cougar69 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 What is going on in our country? Are people really that paranoid that they are buying anything & everything that has to do with firearms? No ammo, if your are a reloader, no bullets, no powder, no primers, & the latest that I just checked on, no reloading dies. All out of stock, Lee anyway. Did all these mfg just stop producing or what? When I go to range any more, I don`t even shoot my cartrige guns, all I shoot is my BP ML guns & I guess BP will start to dry up too? When is it going to let up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 No problem with bp; I just ordered 3f & 4F from Maine Powder House. Yeah, I wonder just like you. Oh, lots of lead on Ebay. Guess we need to share stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdm1962 Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I sell a bit on e-bay. I had 500 rounds of range picked up 40 S&W brass. I bought a set of Lee dies from Graf's for $38.00. Brass can't be sold on e-bay, they were my "gift" to the buyer. I sold the entire lot for $72.00 plus $11.95 shipping. I am thinking about doing the same with some 9 mm, 270 Win. and 223 brass I have. I shoot 9 and 223. but might get some good cash for them. I have never had any use for a 270 got most of it in a lot of reloading stuff a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 You can make BP if it comes to that and cast shot but you cannot make caps and I have found those very hard to find. I have never seen it like this. karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I'll admit to being part of the problem. After the previous shortages, especially after being involved with pushing and shoving at gunshows. I was determined not to get caught with my pants down ever again. About 10-15 minutes after Fox gave it to Obama I got on the net and began hoarding reloading components. Reloading tools are short as many non-reloading shooters not being able to find ammo suddenly have discovered reloading. Richard Lee commented during the first shortage. "welcome back". Many shooters over the years shying away from reloading with the influx of cheap foreign made ammo. Blew the dust off their old equipment, got back into reloading creating a shortage of loading dies and other tools. According to the owner of a local gun shop. He was told by a rep of one of the powder co's. if the trend continues as it did previously. Supplies should start catching up with demand by the end of the year. I spent a few hours yesterday driving to every location I know that sells ammo searching for 12ga buck shot. Best I could do were two 5rd boxes of #4 buck and a 10rd box of BB sized shot Remington Home Defense. The dealer with the #4 buck has a strict 2 box per day ammo limit. I'm still puzzled by the lack of foreign ammo. I can only speculate that supplies are being deliberately kept in short supply to keep the current outrageous prices for domestic ammo ridiculously high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I sell a bit on e-bay. I had 500 rounds of range picked up 40 S&W brass. I bought a set of Lee dies from Graf's for $38.00. Brass can't be sold on e-bay, they were my "gift" to the buyer. I sold the entire lot for $72.00 plus $11.95 shipping. I am thinking about doing the same with some 9 mm, 270 Win. and 223 brass I have. I shoot 9 and 223. but might get some good cash for them. I have never had any use for a 270 got most of it in a lot of reloading stuff a few years back. During the first shortage. I put all my Lee Loamaster stuff and other reloading tools on Ebay. I made enough to cover the cost of a new Hornady Lock N Load set-up. Took about 8 or 9 weeks for the Hornady tools to begin showing up but well worth the wait. Now is the perfect time if any of you have any duplicate or no longer used reloading tools to post them on Ebay. If any of you have time watch Backpage.com. Easy place to swap brass, primers or other loading equipment. I ignore and don't respond to ridicules offers but there are plenty willing to do one for one or honest fair trades with brass and primers. I've done fairly well getting most of what I want except 22cal 55gr FMJ's. If anybody needs some 7mm bullets and willing to do a one for one swap sending me 270. Please send me a message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Hello Az. Cannot fault a man for being fast and smart. I was restocking a bit after I moved but did not get as much as I should have. I figured that it would be close but that Romney would win and the prices would drop. Wrong.... I am waiting to see if the flow improves before I hit the range. Even caps for BP are not to be found. karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I have much lead, gas checked .30-30 (.308) bullets I made long ago. I also have a lot of 9mm and .308 bullets for reloading. Thank goodness I bought all this stuff in the Bush years. Dang, I need to sell! http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=.308+bullets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Tony brings up a good point, time to start hoarding lead. No exaggeration, I saw Lyman brand gas checks yesterday for $65.00 per thousand at a gun shop. I asked if the price was correct and was told it was due to copper prices. Gas checks are priced a bit high but 65 is just taking advantage of the panic buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Gas checks are priced a bit high but 65 is just taking advantage of the panic buying. Unfortunately gun people are the worst of the breed when it comes to price gouging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Yeah, sellers of guns, gun components, and gas stations. Question on lead pots- do they dispense, or do you have to still use a ladle? I just run a fire in my boxwood stove and lay the ladle in there. Lots of stooping. Never heard of these, but here's a buckshot mold: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-18-Cavity-00-Buck-Buckshot-Lead-Cast-Casting-Mold-and-Handles-90486-90005-/290886538777?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ba305619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Karl, I found your percussion caps! http://www.thegunworks.com/custprodgun.cfm?SubCat1ID=75&Cat1Name=Percussion%20Caps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Tony, They sell Lee lead pots that you use a ladle with and those that will dispense out the bottom. I have both, as well as a small cast iron pot (RCBS) on a camp stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I'd rather have the dispensing kind. Amazon has a Lee IV on there for $65. Guess that's a good one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokengun Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Its not paranoia, the country is going straight to Hell and the people buying, know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks FC...these days that is a fair price. karl I have not used the lee smelters but I do use their other products and can say that they are a good honest firm. karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Yeah, Tony, I have one like that IV. It works. I kinda prefer the other kind and using a ladle, but the larger size does come in handy. If the valve gets any dirt in it, it will leak until you get it all hot enough and flush it out with a full open "squirt" so to speak. No big deal, really. Just drop the stuff back in the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Tony, They sell Lee lead pots that you use a ladle with and those that will dispense out the bottom. I have both, as well as a small cast iron pot (RCBS) on a camp stove. I use a RCBS bottom pour pot for casting bullets. Lee brand bottom pour pots work just as well and are considerably cheaper in cost. I lucked into my RCBS pot along with a cache of casting and reloading tools. I felt sorry for the guy but couldn't resist his prices. He was raising money for his wife's attorney fees and also needed 10% of her bail. She had Rx fraud and check kiting charges pending. The camp stove, lead pot and ladle I use for casting ingots usually from wheel weights or other lead scrap. A thermometer is necessary these days with all the zinc wheel weights and scrap showing up. Get the temp to just above lead's melting point but as far as possible below zinc's melting temp. After a good stirring removing the wheel weight's steel clips. The zinc will usually float to the top. It doesn't take very much zinc to ruin the castability of a pot of lead. Most zinc wheel weights are marked "ZN" but don't count on it. Zinc is also being used in stick-on wheel weights as well. The zinc/lead alloy becomes mushy, wont flow properly and makes it nearly impossible to fill a bullet mold. A lesson I learned from the School of Hard Knox. Reducing apx 20 lbs of lead, tin and antimony blend to fish sinker quality. Despite cranking the heat up full blast and heating the mold with a propane torch. I could not get the casting to fill the mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 If you're going to get a Lee bottom pour pot. Get the one pictured above with the platform to rest the mold as it fills. Take my word for it. Your wrists will appreciate it despite the $20 or so extra cost. I just looked on Lee's website to snag the picture and it appears most of their casting equipment is out of stock. Ebay is about the worse place to buy used molds but great for sellers. It is not uncommon to see used molds exceed the cost of new in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I'll try the picture again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Never heard of these, but here's a buckshot mold: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-18-Cavity-00-Buck-Buckshot-Lead-Cast-Casting-Mold-and-Handles-90486-90005-/290886538777?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ba305619 A classic example of the panic buying, $124.95!! The seller sold 4 of them making apx 60+ bux profit on each one. I'm never opposed to anybody making a buck but I'm going to wait this one out. Time for me to stop hanging around the various gun boards, do an inventory of my reloading tools, holsters, slings etc and start peddling some goods on Ebay again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks for the tip. The one on Amazon doesn't have that platform. I put up brass and bullets on Gunbroker several hours ago and already have bids on most of them. Yup, I've kept enough for my needs, but had mucho left to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 I put up brass and bullets on Gunbroker several hours ago and already have bids on most of them. Yup, I've kept enough for my needs, but had mucho left to sell. I have a retired friend who is making a good money buying and reselling ammo lately. He visits all the local ammo retailers daily and knows just when they will get a shipment in. (I think he has developed a first name relationship with most.) He buys whatever the retailer will sell him, then immediately lists it on alaskaslist.com for a huge profit. He says most are just happy to get the ammo, regardless of the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 That was a real good tip on the zinc- I had no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.