I rarely shoot live ammo now; probably 10-20 rounds a week of centerfire and rim fire combined.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Some friends came out to learn how to shoot their new 38 Special and could only find reloads (which is no big deal especially for practice), but the reloads were over a dollar a round.
In 1974 I bought 1,000 rounds (2 ‘bricks’) of 22 LR and a 1,000-round case of 223 Rem, both Winchester.
I remember the prices were $19.95 and $199.95 respectively. I was gonna head off to college so sold my band instruments and spent the money on textbooks and ammo.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Of course inflation (530% now vs 1974) puts the current equivalents at $105.73 and $1,059.73 or so, but current prices if you can even find any are often double that, and the 223 will be Russian stuff of unknown reliability instead of top-end Winchester.
Sad for the new shooters; at least us old fogies are used to scarcity (many just a bit older than me, or a bit poorer, grew up getting handed five or ten 22LR cartridges to ‘make meat’ with for the week, and had to ‘save up’ if we were ever going to buy a box of our own). Plus we can reload if we get, or have hoarded, components.
I tell the 38 Special folks to get a Lee Classic Loader.