I have been busy buying (part of my prepping) for the national shortage I expect to see on ammo and reloading supplies as the election gets closer. I don't want to get caught short on ammo (either commercial or reloaded) so I have been shopping locally and ordering online. I thought I would share my experiences with the places I have been buying from.

Powder: This was my roughest task to find powder at a decent price. Buying powder online is near impossible to get a decent price due to shipping and hazmat fees. Most places won't ship to Hawaii unless you buy a minimum amount like 100 lbs. I looked and asked around locally and was about to buy all I could find of the three different powders I use. I needed 10 lbs. of rifle and 4 lbs. of pistol powder. That is when I spoke with Carter from OGC and he was making a large buy (450 lbs.) of powder and was selling it at good (for island) prices. His prices saved me about $12/lb. My two complaints are that I had to check Twitter every day for weeks until he tweeted that the powder was in. I do not like Twitter even though I had an account. And the parking still sucks where his store is. I know, minor complaints. Carter also recommended a loading for my new pistol and so far it has been right on. I have been very happy with the prices and professionalism I have received from OGC.

Primers: I shopped around locally and found that primer prices are close to same amongst the stores. Except at X-Ring. They had the primers I wanted at a decent price and I went over and bought them out. After that they got in some more but raised their prices somewhat. I am going to see what I find at the show tomorrow. If I can't find what I want at a decent price tomorrow I'll probably drop by X-Ring and buy them out again. OGC has the best price I have found on Wolf primers but I decided to spend the extra money for the primers I wanted. If you don't mind using the Wolf primers (a little harder than I like) they are a good product at a good price at OGC.

Cases: If you want new brass cases I found Starline makes an excellent product are cheaper than Winchester and Remington and others. I found that Midway sells Starline at average prices (not great but better than most places). They also have once fired cases (Level 1 and Level 2) at a decent price. Unfortunately, Midway traditionally charges high prices for shipping. But in this case they will ship brass Parcel Post through the PO. It takes 3-4 weeks so if you need them faster you might find a better deal at another online store. If I were any of you I would register an account with them and make sure you configure your birth date. About a week or two before my birthday they sent me an e-mail and if you click on the special link they allow you to make one order (no limit) with almost all of their products heavily discounted. When I say heavily most everything was 20%-30% off with some items being up to 40% off. It makes ordering a little easier as I saved more  money than the shipping cost me. So it was like getting the shipping free and then some. Returns: I had to return a product that was broken when it arrived. They do not state this on their website but they will give you store credit for your return package shipping IF the product was broken. If you decide you just don't want it after you get it, YOU pay for the return shipping. They will not refund the money to your credit card. If you are looking for once fired cases I had a hard time finding Level 1 cases. But it was pretty easy to find Level 2 cases. I found that Powder Valley Inc. had a good price on Level 2 brass. And they ship USPS Priority Mail. It costs $14.00 for up to 60 lbs.

Jacketed Bullets: I was going to buy good lead bullets for my .357 when I found Montana Gold Bullets. They have jacketed bullets at almost the same price as good quality lead. You can get lead cheaper and you can get decent quality lead cheaper. But if you want good/high quality lead then check out Montana Gold Bullets. I decided for almost the same price I got jacketed bullets. They also have a better reputation than Precision for less problems with jacket separation. I ordered a case (3,750 bullets) and they shipped it free via USPS Priority Mail. The package weighed almost 60 lbs. when it arrived. I have not had a chance to load them yet, but visually they are excellent. I was very impressed with the quality. For practice and maybe serious target shooting I am happy with their product. If you are looking for name brand bullets such as Sierra and Hornady I found that Powder Valley Inc. has the best prices I could find on name brands. Sometimes I could find Cabelas or Midway with a sale price about the same or slightly better but overall their prices are the best I found. I have placed two orders with them so far and they ship quickly and use USPS Priority Mail ($14.00) which usually reaches me within a week of ordering.

Reloading Equipment: I shopped around and found the local stores are much higher than the online stores. So I have shopped online for most of my equipment. I have purchased from Amazon with free shipping and Midway with my birthday discount. But overall I found that the prices at Cabelas are generally better than most places especially if you wait for a sale. They always have sales as the end of the year comes. But if you search Google you can almost always find an additional $10-$50 or 20%-30% off or even FREE SHIPPING with a coupon code. Returns: If you buy anything from Cabelas they always provide a paid return label with your order. So whether you get a broken item or you just decide you don't want to keep the product for whatever reason, you can return it for free. I like this better than say Midway where they only give you store credit for your return postage. I will buy more often at Cabelas due to this than Midway or others.

I am sure there are other online stores that may have better prices. This is just a review of where and how I shopped and I hope it helps you when you are looking to make a major purchase.

Good report, thanks for the info!  I'll check out the Montana Gold for sure.

Jacketed Bullets: I was going to buy good lead bullets for my .357 when I found Montana Gold Bullets.

Did you order FMJ or JHP?  I will take some off your hands if you want & ordered the JHPs.  Please let me know.

Did you order FMJ or JHP?  I will take some off your hands if you want & ordered the JHPs.  Please let me know.

I ordered the 125gr JHP. My pistol likes the 125gr bullets a little better than the 158gr. Not really looking to get rid of any of these.

But, I have a few thousand Sierra 9mm 115gr JHP that I wouldn't mind selling or trading for something interesting. I'll be posting that up here shortly.

Wow good info, just like to add....

Star line has good brass and free shipping on 500 or more

Montana gold is also free shipping

If you have a C&R you get dealer prices at most places. I have ordered brass/bullets from Midway and Graf & Son. Graf is good for their surplus rifle caliber brass and bullets, if you shoot the old ones. Also, Wideners is good for bulk bullets, plus they ship USPS flat rate boxes.
The prices at Cabelas are average, but they calculate shipping by the price of your order, not weight, so that can be a good deal sometimes.

This last weekend I found the sweet spot for my pistol using the .357 125gr JHP bullets I got from Montana Gold Bullet. I am using .357 Magnum cases with 5.0 grs of Hodgen's Titegroup (approximately a .38 +P loading) and with my pistol on a rest I shot a one inch 10 shot group at 25 yds!!!!!

I had loaded up 10 rounds where I weighed each bullet and charge so everything was exact for those 10 rounds. I just kept shooting and the hole just got a little bigger until I got a couple out of the main group! This isn't a true .357 loading so the recoil is easy to take for shooting all day or at least a couple hundred rounds. The other 70 or 80 rounds I loaded I didn't weigh the bullets nor the charges (I threw them out of my powder measure). With those I was shooting 1.5" to 2" groups at 25 yds. in a rest.

After I started shooting without the rest it all went to hell. But at least I know my gun was doing its part. I am very impressed with the quality of the bullets and they way they shot this last weekend. I have not tried their other bullets but for the money I think they are as good quality as what I am buying from Sierra and Hornady.

And they look pretty kewl since they are gold and not copper colored.

This last weekend I found the sweet spot for my pistol using the .357 125gr JHP bullets I got from Montana Gold Bullet. I am using .357 Magnum cases with 5.0 grs of Hodgen's Titegroup (approximately a .38 +P loading) and with my pistol on a rest I shot a one inch 10 shot group at 25 yds!!!!!

Sweet!  I have some of the MG .357 125gr JHP bullets too.  Plan on buying some more soon.

I have read on other forums that JHPs shoot more accurately since the center of mass is further back in the bullet.  Also, the MG JHP as well as the PD JHP are not designed for expansion, but for target/competition shooting.

Sweet!  I have some of the MG .357 125gr JHP bullets too.  Plan on buying some more soon.

I have read on other forums that JHPs shoot more accurately since the center of mass is further back in the bullet.  Also, the MG JHP as well as the PD JHP are not designed for expansion, but for target/competition shooting.

The price for the bullets is quite cheap considering what you get especially if you buy by the case. Not sure if you want 3,750 bullets but the box weighs almost 60 pounds and is shipped free of course! 

I didn't know that about the JHP's being more accurate. I only knew that I was tired of paying the high price for jacketed bullets from Hornady and Sierra and I don't particularly like lead that much. Though I would not be adverse to lead but I have had problems with leading in my barrel already. And I only loaded them to 800-900 fps. I always prefer JHP to FMJ for target shooting only because it punches a nicer cleaner hole. I could not be happier with the results I am getting.

I usually buy premium self defense ammo for my house gun. I had no intention of using the MG JHP's for any type of self defense ammo. Mostly because I couldn't find any data on expansion and such. So thank you for clearing that up. But I am thinking of starting to load my own self defense ammo using the new Hornady self defense bullets or some other equivalent.

The price for the bullets is quite cheap considering what you get especially if you buy by the case. Not sure if you want 3,750 bullets but the box weighs almost 60 pounds and is shipped free of course! 

I didn't know that about the JHP's being more accurate. I only knew that I was tired of paying the high price for jacketed bullets from Hornady and Sierra and I don't particularly like lead that much. Though I would not be adverse to lead but I have had problems with leading in my barrel already. And I only loaded them to 800-900 fps. I always prefer JHP to FMJ for target shooting only because it punches a nicer cleaner hole. I could not be happier with the results I am getting.

I usually buy premium self defense ammo for my house gun. I had no intention of using the MG JHP's for any type of self defense ammo. Mostly because I couldn't find any data on expansion and such. So thank you for clearing that up. But I am thinking of starting to load my own self defense ammo using the new Hornady self defense bullets or some other equivalent.

3,750 is quite a bit, but I figure that I will eventually use it up & I have a feeling that we will see shortages (and price increases) once "The Annointed One" is re-elected.  Please don't misunderstant that to mean that I want BHO to win, but I believe that it is inevitable considering his support base.
 

I was hoping that the MG & PD JHP could be used for HD situations, but as you mentioned - there is no data supporting it as such.  Also, the websites make no mention of expansion or usage for defensive purposes.

I found this video on YouTube and also info on BrianEnos.com - it is a goldmine for reloaders & competition shooters (just don't ask about HD situations as that is not what the forums are geared towards).

I've pretty much standardized on Hornady for HD ammo & am still waiting for their Critical Defense/Duty bullets to become available.  Using XTP & Flextip for 38 spl & 357.  But, I am using Remington Golden Saber for 9mm.  Costs are way less than factory loaded ammo although many experts state to use only factory loaded ammo for defensive purposes.

Thanks for all this info Wirecounter!!! I am actually pretty impressed with the penetration the MGB got in a 9mm +P loading! It looks like it did what it was supposed to do. Though I wonder if a more premium brand would have shed its jacket? I did read that MGB shed its jacket under high loads but those comments were written a few years ago and nothing has been written since. To get the accuracy I am getting the jacket has to be consistent all around and the lead core has to be concentric. Obviously the quality is there.

I have been using golden saber ammo as it was all I could find the last time I bought SD ammo. I want to try the Hornady critical defense bullets and maybe try loading my own golden sabers. I don't see any reason not to load your own as long as you maintain a critical quality control plan and replace them every year or so I think I can rely on my own reloading skills. The only thing is I have had a problem with commercial SD ammo in the past so I am not sure I can even trust commercial stuff. Which reminds me, it is time to swap out my SD ammo for a new batch. Guess I need to be on the lookout for the Hornady's if they become available.

Just loaded up 200 rounds of .357 with the MGB today. Hopefully I can continue to load faster than I can shoot them and build up a supply. I am running them through the vibrator right now to see how they look all new and shiny!

I think most premium ammo is bonded = lead core is bonded to the jacket to prevent separation.  Also, the lead alloy is softer than MG bullets allowing for better expansion.

I think the experts only make the "use only factory ammo for SD" for those who may not be as meticulous.  And, properly stored ammo can last for decades just like powder & primer.

Have fun going through your new bullets.  Love the bling after cleaning (especially with the steel media).   

I think most premium ammo is bonded = lead core is bonded to the jacket to prevent separation.  Also, the lead alloy is softer than MG bullets allowing for better expansion.

I think the experts only make the "use only factory ammo for SD" for those who may not be as meticulous.  And, properly stored ammo can last for decades just like powder & primer.

Have fun going through your new bullets.  Love the bling after cleaning (especially with the steel media).   

I'm not up to using the steel media yet. I have so much corn cob media right now I hate to switch to the steel and waste all the other media I have.

I have so much corn cob media right now

I still have about 30 pound of corn cob media left from my 40 pound bag from Grainger so I know what you mean.  I'm starting to think that using the SS for pistol brass is not as useful as using it for rifle brass since cleaning the primer pocket is not as big an issue and adds a couple more steps (vibrate the brass in the corn cob, pop out the primers, tumble in the SS media, separate the brass from the media, and dry).

I still have about 30 pound of corn cob media left from my 40 pound bag from Grainger so I know what you mean.  I'm starting to think that using the SS for pistol brass is not as useful as using it for rifle brass since cleaning the primer pocket is not as big an issue and adds a couple more steps (vibrate the brass in the corn cob, pop out the primers, tumble in the SS media, separate the brass from the media, and dry).

I forgot about having to dry the brass after a tumble in the SS media. That doesn't work well for me at this time. I don't have much brass left to process. And when I reload I do so 4-8 hours at a time. I am keeping up with my shooting. So I need to be able to go from vibrator to popping out the primers to tumbling again to popping back in the primers and loading. If I have to wait for the brass to dry it could potentially stop my processing. But for the long term as my brass inventory grows (Or I fall behind in my reloading) I can see the SS media being a part of my loading bench.

If I have to wait for the brass to dry it could potentially stop my processing.

A friend of mine lays the brass out on a cookie sheet and uses a propane torch to very quickly dry the brass.  I simply shake out as much water as possible in a towel and leave out in the sun to dry.

A friend of mine lays the brass out on a cookie sheet and uses a propane torch to very quickly dry the brass.  I simply shake out as much water as possible in a towel and leave out in the sun to dry.

Might want to use something less extreme than a propane torch. You might accidentally anneal the brass in the wrong places.  IMHO,  I think a hair dryer or a heat gun might be a safer bet.

Might want to use something less extreme than a propane torch. You might accidentally anneal the brass in the wrong places.  IMHO,  I think a hair dryer or a heat gun might be a safer bet.

Mahalo for the tip.     I'll pass it along . . .