• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Competing Less Due to Cost/Availability of Reloading Components?

IndianaRem5r

Major General
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 29, 2013
181
132
Pawnee, IN
I have not been that motivated to compete this year due to cost of reloading components. I have found other things to fill my "hobby time" that don't break the bank. I will wait for things to calm down and then slowly return. Anyone else in the same boat?
 
I don't compete but shoot about the same if not more. I stacked it deep and bought when the deals were good. Even this year I was able to get a but load of primers and bullets without paying stupid gouger pricing.
 
If you don't reload for center-fire, then yes, it's gonna hurt for a long time. I was fairly stocked up on reloading material, but did feel some heat with projectiles and primers. Luckily I found some good prices using ammoseek with alerts (not a plug here, but it does work) and through some people I shoot competitions with. Gotta just wait for the good (see that I didn't say 'great') pricing to surface, then buy what you can. With 9mm and 223 ammo still being TWICE what it was before this happened (and that's for crummy steel cased ammo), I'm not doing much with those guns now. Agree with the 22LR advice, get a good rifle with some OK ammo and maybe have some fun at a local match. I see guys with that setup do very well and they have fun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RichMangus
Is .22 ammo still plentiful?

Been shooting centerfire regularly but 22 coms are on my radar
 
intermittently available, but some of those guys are doing good with keeping prices in check
 
I reload 3 different centerfire cartridges. It seems to be slowly getting better. I have not purchased anything at inflated prices which means I have not purchased anything since about last October.
 
RPR is great, also the CZ457 in Manners stock. One of my PRS rigs is a Maners TCS so this helps as a trainer as well
Is .22 ammo still plentiful?

Been shooting centerfire regularly but 22 coms are on my radar
It is, but you need to shop around online, I found the 100rnd box of CCI mini mags for 9.99 (sale price) on one site and another site had it for 19.99(sale price).. another example Fedral 800 rnd box 79.99 another site 119.00. So you do need to do a little searching
 
Don't know over there. But here, once prices go up. They stay up. Best case they stay that way without going further up for some time.
Gas, food, ammo what ever, same same.
 
Don't know over there. But here, once prices go up. They stay up. Best case they stay that way without going further up for some time.
Gas, food, ammo what ever, same same.

Mostly the same here
 
I have not shot any matches this year other than a couple of local matches. I've done a little casual 6.5 creed and 308 shooting, but I decided against shooting full scale this year.

I have spent more time with other hobbies, and like knowing that I am conserving centerfire components.

22 is cool and all, but its not for me. Not going to spend big money on a rifle that has very little practical application for a field rifle. Just my .02.
 
I have not been that motivated to compete this year due to cost of reloading components. I have found other things to fill my "hobby time" that don't break the bank. I will wait for things to calm down and then slowly return. Anyone else in the same boat?

I don't do rifle competitions, but I do handgun competition (USPSA) and training for it.

I burn quite a bit of 9x19 (probably 8-10K a year). This year I've not only kept my typical level 1 (club) match schedule, I've done three level 2 matches and one level 3 (each one 200 - 300 rounds typical) and two training classes (600 - 800 rounds each one).

However, my annual pistol round count will barely reach 4000 this year because I've change my practice mix from 60% dry fire/40% live fire to 90% dry/10% live. Despite that I've moved from B to A class and am halfway up to Master in USPSA Carry Optics division. Dry fire is key.

I had a good stash of primers coming into 2021 and have been replenishing them as I could here and there. Last month got my order of 5K Murom small pistol primers and this month I picked up 2K CCI small rifle magnums which I'll use to load 9 mm if need be. So right now I'm sitting at around 9K small pistol and 5K small rifle. I also have about 8 - 9K large rifle primers lying around.

I'm set for powders for a while yet and I have no trouble finding what I need locally at $35/lb which is competitive with online prices once you add shipping and hazmat.

Cast lead handgun bullet availability is back to normal with almost no price increase. I have lots of rifle bullets so I haven't even bothered to look at availability lately.
 
  • Like
Reactions: camocorvette
Im probably competing more but differently. Getting skint on 6mm bullets so Im going tactical with a 223 this weekend, for example.
 
You'll learn more shooting a 22LR at 2 - 300 yards than you will ever learn on any centerfire at any distance short of stupid ELR stuff
No doubt there's training value, just doesnt peak my interest at this point in time.
 
I think I only shot a couple of local matches this year. I focused all my efforts on three PRS 2 day matches, the PRS Southwest Regional series, and a couple thousand rounds of 22 practice with the Vudoo and a few thousand dry fire rounds working on fundamentals.
 
I just may get a RPR 22LR and give it a shot.
Don't.

The RPRf is one of the most disappointing firearms to hit the market in my memory. The original centerfire RPR provided competition-level accuracy at a bargain price. I heard good things about the RPRf from people involved with its development. So I bought one of the early ones for my nephew, who was competing in one or two centerfire disciplines.

What a disappointment. Flaky accuracy with every flavor of match ammo I tried in it. Flimsy construction. Reports of feeding issues abounded.

Much better to hold out for a CZ 457 or similar.

The RPRf may work just fine for people who want to buy bucket'a'bullets ammo and shoot tin cans. I see few if any of them at rimfire matches, and when I do see them their owners aren't on the leaderboards.

Also, be aware that competition-grade .22LR ammo runs $.20-25 a round, with decent practice ammo around $.15 per round. I bought a case of CCI SV pre-pandemic at less than $.06 per round; it's ok for positional practice but at I won't use it in matches... one can occasionally find amazingly accurate lots of cheap ammo; those people should buy PowerBall tickets at every opportunity.

With all that said - I find I enjoy PRS-style rimfire matches more than centerfire ones. That's just me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ruff 364
Don't.

The RPRf is one of the most disappointing firearms to hit the market in my memory. The original centerfire RPR provided competition-level accuracy at a bargain price. I heard good things about the RPRf from people involved with its development. So I bought one of the early ones for my nephew, who was competing in one or two centerfire disciplines.

What a disappointment. Flaky accuracy with every flavor of match ammo I tried in it. Flimsy construction. Reports of feeding issues abounded.

Much better to hold out for a CZ 457 or similar.

The RPRf may work just fine for people who want to buy bucket'a'bullets ammo and shoot tin cans. I see few if any of them at rimfire matches, and when I do see them their owners aren't on the leaderboards.

Also, be aware that competition-grade .22LR ammo runs $.20-25 a round, with decent practice ammo around $.15 per round. I bought a case of CCI SV pre-pandemic at less than $.06 per round; it's ok for positional practice but at I won't use it in matches... one can occasionally find amazingly accurate lots of cheap ammo; those people should buy PowerBall tickets at every opportunity.

With all that said - I find I enjoy PRS-style rimfire matches more than centerfire ones. That's just me.
Thank you for the advice, I was thinking RPRf since that what was available in my area. I read mixed reviews on it - some were great others made similar statements you have and it was better to hold out for the CZ or Tikka.
 
For me travel cost has always been more of a factor. Gas and lodging is usually more expensive than ammo or components.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D_TROS
Have the RPRf myself, i haven't pushed it a lot, but I can say a .22LR is a momentous rediscovery. Doing dot drills at 50 yards, really pushing my shooting skills and holy crap it saves on ammo and headaches of component searches. Even if you have a old Marlin semi-auto (cough cough I have several), slap a scope on that hunk a junk and enjoy some shooting. Its better than NOT shooting.

All that being said, the shortage has put a huge dent in handgun comps which was my bread and butter of hanging out with 'my crew' (Queue us playing prince and eating pancakes). A lot of us didn't reload handgun and so shot through our stock. One group I attend cancels about 75% of matches due to low attendance sign-ups.

I've been able to build a reliable stash for centerfire as I started reloading (rifles) just as the pandemic started (talk about shitty timing), even some rare H1000, but its been tough. Rifle stuff is much better state than handgun though. Otherwise I now shoot .45 because I ran my stash of 9 and 40 out over the last two years. I can find LPP and its PITA single stage reloading, but at least its ammo I can use and not my left nut in price. I've also rediscovered my 44 mag. Can't do any comps, but its fun to clear the range with those bad boys.
 
Thank you for the advice, I was thinking RPRf since that what was available in my area. I read mixed reviews on it - some were great others made similar statements you have and it was better to hold out for the CZ or Tikka.

I've been nothing but extremely satisfied with the Bergara B-14R
IMG_20210228_190700.jpg


300 yd range day
IMG_20210705_152408.jpg
 
Is the rimfire like the centerfire version in terms of action smoothness? Cause i'm sold if it does. I really like my Bergaras.

I don't know because I've never shot or handled a CF Bergara. It's very smooth until you nearly close the bolt then you feel a slight bump in resistance and then it goes all the way closed.

Doesn't bother me at all, though there's a thread here where some people who bought them are losing their shit about it.
 
Is the rimfire like the centerfire version in terms of action smoothness? Cause i'm sold if it does. I really like my Bergaras.

they're so smooth that if you tip the rifle towards the muzzle a bit or jerk the rifle back (like pulling it out of a barricade), it will half auto-feed the next round :ROFLMAO:
 
There is a bump on bolt close. A pretty nasty one. If you run it fast you will notice it less. The only rimfire action that satisfies me for smoothness is the rimx. The Vudoo is smooth until it gets dirty, and I am lazy. My RimX is silky smooth even after 15k rounds. The only cleaning I have done is to scrape the gunk out from under the extractor and tensioner with my pocket knife.

That said, I see the fewest feeding issues with Bergaras at our local matches. Less than the custom actions and less than CZ. If you don't mind the bump on close(in reality not a big deal) if you get an accurate one, I don't think there is anything close in the price range.

Have a competent rf smith rebarrel it and you will have a laser.
 
...if you get an accurate one, I don't think there is anything close in the price range.

Have a competent rf smith rebarrel it and you will have a laser.

Gambling on accuracy is a pretty big caveat to overcome. Might as well just buy the RimX or Vudoo from the jump vs. rebarreling the Bergara.
 
Is the rimfire like the centerfire version in terms of action smoothness? Cause i'm sold if it does. I really like my Bergaras.
Rack it slow, they dont have a M16 extractor and faster racking will cause misfeed
 
I was shooting 1 centerfire rifle and 1 22 lr event every other month (alternating one event per month) before the panic. That cost me 2x in ammo for the centerfire as I shoot with my teenage son, and 3x in rimfire ammo as both of my boys shoot with me during those events. The last event we shot was in August of 2020, and by then our schedule had slowed way down. I really miss it, but centerX is still hard to come by, and I'm reticent to burn up a bunch of match centerfire ammo and not be able to readily replace it. Oh well, bullet hose ammo is starting to show back up and my teenager and I have started shooting 2 gun "run & gun" events. they scratch the itch, so to speak...
 
  • Like
Reactions: camocorvette
Don't know over there. But here, once prices go up. They stay up. Best case they stay that way without going further up for some time.
Gas, food, ammo what ever, same same.
Our gas prices change more than a woman before an evening out. It just depends which cocksucker is in office. Same w everything else.
 
1.59 for factory snb ammo and not even the good stuff vrs 40+ dollars for a one lb jug of 4350 or .24 cents per 41.5 gr per round you could do 169 bullets if you can find it and hopping it's your powder of choice , alpha munitions brass 105 for 100 1.05 per case I used them as an example since I just got 200 cases , primers 160. per 1k bullets .17 cents per primer , 39.00 for 100 .39 cents per bullet not berger or a fancy ammo just for hornady from midway's prices - the shipping on all of it . I am getting 1.85 per round still expensive but not as bad as I thought it would be . I'll take it when I can get it .
 
Because of the reloading components issue and price of factory ammo, I too have decided to purchase a 22lr. I went with a Vudoo with an MDT ACC Chassis System. I’ve already been collecting the 22lr Lapua Center-X ammo.