Jerry's Outdoor Supply
Why Reload?1) Availability....
Been to a big chain sporting goods store lately & looked at ammo? One thing they all have is plenty of bare shelves as consumer demand has skyrocketed. They are trying desperately to get more product...despite rumors, there is no conspiracy to prevent ammo sales; all businesses want to make money & they do so by keeping on hand whatever people want to buy. But when demand for products increases faster than suppliers can make it, faster than wholesalers can stock it, and faster than the trucking companies can ship it, predictable things happen: supplies get short, lines get long, prices get inflated, people get frustrated, and consumers tend to buy more of whatever they do find just because they don't know when they will find it again. There simply isn't enough to go around.
2) Cost...
Average ammunition prices have seen dramatic increases for various reasons. Shortages drive prices up; cost of raw goods including lead, copper, brass, etc have gone increased. Fuel price increases have resulted in higher shipping costs. Most suppliers can no longer say "We'll have it here in a week" as stocks diminish & backorders run months out. Manufacturers are trying to fill orders, but consumer pressure to provide high-demand items has them working 'round the clock.
The average reloader can easily cut ammo costs by 50%, and in some instances the savings can be over 75%, especially when buying low-demand items, most of the big Magnums, or relatively obscure ammo. For example, not long ago i was at a local shop & a customer dropped in for some ammo to feed a newly acquired classic rifle he received from a family member, a sleek old Winchester 43 in .218Bee. With sales tax, 2 boxes of ammo pretty much tore up a pair of $100-dollar bills. I shoot a Bee also, and i can load my own .218 ammo for about the same price as buying .22magnum rimfire ammo. You may find you dont save a ton of money, because you can shoot a whole lot more for the same coin spent....but any way you slice it, the dollar stretches a lot farther.
More:
https://www.jerrysreloading.com/why-reload--1.html