Back in the U.S. and can't find supplies

I feel awkward posting here, I Feel uncomfortable asking for stuff. But I am hoping that someone can point me in the right direction or help me find some reloading supplies. I know this is a “pay it forward” thread... But I can’t post yet in the buy/sell section (30 days requirement) and I really need to find supplies so I can go shoot.

I just retired from the Army (28 years enlisted) and my last three years were in South Korea. Since they don't allow any privately owned firearms I stored my guns at my father’s house and used up my reloading supplies before shipping out.

Now that I'm back home, I am having trouble finding supplies. I’ve been successful at slowly finding a pound or two of powder here and there at big-box stores that sell reloading supplies. But other items are either nonexistent or the seller is grossly price gouging the buyer.

For example, I found a mom & pop gun store near me that actually had a few boxes of small rifle primers (not what I need)... For almost $300 per box! Needless to say, since they think it's OK to gouge their customers, I will not be doing ANY business there.

I'm hoping that someone might be able to point me towards a shop that has inventory and can ship, or personally help me out. Once I’m up and pouring... I am happy to help do the same for others.

I need (as in can't shoot if I can't find):
Lee 6-cavity reloading handles
Large rifle primers
Large pistol primers
Small pistol primers

I could use (as in the bullets and brass swap box that was broken up):
.303 brass and bullets
7.62x54R brass and bullets
Hard alloy lead (WW, linotype, etc) for casting

Other than that I'm ready to go. I've got the press, molds, brass, Lee 4-20, propane burner/pot to render WW I can find and mix alloys, 40 lbs pure lead, 1 lb tin, waxes to make lube, and a limited supply of various pistol and rifle powders.

I just need to build my bench, find some primers and get busy.

Thanks in advance for any tips or help you can share.

DE
Matt
KC2JEE

Here is a link to an old thread about Lee 6 cavity handle interchange list. I looked briefly for you for the handles but yea out of stock. Keep looking everywhere you can. Supplies are basically non-existent especially in states where guns are frowned upon. Just not as many brick and mortar stores. Good luck.
Ron

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...hange-Use-list

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mmacro

I feel awkward posting here, I Feel uncomfortable asking for stuff. But I am hoping that someone can point me in the right direction or help me find some reloading supplies. I know this is a “pay it forward” thread... But I can’t post yet in the buy/sell section (30 days requirement) and I really need to find supplies so I can go shoot.

I just retired from the Army (28 years enlisted) and my last three years were in South Korea. Since they don't allow any privately owned firearms I stored my guns at my father’s house and used up my reloading supplies before shipping out.

Now that I'm back home, I am having trouble finding supplies. I’ve been successful at slowly finding a pound or two of powder here and there at big-box stores that sell reloading supplies. But other items are either nonexistent or the seller is grossly price gouging the buyer.

For example, I found a mom & pop gun store near me that actually had a few boxes of small rifle primers (not what I need)... For almost $300 per box! Needless to say, since they think it's OK to gouge their customers, I will not be doing ANY business there.

I'm hoping that someone might be able to point me towards a shop that has inventory and can ship, or personally help me out. Once I’m up and pouring... I am happy to help do the same for others.

I need (as in can't shoot if I can't find):
Lee 6-cavity reloading handles
Large rifle primers
Large pistol primers
Small pistol primers

I could use (as in the bullets and brass swap box that was broken up):
.303 brass and bullets
7.62x54R brass and bullets
Hard alloy lead (WW, linotype, etc) for casting

Other than that I'm ready to go. I've got the press, molds, brass, Lee 4-20, propane burner/pot to render WW I can find and mix alloys, 40 lbs pure lead, 1 lb tin, waxes to make lube, and a limited supply of various pistol and rifle powders.

I just need to build my bench, find some primers and get busy.

Thanks in advance for any tips or help you can share.

DE
Matt
KC2JEE

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Hate to say it, but you're unlikely to find anywhere that has much in the way of reloading supplies, particularly primers, at the moment. I was in my favorite local gun shop Monday, and the Winchester .45acp ammo I last bought from them a year or so ago for $24.98 is now $65 for a box of 50 rounds. They had two boxes. Their ammo section is nearly empty. It's also a pawn shop, so they make some money doing other things than guns, but the shelves are pretty bare elsewhere, too. I am hopeful that ammo and components will become more available, and cheaper, but I doubt that they will ever get back near where they were a year ago. Personally, I'm buying chemicals and tooling to make my own.

I retired in 1997, 20 months after I returned from Germany. Found all my long guns gone from my long term storage. It's only been in the last 4 or 5 years that I was able to start shooting again, a little bit. Retired again last April, and haven't been able to build up my my armory or reloading capabilities all that much myself. Part of that is that I've been building my workshop. Machine tools are expensive toys. I'm looking at making my own primers from scratch.

You might want to cut your little mom and pop shop a little slack, too. A thing is worth what the market will bring. Their cost and availability is only a little less than yours, and if they don't make a profit, they won't stay in business.

Bill
MSgt, USAF(Ret.) 1973-1997

That sucks about your guns getting stolen. Did the AF/DoD reinbirse you for the loss? The contracted moving and storage businesses are supposed to be insured and the government responsible for any loss. Any firearms are supposed to be specifically listed by SN by the movers and packed in a sealed/banded/tamper-proof storage container (usually an approximately 4’x6’x8’ plywood crate that gets sealed with metal bands and tamper evident tape that is signed by the SM). The reported theft of firearms should have raised huge red-flags and started a criminal investigation, back-tracing chain of custody to see when the seals were reported broken.

I can understand and expect a certain amount of markup by a business considering current supply and demand... But a mom & pop selling a $40 box of primers for $300 is simple greed and says a lot about their business model.

I have a .54 flintlock pistol that I have been building on and off for the last 10 years. I guess it's time to pick that up again since I don't need primers for that, just FFFFg and FFFg powders. Heck, I even have a large sack of English flint nodules I collected during a trip to the UK about 20 years ago.. So, if I have to I can learn how to knap flint.

It might be time to switch to flintlocks...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scrounge

Hate to say it, but you're unlikely to find anywhere that has much in the way of reloading supplies, particularly primers, at the moment. I was in my favorite local gun shop Monday, and the Winchester .45acp ammo I last bought from them a year or so ago for $24.98 is now $65 for a box of 50 rounds. They had two boxes. Their ammo section is nearly empty. It's also a pawn shop, so they make some money doing other things than guns, but the shelves are pretty bare elsewhere, too. I am hopeful that ammo and components will become more available, and cheaper, but I doubt that they will ever get back near where they were a year ago. Personally, I'm buying chemicals and tooling to make my own.

I retired in 1997, 20 months after I returned from Germany. Found all my long guns gone from my long term storage. It's only been in the last 4 or 5 years that I was able to start shooting again, a little bit. Retired again last April, and haven't been able to build up my my armory or reloading capabilities all that much myself. Part of that is that I've been building my workshop. Machine tools are expensive toys. I'm looking at making my own primers from scratch.

You might want to cut your little mom and pop shop a little slack, too. A thing is worth what the market will bring. Their cost and availability is only a little less than yours, and if they don't make a profit, they won't stay in business.

Bill
MSgt, USAF(Ret.) 1973-1997

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Primers.
Ask all your local friends...or friends of friends...Bartering maybe?
Is Maryland open? meaning are there gunshows? You might find primers near the $100 per 1k price range at a gunshow.

Lastly, Anyone that can ship primers will be asking the current market prices...It's not gouging when that's what the entire national market bears. Sorry to hear of your bad timing to return to the States.

Welcome home.

welcome home, too bad your so far away

About where in Maryland are you? Might help in pointing you in the right direction.

Matt posted here at my suggestion, I’ve been laid up this week and for whatever reason when he reached out to me for a few things I decided to help him get squared away.

I’m going to supply the primers he needs to get started at no cost to him. I’ve got some brass and folks are donating some more. I’ll prep and prime it, then ship it to him properly.

If you are inclined to help, do whatever you feel, but what I really don’t have is 303 or 7.62x54R brass. For those please reach out to him since it’ll probably be best if he preps it for his rifles and then sends it to me for priming. It sounds stupid, but it’s the legal solution to our current economic boondoggle. If you want to contribute 45-70 I can prep and anneal that before priming it.

Posting this because folks are often hesitant to help a lost cause, and I want you to know that we’re over the toughest hurdles. If you need a few bucks back for shipping please let me know by PM.

Thanks all, and have a great weekend.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mmacro

That sucks about your guns getting stolen. Did the AF/DoD reinbirse you for the loss? The contracted moving and storage businesses are supposed to be insured and the government responsible for any loss. Any firearms are supposed to be specifically listed by SN by the movers and packed in a sealed/banded/tamper-proof storage container (usually an approximately 4’x6’x8’ plywood crate that gets sealed with metal bands and tamper evident tape that is signed by the SM). The reported theft of firearms should have raised huge red-flags and started a criminal investigation, back-tracing chain of custody to see when the seals were reported broken.

I can understand and expect a certain amount of markup by a business considering current supply and demand... But a mom & pop selling a $40 box of primers for $300 is simple greed and says a lot about their business model.

I have a .54 flintlock pistol that I have been building on and off for the last 10 years. I guess it's time to pick that up again since I don't need primers for that, just FFFFg and FFFg powders. Heck, I even have a large sack of English flint nodules I collected during a trip to the UK about 20 years ago.. So, if I have to I can learn how to knap flint.

It might be time to switch to flintlocks...

---

They gave me $487, IIRC, which wasn't enough to replace the 1903 Springfield. One of the guns that went missing was my Agawam Arms .22LR SS lever gun. The very first rifle I ever owned. $20 gun in 1971, upwards of $400 now. Was unobtainable with the resources I had then. Only slightly less so now. Sad thing is that I no longer remember what all was there. A TC Hawken in .50, and maybe a Mossberg 500, but I can't remember. The long guns never made it into a sealed box. They were "stored" in the office, and the office was burglarized that night. That particular company got black-listed. And probably changed their name, and right back in business. Somewhere here I have the packing lists, and the guns are listed by serial number. Just have to find it.

I'm building a small machine shop. And I'm planning on learning to make my own primers. Have most of the materials now. Doing a massive and intensive rearrangement of the workshop area, and hope to have it finished enough to work in by the end of next week. SWMBO has back-to-back cataract surgeries Monday and Tuesday, assuming she passes the Covid-19 test she's taking in about an hour. May have to go to Harbor Freight and buy a hydraulic press. I think my arbor press is too small to generate the force needed to form (or reform) primer cups, among other things.

Bill

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimB..

Matt posted here at my suggestion, I’ve been laid up this week and for whatever reason when he reached out to me for a few things I decided to help him get squared away.

I’m going to supply the primers he needs to get started at no cost to him. I’ve got some brass and folks are donating some more. I’ll prep and prime it, then ship it to him properly.

If you are inclined to help, do whatever you feel, but what I really don’t have is 303 or 7.62x54R brass. For those please reach out to him since it’ll probably be best if he preps it for his rifles and then sends it to me for priming. It sounds stupid, but it’s the legal solution to our current economic boondoggle. If you want to contribute 45-70 I can prep and anneal that before priming it.

Posting this because folks are often hesitant to help a lost cause, and I want you to know that we’re over the toughest hurdles. If you need a few bucks back for shipping please let me know by PM.

Thanks all, and have a great weekend.

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Short PM inbound.
Thanks.

I am not in a position to part with SPPs, but could part with the other two.

I also have Lee 150 & Lee 170 powder coated bullets I could part with (no gas checks). All currently coated ones are sized 0.309", but more could be made.

I checked my inventory of priming tool shell holders and found one for 303, but not 7.62x54R.

If some 303 brass ready for priming were to end up at my place, I could prime them & forward them to him (with of some 150s and/or 170s if desired).

I did not see his application for LPP. If it is 44 Sp, 44 mag, 45 acp, or 45 colt, I could probably put together a batch of primed brass.

PM me if appropriate.

Thank you for your service and welcome home Mmacro.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by P Flados

I am not in a position to part with SPPs, but could part with the other two.

I also have Lee 150 & Lee 170 powder coated bullets I could part with (no gas checks). All currently coated ones are sized 0.309", but more could be made.

I checked my inventory of priming tool shell holders and found one for 303, but not 7.62x54R.

If some 303 brass ready for priming were to end up at my place, I could prime them & forward them to him (with of some 150s and/or 170s if desired).

I did not see his application for LPP. If it is 44 Sp, 44 mag, 45 acp, or 45 colt, I could probably put together a batch of primed brass.

PM me if appropriate.

Thank you for your service and welcome home Mmacro.

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I’ll send you a PM

Thank you everyone for reaching out. If you sent a PM I’ve responded. If you didn’t hear back then then digital gremlins ate them. If you will resend it I will respond.

I want everyone to know I’m hoping to get my bench up and working by the end of March. I’ve got rescued a heavy-duty, bar stool height kitchen table from the curb. I need to epoxy paint it to keep the surface clean and easy to clean up... and drill it for my Lee Classic Turret Press and work out how to add some reinforcing aluminum or steel plate underneath.

I have my 3D printer up and running... as a thank you if you want to send some ideas that I can print for you.

I can make things like magazine loading devices for pesky pistol magazines (I’m printing one for my MK III and Makarov magazines) and a round ejector that goes on the advancing rod of my press and kicks out the round after a full rotation, small pistol stands, etc... feel free to browse Thingiverse.com and send me a link if you see something you could use. (I don’t guarantee the quality of the designs as someone else made them... some are better than others)

FYI,

I took a chance with an outlet that is taking "pre-orders" (i.e. pay in advance for items to show up later) for an outfit that is importing a batch of Unis Ginex primers.

I have used about 5k out of a 15k batch of Unis Ginex SRPs and they work fine.

My willingness to do the pre-order was based on info at: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...#post-11845963

If you haven't arranged for the mold handles I can send you a set of MP handles, which fit the Lee six cavity molds. I can also part with some factory ingots of Lino. All I need is your address.

Welcome home, and thank you for your service.

Optics planet had Lee six banger handles in stock. I actually ordered some about when you mentioned and just got notification they are shipping.

I have 43 pieces of once fired 303 and a dozen new 7.62x54R I could send if not already covered.



Now in JimB's hands for prepping. Nice thing Jim and others are doing...

Scronge - GONRA uses CH Swag-O-Matics to form 9mm diameter primer cups
from 42 mi flat Cu sheet. No need for a huge hydraulic press.
Punch out a blank with HF hole punch, slather it up
with STP Oil Treatment, seat/center in the 9mm forming die, screw CH die ring
(serves as the "hold down") back onto the ram, pull the handle and form the cup!

CH Swag-O-Matics have ALL the handy design stuff small basement hobbyists need.
NOT just for half jacket bullet swaging anymore!
Used to be cheep, NOT NOW!
(Must be lottsa basement tinkerers out there?)

Warm up yer check book, get a small SCREW CUTTIN' METAL LATHE
(not some hobby crap without a lead screw!) to make yer dies,
and (at least one, 3 is better) Ebay Swag-O-Matic,
dig out yer boyhood Gilbert Chemistry Set and go to verk....

Airborne, Brother and thank you for your service. I have a SFRB full of COWW with your name on it.

PM inbound