I sure do hope this shortage of ammunition ends soon, trying to find anything usable for an IDPA match is getting to be a real challenge. Vendors that sell affordable ammo are usually out of stock, so our only recourse is to purchase from expensive retailers. Heck, even 8X57 rifle ammo isn't cheap anymore (when you can find it).

We really haven't had to reload our own, and have never put forth a lot of effort into picking up spent brass ... till now. This shortage has changed the way everyone looks at components. Even the indoor range that we use now claims all casings, since they buy their 'range ammo' from the same place that we have been getting ours.

About 3 or 4 miles from here is a local ammo manufacturer called Mastercast Bullet Co. They have stopped taking internet orders, and I believe are now taking phone orders, even though they are still 2 months behind.

We used to get their remanufactured stuff a heck-of-a-lot cheaper, than you cold get Winchester white-box value packs from WalMart. Picking up the empties and returning them netted you a savings of 3 or 4 bucks per hundred rounds. Sadly, they no longer sell ammo without a brass exchange, which in turn has created another generation of extremely hungry brass rats combing these ranges ... and I can't find a brass magnet anywhere.