Everyday Carry
By Robb Manning
Secure Your Ammo Source
The shelves are bare. There are three stores in my local area that I do my twice-weekly rounds to, and that’s the common theme; empty shelves. I’ve never seen anything like it. People are snatching up ammo like it’s free and includes a free Apple iPad with every box. Right now, ammunition manufacturers are working 24/7 to keep up with demand, and it’s not even close to being enough. I’ve read estimates that it could be nine months before manufacturers can catch up with the current demand.
With unreliable ammo sources, it’s time to take your ammunition supply into your own hands and make your own. By handloading your own ammunition, as long as you can get the components, you’ll have a secure source of ammo. The bad news is, even the handloading components are picked through at this time. The good news is that you can generally track down those components quicker than you can find manufactured ammo, and at much more reasonable costs.
During the first ammo scare of 2009, I realized I needed to get into handloading. At the time the hardest thing to find were the primers and powder. It was slow going at first, but after a month of looking on the internet and in local stores, I was able to find all components -- enough to produce well over 1,000 rounds of ammo. To this day, I have everything I need to handload nearly 12 of my top rifle and handgun calibers. My ammunition source is secured.
The 2013 ammo scare has been far worse than the 2009 version, and ammunition and handloading components are far more scarce. However, you can still get started. The first thing to focus on is getting the handloading kit. A great kit to start with is the Lee Breech Lock Challenger kit. With an MSRP of $176, it’s inexpensive for what you get, it’s easy to use, and they give you everything you need to get started, with exception to the dies, bushings, and bullet components. The thing I also like about lee is that accessories, dies, and bushings are also less expensive than other brands on the market. They’re not flashy, but they make good, solid, durable, and reliable equipment. Even better, they’re a great Wisconsin company that employ Wisconsin workers, and they make everything right here in Wisconsin.
After you have the loading kit, you need to purchase the die set for the caliber you want to load and get a pack of bushings. You’re also going to need a good reloading manual. A good general handloading manual is the one put out by Lee. Though it’s a good idea to purchase the manual put out by whichever company’s bullets you’re purchasing. I use several different brands of bullets, such as Barnes, Sierra and Hornady, so I own several different handloading manuals.
Now you’re ready to get the bullet components. You’ll need brass, bullets, powder and primers. The brass you can get from the ammo you shoot, or you can purchase it. For the rest of the components, it’s best to first figure out what brand of bullet you’re going to use, reference their manual, and from there figure out which powder and primer to use for the given recipe.
It might be a little late to jump into handloading right now, and expect to produce huge stashes of ammo, given the current shortage. But if you start getting into it now, you’ll be prepared the next time an ammo shortage comes around. I can almost guarantee there will be one.
‘Once you get started, you’ll find handloading to be fun and rewarding -- with the added benefit of having a secure source of ammo. When everyone else is running around searching for ammo during an ammunition shortage, you’ll be sitting secure in the knowledge that you have ammo.