iflyskyhigh
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Posts posted by iflyskyhigh
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Jut read another post of someone complaining about “opportunists” and “price gouges” amongst the bullet manufacturers.
Can we just stop already?
To the point, these types of baseless accusations are exhausting, and quite frankly are the language of the people which shall not be named but I’m sure most of you despise. None of us have any idea what their production costs are or what their profits are.
We should be better. We should have a better understanding of economics and the free market.
As everyone is aware the cost of raw materials, labor, and shipping have all gone through the roof. And it’s been going up for some time. Increasingly so as of late.
Most of the major manufacturers didn’t “jack” up their prices right away. They rose as I would assume the cost of production rose.
I’ve been keeping a list over the past couple years of the price per bullet for the 9/40/45 bullets I buy from all the major manufacturers of FMJ/JHP and coated lead. I try to update it ever few weeks. Some times I’m better about it than others. I also have all my old receipts from the past few years for big purchases to reference.
I can empirically tell you the prices really haven’t risen that much to the end user. Relatively speaking.
Yes for a long time products were in short supply but the prices didn’t rise that much or that fast. You just couldn’t get them.
One major thing that has changed are the big sales have all but disappeared, especially during holidays. For those us that bought in bulk during those sales, that’s been the biggest difference I’ve seen. But again, the over all cost per bullets hasn’t risen that much. It’s all relative. Maybe a penny or two per bullet depending on bullet and manufacturer?
Another big difference is that when products did start to come back you couldn’t save by buying in bulk because that option wasn’t available. As of right now the only major manufacturer that has real bulk pricing is RMR and the price saving for bulk just isn’t there any more.
Coated lead has risen more over the past 8 months or so than it did when this all started. I’m totally speculating but I’m guessing that the material to make bullet jackets went up, at least initially, faster than lead. Lead cost and availability shortages are catching up apparently.
I went away from JHPs/FMJs and back towards coated lead the past couple years because of availability and cost. But mostly availability. Again, not being able to save 10-15% at sale time, and the small price increase in JHPs/FMJs made coated lead where it would work a no brainer for me shooting 8000-10,000 rounds a year.
I’ve noticed that the coated lead prices have maybe risen a little faster over the past 8 months or so, as compared to the previous 16 months. I’ve seen lead jump several dollars per thousand since last summer.
The gap between the cost of lead and jacketed has started to shrink backs towards where it was pre plan-demic. Lead is still cheaper.
As of writing this all the go to brands are within about a half a penny of each other for similar style bullets. This is not a definitive study, and I’m sure you can find examples where this doesn’t apply. Just speaking to the big picture.
I made the mistake of not stocking up on projectiles when I saw this last crisis brewing. Powder and primers yes. Enough to last a lifetime. But every other panic prior I’ve always been able to get projectiles. So I didn’t invest at the time. Wish I had. And not because I feel like “they’re” gouging us now, but because I understand economics.
It’s safe to saying there is no end in sight to the current rise in costs due to a plethora of factors.
Also safe to say I’ve now stocked up on FMJs/JHPs again. I won’t make the same mistake twice.
Projectiles will never be as cheap again as they are right now while you’re reading this. Not a guarantee. But a safe hedge and bet. If you buy in bulk right now, use the discounts that are out there, and take advantage of the few sales here and there, you can get them for just a few bucks more than you could have a couple years ago. Pretty good all things considered.
AND most all still ship for free! With the increase in cost of shipping that’s a huge boon to the end user and big hit to the manufacturers I’m sure. The manufacturers for sure have absorbed a huge chunk of that for us.
Sorry for typos and run-ons. I don’t care enough to go back and proof read.
PS I don’t work in the bullet manufacturing business. I can already see that one coming.
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I talked to the owner there about 4-5 months ago.
He said he can’t find anyone to work and that the 124gr JHP was the only thing he was able to produce due to man power shortage.
Maybe he is slowly beginning to bring the some other offerings online?
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My steel load in MG 95gr JHP over 3.6grs Bullseye. 11 pound Wolff spring. It’s like cheating.
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Try this combo
I tried the Apex in my G17 G3 Open Pistol, as well as several other G3 pistols. It kinda helped, but didn't solve the problem.
The Lone Wolf combo solved all my problems in my G17 Open pistol.
I shoot 115gr JHP major BTW.
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On 2/9/2022 at 10:45 PM, obsessiveshooter said:
Forget that. Ejection distance is not a consideration for a major PF race gun.
It actually does apply to TSO. To each his own. Always and never statements are always false and never true.
Who’s shooting a TSO 40 minor?
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https://cajungunworks.com/how-to-select-the-proper-recoil-spring/
It says how far you should expect the brass to go. I think it’s about 7-8 feet?
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12 hours ago, Snoopy47 said:
Agree. If you take the time to Quality Check each step of your reloading process you end up with 100% reliable reloads. You might have a nice little box of sub standard loads you save for practice, but fully quality checked reloads are just more time consuming at the benefit of being less expensive (free) brass.
Buying new brass is merely buying time from reducing the reloading process, not necessarily making better loads that end up in the match ammo box.
That’s a great point and well put. Probably one of the better points I’ve seen and also could apply to so many of the discussions on here.
So much of reloading is a time to cost equation. You can buy all kinds of stuff that will allow you to load more ammo quicker. Not necessarily better, just more of it faster.
It’s up to each person to decide how much they’re willing to spend in order to expedite their process.
Some people don’t enjoy reloading and do it as a means to and end. Others actually enjoy the process.
As stated earlier, 100 ways to skin a cat, 99.9 of them will do just fine.
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Lee dies aren’t crap. They work just fine.
I actually sold my Dillon dies and kept the Lees.
If you aren’t going to roll size the Lee U die is great. Especially for mixed range brass.
Shoot em till the primers fall out.
Lots of ways to skin a cat. Be wary of anyone on here that tells you their way is the only way. Their way probably works, but….
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Shot em till the primers fall out
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Man. Jumping in with both feet.
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I’m probably being dramatic. The load is good enough with the leather heads. I’m sure I could improve it and any inadequacies are my own doing with that load. Just too many other projects seeking my time. But the Nosler 190cc loads are WAY better and took very little fiddling to get shooting laser beams.
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23 hours ago, cvincent said:
Interesting.. all I’ve used so far is the leatherhead, before “gallant” coated bullets. With 1680 out of an 8” barrel, can plink USPSA head boxes at 200 with an Eotech, prone, all day. Just copied a load found in the interwebs, 10-11gr or so, not sure off the top of my head. No issues at all.Yea. That’s it. Leatherhead. I settled on 9.5 of 4227. My load for 1680 was 10.5. My gun didn’t particularly like either one. I had more 4227 so that’s what I used. Maybe I should pull all 4000 and try 1680 again….
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Are you using a suppressor?
Either way H110 and and CFE Black are not the best powder for subs. Too fast.
You can read my whole stupid long post, but I’ll summarize in case you don’t have any too. You’re chasing your tail.
AA1680 is probably the best sub powder I’ve tried. It makes enough gas to cycle and lock even without me a suppressor on.
Next is IMR 4227. It’s quieter than 1680 in subs but it also doesn’t produce as much gas. Can’t run 4227 with MOST subs without the can. I’d still choose 1680 if given the choice.
1680 can also do supers pretty well, but again that’s where things like 396 and H110 shine. I use H110 for my 110/125 supers. I hunt coyotes with the 125gr Speer TNT HP’s in an 18” Wilson barreled AR 1-8 twist. Again 4227 will also do supers just not as fast. Fastest to slowest for supers is H110/AA1680/IMR4227. (You can use AA#9 too but it’s HOT, you’re gonna over pressure before max velocity)
I have an 8 pounder of Shooters World Blackout which is supposed to replicate 1680. Haven’t tried it yet. Let you know.
As far as bullet selection goes my personal experience is that coated lead and plated bullets at sub sonic velocities just don’t work that well no matter what you do. I wasted a ton of powder and bullets trying to make Gallant 225gr coated lead work. They work I guess but the accuracy past about 25-30 yards is crap. You can make a group at 40, but by 50 they are spraying all over the place. I bought about 4500 of them back when it was Firehouse or whatever it was before they sold out to Gallant.
I ended up just loading them up with a sub load of 4227 and using them for shooting steel in tacti-cool practice out of an 9.5” SBR (1-7 twist). I don’t use the can with the coated lead as they still muss up the can more than I’d prefer even though my can is user serviceable. They will cycle but won’t lock open last round. I’ve tried everything. Even run Bootleg BCG. Good enough for plinking. If I’d put a little more powder in I’d probably be past subsonic (which doesn’t matter with or without the can in this case) but they’d probably function a little better. Whatever. Good enough.
For true sub load I’ve discovered Nosler 190 CC are the bees knees. I stumbled on them by accident. I bought the 190’s for my long range 308 but couldn’t push em fast enough to make it work. Had these bullets lying around so I decided to try them in the 300 BO. Easy to make sub with either 4227 or 1680 (again 4427 wont cycle without can but I never intend to shot these without a can) and the accuracy is phenomenal even at 100. I can hit steel at 200 pretty easy but they don’t have much left by that distance. It’s basically a pistol weight projectile going pistol velocities. It’s a 45 auto with better ballistics.
I bought several thousand of the 190 CC in bulk for about what the Berrys cost I believe. If you look around you can find them (or at least you used to be able too) for about $.20/each give or take. Not cheap, but not expensive for a quality sub projectile.
Good luck. 300 BO sub guns are way too much fun.
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I built mine out of a 17. There is a whole thread on it somewhere. It’s no 2011 but it runs like a sewing machine and shoots wicked flat. To each his own but I think the 34/35 with a major comp is going to be unwieldy. 17/22 is perfect.
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Got a case. Still in stock
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This is what it looks like now.
It doesn’t look as bad in person as it does in the photo. No matter how I took the picture it looks scary.
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Wow. Yea. Mine looked nothing like that. Was a huge lip. Took a dremel to it and blended it in. I didn’t bother to take the time to polish it after blending, it’s a tool that’s gonna get banged up anyway, but it’s smooth as can be.
Mines a 2019 I believe? It’s one of the newer ones with he updated mag release and metal trigger.
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Do ISMI Glock recoil springs fit on the SECURE FIREARMS PRODUCTS 1911 RECOIL SPRING TESTER?
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12 hours ago, mwx40x40 said:
They were having flash sale 15%off for two or more cases. Ordered Monday received today
Saw that. Thanks to all
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I have it written down in my notes that we get a 7.5% discount with BBI, but I have no idea what I did with the discount code.
Tried searching but couldn’t find it. Sure it’s in the millions of posts somewhere.
Ring a bell with anyone?
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Just pulled and tumbled a large lot of primed 10MM (wasn’t happy with the load). Tumbled for hours while I did something else. Reloaded and shot hundreds of them this past week during load development. Zero issues. Might take a little more work to get all of the media out of a bottle neck case that’s sealed at one end, but they will be fine. Or just pop the primers out and start over. Done that before too.
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They’re great. Like the 127’s. Coating is good and consistent. Fast shipping. Good competitive pricing.
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I’m a big fan of Clean Shot or AA #2 if you can find it
It’s replaced both TG and 231 for me.
No Montana Gold for months
in 9mm/38 Caliber
Posted
So, if all the major manufacturers are within about a penny of each other now, and MG didn’t raise their prices, who was charging more before all this started?