Where'd all the ammo go?

[Nmate]

Get the XL650 if you are going to do rifle and pistol. I have the high speed trimmer for it dedicated to .223/5.56 and it has decreased my case prepping time by 90%. It is taking more time to swag and through the casings in the tube than resizing and trimming.

Do you have a case feeder for it? My longer term plan would be to have a XL 650 set up for .45 ACP/7.62x51mm and a Super 1050 set up for 5.56/9mm Para.

[Mauser KAR98K]

No, I don't, but it is in the future.

You can save the money and buy the die plate holders, and set and forget your dies and just swap out the plate holders when going from one cartridge to another. So stick with either the 650 or 1050. Generally you should load one cartridge in one run of a 1,000 or more before doing the switch to another. It can be a little time consuming at first, but in order to save good money for other must have components, get one press or the other with a single stage in reserve. Getting two when one can do it all is monetarily pointless.

[Nmate]

Not really. Having a 1050 for high volume stuff, especially if you shoot a lot of Lake City/IMI/ect, is a good idea. The downside of that machine is that it's very expensive to load a lot of calibers on it. The conversion kits are around $120 and a complete tool head sans dies is like $270.

The 650, on the other hand, definitely isn't as high volume and can't swage crimped primer pockets. It is, however, a lot cheaper to do multiple calibers with. The two compliment each other very well in a two machine setup. The question being if you shoot enough to justify it. If you don't, then yes, it's obviously a waste of money. That can be said of just about anything.

[Sticks]

... I have the high speed trimmer for it dedicated to .223/5.56 and it has decreased my case prepping time by 90%. It is taking more time to swag and through the casings in the tube than resizing and trimming.

FWIW - The Dillon Rapid trim will work on other progressive presses (I have it on my Lee Loadmaster). Definitely some of the best reloading component money I have spent.

You don't really need to swage/ream primer pockets that have already been done. I mark all my processed and loaded cases with a black sharpie, so I can sort them out from the rest of the scavenged range brass and and am able to skip that step in the process on the next go around.

[OldState]

If you are going switch back and forth between calibers, take a look at the Hornady LNL. I recently upgraded from a Lee Loadmaster I've been nursing for 10 years and after months of research I went with the LNL.

I am continuously surprised at how many on this forum don't reload. That being said, reloading materials are getting hard to find as well.

[Hmac]

So far, the place I buy my ammo online has had good stocks of the PMC Bronze .223 rifle ammo that I prefer to shoot, but it's alarming to note how much of the other .223/5.56 they sell is out of stock and has been for awhile. I do note that in February I was paying $299...in March I paid $324, and last week I paid $350. That brings me up to several thousand rounds...hopefully that will last until after the election. Prices may moderate if Romney takes the lead.

I am continuously surprised at how many on this forum don't reload.

For many of us, reloading for the relatively high volumes we shoot means that the reloading process has to become a hobby unto itself. For my part, it's not something that I enjoy enough to spend the money, work space, or time on.

[NWPilgrim]

I was at a Cabela's three days. Ago and they were pretty well stocked with both ammo and components. Only area that was thin was in .40S&W ammo. At least half of that portion of the shelves was stripped bare, especially the premium ammo. 9mm and .45 were better stocked.

Also they did not have any of the ammo cans of .223 or cases they had a few months ago. Lots of variety by the 20 and 50 rd box. Prices on all ammo is up about 15% but not rocketing, yet.

[OldState]

.
For many of us, reloading for the relatively high volumes we shoot means that the reloading process has to become a hobby unto itself. For my part, it's not something that I enjoy enough to spend the money, work space, or time on.

For me it's just part of the same hobby.

You may be able to, for a minute or so, get me to buy into this for RIFLE as it take twice as long. But for PISTOL no way.

Competition hand gunners go through a metric shit ton of pistol ammo and they all reload unless they are good enough to get ammo for free....and then some still do. There are guys at my club that can blow through 600 to 1000 rounds a week of 9mm, 40, or 45.

You can reload pistol on a progressive press as fast as you shoot it.

My opinion on it is that the tactical crowd generally isn't as interested in reloading. Part of the lure of reloading is being able to control the quality and manipulate the property of the ammo.

When your primarily shooting at targets 7 yards away this has less value, which is not meant at a slight.

For me, when I consider buying 45 at $17-20 a box vs reloading 50 rounds in 5 or 6 minutes for $6.....the choice is obvious.

[Hmac]

For me it's just part of the same hobby.

You may be able to, for a minute or so, get me to buy into this for RIFLE as it take twice as long. But for PISTOL no way.

Yeah, I'm not really looking for buy-in. I certainly see reloading as a subset of the shooting sports for some people...just not for me.

[PA PATRIOT]

Well I hope everyone has those .22LR conversion kits cleaned and oiled as I think we are in for a long expensive empty shelve period.

I picked up a bunch of cases of .22LR for the family plinking needs and if you didn't learn from the last dry spell then its going to be shame on you.