Remembering the Older Days of Reloading/Shooting

[tigerrose01]

It's the mileage, not the years. Will be 75 this Summer; gettin' over prostate surgery last week & can guarantee the truth of that old saw.

I have more mileage than years too! Just got two shoulder injections yesterday and added another required surgery to my current list. I already need another back and another neck surgery...now a shoulder surgery too! My military career was exciting but really wasn't easy on my parts...I currently have over 1,100 titanium additions and 11 fused vertebrae! I'll be at 15 or sixteen when I'm done (3 more in back and 2 more in my neck)! At least I can still shoot! I shot two deer with one bullet last year on a disabled veteran hunt. I just had to conserve ammo at the current prices...reloading keeps it a bit cheaper but now it's not exactly cheap either!

 

[JiggyIi]

While taking count of the remaining bricks of LR and LRM primers on my shelves, I began to pay extra attention to various price labels on some of my older supplies, and while we all know how much our sport has inflated in recent years, these old price tags brought back memories and a sting of the current state of things. The box of 215 magnum primers I bought several years back from the LGS in a clearance sale, and yes, I paid $3 for 1,000 (original was $7.99) and it is still full. I bought similar bricks of older primers in SP, SR and LR, and they were all like new and have worked without issue. However, I decided to save several of those to keep in my collection.

There were many, many more items with price stickers that today make me laugh, so I thought I would just post a few so the younger crowd can see how it used to be once.

Part 2: Added a few powders and 338 bullets. The $5 can is an unopened 1lb of WW 540 and the $7.95 is a can of W 452AA. The Sierra 338 bullets really made me laugh at $5.69. Was I ever that young?

I remember buying 30 cal 165gr btsp for 8$/box, 1$/100 for primers, 8$/lb for powder @ Superior Shooter Supply & would spend 12-1500 $$ each visit

 

[tigerrose01]

I remember buying 30 cal 165gr btsp for 8$/box, 1$/100 for primers, 8$/lb for powder @ Superior Shooter Supply & would spend 12-1500 $$ each visit

Yep, growing up, primers were always a penny each, just like 22 LR. The box of 222 shells could be loaded for about $4 and it was just over $2 if I used the lead pipes that came out of the house I grew up in to cast .224 bullets with a gas check on it. I used those for practice not hunting as I didn't like the lack of speed on those (or the solid, non-explosive bullet). Probably still good for "chuck hunting) but I wanted to make sure they died and weren't just injured.

 

[Calvin45]

Man it's gotten so stupid now…I'm only 31, got started handloading when I was 18.

If I hadn't then I sure wouldn't now. I feel truly sorry for any young people (I know I'm a young person to many of you but I'm talking just starting out as adults young) who want to get into this sport. How discouraging it must be! And there's no argument to be made that these prices are somehow proportionate to inflation, even compared to 13 years ago when I started. I could find powder then for ad low as 45 bucks Canadian. They have 4350 in stock now….I haven't seen it cheaper than 89 a pound in Canada now. Twice as much. Minimum wage has not doubled. Nor has the economy. People just actually have so much less buying power than they did even a decade ago

 

[Hunterjones]

I was in a shop this week that actually had several cans of different relevant powders and about had to be shocked back to life……..IMR4350 for $69 per pound.
And they have IMR4064 for about 1/2 that.
Prices on bullets and they had THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of Berger & Hornady bullets were right there where they should be. Some even a little less than I'd expect. Just absolutely do not understand why the 4350 was double. Any ideas? They weren't gouging on anything else

 

[WYO300RUM]

I was in a shop this week that actually had several cans of different relevant powders and about had to be shocked back to life……..IMR4350 for $69 per pound.
And they have IMR4064 for about 1/2 that.
Prices on bullets and they had THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of Berger & Hornady bullets were right there where they should be. Some even a little less than I'd expect. Just absolutely do not understand why the 4350 was double. Any ideas? They weren't gouging on anything else

LGS by me has lots of powder.
H4350 was $43.50 and most all of Hodgdon powders. It just went up to $48.00. Varget, US869, H4831, Benchmark and many more. Have even picked up Retumbo and H1000. I saw RL25 there the other day. I see IMR 4350, 4064, 4895, 4198, etc. there same price. Has 8 and 4 ponders of some powders. Lots of Hornady, Nosler, Berger and Sierra bullets. Decent amount of brass but never primers. See them at a different LGS tho but I don't buy. Too expensive. I have plenty.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

LGS by me has lots of powder.
H4350 was $43.50 and most all of Hodgdon powders. It just went up to $48.00. Varget, US869, H4831, Benchmark and many more. Have even picked up Retumbo and H1000. I saw RL25 there the other day. I see IMR 4350, 4064, 4895, 4198, etc. there same price. Has 8 and 4 ponders of some powders. Lots of Hornady, Nosler, Berger and Sierra bullets. Decent amount of brass but never primers. See them at a different LGS tho but I don't buy. Too expensive. I have plenty.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

What perzactky does LGS stand for?

 

[tigerrose01]

What perzactky does LGS stand for?

Local gun shop (or store)...LGS.

 

[tigerrose01]

LGS by me has lots of powder.
H4350 was $43.50 and most all of Hodgdon powders. It just went up to $48.00. Varget, US869, H4831, Benchmark and many more. Have even picked up Retumbo and H1000. I saw RL25 there the other day. I see IMR 4350, 4064, 4895, 4198, etc. there same price. Has 8 and 4 ponders of some powders. Lots of Hornady, Nosler, Berger and Sierra bullets. Decent amount of brass but never primers. See them at a different LGS tho but I don't buy. Too expensive. I have plenty.

Wishing I could find some Retumbo. It's been a long while!

 

[Chadp82]

I think I have used up the supplies my dad bought with the cheap prices…. I recall using up H4831 with a maybe $8.99 last year.

But it reminds me of learning reloading with my dad and the neighbor who taught dad and I to reload when I was a teenager.

 

[ARlife4me]

Used to buy firearms at a gas station and an auto parts store also.

 

[kfd518]

Ok. I get you. I'm not talking about 22 year olds making $19. Im talking about kids living at home in HS making $19. I agree to an extent with what you're saying but when I was young and starting out I couldn't afford rent either for my own apartment. I rented a room, had 3 roommates, went to school full time at night at the local communit college, worked full time during the day. While going to school in 1984 I was working at Home Depot making about 5.35 an hour, NO BENEFITS, watering plants and loading cars/trucks with plants, potting soil, etc…. I worked my butt off to get to the point of where I became self sufficient and independent. The problem now is that MOST everyone wants it NOW and the way of working your way up the ladder is becoming far and few between. Keep paying HS kids $19 an hour to put books away at the local library and inflation will be here to stay!!! Sorry to rant and derail the thread. Moving on.

I recall the first time I heard anything about federal minimum wage increase talks. My mom was furious. " the money has to come from somewhere. I can tell you where that is, the buyers. Me and your daddy." From that point in I knew what it meant for me to hear about wages and or governments spending increases. I believe I was about 10 years old.
I worked many starter jobs prior to starting with the fire department. When I found out what my salary and benefits were going to be I could not believe my eyes. But to get there took dedication and discipline. I was 21 at the time and my 40'th is right around the corner.

Between inflation and supply and demand (short supply due to hoarding) If people would quit buying these components at the prices they are ASKING for them the prices would eventually fall when retailers and suppliers realize the market won't support it. If the price point isn't where I'm willing to fork over my money I will go without it.
I will however say that with what I had purchased prior to the scamdemic I was able to continue shooting without running out of ammunition. There is a difference in hoarding and being prepared.

 

[xsn10s]

It really depends on what you are reloading. 9mm is so cheap today (or was anyway) that I haven't even bothered to buy dies for my 9mm G17. My 405 Winchester is pretty much unobtanium even at $100 a box lately, so I'm rather glad to have a decent brass supply and a mold for that rifle. The Rums and belted mag rifles I own are somewhat in the middle.
AS to pricing, I'm still shooting some bullets I've bought at sub $10 a box and some primers I got for a buck a box on sale. Of course I was making 5 bucks an hour or less when I bought that stuff, so the inflation on the stuff pretty much mirrors real life. Some brands have taken advantage of the situation a bit, and I'll think twice before buying from them. I can still get a few brands for about where they should be, and I've been going there lately.
I've got a couple boxes of Speer 145gr Grand slams for my kid's 7rem in the mail; they were about $35 a hundred on sale. Some brands have gone to 30 to 50 per 50 for anything resembling a premium pill in 7mm. That's a bit strong IMO..

I have dies for every cartridge I own and shoot. Even for pistols IF you shop you can load cheaper than buying ammo. At least I can because I save my brass. As for rifles it's a no brainer. Shop for sales when you can. However the cost is getting prohibitive. I still shoot but not near as much as when I was training people and shooting competitions.