Reloading?

I know…. Not fishing but you guys are pretty smart and a lot of fishing guys hunt/shoot too…

I am just getting into reloading. Is there a good shop to get supplies around Twin Cities? Cabelas and Fleet Farm are hit abnd miss – the employees don’t know much, either. Where do you re-loaders out there buy your supplies?

MidwayUSA or Brownells if I can’t find it locally. Even the online retailers have been hit or miss on the popular components.

I don’t reload but reloading topics appear on the Hunting IDO channel if you want to search…

Ahlmans down in Morristown should have everything you need.

Also many of the gun clubs carry reloading supplies as well. Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake usually has a bunch

Ammo Crafter in Minnetonka, county Road 61 just north of Excelsior Blvd. Talk to Ron Becker – has everything you will need as well as good advice.

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Where do you re-loaders out there buy your supplies?

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Unfortunately, the answer over the past year plus has been “Nowhere!”. The massive panic buying spree on ammo had spilled into reloading components and for the best part of a year there was NOTHING available for all practical purposes. No brass, no primers, no bullets, no nothing.

The situation has eased somewhat when it comes to some components, but the problem with getting started in reloading is that it’s really all or nothing. You can’t just reload and skip the powder step and you won’t have a stock of supplies to draw from.

To directly answer your question, here are the supply places I use the most:

– Cabelas
– Midway USA
– Midsouth Shooters Supply
– Powder Valley
– Precision Reloading

The #1 issue right now is powder. Powder is almost IMPOSSIBLE to reliably obtain right now. Powder is a bugger because you can’t really just use Type X if Type Y isn’t available. Powders all have their applications and they are all different as far as performance and characteristics, so no single type of powder is interchangeable with another type.

Good luck, take your time, and reload safely.

Grouse

Due

I have always used Recob’s for my supplies. Our club makes a couple trips a year and buys in bulk to save everyone a few bucks. I reload about 15,000 rounds at a time so I only have to do it every other year, the wife is getting better though so I may not make it that long anymore.

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Ahlmans down in Morristown should have everything you need.

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X2 for Ahlmans. We’ve also found supplies at both Cabela’s and at the Gander Mountain in Forest Lake. The Ganders in Woodbury and Lakeville didn’t have much of what we were looking for if I recall.

Ballistic products is another one if you are looking for shotshell products. They are based in corcoran.

For powder, the best is the buddy system. Have a few you know/trust be on the look out. When they find it, buy x amount and have a way they are going to get it to you. That’s how we have been getting along for the last couple years. All the companies listed above are very reputable.

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We’ve also found supplies at both Cabela’s and at the Gander Mountain in Forest Lake. The Ganders in Woodbury and Lakeville didn’t have much of what we were looking for if I recall.

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Gander Mountain in Woodbury no longer carries reloading components and hasn’t for over a year.

Because of the shortages, I would recommend calling first before making a long drive to any store hoping they have something.

I will also say that when I have a deal alert or discover sought-after components are in stock somewhere, I always post it on the Shooter’s Test Bench forum of Idohunting.com so that others can take advantage.

Grouse

Rifle or shotgun. Makes a difference in where to best find stuff

Powder has been tough… check Wolf’s Den up in Hugo they usually have some laying around.

I am a Berry’s Bullet dealer for what it is worth. If you are loading pistol its a good bullet for pretty cheap.

Brass is tough too. It has been tough prices are slowly coming down.

What are you loading for pistol or rifle or both? Makes a difference where you are getting supplies from.

For equipment, you should have no problems finding what you need. Cabelas and Midway are great but don’t forget to check on Amazon. I bought most of my equipment there and saved some money.

If you are loading pistols as I do, check out Xtreme Bullets. They are plated like Berry’s but I can usually get them cheaper (free shipping). Primers have been fairly easy to find lately. Get them locally to avoid hazmat shipping fees. Brass can be hard to find, especially new brass. Starline is a good place to order online, but like everywhere else, they are mostly sold out. Hopefully you have a good supply of once fired brass that you collected. Used brass can be found at shows depending on caliber. Powder is tough. Ahlman’s had a decent supply when I was there a few weeks ago. Go in there with a list of possible powders that you could load and you have a fair chance of finding one of them there.

There are several online sellers of law enforcement and military training brass, so if you’re looking for common stuff like 9 MM, 40 S&W, .223, and 308, there is plenty out there.

For hunting calibers, it’s a grind trying to find brass. Some of the local ranges collect it and sell it off, but you may have to buy numerous small lots to get what you want and some if it will be throw-away because it’s range brass.

eBay can still be a good source for equipment, especially if you have someone who can advise on buying very high-quality, older equipment that is not in current production and therefore does not receive the attention from new reloaders who don’t know it.

Also, watch for sales and special deals. There have been really great sales lately, I suppose the equipment makers have seen a big slowdown as there’s no sense in buying equipment that cannot be used due to lack of components.

RCBS had a rebate last year and then Midway put all RCBS dies on sale AND was offering free shipping on orders over $100. With the combination of the sale and the rebate price, ordinary FL die sets for most calibers were <$24. Can’t beat that even buying used.

Cabelas has similar sales, in fact they just had a fantastic sale on a Hornady progressive press combined with 500 free bullets as a rebate direct from Hornady. I REALLY had drag my finger away from the “Add to Cart” button on that one, but if another press showed up at the door, Mrs. Grouse would run some part of me through a resizing die.

Grouse

If you watch I have bought a considerable amount of brass off of Gunbroker.com make takes a little time I purchased 1,000 45ACP cleaned, decapped and ready to load delivered for $85, 3000 223 brass for $115 delivered.

Keep checking 4sale adds on gun forums some real deals can be found.

Very true, Tom.

I’ve also had good luck posting WTB (Want to Buy) ads for brass on some gun and shooting-related discussion boards and letting sellers come to me.

Got a real deal on 500 once fired .22-250 brass last year from a guy who doesn’t reload and buys the same ammo all the time. He saves the brass, so it was all in the factory boxes, etc.

There are lots of deals out there, Tom is right though, you have to be patient. Which can be tough when you’re just starting out and trying to get some ammo loaded.

Grouse