I am an accumulator. It started back when I was still attending a country elementary school and my favorite reading was Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, and American Rifleman. From one of those pages I order a Lee Loader for 12gauge. Since that time my loading equipment fills a greater space, and I do not totally panic when there is a shortage of components.
My basic theory is that if it yours, it goes bang, it is reloadable then one should be pre-pared to do so. I might have accumulated dies for a couple of rounds that I do not own, but load for family members.
On a couple occasions I have purchased factory ammunition at good price. This gives me a good source of brass and practice ammunition. On seeing a good deal I have been known to barrow my wife’s calculator and figure out if I could load the ammunition at the current price of components.
Yesterday I left the wife behind and did some driving and touring of outlets that sell ammunition and components. It reconfirms what I was seeing a few months ago. Prices have sky rocketed. Shelves have grown bare of ammunition and components. They had a fair number of shotgun shells but I did not see any cheap 7.62x39 ammunition setting in it’s normal spot.
Less then 12-months ago I was looking at a good deal on powder in my favored burning range. I did not buy because I would have to develop new loads for the powder, and I did not want to spend the money. Oh, how I wish I had bought two eight-pound jugs.
Just because a certain military surplus is readily available does not mean it will be a few months from now. I was short sighted when it came to .303 British ammunition, when I first purchased my Jungle Carbine in 1961 and for years later ammunition was very cheap. I avoided most surplus ammunition because it was corrosive. Once I located some excellent Canadian manufacture ammunition that was non-corrosive I should have bought big time. Fortunately I have purchased some bulk brass, and a few hundred bullets. I worked up some loads for the rifle, and have put it to limited use since. I do not recall seeing ammunition for the .303 British yesterday, or the large displays of surplus 30-06, or 8MM Mauser ammunition that were in the shops years back.
According to my friends that have SKS 7.62X39 rifles the large supply of ammunition being offer in that caliber five or ten years ago is drying up or has dried up. They do not expect to see it improve with the change it the White House, and congress.
We have seen a brick of 22 Long Rifle ammunition triple in 12 months. Yesterday I watch a young man buy the last three boxes of .270 Winchester ammunition off a shelve at about $40 a box when the taxes are added in. I almost asked him to save the brass for me!
