Rod_outbak wrote:I wish my world worked like that all the time, but it doesn't.
I do order a lot of my projectiles online in advance of what I think I'll need, but I also order a lot through my local businesses, to support them.
SOME times, my need for more projectiles/ammo is governed by whats going on outside, rather than what I've planned in advance.
However, I get back to why I'd recommend one cartridge over another.
Performance is one factor, but commonality/availability is another, and 7mm is less common than .30 cal (in outback QLD at any rate..)
I absolutely agree that common availability is an important consideration when choosing a cartridge for the majority of shooters. I understand that people are different, and lots of shooters will finish off a box of bullets and go shoot them without considering taking one minute or less to order more of them (nowadays we can order bullets via smartphone while walking up to shoot the ones we just made), but that sort of thing would drive me crazy
For the sort of shooter than only realises he needs ammunition when he arrives at the shoot then yes, being able to buy ammo easily is important.
But nowadays with online ordering, it's fairly easy to get anything but the strangest brass and bullets, and within a few days, delivered to your door. It's usually cheaper and quicker than going into town to pick them up after ordering them via your dealer's distributor. I have ordered what I would not consider strange bullets (and die sets) via my dealer several times, waited for them, ordered more online, received them, and tested them before my dealer finally has them in hand. I like to support my dealer, but locking himself into those archaic distribution systems is not supporting his customers - it works both ways. Same thing with rimfire ammunition occasionally. I understand that dealers prefer to place large orders to save on shipping costs, and when I don't want to wait I'm happy to pay the cost of immediate shipment. When I find I'm down to one or two boxes after a loading session I immediately order more to refill the shelf. I keep at least a thousand bullets on hand for each caliber I load, and am always ordering new ones I've spotted for testing. Another problem that does occur is that when I've done my research to determine the bullet I want, the dealer has not and may be totally unfamiliar with a new or unusual bullet. He may not know that Hornady do three different 140gn bullets in that caliber, so he, or his distributor, just orders the first one he scrolls to in his list instead of selecting the SST version. This is not just a problem with components, it happens with magazines, scope mounts, scopes, and probably even with rifles. This does occasionally happen with online ordering as well though.
Because I love the milsurps, ammunition and component availability is irrelevant to me. If I absolutely had no option then I would turn up the required brass on the lathe myself, anneal it and shoot it. Similar with bullets, I'll turn them on the lathe if I want something special, otherwise I'll cast, size, and powdercoat them to fit what I want to shoot.
I'm waiting on some unusual brass from AV Ballistics, that he is making specially for me. That is taking some months, and costing some money, but 6.5x58mm is not available anywhere else in the world (although it is fairly easy to make from 8x57mm/.30-06 brass - without the correct head stamp). But when I have it, I'll have enough to ensure I never need go searching for more of it. My Type38 Arisaka Carbine is fairly shot out so I'm trying some cast larger-diameter bullets (powdercoated .267" jacketed bullets improved it marginally, the bore slugs at .270" although it is still rifled). So large that the neck of the case won't fit in the chamber when loaded conventionally. So I'm having to essentially make healed bullets, with a narrow base that fits the case, but a much wider bullet to fit the bore. If I can make it work I'll throw hundreds of them so I won't have to find any more in a hurry, at least not until I've found another rifle or barrel.