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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,418 Likes: 2
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,418 Likes: 2 |
I dont care for the term boutique shells .....makes it sound like we are all shooting french guns.....specialty loads seems more appropriate...
gunut
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,278 Likes: 530
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,278 Likes: 530 |
There seem to have been spot component shortages, but commercial ammo sales were up, big, in 2020, and seem to be continuing that trend this year. Supposedly, shotgun sales, that had been slowly falling for years, were also up sharply last year. For all types of consumer firearms, firstime buyers are also way up, and they want ammo. I don't know RST's bottom line, but their sales may be up too, even though availability is regularly listed as out of stock. “Seems to have been spot component shortages”…..understatement of the year right there. I think it’s more than “spot”. Even if RST’s sales were up, what’s that matter when there’s nothing left to load up and sell? No components to be had. Check out their website, practically nothing available. Didnt RST not even show up for the Southern this year? That’s a huge money maker for them. They had nothing to sell. That’s gotta hurt.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,572 Likes: 100
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,572 Likes: 100 |
I guess I don’t see them making enough profit just selling what they have to keep the lights on & doors open when they hardly have any inventory or component supplies to speak of... Not making money and losing money are two different things. Unless an organization is severely under capitalized, weathering a storm such as a pandemic or a component shortage shouldn't spell the end.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,464 Likes: 212
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,464 Likes: 212 |
....“Seems to have been spot component shortages”…..understatement of the year right there. I think it’s more than “spot”.... Sorry about that, I was comment about your thought that RST faced going out of business, and that it may take a record number of components to assemble the record commercial ammo sales. I am not following the line of thought. Hypothetically, if sales are up, the company is okay. That's, of course different than frustration, but if RST was able to maintain an average business, then they're likely to stick around. There have been recent industry reports that Italian shotshell components are shipping to the US at full capacity, but designated for commercial customers.
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Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 472 Likes: 193
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 472 Likes: 193 |
I happened to be at my “neighborhood” reloading shop yesterday. (It’s actually far away in my home state and as far as I know there’s no reloading shop anywhere near me in Colorado.). I normally plan far ahead for my needs and only load low pressure light loads for my 16 bore SxS’s. I phone them fairly regularly to see what might have come in and on my word they slowly build a box in the back for me and my next trip home. The real “treasure” this time was a 4lb jar of International that they didn’t know they had but found and held for me in my box.
95% of what I shoot calls for DR16’s and they are long gone and no one seems to know if they’ll ever come back. So I bit the bullet this trip and bought a bunch of old stock CB 7/8’s and I’ll start the transition to a Cheerio/Lima bean 3/4 oz load. Hopefully CB keeps this wad in production but for us 16ga vintagers the future doesn’t look bright regarding wads.
After I got on the road some Ched 209’s came in so I also committed to a few boxes of those since their availability is so spotty.
And lastly I bought 3 bags of 8’s not because I need them but because Lawrence is already $50 and they’ve been told the next batch will be even more.
I say all this to say that, in the short term, it seems that reloading components are starting to trickle through. But the long look is different. My shop friends tell me confidentially that shotgun is a small side gig for them. It’s the pistol and long range rifle guys that keep them in business as well as some gun sales. And they look for shotgun components to disappear from their inventory (although 12ga will probably be around much longer than the rest.)
I’m not a high volume shooter (ave 200 rounds/month) so if/when that happens, the RST’s of the world, if they’re still around, won’t be an option for me because of price. But until then, I’m going to keep chasing components and pulling the MEC handle so that in rotation all my old but still lovely (SxS) ladies can get out for some regular exercise.
Last edited by FallCreekFan; 07/12/21 10:15 AM.
Speude Bradeos
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,198 Likes: 1169
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,198 Likes: 1169 |
I'm reminded of a line by Jack Nicholson in a movie .................. "What if this is as good as it gets?"
But, to Dustin's question, I don't believe the smaller loading companies are facing the exact same situation individuals are. Old customers, including RST, who buy volume, will be looked after way before individuals will be. I see an example of this at my local sporting clays, skeet and trap range. They've been a regular, volume customer for many years. Their supplier has been able to keep them supplied with shells, for their customers to use to shoot at the range, throughout this fiasco. At the same time, none of the retailers have had any shells on their shelves.
May God bless America and those who defend her.
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,964 Likes: 89
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,964 Likes: 89 |
Let’s all not become too gloomy about the future. We are only months away from the Covid mess and factories that had been virtually shut down are ramping up production as fast as possible. Where there is a demand the manufacturers will find a way to supply it (it’s called capitalism). Wads? It is my understanding that anything made of plastic is in short supply, mainly from a lack of rosins from which they are made. The interruptions in supply remind me of those terrible chain reaction wrecks we occasionally see on TV—one car makes a mistake and pretty soon it’s a 50 car pileup that shuts down the entire interstate. Same with the supply chain ammo manufacturers are having to deal with. Keep the faith, it’ll all work itself out—sooner than later.
When an old man dies a library burns to the ground. (Old African proverb)
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,278 Likes: 530
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,278 Likes: 530 |
I'm reminded of a line by Jack Nicholson in a movie .................. "What if this is as good as it gets?"
But, to Dustin's question, I don't believe the smaller loading companies are facing the exact same situation individuals are. Old customers, including RST, who buy volume, will be looked after way before individuals will be. I see an example of this at my local sporting clays, skeet and trap range. They've been a regular, volume customer for many years. Their supplier has been able to keep them supplied with shells, for their customers to use to shoot at the range, throughout this fiasco. At the same time, none of the retailers have had any shells on their shelves. If RST isn’t facing the same issues as individuals…..why aren’t they producing any product whatsoever? They can’t buy in volume if the volume just flat out isn’t there, they can’t sell a product and make money if they aren’t producing anything to sell, correct? Their absence from any shooting venues this spring/summer and their website not having anything available is very telling, to me anyways. I can see the big, major ammunition companies having warehouses full of components to still able manufacture shells, on a limited basis during these lean times and being able to get product out to a few distributors. Again, this thread really isn’t about them. At Bob Cash…the small specialty shell business concerns, if they aren’t making money, by not selling their products…and they are still paying bills (rent, bank loans, salaries, supplies, utilities, etc), how long do you think their reserves will last before it gets critical and chances of recovery start to dwindle? I guess I have it in my head that businesses of this type aren’t exactly massive profit making ventures and the owners aren’t driving Mercedes G wagons and living in gated communities, or have business accounts overflowing with reserves. I very well could be mistaken though! Thanks for the discussion and thoughts everyone. It’s really an interesting topic for me. Appreciate it.
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