer shell.

[WILCO]

with the lead I'd loose firing one shot from my .45-70 bolt rifle.

As miners of the berm Jim, do we ever really lose lead?

[btroj]

I too do that some Jim. I shoot 200 trainers in my 1911 instead of 230s.
I prefer to shoot smaller cartridges more to save on lead, even thou I mine the berms and bring home more than I took with me.

Maybe we are just a frugal crowd?

[Jim]

Wilco, I plan as if I'm not going to recover any of my lead.

Yeah, Btroj, and this shortage has made me a bit more frugal.

[DLCTEX]

I have been much more conserving of powder and primers, but have an opportunity to shoot some Prairie Dogs this week end before they poison the town, so the .222 is going to get a work out.

[HATCH]

To be honest i shoot the same amount.
Now prior to this craziness i made the choice to switch to lighter boolits to save lead
125,s for the 38 , 200 for the 45s. Even got a 105wc mold foe the 38 to play with.
The shortage isn't lead its primers and powder. So if you are limited on them then i would load the normal lead amount so each shot counts....
I am in the stockpile mode right now. i load 500 of one caliber then switch. I got lead, i got primers, i got powder, what i don't have is time. So right now i am making the most of it.

[Rex]

I put the guns up and got the fishing poles out. I still keep 6 in the wheel and the 4" 686 in the waistband, just don't pull the trigger much anymore.

[dragon813gt]

Only thing I changed was I now load large pistol primer 45acp brass. I've been wanting to get rid of it along with the large pistol primers because it's the only cartridge I use them in. No better way to get rid of it then to shoot it up :)

In reality I have enough supplies to last until after the next presidential election. When supplies come back around I will buy up a few more years of components. The price never comes down so if you have the money it makes sense.

[gnoahhh]

Not really any difference in how much or what I shoot. As soon as supply catches up with demand (and it will) components will be back on the shelves. (They never really left around here.) The big thing is lead sources. With the shift in policy of a lot of tire dealers and their used wheel weights, my favorite alloy source has gone tits-up. When my 1000 pounds or so of alloy is finally used up, I'll switch to the commercial vendors like Rotometals and pay a premium for good alloy, and so be it.

As far as stockpiling handloading components, aside from the aforementioned pile of lead (which I fell into by way of a "come and get it, but you gotta take it all" scenario) I have never wanted to store huge quantities of powder and primers due to fire/insurance reasons. I have enough for about a year or so of normal (for me) shooting. I had a friend years ago who lost his house in a fire. When the fire investigator found evidence of there having been large amounts of gun powder stored in the house and reported that to the insurance company, they refused to pay off- and got away with it. It ruined him financially.

[drklynoon]

Yes it has, but for the good. I have never been an ammo slinger but I would shoot 150 rounds a week or so. Now I take one center fire handgun and one .22 to the range every week. I only bring 50 rounds and have been more deliberate with each set of 5. I only shoot 20 through the .22 to warm up and then a shoot the other fifty through out the day. This saves on primers and gives me better practice.

[texassako]

I have found myself leaning towards smaller cartridges for range time lately and using more lead than jacketed. Reloading and shooting .25 ACP really stretches the Bullseye and lead supplies.

[koehn,jim]

No change, I have cast some lighter boolits but not to save lead, but to try the lighter weight stuff. I enjoy the shooting and if it costs a little more so what. I figure everything is more expensive anyway and the peace of mind I get from shooting is relaxing and helps keep my blood pressure down.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

My shooting is down because of the weather, and when I do shoot, I shoot a lot of revolvers, largely single action, so I don't go through ammo really fast (the way I used to with 33 rd mags for my glock 17). Also, where I am, the shortage only really hit small pistol primers, of which I had a few thousand. Large pistol primers have remained readily available, though a bit more expensive, so I have been shooting my 1911 more.

[plmitch]

We have actually been making more trips to the range. Well stocked up and not worried like most. It's nice to see 50% fewer people at the range also.

[Love Life]

I haven't changed my habits Jim. I always have a certain amount of ammo for each firearm loaded that I never touch. That is my emergency grab and go stash.

What that means is all lead, powder, and primers left over are my fun and practice supplies. I have noticed that the public ranges here have been a bit vacant... Works for me and allows me to get more practice in with the single actions. A 4 cavity 45-270-SAA mould sure does drain the pot quick though!

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I've slowed my consumption a bit, mainly because I dont have lots of primers or powder.
I got maybe 2000 or so of each primer variety. All my "hunting loads" are loaded and waiting.

[dragon813gt]

It's nice to see 50% fewer people at the range also.

I wish it was that way by me. The primary range I frequent has added close to 200 members since December. It's good for the club financially but it's getting to the point where the facilities aren't big enough for the membership. It used to be I was the only one there. Now there are always people there. No waiting for lanes yet. But I forsee it when the weather warms up.

[429421Cowboy]

Yes, it certainly has slowed us down! There are 4 of us brothers that reload off of one setup and share supplies, so we are tightening our belts for awhile, just to make sure we have plenty to use this fall for hunting season. I have 4 lbs of Reloader 22 powder that we feed a .270, 30/06, 7mm mag and a .338 win mag as each of our primary hunting guns. We like to shoot our rifles several times a week in the summer at long range to practice for hunting, but right now the way i have it figured, the powder we have is enough for about 100 rounds per man till we can find more, which actually means 80 rounds + a box of 20 to hunt with. Sure that is plenty to hunt with and practice enough to stay proficent at the long ranges, but it will be a reduction in our shooting. I have plenty of powder, bullets and primers for my .243, and compared to the bigger hunting rifles, it sips powder, so it will be seeing plenty of use. Right now our only limitation is powder, J bullets for big hunting rifles are still easy to find and we have stocked up on them, but powder is flying off the shelf, makes me glad i bought and extra pound everytime i had the money.
I have plenty of Unique and LPP, so i don't plan on having any problems shooting the .44's at all, wish i could find some SPP for my new 9mm but oh well, mil-surp will have to do for now!
The crunch may put a hurt on our gopher shooting this summer, 3000+ rounds of .22 sounds like alot till four guys are going through it at gophers every single day after class or work.
So the crunch will have us thinking about each shot, but won't have a major effect on our hunting.

[7Acres]

From a lead perspective I could have bought 100lbs of lead for what I paid to build my 24" pistol/rifle cube. But with my cube I sling lead guilt-free. I'm stocked up with powder, primers and brass to last me through BO's 2nd term and then some. So I've found myself shooting more lately. It's the only therapy that works for me to cancel out the political and cultural war against the 2nd amendment. I enjoyed some quality time at my reloading press instead of watching the SOTU. :Fire:

[375RUGER]

work has changed mine. I haven't even cast one in a couple months. But as soon as this project is out the door..........
The only thing I've done lately is test and load some buckshot.
But to answer your question, I will be keeping an eye on my primer usage although I have alot, at least until they are back on the shelf. I have enough powder to use up all those primers. Main thing I have to watch is my usage of large rifle primers, that is what most of the cartridges I load shoot.

[runfiverun]

i have been steadily loading all of my brass.
and lately all my shotgun hulls.
i want everything loaded so i can take a full inventory and work on my storage.
i have enough of some stuff to last me forever and probably have some left over,if it's gonna be a lot i'll sell some.
if it ain't gonna be enough i'll buy more or trade what i have too much of.
i might have a limited amount of things but i'll at least know what i do have and can either mediate what i use or use something else.
if i have to i can make do for a looong time right now,and still get in some fun shooting.

[imashooter2]

We have actually been making more trips to the range. Well stocked up and not worried like most. It's nice to see 50% fewer people at the range also.

As much as I hate a crowded range, it is never good to see fewer people shooting. :(

[km101]

We have actually been making more trips to the range. Well stocked up and not worried like most. It's nice to see 50% fewer people at the range also.


It's been the other way around here. I have seen more poeple at the range, both outdoor and indoor, than I have in years. More interest in CHL classes, and people are buying guns like crazy!

But to answer the original question; Yes it has changed my shooting habits. I'm shooting more handgun calibers and less rifle stuff. I can cast handgun bullets, but most of my rifle loads are J words. I have plenty of primers and powder (I hope) but I'm cutting back to make sure. I don't go out plinking as much as I used to, but still get to plink some. Not as big a stock of 22LR as I want so I have to cut back on that. All in all, I havent stopped shooting, just cut back significantly.

[429421Cowboy]

Oh, and no more nights spent shooting wax boolits in the shop anymore, gotta keep the LPM primers for when we might really need 'emm:(

[garym1a2]

since 55 fmjs are hard to find I in building a blackout. Plus I stocked up on mags in Jan.
P.s. powder valley still sells primers when they get them.

[jcwit]

The shortage has not affected me one iota, but winter shure has put a cabash to shooting, my old bones like warm, not cold.

[cattleskinner]

I still shoot, just not as much as I did a few years back. I have plenty stocked up for what I want, and had been buying ammunition and components starting after Obama's first election win. Having small kids, a wife working days and she is also going back to school, plus my afternoon work schedule have pretty much cut all my free time for shooting.

[Jeff82]

The shortage hasn't really changed my shooting habits. However, I'm down to about 750 primers, and then I'm shutdown. As primers become available, I'll probably buy them in larger quantities then in the past, maybe buying a one-year supply as opposed to the current four-month supply I currently buy.

Reloading components and firearms are unlike most other retail products I've ever dealt with in the sense that the supply is normally more sporadic under normal conditions. And, then there's this....

[Freightman]

Have lots of componants but this past four years have been the hardest years of my life economically, medical bills , food, gas all have risen in price and my income had deminished. So I go to the range about 1/3 as much and shoot less when I go, the only thing Obama has canged is my ecconimic outlook, and it isn't good.
We use to go out to eat on Sunday after assembly but haven't done that in years. Wife hasn't complained a bit but if the next four get worse we will be eating less quality food, and going less.

[357maximum]

NO change here other than the fact that some of the more "vintage" and "odd" components get used first and more frequently than normal. I take these "opportunities" to condense my various selections down a bit....I would like to someday have more of less if that makes sense.....a condition I am not sure I am capable of. :mrgreen:


It's a normal winter for me...getting brass prepped/cleaned/sized/trimmed/flared/primed and into R.T.L condition and replacing the boolits/loads that have run low over last summer/fall and planning/scheming/setting goals about what new toys get obsessed over and "shaken out" in the spring/summer and preparing for that shaking out process. I never have shot "a ton" in the winter, just on the nice days, and then I am normally listening to the little hounds chase bunnies anyway.


Last time this happened I found myself a bit shy on 22LR's but good on most other stuff....that did not happen his time. :lol:

[Friends call me Pac]

I started casting my own instead of shooting store bougt bullets. But hey, I met you fine folks and this site. Been casting for about 3 weeks now.

[foesgth]

Here in the land of fruits and nuts they are trying to get us to stop shooting by closing all the ranges. I do have a place to shoot but it is a 100 mile round trip. It isn't the lack of ammo or material that keeps me from shooting, it is the fact that gas is over $4 a gallon. Do you think it would cause a problem if I got on the bus with my M1?

[bob208]

not too much. i have a range here at the farm. i have a lot of .22. i also cast and reload. but mostly i shoot muzzloaders.

[Ickisrulz]

I'm really good on everything except for 22 LR. This panic buying coincided with my move back to OK where I can shoot in my yard every day. I now limit my 22 shooting to 20 rounds/day since I only have about 5K rounds of 22 ammo. I have enough center fire stuff to keep going for years, pretty much as much as I want to shoot.

[gbrown]

It hasn't changed my habits, but like Jim, I have people calling me asking for stuff. I got plenty of stuff to last out the shortages. I don't sell my essentials, but if I have extras, I sell. I do not gouge or go for the highest price. I find that dispicable. If it is just stuff I don't use/need I ask what I paid for it.

[Shooter]

.22 LR@ $5.95 per 50.
Went from 170 GR to 110 Gr. for groundhogs and 'yotes.

[Down South]

I haven't changed. I'm well stocked for a long time except standard LP primers. I've had 10,000 of those on back order for a while but I do have plenty magnum LP primers that I could redevelope my loads with.

[Idaho Mule]

I am pretty much "as normal" , but I am paying attention to my supplies. I shoot a lot of 32-20 which is a very economical cartridge anyway. I over-purchased jacketted bullets in .312 cal. with the last scare so I still have enough. I have enough lead to make what more I need and enough powder and primers to get them going so I am not worried yet. As far as 22 rf I always stock up on that because I have 2 teen-age boys and just keep that stuff on hand. JW

[OeldeWolf]

For the past few years, I was not shooting much, if at all. Now that I know what the health issues are, I am trying to get out more often. Fortunately, I bought primers in SP and LR by the case last time I bought. So am only a little short on LP (around 1700), but do not shoot granpa's hand ejector as much, anyway.

Trying to get out more, but trying to keep the house up, deal with the gf hating my puppy, and other things I do not need to air, are making it really, really tough to get out at all. Heck, if I could manage to get the few things I want, I would be set for a decade, at the current rate of useage.

[Reverend Al]

We're going to try to get out a LOT more to shoot now that my wife and I are both retired. (She shoots and hunts with me too ... why do you think I swept her off her feet and married her so quickly before she could change her mind?) ;-)
Thank goodness I've been gathering up fairly large quantities of "retirement shooting supplies" and ammo for nearly 40 years now! I'm sure that we could both keep shooting one day a week (or more) for the rest of our lives and I shouldn't have to buy much of anything to keep up to even that volume. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to have a few more primers and a bit more powder than what is already there, but there are about 20,000 + .22's of various types and brands, many thousands of primers in all sizes, countless pounds of a variety of powders, thousands of shotshell wads (plastic wads plus cards and fibres) and thousands of 12, 20 and .410 hulls to go along with them, about 20,000 plus pre-cast bullets that just need sizing and lubing before loading, plus about 60 + boolit moulds with another ton or so (literally!) of various kinds of raw lead, pre-mixed alloys, lino and pewter, plus enough brass in 100 calibres that I could melt it all down and cast a huge brass sculpture to erect in our front yard! There are 2 Dillon 550's, a Rockchucker, 3 MEC shotshell presses, a 20 lb RCBS bottom pour electric pot, an 80 pound cast iron pot with a propane burner and a 20 lb bottle, and most likely boxes full of more things that I've totally forgotten I even had! I think we'll do okay for a while regardless of any current shortages down South or up North ...! ;-)

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i will shoot my Encores & Contenders and 22 bolt action more