Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Will shortages kill “obsolete” cartridges?

S Zihn saw some 32-20 ww stuff last night at a local fleet and farm. What's the going rate on it?...mb

I'd guess 70-90 bucks. I picked up a box of either WW or Rem for a buddy quite a few years back, and it was $50-ish back then.

Just to throw it out there, I think ammo manufactures have a set production schedule based on previous demand. They have lines pumping out 9mm, 223/5.56, & 308 etc. Then newer stuff lines like 450B, 350L, 300 aac,6 C and 6.5 C. Then they have lines that run popular carts 3-4 time a year like 270, 30'06, 7mm mag 300 mag etc. Which of course got bought up in a flash, quite a few times in the last year or so production runs of low demand stuff like 35 rem, 300 sav , 7x57 etc showed up in case amounts here locally. It was fresh stuff not something that got forgot in a warehouse somewhere. More than a few guys in the business told me they had ordered everything that was in a manufacturers lineup hoping to get something. I might be wrong but that was what I saw...mb

I bought several boxes of PPU 7x57 ammo at a cheap price at Cabela’s a couple of years ago when I could not find brass. The cases weigh about what the several WW empties that I have and a little lighter than the Rem cases that I bought since. I’ve reloaded a box of PPU cases multiple times with no failures while working up loads. Seems to be good brass.

Not for me.

I use PPU 7x57 brass. It's fine.

It's far worse up here for 300H&H brass and a long list of components that are impossible to find. I have a good supply of the H&H but I wouldn't have one built if I didn't have brass on hand already.

I think this is "yeah, just send me whatever you have on hand..."

Winchester must have made a run of them several months ago as the half dozen or so Fleet Farm stores I've been in have had at least 2-3 bags on the shelf. Unfortunately, they sell reloading components in store only. At least that was the policy up to Christmas. I've considered buying a bag or two just because it's available and I've been tempted more than once to pick up a 32/20 or 25/20 firearm. The lack of brass and ammo was a factor against at least one purchase.

That was the case at the store I worked at. When the ammo shelves were completely bare out buyers told the wholesaler to sent us anything he had whether ammo or guns. We got a lot of 50 BMG ammo plus several cases of 50 caliber primers. A year later I got some buddies with 50 cal rifles great deals when those items were clearanced out.

Yep. We got 35 rem and 220 swift and all kinds of weird stuff as they scraped the bottom of their inventory

sgammo has 32-20 brass, 303 british, 6mm Rem and 30-40 krag brass in stock. All Hornady brand

The odd and obsolete have been a plesent surprise when it comes to availability over the last couple of years. 32spl ,38-55 and a few other older cartridges have been over looked in the mad dash.

Ymmv

Some of the obsolete things seem to be more readily available these days.

The obscure cartridges are another matter, most of those were scarce before the current situation and remain so now.

Id say inflation and its effect on daily living will be the real decider. People still think we are walking away from 2 years of covid shutdowns and small business buyouts like it was nothing. The damage hasnt even hit yet. We could be in for taste of olden day scarcity before this is done. Still enough to eat but not all the affluent waste and luxury we are used to. Like back in the day you had a small car, dirt cheap mongrel dog , 3-4 guns( not a safe full), didnt go blasting ammo for fun at ranges or bottles. Obsolete or expensive to feed calibres will still exist but go back to being the province of wealthy folk or extreme enthusiasts.

A really good old friend, who worked the old Time LGS, who cared more about filling your cup with Coffee, and taking care of the Customer, and good conversation,
than really anything else, told me years ago, when all the Different Ultra short, and super short and the likes, Calibers Came out, that "watch they won't be around long"!
I seemed to tend to agree with Chuck at the Time, and still do now! They're are so many close to each other Calibers, splitting hairs, that with all the Current Conditions going on out there,
it makes sense to me that some will fall by the way side as Supply and Demand usually win out!

I miss The Old Gun Store, and The Owner who Hired Chuck, as they were Life Long Friends, their Son who also Passed, Ran the Store until he got Sick,
and Everything Changed as things always do. I still check in on the Owners wife whose close to 90, and has her wits, but her health is starting to Fail.

I guess if you really like your not so common cartridge, then keep trying to load up on ammo, and re loading supplies while you can, like most are doing!

Have two brothers that swallowed the short mag hype hook line and sinker. Both bought Remington's in 300 rem short mag when it first came out. Neither one can shoot worth a crap and they worry about wasting ammo every time they come up hunting.

Yeah I hear Ya. As a gift My Brother in Law bought me a Ruger Model 77 in .300 wsm yrs back as we've always been close and have done such things for each other.
I don't regret it at all as a matter of fact I embraced it at the time and now. I've taken a few white tails with it at our Hunt camp in PA and really enjoy shooting, and Hunting with it!
Because it's from my close Brother in Law, I wouldn't trade it for the World. We we're smart enough to stock up on ammo yrs ago, and occasionally add to it when a deal comes up.
We've just always done that. His Dad, my Father in Law used to always say, when you go to the store, grab a couple boxes of ammo, and we always did.

Yes and no. You still see a lot of these "obsolete" cartridges on the shelf in local stores, I've found all kinds of interesting stuff since the panic hit. That being said, its kept me from getting into a lot of these rounds (even though rifles can be found reasonably priced). Its not so much that ammo is difficult to find, I reload most everything I shoot...its just that brass has become too expensive to bother with. I'm just not to the point where I am going to spend $1/rd for a piece of brass...except *maybe* 7mm BR (or unless its Lapua, etc).

The price of 17 Rem brass and ammo is the one I have a problem understanding.