Shortage of premium bullets

[CoElkHunter]

As for loaded ammunition in COMMON hunting cartridges, we're back to the Remington Core Lokt, Winchester Power Points and Federal Power Shock bullets at $40-60/box, when you can find those. My neighbor paid $75/box for .30-06 Winchesters recently, so he could go deer hunting. I just paid $78/box for three boxes of 180gr. Barnes TTSX .300WM. I felt like I had just got a colonoscopy! I still can't find any .338WM in anything anywhere under $100/box. .270 Win is a close second. Good thing I had a few boxes for each from awhile back. I do reload. I have primers and some cases, but premium bullets and powder are MIA. Nosler has raised their prices dramatically for their 1948 designed Partition. Like everyone else, I continue to look for reasonably priced stuff when I have time, but it's not full time.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

Ramshot Hunter us a great powder! Actually I've good luck with all the RS powders I've tried

Had great results with RS Hunter with the 7x57 and .280 so far. Loaded some 30 06 and 7mm 08 that I'll be testing out in the next week.

With bullets right now, it is basically buy what you find, when you find it. Powders and primers are an even bigger challenge. I picked up a pound of RL-17 yesterday. It was grossly over priced and there was a limit of one pound per day. They had some primers but a limit of 300. Those were the first primers I’ve seen in over a year.

Ain't that the truth. Bought some .30 06 220 Gr. Nosler Partitions to load just because I could find them. Cooked up some loads to test out with some RS Hunter.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

Its

As for loaded ammunition in COMMON hunting cartridges, we're back to the Remington Core Lokt, Winchester Power Points and Federal Power Shock bullets at $40-60/box, when you can find those. My neighbor paid $75/box for .30-06 Winchesters recently, so he could go deer hunting. I just paid $78/box for three boxes of 180gr. Barnes TTSX .300WM. I felt like I had just got a colonoscopy! I still can't find any .338WM in anything anywhere under $100/box. .270 Win is a close second. Good thing I had a few boxes for each from awhile back. I do reload. I have primers and some cases, but premium bullets and powder are MIA. Nosler has raised their prices dramatically for their 1948 designed Partition. Like everyone else, I continue to look for reasonably priced stuff when I have time, but it's not full time.

It's nuts for sure.

 

[Ray B]

I'm not familiar with import/export laws but I suspect the authorities would have a fit if I boxed up 50 Nosler Partitions and sent them to Finland from Washington State.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I'm not familiar with import/export laws but I suspect the authorities would have a fit if I boxed up 50 Nosler Partitions and sent them to Finland from Washington State.

Don't box them. Bury (POUND them) into a nice hard fruit cake and send them as a Christmas gift?

 

[CJW]

Bass Pro is my nearest LGS.

There is a place way up on the NW side of Houston I could go to, just a 2-3 hour round trip in Houston traffic is all

Call and ask if they can set some aside when they get a shipment. They might not but they might also surprise you. It is being manufactured and shipped but abnormal times call for abnormal measures to get it.

Just my $.02.

 

[sgt_zim]

I've seen CFE223 and H4350 in a few places lately, 1 and 8 pounders. Very few bullets save for Hornady ELDX and ELDM, SST, etc. Nosler Partitions but no Accubonds.

I've still got a half keg of CFE223 and half keg of Win748 when I found some about a year ago. And a full keg of 2000MR

 

[J Mac 49]

Bass Pro is my nearest LGS.

There is a place way up on the NW side of Houston I could go to, just a 2-3 hour round trip in Houston traffic is all

@sgt_zim:
Might try Baileys House of Guns on Bluebonnet St. I have picked up R15, CFE 223 and H 4350 recently....

 

[Ares]

I always have had lots of ammo in stock so no shortage here. I will be a buyer when the market gets back to a normal pricing. Ridiculous what they want for ammo now.

 

[sgt_zim]

@sgt_zim:
Might try Baileys House of Guns on Bluebonnet St. I have picked up R15, CFE 223 and H 4350 recently....

Didn't even know they were still around. I bought my S&W 686 from them when I was a Houston police cadet. Only about 30 years ago now.

Bailey's isn't a lot closer than 10ring, but they are a much easier drive for me from Richmond.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

Didn't even know they were still around. I bought my S&W 686 from them when I was a Houston police cadet. Only about 30 years ago now.

Bailey's isn't a lot closer than 10ring, but they are a much easier drive for me from Richmond.

686...my favorite woods revolver.

 

[J Mac 49]

Yeah...I'm in Clear Lake but shoot clays at Greater Houston alot so drive near it
Probly still looks the same as you were there last..

 

[J Mac 49]

My favorite lease pistol is my S&W Mod 25 4" 45 Colt.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Closer to Finland, Norma makes a premium bonded bullet - the ORYX.

I saw whitetails while visiting at the Nokia conference center - an old Russian hunting lodge in the country outside Helsinki. They also have a skeet range, indoor range and a number of interesting old arms on display.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

My favorite lease pistol is my S&W Mod 25 4" 45 Colt.

Got a Mod 625 Mountain Gun, I like it a lot.

 

[Woodcarver]

+1 on the Norma Oryx. Just ordered a couple hundred .375 300gr from Midway. I've found the Oryx in several calibers available on several websites for a while now.

I haven't had too much trouble finding powder by regularly checking the suppliers I frequent. If I can't buy at least 3 kegs, the hazmat jumps the price/pound too much, so I'll wait. If you only use a pound or two and that takes months, the only option is your local shop and whatever they feel like adding on.

Primers are still the hard item to find, but they are starting to appear again. Stopped at the local Sportsman's Warehouse on my way up the mountain for elk season and they had 1k of small rifle and 3k of 209s out on the shelf. So they had received enough to exceed immediate demand and stock them on a shelf. That's progress! lol. The small rifles were $75/1000, which I think is going to be close to the new normal for primers, at least for the foreseeable future.

Patience is still the key. Trading amongst our fellow reloaders can help as well until the supply starts getting ahead of demand again. For those that are reliant on manufactured ammo, best find a big jar of vaseline to ease the pain as those prices are gonna be hard to take for some time.

 

[CoElkHunter]

+1 on the Norma Oryx. Just ordered a couple hundred .375 300gr from Midway. I've found the Oryx in several calibers available on several websites for a while now.

I haven't had too much trouble finding powder by regularly checking the suppliers I frequent. If I can't buy at least 3 kegs, the hazmat jumps the price/pound too much, so I'll wait. If you only use a pound or two and that takes months, the only option is your local shop and whatever they feel like adding on.

Primers are still the hard item to find, but they are starting to appear again. Stopped at the local Sportsman's Warehouse on my way up the mountain for elk season and they had 1k of small rifle and 3k of 209s out on the shelf. So they had received enough to exceed immediate demand and stock them on a shelf. That's progress! lol. The small rifles were $75/1000, which I think is going to be close to the new normal for primers, at least for the foreseeable future.

Patience is still the key. Trading amongst our fellow reloaders can help as well until the supply starts getting ahead of demand again. For those that are reliant on manufactured ammo, best find a big jar of vaseline to ease the pain as those prices are gonna be hard to take for some time.

I just looked at Midway's 300gr. .375 bullets. $1.12/bullet for the Oryx is reasonable in today's world for a premium bullet. But, I think those guys at Nosler have been smoking too much corn silk or something in the pheasant fields. $1.98/bullet for Accubonds and $2.32/bullet for Partitions? Neither are in stock, but I would no more pay that for one of those bullets at those prices than eat a Vegemite sandwich! Nosler's current brass prices are even more absurd. WTF.

 

[Woodcarver]

I just looked at Midway's 300gr. .375 bullets. $1.12/bullet for the Oryx is reasonable in today's world for a premium bullet. But, I think those guys at Nosler have been smoking too much corn silk or something in the pheasant fields. $1.98/bullet for Accubonds and $2.32/bullet for Partitions? Neither are in stock, but I would no more pay that for one of those bullets at those prices than eat a Vegemite sandwich! Nosler's current brass prices are even more absurd. WTF.

Yeah, the Oryx has been a shade over a buck apiece since before the stupidity started. Nosler does seem to be quite proud of their stuff these days. I'm in need of some 375HH brass, but not at $3+/ea. I'm patient. Probably ought to offer out a trade; that might be an easier, and quicker way to find some.
Btw, Grafs had them for a little less, right at $1 ea, but they didn't have the other stuff I needed and Midway has free shipping right now.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Yeah, the Oryx has been a shade over a buck apiece since before the stupidity started. Nosler does seem to be quite proud of their stuff these days. I'm in need of some 375HH brass, but not at $3+/ea. I'm patient. Probably ought to offer out a trade; that might be an easier, and quicker way to find some.
Btw, Grafs had them for a little less, right at $1 ea, but they didn't have the other stuff I needed and Midway has free shipping right now.

Well, Midway changed their "free shipping" policy. Instead of EVERYTHING bought over $49 is/was free shipping, now it must be a "qualifying product" with "free shipping" next to it and that eliminates a lot of items including most, if not all, reloading components and ammo. 'Ol Larry has gotten quite innovative lately?

 

[CBeck]

I felt like I won the lottery today when I found a box with 42 remaining in .284 Federal Trophy bonded tips in a storage bin with some reloading equipment.

I just bought the only two boxes of 280 Remington I could find which were core lokt and paid $58/box. I never thought I’d see the day…..