When you have ammo orders of 20,000 rounds of 28 Nosler and 10,000+ rounds of 6.5 CM, and multiple other big orders, finding bullets to fill those orders is another task. Hornady and most OEM suppliers that sell Hornady have stopped taking bullet orders, due to zero availability and no product movement. Berger has stopped taking orders, and tells you to buy/order from distributors. Those distributors have either stopped taking orders for those items, or limit you to 5 or 10 boxes of bullets once available. They each have you chasing your tail. I've already seen 2-3 "revisions" to the 2021 price sheets, and each time it's gone up anywhere from 10% to 15% each revision. And it's still April! This is certainly the strangest times I've ever seen. The million dollar question is when it will let up.

2023 it will let up but won't be fixed until 2025.

Heck I'm just trying to get 8lbs of IMR 4064 and 4895. Can't imagine trying to find that many bullets

It's not going back to how it was. Debatable if it goes back much at all.

In the last year, the first thing that dried up was primers. I could still get brass, bullets, and some powders. Now most powders are not available. Brass and bullets are the biggest current problem. One of my wholesale reps said the bullets that typically only hand loaders use are just not being produced. A Berger 7mm 195 gr EOL for instance. They just aren't making those type bullets. They are making bullets to go into loaded ammo. All this shortage is to fill loaded ammo orders. Hand loaders are left with no supplies.

I feel for you fellas that shoot a lot more and who make your living on selling ammo or a related service etc. I have enough to last me a while but if i could easily go buy the supplies i want i would buy some.

The mentality I'm seeing is strange right now. A customer will call in to talk or place an order for 100 rounds of ammo. Sometimes they'll talk about how a 100 rounds may last them a year or two with the amount they shoot. We'll work out a bullet they want or one we can load and do 100 rounds. Then the next question is, "Can you load 500 rounds?" I'll say yes, and next thing you know, a shooter who doesn't shoot that much is buying more ammo. When someone knows that there is a shortage going on, and may not be able to get ammo at some point, they want to order all they can. I see this daily. I've seen some orders go to 1000 rounds from 200 or 300 rounds.

The most important thing right now is to SAVE YOUR BRASS!!! If you save your brass, you can reload it. There are a lot of issues getting in more brass in certain calibers. 90% of my calls are about 6.5 PRC. That round is by far the most sought after cartridge right now.

It's got the Gaymoor backing. I'm sure we're fixing to hear stories on how the 6.5prc is more accurate and deadly than all other cartridges

It's been crazy no doubt...I've not bought hardly anything the last 6 months. I traded some primers, traded some powder, I ran across 8lbs of RL16 so I bought it and I got lucky and found some Berger 185 classic hunters last week for a new build. I'm like many who lived through the Clinton/Obozo days and have a stash but it's never enough and I'd buy a lot more of my heavily used stuff if I saw it available.

It's been enlightening to see who has changed mindsets from years/struggles of that past. Midway historically has been really good to the reloaders...they've shown their donkey this shortage and I've added them to my "Do not buy at all costs" list.

Good luck Chad and Jason...I wouldn't want my income wrapped up in this mess!

Why? What all have they done? I haven't kept up with their practices since I don't buy from them.

I figured a while back that it would be at least 2-3 years before reloading supplies will get back on the shelves at stabilized prices.
Prices will be 25% - 30% higher than they were before, and hopefully all of the price gouger's during the pandemic will lose their asses on all the over priced stuff they bought trying to resale it for a bigger profit.

The 2 box bullet limits I could deal with even though I think that's way to low...but jacking the prices up is the thing that chaps my donkey. Definitely taking advantage of us.

Guy's are bitching about them raising their prices. What they don't understand is it's the wholesale distributor's that started all this high price mess in the first place by screwing over the retailer's.

One of my suppliers got in a bunch of lower end 9mm brass and bullets. I did the math, and my cost (cost, not sell price) to load 9mm was over $.50 a round on what would normally a lower cost item. I don't load 9mm, but I considered loading it since they had it available. But certainly not at those prices.

A few weeks ago, I was out shooting at my buddy's place. Shot 100 rounds of .357 through my coonan. The Coonan flings brass all the way to kingdom come! I was able to recover 99 of the 100 brass casings. I went back out there that night and spent about an hour searching with a flashlight for my one missing piece of brass like a meth head searching for a piece of crystal meth that he dropped.

Haha. I’m like that all the time with rifle brass.

My mother in law had an old laptop that didnt work right anymore and she wanted it "destroyed" before she threw it away. This weekend I emptied my CC 9mm on it in the back yard. I think I spent as much time looking where the empties were going as I did over the sights. I found them all lol

Not if I'm out of primers.

Save your brass, you MIGHT be able to reload it.

scare tactic's working ..

Guns are gonna be cheaper than ammo...

All about the big buck$...

Reminds me of the dude came inta store bitchen bout Dem's
with a loaded cart of rubbing alcahol with a red vote Trump hat on...
Whin asked him "what ya doing with that much ? "
He sells it on internet...
know as d flip-flop...
Prices are getting high,
not all paying the same,some can afford it better than others...
My since me fast drawing days in 70's & back in 60's goffer,shorten rats @ dumps
i enjoy plinking, stocking up for future,
Just venting...

Carry on...

How are you out of primers? Well, not you. That sounds too personal. There are lots of possible odd situations reloaders could be out.

Everyone (distributors and retailers) wants a piece of pie. They do follow gunbroker and ammoseek on a daily basis to adjust their selling prices.

At least some understand it. Simple concepts, understanding supply chains, markets and market concepts go out the window whenever shortages abound. Most consumers only see the retail side because that’s all they know and the tendency is to blame them for price increases. Are there exceptions where retailers do take advantage, yes (CTD a few years back). By and far though, most retail is priced (simply stated) at their cost plus a profit. When the inventory cost goes up, so does the retail price. This shortage has brought out all kinds of conspiracy theories and irrational thinking.

Read an article in yesterdays DMN. They had a huge article on True Velocity Ammo. They dont seem to be having trouble getting components to fill Government contracts


HUUUUUMMMM

I have no doubt Buzz that if you placed an order for millions, you would also receive your product before suppliers that feed guys like me that buy in the hundreds or thousands. Big money customers come first. Also, as you stated they are contracts, those are agreed upon and must be delivered. I have no contract with suppliers and therefore I wait.

That explains the primer shortage.

Primers are produced by the thousands, per hour. And they are going to the big ammo makers, leaving hand loaders sitting and waiting.

We also know that our government is not a shrewd negotiator and pays a premium. So, again, they are going to the front of the line - don't bite the hand that feeds you.