Reserve brass

[aandabooks]

How much brass, bullets and other supplies do you keep on hand unloaded? And how much do you keep loaded? Do you have every piece of brass in the reloading cycle or do you keep some in reserve?

I like to keep a reserve of everything but my son and I only shoot about a thousand rounds per month normally. I generally don't keep more than 500-600 loaded of any one bullet weight. If we start shooting more then I'm not sure how much of a reserve I'll be able to keep.

[Hi-Power Jack]

Since it has been so difficult to purchase reloading components for the past year or so,

I like to have at least a year's worth of components lying around - only takes an hour

to load up a week's worth, so I don't have more than two months worth of loaded ammo

lying around. But you can't have too much of either.

[kevin c]

I don't think there is any one best way to approach this. A lot depends on how much you shoot and how accessible components are.

Some load as needed. If you have a high volume press this can work, depending on how much you shoot. If your press goes down right before a big match, though, you're SOL.

Some load a keep enough stock to shoot for some time. If you have a down time for shooting (really bad winters, say) you could load enough for a whole season. That does, though require have enough components on hand, and, lately that hasn't been easy.

I shoot perhaps 15K per year of 9mm for matches, plus a lot of 22 rimfire for practice, which makes it easier to have enough centerfire components for matches. I shoot year round, but less in the winter, and tend to load a lot in the winter to get me through a few months, and then more as needed. Major match ammo I set aside the components needed, like once fired brass, and load well in advance of the match.

Many of us are, ah, "proactive" when it comes to stocking components. I have enough to last me through this recent craziness and then some (except mebbe the .22 ammo - scarcer than honest politicians...).

[Youngeyes]

"Many of us are, ah, "proactive" when it comes to stocking components. I have enough to last me through this recent craziness and then some (except mebbe the .22 ammo - scarcer than honest politicians...)."

Now that's funny. I'm not hoarding, I'm being "proactive".

[tbarker13]

Guessing I have somewhere around 8k pieces of .40 brass.

I probably have roughly 2k-3k of it loaded at all times.

I like to rotate it through - using everything, before going back to the start and starting over. Hoping that sort of minimizes the wear on each individual piece of brass.

[chuckols]

How much money do you have? How much time do you have when its time to reload? How long has it taken you to find components?

There are lots of other ?'s I can throw out but the controlling factor for the past little time has been the last one. You buy it when U find it and can afford it and you try to stay ahead of it. THAT is the controlling ? of the three posed. Answer that and you have a start on your solution.

I have mine. I run 10K per year total of 2 calibers. I now have stock of components that allow reloading for about 18 months of usage based on the most critical(hardest to find ) components(POWDER) and a little as 3-5 months of the less critical(easiest to find) items(plated Bullets). Spent brass is not on the screen as a concern. I recycle them.

My answer fits me. It probably fits no one else. So be it.

Peace and have fun. I treasure the joy that you and your son get from enjoying the hobby together!

Chuck

Edited January 11, 2014 by chuckols

[aandabooks]

Certainly not rich but I do believe in the "proactive" approach. Just taking 9mm as an example, I probably have 1k loaded, another 2k of cases waiting to go into the reloading cycle and enough bullets/primers/powder to load them all if I choose to.

I like having brass in reserve. I have a working 1k box of primers on the bench and when I get close to being out I buy another 1k rather than dip into the "proactive" stockpile of 10k in the ammo can. Working out of an 8lb of AA#5 powder with another couple lbs in reserve. Lead I get a box or two from my LGS and keep about 2k unopened in both 125/147gr.

My other calibers are similar with less overall stock. Especially the .357/.44 mag brass.

[Sarge]

I started to list what I have under the bench but it's easier to say I have enough on hand to load my match ammo for 5 years except for bullets. I have enough bullets to load for a little over two years.

I have 3 cat litter buckets full of clean brass that I keep in reserve. That's about 25,000 or so. I have about 2-3000 pieces of brass that I reload until it gets worn out. By then I have worked enough majors to amass enough more brass that I can start on another bucket to keep in reserve plus swap out the worn out brass.

I keep about 1000 loaded during the off season in case I want to tweak my load before summer. Once I settle on a load for the season I will load up all the brass I have out which will be about 3,000. For a major match I usually take about 1,000 rounds and I don't want to get stuck having to load ammo just to take to a match.

To me it's about 2 things. Will components get any easier to get later and how much more will they cost later. Common sense says to be "proactive" in this game and that's what I am.

[deerassassin22]

Well since the recent shortage this is my approach.

1. I try to keep 20lbs of each powder I use (Varget, H335, Auto Comp, Ramshot Comp)

2. Primers about 15k to 20k of Small Rifle, Small Pistol, and about 10k of Large Pistol, 5k Large Rifle

3. Brass I'm always looking at the range and online for a great deal. Mainly 38SC and .308 Match.

4. Bullets I'm going to try this year and keep about 10k on hand for each gun minus my .308 and .223 I don't shoot them alot.

But if I go out and see some at a Local Shop cheap I will buy usually a 1lb thing of powder or 1k of primers just to have.

Edited January 11, 2014 by deerassassin22

[Hi-Power Jack]

I have a working 1k box of primers on the bench and when I get close to being out I buy another 1k

Lot cheaper, usually, to buy primers in bulk - 5,000 - 10,000 at a time, especially with hazmat fee.

Or if you're buying locally to avoid hazmat, you may be paying more than you have to in bulk with hazmat.

[aandabooks]

I pay $34 for CCI SP or $28 for Tula SP locally that includes tax. I think I could get cheaper online but I've been buying a box or two here and there all year and have about 25k in ammo cans and almost another 5k I'm working out of.

I stock SP, LP, LPM, SPM, BR SR, and LR. The magnum I only keep an extra 1k as I don't shoot a ton of .357/.44 mag. I've only been reloading for about a year.

[rtp]

I pay $34 for CCI SP or $28 for Tula SP locally that includes tax. I think I could get cheaper online but I've been buying a box or two here and there all year and have about 25k in ammo cans and almost another 5k I'm working out of.

I stock SP, LP, LPM, SPM, BR SR, and LR. The magnum I only keep an extra 1k as I don't shoot a ton of .357/.44 mag. I've only been reloading for about a year.

Please don't store primers in ammo cans. It's convenient seeming, but you've just made quite a nice bomb..

Some collection of wise folks between here and elsewhere I think mentioned a year or 18 months worth of components for however much you shoot. In most cases, the expectation is we'll make it over a shortage hump during that time. Considering the still not so available powder 12+ months since the start of the most recent panic..I've adjusted to the higher side.

I've got ~20lbs of pistol powder on hand, which would give me around 28k loaded rounds. I don't shoot as much as some of you, but probably 6-8k per year or so.

I've got ~25lbs of rifle powder on hand, or ~7k loaded rounds. I shoot ~5k/yr .223. I've also got a few thousand already loaded and some factory ammo in reserve. Looking at the math, I actually could probably use a bit more rifle powder.

When I reach 8# in either rifle or pistol (considering upping this to when I reach 8# pistol(~11k rounds) or 16# rifle (~4500 rounds), it's time to get a powder order in, and I'll inventory primers at the same time, and top off both pistol and rifle primers if at all possible at the same time.

I've got ~25k SPP on hand, and ~25k SRM. When I reach 10k of either, it's time to put in a back-order or an order, and top off both if at all possible, and check powder inventory at the same time, topping off if possible.

Projectiles, around 10k 9mm pistol, and probably 8k rifle.

For pistol, I mostly buy cases of MG - when I'm close to breaking into my last case (3750), I get another case ordered, but this is shifting to another 2 cases ordered..and will pick up other projectiles occasionally on sale (e.g. Xtreme plated when at 20% off or better, etc.).

Rifle bullets, I'm still sorting out a bit. I have ~9k .224 projectiles, in a few types, but most being 55gr or 62gr. I'll pick up seconds as I see 'em, or some here and there if on sale or I see a good deal online or locally, with the current minimum trigger being at around 5k, I'll start looking for a bulk deal or backorder. Again, I'm considering making this higher, and ordering 2x 6k Hornady bulk, at which point my 'order trigger' will be either as I'm close to opening the last bulk box, or close to opening the second to last bulk box.

I've got around 10k 9mm brass, and am OK with that at the moment. I'll pick some up here and there.

.223 brass goes up and down, I'm probably a bit low at the moment, maybe 4k or so.

At some point, I'd like to see it all balance out, meaning my 'triggers' on each would leave me with enough powder, primers, projectiles and brass to fully load nearly everything on hand, but we also have that annoying fire code law in effect, which is confusing in itself, but may have me considering churning out more and more loaded rounds into storage, as I think the 'home limit' is supposed to be something like 50# of powder, but I believe less on primers.

[aandabooks]

How should I be storing them?

[Shadowrider]

I've got enough pistol powder and primers for a couple of years. Brass and bullets are out there so I've just been buying that as needed.

[Shadowrider]

How should I be storing them?

I keep my primers in their original packaging and stored in an old cedar chest. Keep powder and primers stored in their original packaging and in a dry, temp stable environment and it will still be good in 100 years.

[rtp]

How should I be storing them?

I keep my primers in their original packaging and stored in an old cedar chest. Keep powder and primers stored in their original packaging and in a dry, temp stable environment and it will still be good in 100 years.

Right.

Here's the 'official' word from SAAMI, as well: http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/publications/download/SAAMI_ITEM_201-Primers.pdf

[aandabooks]

Guess I'll have to look for somewhere else to store them. The way that sounds putting them on a shelf would be better than storing them in ammo cans. I could move them to my wood ammo crate.