Reloading On A Component Crunch Diet

How can you survive when your reloading parts are running low? You can survive on leftovers, that’s the answer. As if shooting wasn’t difficult enough, the shortage of factory-loaded ammunition is making it even more difficult. Reloading components are becoming scarcer and prices are rising daily. Even reloading equipment is in short supply in some cases. People are having difficulty getting presses, dies, and other items. First, there are nearly 8 million new shooters. All of them need ammunition to fuel their new firearms. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic forced manufacturers to change their work environments. Social distancing requirements have led to a decrease in production in many businesses. Third, most components are used to produce loaded ammunition. This makes sense as it is where the greatest demand is. The saddest sight of all: empty component containers with no replacements. Massaro Media Group. With Remington’s fate still uncertain, one of the four prime producers has stopped production. Vista Outdoor has acquired Remington Ammunition, as well as their component production, so we are temporarily down to one primer producer. As if that weren’t enough, reloaders now have the “leftovers”, if you will. There’s also the fact some people are hoarding both components and ammo. I am not trying to judge anyone nor to suggest that anyone should have a limit on how much ammo, components, or firearms they can own. But the truth is the truth. These problems might not apply to you if you have 10,000 primers. However, if you are new to reloading, or have low supplies, these problems are a reality. This could mean switching primers or using magnum primers where a standard primer was used. Switching primers can be a good idea in some cases, but it is not always advisable. Switching brands or types of cases is the same. A friend gave me 50 nickel-plated Remington cases to use with my brand-new.300 Winchester Magnum. I had developed a handload using a 180 grain Sierra GameKing boattail over IMR 4335, in Frontier (Hornady). I was eager to use nickel cases, which would not tarnish in the damp Catskills or Adirondacks. I had developed a handload using a 180-grain Sierra GameKing boat-tail over IMR 4350, in Frontier (Hornady) cases. Massaro Media Group. At first, I thought that something had happened to my riflescope. The bullets struck 2 1/2 inches higher than the previous one and 1 1/2 inches to its right in a group that was twice as big as the original. Puzzled, I pulled three rounds of Frontier ammo and printed the same 3/4-inch group that the rifle was printing, centering on the bull’s eye. The cases were the difference. The cases were the difference. If you are forced to change brands of rifle cases, I recommend using lighter powder charges and then working back up. For example, the Remington cases contained 88.2 grains of liquid, while the Frontier cases contained 93.1 grains. This volume difference translated into a significant difference in the ammunition’s performance. A primer switch can be a good option if your loads are prone to high pressure. This happened to me with my Ruger.308 Winchester, which gave me the best accuracy and charge weights close to maximum. I ran out of CCI 200 primers in the 2013 crunch, which may have been surpassed by this one. I was unable to get Remington No. 9 1/2 large-rifle primer. Massaro Media Group. The difference in primer heat caused a higher pressure in the rifle, which resulted in flattening and cratering my primers and made bolt extraction difficult. I had to reduce the heat until I could get the CCI 200s. I also had to switch from IMR4064 to I380 powder when using Remington primers. This made it difficult to change bullets in some rifles. Some guns have a greater bearing surface while others prefer lighter bullets. Problems can arise when one bullet is not available and a switch is made. Switching from a cup-and core bullet to a monometal cartridge will result in a different pressure curve. Although this is something we take for granted, many novice and inexperienced reloaders believe a 180-grain round bullet is a 180 gram bullet. They do not need to be adjusted when switching between them. Monometal boat-tail-spitzer with polymer tips is a different animal than a flat-base, round nose cup and core bullet. Although a black bear might not notice, the barrel will. Because of differences in volume, switching brands or types can cause changes in velocity and pressure. Massaro Media Group. A 6.5mm 140-grain Sierra MatchKing is different from a 140-grain Berger Target VLD. Both bullets are excellent, but they won’t be interchangeable if long-range shooting is your priority. Winchester’s large pistol primes (WLP), are designed to be used with standard and magnum loads. The large pistol primers (WLP) from Winchester are designed to be used with both standard and magnum loads. Although I shoot a lot more factory ammunition than reloaded ammunition, even in times of abundance, I hope this drought inspires all shooters to learn how reload their ammo. Storm Tactical’s impressive target pack contains 62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range usage. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.