I was recently on Sierra's website and they are even out of reloading manuals. Out of stock? How hard could that be?

Something else is going on there. Pretty sure there are printers in MO who would whip up a couple thousand manuals with no sweat.

Or they may be in the process of updating, and didn't want to produce old manuals then come out with a new replacement.

Creek, there are two reasons the manuals have gotten more conservative over time;

1) Far greater accuracy measuring pressure. The old copper units didn't always reflect what happened. A quick high spike that fell off fast wouldn't crush the copper like a longer smoother one would. Electronic measuring in PSI is way more accurate.

2) LIABILITY, the big one! No one wants to get sued because someone's gun blew up.

I have an old Speer manual, from the 50's probably, compare it to today's manuals, it will blow your mind!

Creek, I have primers for what I do, even sold 2000 209's recently. Kept enough to keep me going a long time at the rate I'm shooting these days.

People who know me know I've got rifle and pistol primers and are hounding me for them. Don't have enough of either to let go of them even at current prices!

Stopped at Sportsman's outfitters in Ankeny yesterday, they had a sign, 100 primers/customer/visit. They had NONE in stock!

I've got about 20 different manuals and my son got me a new one for Christmas that has all the NEW loads.  Only because all of my 'old' manuals didn't have any loads for his new AAC300blackout.

You DON'T have to have a manual guys.  Just go to the site of whomever makes your powder and get the loads.  I use a LOT of Hodgdon powders and you can look up loads for whatever you want.  Then just print them off,,,,,,,,,,and in the words of Jackie Gleason,,,,,then it's 'away we go'.

It's easier that way, you don't have to buy reloading manuals and everything is up to date!  Give it a try...

OK, on a whim, I checked with IMR site on powders for some weapons I'm familiar with. And they did have loads, etc, but only gave one primer (for the load I was looking at, it was a Remington Primer).

What if all you have is CCI or Federal primers....not the only one designated in that load?

Do other online manuals allow you to also select the primer in addition to caliber, powder and bullet? 

BTW, I checked and it seems many of them also have a free reloading manual App for a smart phone. I wouldn't use it, but some might.

You guys who do a lot of loading will smile (or frown) at this.

My sister spent some time during Holidays with mom at the farm, and decided it was time to start cleaning out the house. Among other things, found some stuff in what was the farm's ammo dump (my old bedroom), which was given to me to deal with.

Going through several boxes of old brass.....found this:

Opened the box and was relieved to find only empty brass.

Don't know what inspired him to try his hand at reloading, as he was not an avid shooter. Mostly used a big bore rifle to shoot stuff what needed kill'n, like coyotes and such. Would have taken him 2 years to go through a box of factory ammo.

Also don't remember where he got the press or where it is now. Found some reloading components for his rifle, but no press. I do remember him explaining it to me, and remember it being way harder and more complicated than reloading shotgun shells. That was my job and I could turn out 4 boxes a night.....and I wasn't even in high school yet.

Thanks for the tip on the App for a smart phone.  I'll have to take a look at that!  I can't get internet at the farm and so I have to look stuff up and print it off before I go up.  With the phone app, I wouldn't have to do that.

By the way, IMR is owned by Hodgdon, my favorite powders.

Be SAFE, CAREFUL and DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING!  You don't get a second chance very often on an "OOPS"...

Not knowing where things are going, all aspects of sourcing ammunition has me concerned. Warned my kid when he bought his rifle he ought to lay in a stock of reloading supplies......especially primers.....as when ammunition got scarce, the weapon he was so proud of was gonna become just a fancy club. He didn't, but out of curiosity, I bought several boxes of factory for his weapon to try myself......and never did. So he/we have that in reserve.

Talked to a nephew a few weeks back, and last year he bought a 6.5 Creedmore......didn't buy ammo to feed it, and all he has now is a fancy club.

So unless and until things start turning around......even reloading is going go get dicey. Spent part of yesterday looking at various loads for some calibers I'm familiar with and quickly came to the conclusion all those loads were developed during times of plenty......like when you could walk into gun shop or go online and order Primer X,Y or Z.......order bullets and order powder of your choice. Not so today. Every single item is now "out of stock", back ordered or discontinued. 

So if it was me, and I still had makings, I'd be slowing things down to a crawl on any recreational shooting. What you have now may be all you are gonna get for awhile. Maybe a long time.

Also, while snooping around, found that Nosler and Speer websites had the best load data. Sometimes as many as 10 to 15 different loads for a single caliber/bullet.

Have also concluded that reloading could be a mixed bag. Opportunity to get the very best loads for a particular weapon, and opportunity to really screw up and do some damage.

All too many are burying them in the attics and inside walls or just buying for the eventual rioters headed out to loot and pillage.

I'm still curious where everything is going, since nobody seems to have anything, while at the same time, folks making it claim to be setting records with production runs. The two don't add up.

My guess is hoarding and a black market. All kinds of stuff is available on places like gunbroker.....at very high prices.

My solution has been for the folks making it to take all marketing in house. They all have websites they market through, yet the folks making it don't have stock either? That is messed up.

Quit shipping it and start selling it in house. If anybody is to make a windfall, ought to be the folks making it so they can expand shifts or factories. Not the hoarders and black market. At least until things settle down.

Interesting tidbit......Justice with Judge Jeanine.........segment with Lara Logan on the border. Video taken on the border......gunshots sounded like firecrackers on the 4th of July at the city park. Comment was......."just another night at a border town". They don't seem to be running short of ammo.

Neither do the thugs in Chicago, St. Louis or any of the other big city shooting galleries.

Maybe that's where it goes?