Author Topic: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?  (Read 4427 times)

Offline Coffinmaker

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2021, 09:39:42 AM »

 :)  Well Hey Rye   ;)

Might could be I should take a few days off and hang out in yer neck of the woods..  See iffin I can beat yer kids to the goods . . . as it twer.  Pad my stash a bit   ::)

Offline Baltimore Ed

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2021, 11:02:09 AM »
Sounds like some of you guys are not doing too good. Sorry to hear it. I’ve got about 20000 split between 209, LR, LP, SR, SP with the oldest being SR from 6-13 [I date my powder and primers so I use the oldest first] to a case of LP bought in 11-18. Haven’t bought any since, guess I should have. I shoot my club’s monthly [about 150 rds] and put a few rds through whatever I plan to shoot that match to check my ammo and gun beforehand. Not really rationing but.
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Offline Froogal

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2021, 03:10:22 PM »
I have no local gun stores that carry any kind of reloading components. The closest would be Bass-Pro, about 100 miles away. Way too far to drive just to find they are out also.

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #23 on: Today at 08:20:14 PM »

Offline LongWalker

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #23 on: January 07, 2021, 04:55:26 PM »
I'm OK on primers for now, wish I had more percussion caps.  OK on powder.  Can't find brass for my new 44 Special (seriously considering sizing 45 acp down, but that is a royal headache).  Lots of brass I don't have a current use for, and shotgun primers that I can't remember buying. 

The market for guns is pretty tight too.  Lucked into the 44 special but can't find the 41 mag Blackhawk I promised myself for my upcoming birthday.  Will probably be trading off a lot of stuff in the next year just to simply logistics. 

On the bright side (and there's always a bright side), I cast my own bullets, so that side of things hasn't been a problem. 
In my book a pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress.  Charles M. Russell

Online Abilene

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #24 on: January 07, 2021, 06:05:22 PM »
Howdy LongWalker, you must mean 45 Colt.  You can't cut down 45 ACP to make 44 Spcl!!  And even cutting down 45 colt will have thicker necks than normal.  I found some new 44 Spcl brass.  Sending you a PM so somebody else doesn't see it first.  :)

Offline LongWalker

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #25 on: January 07, 2021, 08:55:31 PM »
Howdy LongWalker, you must mean 45 Colt.  You can't cut down 45 ACP to make 44 Spcl!!  And even cutting down 45 colt will have thicker necks than normal.  I found some new 44 Spcl brass.  Sending you a PM so somebody else doesn't see it first.  :)

Got an order in, still waiting for confirmation--THanks!

Actually, if you have more time than sense, you can size 45 acp down to a 44 "short", or even a 41 "short".  This was written up in Handloaders Digest years ago.  In the mid-'80s I used this process to get by during a time of no 41 mag brass.  But it is a pain. . . .

1) Resize 1x fired acp.  For this step, carbide or steel die doesn't matter. 

2) Lube well, size the 45 acp case in a 44 Mag/SPEC STEEL die.  Try this with a carbide die and you'll bust the carbide ring; I've never been willing to try with a nitrided die. 

3) Next you have to size down the web of the case, leaving a small rim.  This works best in a die that has no bevel at the bottom--you need a square or nearly square entry into the die to swage the web down.  Usually this means shortening a sizing die, but some of the Herters dies from the 50s will work too.  Remove the shellholder from the ram and substitute a shellholder for something larger (like an H&H mag shellholder--it won't actually grip the case).  Press the case into the 44 die until the only thing sticking out is the rim you've now created. 

4) Press out from above (usually a hammer and punch are needed).  At this point you have a 44 short that may or may not work in your 44 special/mag.  See if the case will chamber.  If it won't chamber, the web is still too large--repeat the sizing stage using the oversized shellholder.

5) to get 41 shorts, you can repeat steps 2-3-4 with a STEEL 41 mag die. 

In any case, you'll probably need to shorten an expander die and a seat/crimp die in order to use the short cases. 

In my book a pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress.  Charles M. Russell

Online Abilene

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #26 on: January 07, 2021, 10:04:26 PM »
Well, alrighty then!  But those steps, to me, means it can't be done!   ;D

Offline Rye Miles

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #27 on: January 08, 2021, 07:39:03 AM »
:)  Well Hey Rye   ;)

Might could be I should take a few days off and hang out in yer neck of the woods..  See iffin I can beat yer kids to the goods . . . as it twer.  Pad my stash a bit   ::)

C'mon!! Fin Feather and Fur has been putting out sleeves of 100 primers, one to a customer. I don't know if it would be worth it! They supposedly put out their new stock every Tuesday. (????)  ::)
Northeast Ohio

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Offline wildman1

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #28 on: January 08, 2021, 08:12:41 AM »
I'm OK on primers for now, wish I had more percussion caps.  OK on powder.  Can't find brass for my new 44 Special (seriously considering sizing 45 acp down, but that is a royal headache).  Lots of brass I don't have a current use for, and shotgun primers that I can't remember buying. 

The market for guns is pretty tight too.  Lucked into the 44 special but can't find the 41 mag Blackhawk I promised myself for my upcoming birthday.  Will probably be trading off a lot of stuff in the next year just to simply logistics. 

On the bright side (and there's always a bright side), I cast my own bullets, so that side of things hasn't been a problem.
PM sent.
wM1
WARTHOG, Dirty Rat #600, BOLD #1056, CGCS,GCSAA, NMLRA, NRA, AF&AM, CBBRC.  If all that cowboy has ever seen is a stockdam, he ain't gonna believe ya when ya tell him about whales.

Offline Froogal

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #29 on: January 08, 2021, 10:42:03 AM »
I have plenty of powder, with more coming. I have plenty of brass, got more just yesterday. Plenty of bullets and a pile of lead to make more, but none of that is any good without primers.

Offline Matthew Duncan

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #30 on: February 06, 2021, 07:58:08 AM »
All the ammo for a normal 2021 SASS season is reloaded.
All the ammo for a normal 2-gun pistol caliber 2021 season is reloaded.
All the rimfire ammo for the RATS (http://www.wolffsrowdyrangers.com/RATS/) 2021 matches is on hand.

Enough reloading components on hand to reload for 2022 seasons too.

I have the tendency to stock up a little and purchase when prices are low to normal.  Kind of like not waiting until the last empty cardboard tube of toilet paper is on the hanger before paying premium for more.
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Disclaimer:  I have not slept in any hotel recently, not a certified CAS rule web lawyer.  Have not attended any RO III or RO VI classes.  Opinions expressed are by a cowpoke who believes the year is 1868.

Offline Diamond Jake

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Re: How are you fixed for primers, powder etc?
« Reply #31 on: February 26, 2021, 06:51:16 AM »
I see light at the end of the tunnel.

Last week I saw several tins of CCI no 10 percussion caps on the shelf in a relatively large outdoors store.  Two days ago I got 2 bricks of CCI Large Pistol Primers for less than $40 per brick from a national distributor.  (I had them on order since mid November last year.)

I now have enough ammo and components (other than about 6 months of cast bullets) to shoot two monthly matches and two annual matches for the season, with a little left over for practicing.  I bought a Ruger Wrangler 22 revolver to help with the practicing.

The local Sports Academy store has been getting ammo 3X weekly.  100 guys are lined up before the store opens, and the ammo is usually gone in 90 minutes.  Limit two boxes per person.  Hopefully after a month or two more of this the lines will go down and you'll start to see a few things on the shelf.

This shortage is all demand-side driven.  I'm not buying any more ammo or components (other than cast lead bullets) until some of you guys in trouble get a chance on it.  Maybe 6-9 months.

 

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