Has the downsizing started?

[dverna]

It seems a number of long time members are selling off stuff...especially molds. Many items are as new or never used.

It makes me wonder if they are going through what happened to me a few years ago when I began shedding stuff I was not using. I did not need the money, but realized many "projects" were not important anymore and would never get done. And even if I completed the project, it had far less value to me than when I had conceived it.

In my case, it started with "useless" calibers and moved down through dies, presses and molds. Even before Covid, I was shooting less. Now, with current component prices, shooting is much less affordable.

It seems there is less activity in mold group buys as well. I have four GB molds I have never used, and I suspect I am not alone. Just checked the MP site and many molds are on sale. I wonder if his orders have taken a dip.

I suppose it is good news for those starting out. It is a good time to fill in those "holes". But it is also a bit sad to see guys selling stuff and realizing I am part of the decline.

[Springfield]

It is only sad if they are selling items they can use. Selling off useless items is a good deal and might even motivate the person to start a project they might finish as they now have more room and some money. It has worked for me.

[Four-Sixty]

I see some of the prices items are fetching and wonder if some Folks are "cashing out", or selling high while things are still crazy.

[Hannibal]

I sold my property a few years ago and I can't locate a public range that suits me anywhere. Can't decide if I want to spend the $$$ for an acreage for a new private range or not. I certainly don't need more to take care of. If I decide I'm not going to then I may as well start selling things. I see no sense in keeping stuff around if I don't use it.

[ShooterAZ]

I don't think it's necessarily all downsizing. A lot of new reloading items still remain unavailable right now, so I think a lot of guys are capitalizing on this. They are able to get top dollar because of the current situation. That's my take on it anyway.

[Shawlerbrook]

Probably a combination of all the reasons given above. It is a sellers market . That plus the fact that as a group we are getting long in the tooth. I recently continued a rifle build project that I started 30 years ago . I do agree with dverna as far as projects goes. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

[G W Wade]

Sometimes interests change. Myself I (70 +) find myself with more stuff than I feel I can use GW

[Winger Ed.]

I've been thinning out guns & reloading stuff for a few years now.
It's items I no longer use, and guns I don't shoot any more.
I'm glad to get them back into circulation to someone who wants and will use them.

If I don't, most of the guns would end up in a pawn shop, and the other tools & gear will end up----
"Hmm,, I wonder what this is", and get thrown away.

[GhostHawk]

Not happening here, not yet. But I can see that another 5 years or so might put me in that group.

Between Covid, decreasing energy levels I don't shoot anywhere near as much as I did even 2 years ago.

I don't know that I will ever sell molds. Once a tool is bought, learned, adjusted to. It remains a viable tool. A .30 caliber mold can be used in many guns.
I don't see myself ever selling off even a majority of my guns, much less all. Just rubs against the grain. I blame it on my Scotch heritage.

My dad pinched penny's, his could make a nickle scream, and his dad was twice as bad as all 3 rolled together.
As my wife likes to say "That apple didn't fall far from the tree, its still stuck in the roots!"

[farmbif]

well could be any number of reasons, but the shortage of stuff seems to have brought a whole new crowd of young bucks eager, willing and wanting to learn.
it also seems there are some folks that join forums recently just to try to be able to get some hard to find components because they know that there are some old timers that saw these hard times coming from a mile off.

[FISH4BUGS]

I sold a bunch of my unused Hensley & Gibbs moulds from my collection to fund a pristine 1930's 32/20 S&W Hand Ejector purchase, then the moulds and dies and brass.....
I paid more for the handgun than I should have paid, but then I made money on the sale of the moulds, so it kind of came out in the wash.
I am about ready to do the same again to build a 9mm PTR SBR.
I view it as a "reallocation of assets".

[farmbif]

another thing things comes to mind too. there are group buy mold ive bought and a couple never yet used. back before miha had a web site a group buy was the only chance you had to get one of his molds and the opportunity only became available maybe once. and you still had to wait a year or more to get it. but now as ive come to realize for example I dont need to shoot cast bullets out of the ar, and have yet to even heat up the beautiful brass 225-75 4 cavity mold that looks like a piece of art. but back when it was a first offered it was either sign up and get it or you may not ever have the chance again to get one.
I'm sure there are others that did what I did and got in on group buys and have used the molds infrequent or never. but there are some that get used a lot for me anyway two come to midnight off the bat, the 359-125 and the 503 clone in hp

[Beagle333]

I'm selling a few molds too, and as you say, it's mostly unused ones from Group Buys that I jumped on and either I never tried them, or I used them once and they weren't as good as the favorite I was already using. And I did sell a few Stars. I really only need two of them for some bevel base boolits that I like. I had rather use the old Lymans for my plain base Keith boolits, and I do powdercoat quite a bit, along with using Ben's Liquid Lube, so now that I've thought about it, I should probably thin some more. I do watch the Group Buys and the sales and I did buy a new NOE mold last year from them and picked up a couple on S&S forum, but I have thinned more than I bought.

[bayjoe]

Yeah i've been thinking about selling excess J-Words that i have. I know i will never use as many as i have. Got most of them at real good prices over the years. Just haaven't got around to it yet.

[Winger Ed.]

Yeah i've been thinking about selling excess J-Words that i have..

Now is a good time if ya are going to.
About this time last year I took in 900 American Eagle .223s. The LGS's first offer was $750.
And I sold 500 of 80's era German surplus 7.62 that was Berdan primed for $500.
After I got back into reloading, I was never going to shoot any of them.

I traded out for a Golden Boy, and a unfired MK1, plus a arm load of other needful things.
With a hefty markup, our local guy sold almost all of it in 3-4 days.

[john.k]

Ive got a few molds that just dont work properly....after every tweak imaginable,bullets just dont fall....others are single cavity ,which is just painful to use.....All go to those who need them.....or are buying to hoard.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP>>>

I suppose it is good news for those starting out. It is a good time to fill in those "holes". But it is also a bit sad to see guys selling stuff and realizing I am part of the decline.

If I am one of the guys you are refering to, as I have posted a wheelbarrow full of stuff in the last month. Truth is, I actually started the downsizing in 2015 when I held a gun Auction and sold 3/4 of my gun collection. My reason? I had always been a shooter and scoffed at collectors. As 2015 approached, I came to see I was shooting much less and I seemingly became a collector, and then I decided a change was in order. The Auction was designed to eliminate calibers, so I could eliminate caliber specific accessories and tooling. Since the auction, I've been selling in fits and bursts...just when I felt like it, not wanting the downsizing to take over my life...especially in the summer.

I'm getting pretty close to where I want to be ...maybe?

[Winger Ed.]

I'm getting pretty close to where I want to be ...maybe?

3-4-5 years ago, I thought so too. After the big safe clean out and sell off:
So far, I've limited myself to only buying three guns, two new molds, a new Hornady progressive, and single stage press.
All things considered, I think I'm doing pretty good.

[dverna]

another thing things comes to mind too. there are group buy mold ive bought and a couple never yet used. back before miha had a web site a group buy was the only chance you had to get one of his molds and the opportunity only became available maybe once. and you still had to wait a year or more to get it. but now as ive come to realize for example I dont need to shoot cast bullets out of the ar, and have yet to even heat up the beautiful brass 225-75 4 cavity mold that looks like a piece of art. but back when it was a first offered it was either sign up and get it or you may not ever have the chance again to get one.
I'm sure there are others that did what I did and got in on group buys and have used the molds infrequent or never. but there are some that get used a lot for me anyway two come to midnight off the bat, the 359-125 and the 503 clone in hp

Hey....I bought that same 75 gr mold in six cavity and never used it. Then got a second set of blocks because there had been an error in producing the first set. It is unused too! Ended up buying Hornady 55 gr SP bulk bullets (IIRC 6000 for $420) and never bothered to cast.

[Outer Rondacker]

I have considered selling off a lot of stuff. But it brings me joy to just sit in my reloading room and look a some of it. So for me not yet. I fear if something doesnt give I will not have an option.