I don't like to be a political chicken little... but for those of you who don't remember what we went through almost the entire first term of Zero's presidency... my suggestion.. STOCK UP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. I have a very bad feeling we're going to end up w/ another President Clinton, which is going to cause a massive run on everything gun/ammo related, including reloading components. I'm decently stocked now, but will be making some orders here to have a little "cushion" vs what I usually have.
I managed to get through the crisis w/o to much of an issue (although I'd slowed down shooting due to a new job that was demanding of my time). Powder and Primers were big cog in the wheel. Last time around, Primers were tough to come by, but as long as you could wait 4-6mo you'd get them. Don't let that make you complacent though, as there were plenty of reports of people waiting on them for a year. Powder on the other hand... There were guys that seemed to be on powder waiting lists for YEARS.
Bullets and Brass.. While there were certainly wait times on bullets, I don't recall them being near what they were on primers and powder. Most folks seemed to be reporting wait times of 3-4mo at most of the popular bullet makers. Brass.. As long as you're not trying to buy your brass and are able to use range pickups.. you'll probably be OK. But be warned... People who were on the fence about reloading.. will likely start because ammo will become scarce (which will add to the run on components as they stock up), which means brass left on the ground will become scarce. I've got a supply of brass that will last me for years (so long as I'm picking it up as I use it), so this is not a concern of mine, but it is something to be mindful of if you don't have much on hand.
My suggestion (and I'm sure more than a few of the veterans of the last crisis will agree): If it is financially feasible, have a 12-18mo supply of components that will supply you with your shooting needs w/o purchasing anything. I'm probably at about 9mo now and since I'm able, I plan to push it to about 24mo. I placed a large order for powder and primers last week (should be here any day now). I'm planning a pretty large order of bullets here in couple of weeks
Those of you who run down to Cabelas, etc. and buy a box of primers and a 1lb of powder.. Heed this warning.
I managed to get through the crisis w/o to much of an issue (although I'd slowed down shooting due to a new job that was demanding of my time). Powder and Primers were big cog in the wheel. Last time around, Primers were tough to come by, but as long as you could wait 4-6mo you'd get them. Don't let that make you complacent though, as there were plenty of reports of people waiting on them for a year. Powder on the other hand... There were guys that seemed to be on powder waiting lists for YEARS.
Bullets and Brass.. While there were certainly wait times on bullets, I don't recall them being near what they were on primers and powder. Most folks seemed to be reporting wait times of 3-4mo at most of the popular bullet makers. Brass.. As long as you're not trying to buy your brass and are able to use range pickups.. you'll probably be OK. But be warned... People who were on the fence about reloading.. will likely start because ammo will become scarce (which will add to the run on components as they stock up), which means brass left on the ground will become scarce. I've got a supply of brass that will last me for years (so long as I'm picking it up as I use it), so this is not a concern of mine, but it is something to be mindful of if you don't have much on hand.
My suggestion (and I'm sure more than a few of the veterans of the last crisis will agree): If it is financially feasible, have a 12-18mo supply of components that will supply you with your shooting needs w/o purchasing anything. I'm probably at about 9mo now and since I'm able, I plan to push it to about 24mo. I placed a large order for powder and primers last week (should be here any day now). I'm planning a pretty large order of bullets here in couple of weeks
Those of you who run down to Cabelas, etc. and buy a box of primers and a 1lb of powder.. Heed this warning.