ever notice how gossips will believe any negative thing on a whisper, but can't accept positive without court findings?

Buy the Barrel today and see how many components you can get for it.

PRVI is supplying a lot of brass and much of it in really hard to get cartridges. Carcano, 6.5 Jap , 7.7 Arasaka, 7 x 57, 7.65x53 etc., and most of the US standards. I saw these and more on the shelves at Angeles Shooting Range today. roger

I remember early last year one of the manufacturers or distributors dropped a few calibers of ammunition and brass. They didn't really drop them they just quit listing them as they knew they wouldn't be available for a while and didn't want to keep answering emails, backorders, etc.

I read an article about injection molded bullets and what amounts to plastic brass. The theory is they cannot be reloaded and the drug cartels can't pick up spent brass for reloading. http://polycaseammunition.com/

I don't see this as a threat to my reloading but the idea is intriguing.

quote:

Now show us on the doll where the short magnums touched you...

Oh my, that is some funny stuff right there!

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
Buy the Barrel today and see how many components you can get for it.

Midway has primers and some powder. Powder Valley has some powders. I know Sierra has 77 SMKs in stock. I could order components to make a MOA load and wear out a NMA2 barrel. Could do the same for .308 and .30-06. I might end up placing a powder valley order soon.

quote:

The ammunition companies have pretty much always hated reloaders. And, bullet casters.

Always pretty much?

I have too many cases in boxes labeled unprimed cases from Remington, Norma, Federal etc.to believe they hated reloaders. my only problem with cases that were available was the lack of cases available for case formers and reloader that needed cases that were too long between the shoulder of the case to the case head.

F. Guffey

I doubt a company lost money selling brass over loaded ammo. If they lost money they wouldn't sell it.

In a "saturated" market, when all available raw materials, labor and machinery is fully utilized on similar products, one has the luxury of selecting which final product has the greatest profit margin and specializing in that for the period of time the market demand pipeline remains full. That means company's prefer to make ammo with a greater overall revenue and profit from the same raw materials, labor and machine time. Capital as well of course. Anyway this is how they would "lose" money making and selling brass in this market.
I also restate my suggestion that this is a risky short term strategy. Markets have a way of moving when one shuts down your participation in it. It may or may not come back to you when you later desire it to.
The "rule of thumb" is that 20% of the product in a grocery store makes 80% of the profit. However, without the other 80% of the products in the store, one could not get the customer to come buy the 20% of high profit items. So they carefully stock to get the highest traffic and most profitable basket of goods walking out the door as possible.
The Ammo and brass makers have just went to the 20% and are willing to find out how that works for them long term. I think the most worrying thing about this is the long running and large industries don't seem to be worried enough about the long term to deal with the supply side of the equation like they would have in 1942. That period of time shows us what American Manufacturing is capable of. Do you prefer an IBM M1 Carbine or an International Harvester M1 Garand Rifle sort of thing?
That comes from the board room looking at the political climate and some light reading of the tea leaves.

Not really sure what is happening, I just ordered 100 cases of Rem brass 375 H&H from Cabela's. They are on back order but they said estimated delivery was the end of July. They may call back and say it is not back orderable but we will see.

In July they may update that to January Bama. Not saying that they will as it could come in tomorrow. But it could be Jan too. Of next July if their orders don't fill with the suppliers.

Guffey,

1. I have toured the Winchester and Remington plants as a writer since the early 1990's. I had PR guys tell me that they much prefer to sell loaded ammunition. Their displays at the SHOT Show have not included brass the past three or four years.
The case is 65% +/- of the cost of a loaded round, per those companies. Four US companies control brass production. Winchester, Remington, Federal, and now StarLine. They have tremendous competition from literally dozens of custom bullet makers, and at least a dozen or so powder companies. Hardly anyone buys factory bullets anymore.

I realize I am generalizing, but go to your favorite big box store and try to find more than 20 or so cartridge cases. Compare that to the variety of loaded ammunition and check back with me. Cabela's in Boise had about a seven to one ratio.

Add Speer to the big four list for primers.


2. I have also noticed that those large quantities of boxed unprimed brass you speak of only exist from foreign suppliers these days. What I saw at Cabela's and Sportsmen's Warehouse from US Mfgrs are in cheesy little plastic bags the past few years. It lets them bounce around and dent the cases, especially the case mouths.

I have no ideal how many reloaders reload, I have no ideal what reloaders do when they get out and shop. I want for nothing when it comes to cases, while other reloaders were talking about reloading I was looking for cases.

I do not use plastic bags, in this area we have a store that sells reloading equipment and components. I had a standing order for 284 cases, after 4 years I gave up. I did not have to have a 284 rifle.

F. Guffey

For whatever it is worth, try finding some 357 Maximum brass, 257 Roberts brass, or 6MM Remington brass. And that is just for starters...

I have just about all the brass I could ask for in every caliber I need (except maybe 400 H&H...), but I am having to re-think the idea of a custom 257 Roberts because of brass availability. If I can't get the cases, I darned sure don't need the rifle.

They are at full capacity in production and I am not surprised they want to focus production on the best sellers.

I wish I had the money to start up a .22 ammo/ reloading brass manufacturing plant I expect that would be a cash cow for a few years.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
For whatever it is worth, try finding some 357 Maximum brass, 257 Roberts brass, or 6MM Remington brass. And that is just for starters...

I have just about all the brass I could ask for in every caliber I need (except maybe 400 H&H...), but I am having to re-think the idea of a custom 257 Roberts because of brass availability. If I can't get the cases, I darned sure don't need the rifle.

FWIW, .357 Max brass is available on Amazon for the not giveaway price of about $98/100 delivered.

I'm pretty sure I can help you out with .257 Roberts brass or 6mm if you really need some. I'd have to go dig it out tho. Price will be very reasonable, more or less equivalent of current factory prices.

Someone will always step into the gap. That's the way our system works.

I ordered loaded Prvi Partizan 9.3x62 just last week because of no availability of brass from any of the lower cost brass providers....Rem, Win, Fed

I haven't used nor plan on using Norma, Lapua, Hornady or Nosler brass

I will however be looking into using more PPU in the future

Like Ted I have recently been using some PPU brass. Started with some 303 Sav, 8x60 and 9.3x62. This is pretty good stuff. They seem to be happy to expand their sales.

Well Jeffe it ain't gossip where Rem and Win is coming from..Check Huntingtons, the no longer carry either and they been carrying Rem and Win for at least 40 years that I know of..and I got my info from a very high ranking official, no more brass for 3 years..just go check the businesses that handle the stuff and see how many cartridges cases are out of stock, only loaded ammo and much of that has been dropped..it just all comes together, but go ahead and believe what you want, it won't change a thing.

In the meantime I'll make 250 Sav. from 22-250S and 117 gr. RN/FN 25-35 bullets from ground off 120 gr. Sierras. de je vous of WW2...

Buy graff brass (Privi), its great stuff and comes in a lot of calibers, hope some of the lesser companies will come to the American reloaders aid and give us the old cartridges like the 38-55, 25-35, 250 Savage, 303 Savage, 32 Special, 30, 32, 35 REm calibers, lots of stuff has been gone for several years now and more will be dropped..

IMO, the glory days are over, its been a heck of a trip but may be best to shoot the 30-06 , 270, etc. They jump out and run big adds and sell the hotties like the 6.5 Creedmore , 300 blackout, then in a year or two they just might quit making ammo and brass, Remingtons been doing that for years btw, remember the much advertised 5mm! I still have one and for 10 years the ammo was on the black market for $100 a box..Aguila finally started make 5MMs so I bought $ 3 cases, yeah that's hording by necessity..

Ted,
You spot on, the upside is PPU is as good as any brass I have ever used..and cheaper than any brass on the market, I doubt however they will be able to fill the need and it will become scarce..I just got some 300 Win mags from them as they have been out for some time..Norma is available but they are higher than a cats back on brass.

Nosler is now making hard to find brass and charging an absolute premium for it. I'm glad I bought a few bags of Remington 257R & 350 Rem Mag brass the last time they had a seasonal run.

You might try bullets.com for your reloading supplies.

http://bullets.com/search/?s=c...ass&s=gun_type:rifle

If anyone cares Midway has Winchester brass in common calibers.

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Originally posted by Sam:
If anyone cares Midway has Winchester brass in common calibers.

I just got that notification too.!