New California Ammo Regs for 2018

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
theres zero doubt the liberal political types care nothing about hunting nor any doubt they want to drastically reduce firearm ownership

New California Ammo Regs for 2018 — A Hassle for Hunters and Shooters

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New laws approved by California voters and lawmakers in 2016 have the state’s 6-million-plus hunters, recreational shooters and other gun owners bracing for ammunition price increases, shortages and additional headaches in the near future.

The ammo regs are part of a flurry of new gun control rules — including those enacted as part of Proposition 63 — that cover a variety of bases, including how gun owners can store their firearms and to whom they may be borrowed.

One new rule, which takes effect in January 2018, mandates that Californians who purchase ammunition online or through catalogs must ship their ammunition through a licensed dealer — not directly to their home or business. State residents must also undergo a background check when buying ammunition, and anyone who sells ammunition will need to obtain an “ammunition vendor license.”

“This new law will drive up the price of ammunition to cover sellers’ increased costs,” said Ryan Bronson, director of conservation and public policy for Vista Outdoor, which is the parent company of Federal Premium Ammunition. “It will also essentially ban internet and mail-order ammo sales, since everyone will need to do in-store background checks to take possession.”

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Bronson also expects California’s new regulations to affect the company’s considerable ammo donations to charity events and youth shooting programs.

“We are still sorting through the ramifications, but it looks like donations to charitable organizations, and our limited, direct-sale program for 4-H Shooting Sports and the Boy Scouts of America will be prohibited,” he said. “We will also be prevented from shipping product directly to consumers, such as replacement ammo for customer complaints.”

Additional restrictions loom on the horizon. In 2019, vendors will need to keep records of every ammo sale, creating more costly burdens. And in July of that year, it becomes illegal to use lead ammunition for taking any species of wildlife, anywhere in the state.

“The non-lead regulation will be particularly hard on hunters who have rifles in less-popular calibers,” said Bronson. “Retailers will have a tough time stocking these harder-to-find products, and online shopping from out-of-state vendors isn’t a viable option.”

Jake McGuigan, senior director of state affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, predicts California’s new ammo laws will have a variety of effects.

“The regs will be a major inconvenience for law-abiding gun owners, while doing nothing to decrease crime or increase public safety,” he said. “The laws will also have a dramatic impact on state revenues due to a decrease in ammunition sales. When similar restrictions have been enacted in other states and municipalities, everybody ended up going elsewhere to buy ammunition.”

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While McGuigan concurs with Bronson about the impact on online and mail-order shopping, he notes that some retailers have historically helped customers work through such rules to obtain their ammunition of choice.

“In Connecticut, which has similar regulations, Cabela’s ships ammunition ordered online to one of their stores for on-site pickup,” he said. “You still have to go to the store, but you can order ammo not available locally.”

Even some of those charged with enforcing the new laws have expressed concerns about the impact California’s new laws will have on gun owners.

David Bess, chief of enforcement at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, recently told the Sacramento Bee: “There are some definite things . . . that concern me — the difficulty that it’s going to create for legitimate sportsmen and sportswomen . . . completely legal people trying to buy ammo to try to do a legal thing.”

Bess is particularly worried that hunters and other citizens in outlying areas will have trouble finding ammunition when small retailers decide the higher costs of complying with the new rules aren’t worth the effort.

All of which helps explain why California’s ammunition sales are reportedly brisk, as state residents prepare for the new regulations to effect. Even Bess is stocking up. “I was just over at a place the other day . . . with my boys,” he told the newspaper. “I saw some [ammunition I needed], and I said, ‘Hey, grab as much of that stuff as they’ll allow us to buy.’”

Make no mistake — these new regulations will affect California hunters and shooters in a major way. In particular, it would be smart to consider the hassle-factor involved in buying ammo come January 2018 and beyond. Now is the time to check your ammo stock and place a call to Cabela’s or go online to stock up on your favorite cartridges.

related thread
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bulk-ammo-sources.12454/
 
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what happened to the "handloads.com" web site?
I've used it as a check reference for handload data for several years,now it won,t upload, all the older links too it are not functional.


yeah, theres other sources and Ive got well in excess of a dozen reloading manuals, but its always helpful to have more data too compare!
BTW if you go to use any one manual Id strongly suggest you cross check the printed suggested load data with at least two and preferably 3-5 other manuals at a minimum,
Ive got reloading manuals that date back to the late 1960s all the way up to the newer ones,
the older ones have far less detailed info and,some of the listed loads , in older manuals,
and velocities far exceed whats currently considered safe currently, as testing equipment years back was less precise.

I know WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I thought that all the loads listed were safe and occasionally Id load up something using a load a couple grains lower than the max listed loads assuming it was bound to be safe, only to get excessive pressure signs on occasion,
I've noticed that trend of the loading manuals slowly decreasing the max loads listed over the last 20 plus years, and IM sure its due to better measurements of true pressure the loads produce and CORPORATE LAWYERS, getting to stick a bit more caution into the provided loads that get listed,keep in mind in the past if the rifle didn,t blow up and the brass extracted easily it might have been listed as a safe load, today they can actually measure chamber pressures.
but Id point out that on the plus side the powders are getting better and theres no effective difference in the effect on game if that 250 grain bullet leaves the muzzle at 2800fps or 2900fps

ALWAYS ,ALWAYS CROSS CHECK,
all loads you see on line or in load manuals with at least three ,
and 4-5 different powder and bullet manufacturers manuals,
is much preferred, totally different source, hand-load manuals,
and if the loads listed on line , or in various sources don,t come very close too agreement, with the listed manual load,
ranges in brand and powder charge, theres something wrong.
sure a grain or two may or may not be significant and youll need to work up to max loads slowly,
but if you see a load in one manual 5% or greater,
than the max load in a separate source be very cautious
caution and component consistency are very important too producing safe and accurate ammo.
Ive occasionally seen really erroneous load data posted , and if I was not in the habit of checking against a minimum of three manuals I might have been in serious trouble, but always remember to start low and work up to max loads as on some rifles/hand guns even the manuals are excessive

ou'll need too occasionally buy a new reloading manual simply because the available powder and projectile selection changes over time, and there are occasional mis-prints , cross checking between several manuals will make that rather obvious, you'll always want to cross check any loads listed from at least THREE different sources and start with the starting level loads and work up to what pressure levels your particular gun works best with, and THIS DOES VARY!
if your only loading for a hunting rifle a good single stage press produces very accurate ammo reasonably cheaply

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/51...le-stage-press

Its a good Idea to buy projectiles and powder and primers in larger lots or in bulk, so you have enough on hand for several years, of shooting, once you find what a particular gun likes, because the manufacturers have the nasty habit of either discontinuing or changing specs,on projectiles and powders.
once you find a particular combo that shoots consistent one hole hundred yard groups , its really frustrating to find that particular bullet or powders discontinued!
this may sound like it will cost a great deal, but think about it, most guys will seldom shoot a large game hunting rifle more than 100 or so times a year if that, maybe 40-80 over a years time at the range then 4-6 cartridges actually hunting.
if your loading for something like an AR15 buying in bulk lots of 1000 or more lowers the cost of components slightly, and having a decent progressive reloading press makes sense

Id also watch primers for pressure indications
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Stay well below the maximum charges listed in the manuals, and you'll be much safer without significant sacrifice in down-range performance. No micrometer is a reliable pressure gauge. but you certainly will see greater case head expansion over the factory ammo if you load to higher pressure levels so its a tool to keep you out of trouble


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https://www.dillonprecision.com/customize-reloader.html
https://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/8/pkg_id/9

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/57...tridge-reloading-9th-edition-reloading-manual
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http://www.midwayusa.com/product/106...loading-manual
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http://www.midwayusa.com/product/537...ding-manual-14
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http://www.midwayusa.com/product/158...loading-manual
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http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...-Reloading-Manual-2nd-Edition-by-Richard-Lee-
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http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...cluding-Supplements-Number-1-24-By-Ken-Waters
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https://www.google.com/webhp?source...nual+reviews&tbm=shop&spd=619589143 8066969302
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as in most things having accurate reference materials helps a great deal
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http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

http://www.nosler.com/load-data/

http://www.speer-bullets.com/products/reloading_manual/

http://www.accuratepowder.com/load-data/

http://www.barnesbullets.com/information/load-data/

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/


heres a basic powder burn rate chart, refer to the manuals and always verify in at least three and compare the charge and bullet weights listed
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https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/#!/

https://www.sierrabullets.com/produc...lets/rifle.cfm

https://www.speer-ammo.com/en/bullets/rifle-bullets

http://www.bergerbullets.com/products/hunting-bullets/

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/dept/reloading/rifle-bullets

https://www.starlinebrass.com/


https://www.wideners.com/reloading-...308-win-bullets-308-147-grain-fmj-500-reviews

https://www.natchezss.com/reloading/bullets.html

https://www.midwayusa.com/bullets/br?cid=19785

http://palmettostatearmory.com/reloading/bullets.html

http://www.evergladesammo.com/bullets.html

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...pistol-bullets

https://www.luckygunner.com/reloading-supplies/bullets

http://www.georgia-arms.com/bulk-qua...on-canned-heat
 
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