How much do you load up?

[Slimfinn]

..edited title and post..
So I've just been sitting in my ISO period waiting to get back to site and was wondering a few things, especially with the latest shortages.
How much components do you keep in stock or do you load up everything you have on hand?
For me its a difference between between handgun and rifle. Rifles I have anywhere from 20 to 100 loaded depending on the use and enough components replace or develop new.

After load development how many do you load up? finish the box of bullets or sleeve of primers? load up 20 at a time or 100+

Then what do you do? Start tinkering(because we always have to be tinkering) with a new load for the same gun or move the a different one?

Are you good with just one load for each rifle or do you have multiple?

 

[muleman]

None. shot all mine up just before all my firearms were lost in a boating accident. :wink:

 

[RaySendero]

.....

Are you good with just one load for each rifle or do you have multiple?

Yes, I prefer one load for each rifle with the most suitable bullet for my rifle's chosen hunting purpose.

 

[358 WCF]

None. shot all mine up just before all my firearms were lost in a boating accident. :wink:

You too? There seems to be a rash of this happening.

 

[358 WCF]

 

[michsteve]

I messed up and put to many of those air flotation devices on my rifle and it floated away.

 

[Elkman]

I will die before I run out.

 

[6.5_sWv]

I have made a good effort the past couple of years to stock up on components because I had an inkling it was going get crazy during the election cycle. I also bought several powders / bullets / primers that I just wanted to try in a given rifle.

Once I develop a load with any given bullet / powder combo, Ill find another load with a 2nd choice powder for that same bullet. I always want to have a backup load in case I ran out of the 1st powder. I usually do this for all my rifles.

Im the kind of reloader that always like to try something different every season. I rarely use the same bullet to hunt with for consecutive seasons.

I usually keep enough loaded to sight the gun in, and hunt with for that season. If I have extras left over in the box, I put them back on the shelf to perhaps load more, or try with another powder.

 

[HodgemanAK]

Once I find a good load, I tend to put it into production and make 200 or so. You never know when a bullet will get cancelled or a powder changed.

I keep a good quantity in 300WSM, 270WIN and 6.5CM since I hunt with them the most year after year and are proven performers. I load a fair bit of 44MAG for my S&W.329 since it's not a production load- it's something between a 44SPEC and a 44MAG and lends itself to good practice. I keep 12ga in some quantity since a hot duck season can burn through shells like a cow goes through a cabbage patch. I don't shoot .22LR much anymore and a couple boxes gets me through a lot of odd squirrels and grouse.

Everything else I keep very little- a box or two just because a gun without ammo is worthless.

Given that I live at the end of a very long and complex supply chain, I usually keep sufficient quantity to hunt unimpeded for several years. It's nice to have supply on hand when things like the recent unpleasantness happen. It really puts the pinch on experimentation that I enjoy, but as long as I have hunting stocks...I can swing it.

 

[ElmerThud]

Wow! this is not a question I'd expect to receive any answer to in the UK & I doubt anyone here would post such a question. I guess we live in a very different world to you guys in the USA.
Security in such matters is pretty strictly observed here.

 

[358 WCF]

You guys need to get on board with the floaters.

 

[bdbrown66]

Not today, ATF Man. :grin:

 

[Slimfinn]

I have made a good effort the past couple of years to stock up on components because I had an inkling it was going get crazy during the election cycle. I also bought several powders / bullets / primers that I just wanted to try in a given rifle.

Im the kind of reloader that always like to try something different every season. I rarely use the same bullet to hunt with for consecutive seasons.

I usually keep enough loaded to sight the gun in, and hunt with for that season. If I have extras left over in the box, I put them back on the shelf to perhaps load more, or try with another powder.

This is what I used to do

.....

Are you good with just one load for each rifle or do you have multiple?

Yes, I prefer one load for each rifle with the most suitable bullet for my rifle's chosen hunting purpose.

This is what I am starting to lean towards. I did decide this fall, with my 260, to just stick with the ELDX. I was looking at my shelf of rifle bullets and there was a few I kind of scratched my head and thought why did I get those and am I ever going to load them in anything. Ideas are always changing, new directions to follow or a new gun on the horizon so you never know. I'll always be tinkering and plinking with something

 

[KinleyWater]

Wow, with all these boating accidents, I feel odd man out with all mine being eaten by a bear.

 

[Guy Miner]

Enough. :mrgreen:

 

[Blkram]

I am always picking up reloading supplies and components for tried and trued loads when I come across them, so that I have them on hand when I need them.

Always nice to have a supply of potential supplies (powders mostly) on hand to try with new cartridge, or a new powder to try in a cartridge where it is showing promise by others i.e.Re-26.

Once I have a preferred load proven in my rifles, I try to have 100 rounds on hand for practice, checking zeroes and hunting for each cartridge/rifle combination that I have. The exception I have to this has been when I was using my 300 WSM quite a bit and I had the components and powder on hand, I loaded 200 rounds as that particular load's powder is no longer produced, and I wanted to ensure I had enough on hand to last a while. Fortunately, I have enough primers, bullets and powder to reload the brass again once I have used these loads.

 

[Clarkma]

I build 3 or 4 rifles in September and drive them 900 miles to sight in and hunt in October. Before I leave on the trip, I load at least 50 rounds for each rifle.

Sometimes I just have to hunt with the ammo I brought.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

The government's always watching us. I prefer not to show and tell the whole world what I have...

 

[sask boy]

I have been telling my wife that I am down sizing but I just re-did my old 340C in the 30-30 for my grandson. I also re-purchased a 243win in a BDL that I originally bought new for my oldest boy when he turned 12 he is now 41 . I am picking up powder for the 30-30 and I need bullets for the 243win :shock:.
So I guess I am not downsizing :mrgreen:.
If anyone has some pet loads for 243win using 90gr. ABs I would not be upset if they were messaged to me :mrgreen:.


Blessings,
Dan

 

[ShadeTree]

I don't keep a ton loaded up ahead of time, but enough. I can get by in any other cartridge I own, but am good to go for at least the foreseeable future with any shooting and hunting I'd ever do in America's cartridge. Brass, bullets, powder, I'm good for anything I'd ever do with an 06 for a long time. Would like to have at least 2000 more primers to add to the pile.