How has the ammo/component shortage affected your Shooting

[Harold Pickens]

There is a great thread currently about ammo shortage, RST, and what is appropriate to shoot in our guns. I am wondering how this has affected you. Have you cut back on your shooting? Also interested in how shooting ranges are affected, maybe Mike will chime in about his Rock Mtn. facility.
I dont shoot targets during hunting seasons, but they are essentially over now. This summer I went to Hunting Hills less frequently, and went I did I would only shoot 100 instead of 200 targets. My best friend has an Atlas Wobble trap and we tended to use it more this summer. I still have a large supply of factory shells and a pretty fair stash of powder, primers, and shot, but unless things ease up, I will shoot less again this spring/summer.

[B. Dudley]

Not too much for me personally. I really do not shoot all that much. Maybe once a month on average. The difference it has made for me is that I actually set up my reloading stuff after 4 years of laying dormant after my move. In the middle of 2020 when no events were happening, where I would not ally buy a few flats of RSTs to have on hand, I was going to order 5-6 flats from them. Until I saw the shipping cost, it was going to basically cost me a flat of shells to get them to me. I was sitting on components to load 4-5000 shells. So I figured I would set up the stuff and start loading again.
Again, I dont shoot nearly as much as many of you all, so it does not really correlate all that well.

Over the last year I have come into some reloading components. Powder, primers, wads and such. Stuff that I bought from local people who were cleaning out. I do not hoard the stuff. I know what I need for my own purposes, so I always move the stuff along for a reasonable price to people I know who shoot more than I do.

[mobirdhunter]

Like, Brian, I don't really shoot that much. I don't shoot clays at all, and never have, and with bird numbers down, and my own self-imposed limit on birds, I'll likely get through the season on just a few boxes of shells.

Also, like Brian, I'm considering getting my reloading equipment set back up. I still have lots of components left from when I reloaded. I don't really want to go there, but if RST folds and light game loads are not available, I may go that route.

[B. Dudley]

I dont think RST will “fold”.

[Reggie B]

I am a hunter not a shooter. I have never been on a trap or skeet range. I shoot a little during dove season. After deer season closes I get out and stroll around some old hunting grounds where quail used to reside. Then Spring turkey. So I don't shoot much.

The shell shortage has not had any impact on me. I have a few flats of 20s and 28s.

[Dean Romig]

I’m not worried that RST might fold - I simply don’t see that happening.

I don’t shoot much at all these last six plus years. I might shoot 10 or 12 rounds of Skeet in a year, trap only at Major Waldron’s on Jan 1st every year, sporting clays 3 or 4 times in a year and 5-stand a couple of times.

When I built my gun room 7 years ago I set up a loading table with 16, 20, 28 and .410 presses and started reloading but still bought most of my ammo from Morris… but I simply haven’t had the time or inclination to reload for the last couple of years.

I need to get my grandson Cam down here to learn the reloading process, after all he shoots most of the 20 gauge stuff I load… but with school, lacrosse, homework, girlfriend, truck, and work I have my doubts that will ever happen…





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[6pt-Sika]

The BIGGEST thing so far out of all this are primers . I guess I went forty years using nothing but WIN 209’s . Now I mostly use Cheddite’s . To be honest I’ve not noticed and difference I can miss or hit just as easily with either brand

[George "Scott" Davis]

This for me is a extremely sad story. My shooting partner (Tim) and I jointly own a trailer and shooting cart (modified golf cart) and travel for shooting venues in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. In 2019 we shoot three days a week, Tuesdays Wobble Trap, usually Thursday was skeet but sometimes Sporting Clays and Saturdays was Sporting Clays. He bought Fiocchi Shotgun shells by the pallet and I reloaded. In 2019 we both shot over 9,000 shells, 2020 down to barely 3,500 and 2021 less than 2,500.
The shooting clubs in Maricopa County (Phoenix) along with any club across the Arizona which accepted state Fish and Game Funds enforced strict guidelines for shooting. The Rules and Regulations took all the fun and camaraderie out of going to any of our facilities.
I've since moved to Texas however Tim and I have multiple shooting trips on the book in 2022. We'll meet at a location shoot 2-3-4 days at several venues and games and get together 4-8 weeks later at another location. In October Tim and I had a 3 days of shooting here in the Fort Worth area at Fossil Pointe and Fort Worth Trap and Skeet and each shot over 600 rounds.
Tim still has over two pallets of shells and I have plenty of primers, powder and wads but under 200 pounds of lead. Yes I'm a hoarder!!!!

[Aaron Beck]

Like many, I was able to get some inherited reloading equipment back in the game. Now I can load what I need (hunting) and hope that one day the availability will return so I can buy what I want. Ready availability may be the new "good price". Its worth noting I had tried to give the presses and components away for years but nobody I asked had any interest.

[Gary Laudermilch]

I used to shoot about 8000 a year but to do that required a bunch of travel. Don't dp the travel thing much anymore preferring to stay more local so my shell consumption is down to 5-6 thousand, all reloads.

Because I always bought components in bulk for the economy of doing so I have enough on hand to get through this year and part of next. So, I do not expect to curtail my shooting at all. That is, if there is a place to shoot. I frequent four different clubs shooting clays and 5-stand and all are reporting their attendance at 40-50% or pre-pandemic/shortage levels. Comments have be made about cutting back on shoots because it is just not worth the effort. I hope that is not the case.