Do you balance out your reloading component inventory?

[arakboss]

Experienced reloaders, do you keep a balanced approach to adding to your collection of reloading components. Or do you just purchase whatever catches your eye or seems like a bargain at the time.

If you had more powder than you had primers for, would you keep buying good powder deals or spend the money on historically high priced primers to balance out your stocks?

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[WTC]

Honestly I've been getting whatever I can. Even at $150 per 1k it's way cheaper to reload vs buy anything right now. Plus I'm learning how to make better ammo. The 77g SMKs I just loaded are amazing in my 18in AR. Tiny groups

That said my anxiety is killing me with having just gotten into this hobby and everything being so scarce. Having a hard time defining what is enough vs get more. Have definitely been influenced by the current climate to get more and stock more(late to the game but at least I started early last year)

Not to highjack but what's your comfortable zone stash wise? Aka when should I stop and wait for prices to come down?

X lbs of powder
X number of primers
X number of projectiles

Thanks

 

[Josh89]

I think im pretty even out now. Have a few extra k primers but if I came across more for a good price I'd go ahead and buy them. If had more
Powder I'd buy more if I came across a good deal as well. Not like it'll go bad if stored right.

 

[oremike]

It's kind of a hot dog vs. bun thing. Primers and bullets can be bought in increments of 100 but powder is bought by the pound. 7000 grains in a pound, x number of grains per load, how many number of x loads equal 7000. Or at what point does the number of x loads equal the even number of pounds of powder.

 

[P7M13]

I inventory. Balance is good.

 

[41mag]

some vague notion of 'balance' is really good, compared to no idea of what personal goals/needs may be;
I've tried the 'buy what comes to hand easily' vs 'search out what you think you need'. Balance in an era of chronic component shortages helps achieving regular practice time.

Part of the pleasure of reloading hobby, is discovering unexpected variations in components that actually produce suitable loads for whatever your use may be.

Sometimes it's difficult choice whether to use up older previous favorites vs loading 'enough' of newer recipes to have some on hand. As experience with various products increases, personal preferences tend to shift. With mostly-pistol-range game focus, such variation in powders alone are surprising. Beyond satisfactory groups, reliability and general pleasant results, little discussed factors such as odor, amount of enough/absence of smoke, gummy vs crusty residue, cleaning regimen related to various powders, and so forth. Is that pound of powder X satisfactory enough to actually buy a 4 or 8 pound jug of it? Should I buy more of any powder when primers are so hard to find? The demands of precision long range reloads are different than casual hobby handgun groups. Which balance do you favor?

 

[Member 5605]

I have an over abundance of powder. Enough to cycle my primers and bullets 5 times.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Are you talking Dempanic or when stuff was readily in availability?
Before these panic times it would over balance bullets and primers, powder was IMHO, why not have a lot in case my (fill in the blank) needs some.
I haven't really bought much (no primers) during the recent panic but what I have, we're not at panic prices.

 

[arrowshooter]

I kept components in check for the most part. Where I slipped up was in adding new builds/calibers that required SRP's , so now I need to manage what goes where.

 

[Labradorian]

Every time I go looking for something, I rediscover something else.

Since a tuned round is a unique combination of parts for just about each rifle, its impossible to say how many I could load. Some of it may not be worth putting together.

 

[kenboy]

Buy it when the price is right.....trade bait

 

[Certaindeaf]

Back when I stocked up, an 8 lb jug of Promo (Red Dot equivalent by weight) was $80 and is good for 12,500 of my pistol loads so to be "equivalent" would have been to also purchase 13 bricks of Tula primers at $17/ea so $220 for those.
So $300 for 12,500 rounds since I cast my own bullets.

 

[arakboss]

Are you talking Dempanic or when stuff was readily in availability?
Before these panic times it would over balance bullets and primers, powder was IMHO, why not have a lot in case my (fill in the blank) needs some.
I haven't really bought much (no primers) during the recent panic but what I have, we're not at panic prices.

I am talking about now. I really don't want to spend 10 cents a primer to balance out my components. But I either have to suck it up and do that or maybe trade some powder for primers which will help achieve the balance sooner. But I find it hard to pass up a good deal on powder so my inventory ends up becoming more unbalanced. And good deals on primers are rare these days.

 

[Deerhurst]

I buy as it get the itch to. I am generally low on something. Right now it's large pistol primers and .2215 projectiles and 5.45x39 brass. Soon it'll be small pistol primers.

Since ammo is way too expensive I've been loading to build up my stock, especially pistol calibers. Since components have gone full retard in pricing I am not resupplying at this time. When it hits the shelf again you better believe I'm stocking up again!

 

[Caveman Jim]

I am talking about now. I really don't want to spend 10 cents a primer to balance out my components. But I either have to suck it up and do that or maybe trade some powder for primers which will help achieve the balance sooner. But I find it hard to pass up a good deal on powder so I end up becoming more unbalanced. And good deals on primers are rare these days.

Get what you think you'll need, it's easy to get hooked on buying everything that comes along that seems to be a good deal and if you resell it, it makes sense.
I feel for the new guys n galls getting into this addiction, they figure if it's available (at any cost) they have to have it or they miss out.
That's what drives the panic market.
I love the bartering process.

 

[Steel Head]

I always have a few thousand primers and at least a 8# jug of powder per caliber for pistol and twice that per caliber of rifle.

 

[nammac]

My current supplies were purchased in bulk at pre-pandemic prices. I absolutely refuse to pay the panic pricing I'm seeing nowadays. I'll purchase primers when under $30/1k, powder when it's under $30/lb and projectiles when they're under $90/1k...

Those are the prices I paid pre-pandemic and consider reasonable.

To the original question, yes my supplies of primers, projectiles and powder are all well balanced with an edge going to powder. My supplies are sufficient to take me through the remainder of my shooting years...

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

havent been buying anything lately. usually i have to buy projectiles because ive got an abundance of powder and primers

 

[Lennie]

I buy everything I may need for next ten years. I also buy any good deal on reloading items that can easily be traded for stuff I need.

I just hope I never become a poster child for the evening TV news.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I buy everything I may need for next ten years. I also buy any good deal on reloading items that can easily be traded for stuff I need.

I just hope I never become a poster child for the evening TV news.

Don't we all...