doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Winchester AA xtra-lite target

Lloyd,
There have been a bunch of changes in the last few year with regards to ammunition.

We can’t be sure OF ANYTHING, with regards to typical, SAAMI compliant, US produced ammunition today. All the regular manufacturers care about, is that whatever they produce with the components they were able to get this week, are under SAAMI max pressure. That is all they will care about next week, as well, with whatever components they can get then. RST, a boutique loader, does produce low pressure ammunition. But, they are the exception. You knew that.

If you are running a gun that requires low pressure (I vaguely recall mention of an old hammergun, no?) you are going to have to quit assuming anything about big industry ammos loads, and feed the gun what it needs. Sorry. There ain’t no free lunch. You can load it yourself, but, the rationale for doing so has changed. Guys used to do it to save a buck or two. Now, they load what they can’t buy, no regard to costs.

I suppose I could prattle on about my old French 2 1/2” gun, with long tubes that measure a luscious .050 their entire length, but, that would just be salting the wound, I imagine. But, it is a valid point.

Wall thickness is a thing, these days. So are Easter egg hunts for proper ammunition.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted

I get the feeling a lot of 2.5” chambered guns are going unsold because the proper ammunition is unavailable. I remember just a few years ago guys were getting rid of 12 gauge reloading machines because store bought ammo was so cheap. Bet they wish they had it all back now

Web, you are right. The prices for a simple MEC 600jr are double what they were a year ago. The real problem for many returning to reloading is sticker shock on prices. Those who quit when reloading was under $4.00/25 need time to adjust to $6-7.00/25. It helps that factory shells are $10-13.00/25. But not as much as you think. The lucky ones still have supplies on hand and only need to fill in. Buying everything takes a chunk of change if you are starting over again.

Ted's right, the rules are different now. I got complacent about it because all the other options were just so good.

I did stockpile a respectable amount of makings so...I'll be fine, I suppose. I've just got to dig everything out and set it up and then re-learn it all. I've even got some blackpowder stuff pigeonholed away somewhere (for this old hammer gun), I just have to find it.

Having substantial tubes now is a serious benefit, eh?

RST had a tent and was selling for shells for $180 a case and $20 per box at the NE SXS shoot last week.

RST has always been expensive. Now barriers to entry on reloading are prohibitive both in terms of equipment costs and component availability.

5 years ago you could buy a flat of just about anything from RST at the NE SXS for $100 bucks (cash money). It has always been more expensive on line and has damn near doubled (if available) the last year or so.

I got into shotshell reloading by accident. I was in the manager's office of a John Deere dealership one day when I noticed a cardboard box or two containing a single stage reloader, powder, scales, powder dispenser, shot, wads and primers. I asked about it and he said he used to reload but had quit and it was for sale. I bought it all for $40, and was in the reloading business. All I had to buy, in addition, was a reloading manual.

I say that to say that it can still be done like that. Used reloading stuff is everywhere. Jump in, the water's fine. You don't have to spend $1000 to get started reloading low pressure shotshells.