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For such ubiquitous case designs to suddenly be ditched, so quickly and so deeply, in deference to the new kids on the block speaks to the mass of the market which has overwhelmed us. Shooting sure ain't what it used to be.
This is extremely perceptive
The lack of components is more of an indication of the changes than a real shortage. Casings such as the 7 x 57 or 6.5 x 55 were never super common in the U.S.A. when compared against cartridges such as the .30-06 or the .308. However, there was always more than sufficient quantities of casings such as the 7 x 57 or 6.5 x 55 because even though they weren’t AS common as the other cartridges there were still
Plenty to go around. The demand was just never that high, so the supply always looked fine.
The current situation has a lot of factors in play. Shooters are not generating large quantities of once fired brass, so the source has dried up a bit. Suppliers are focusing on more mainstream cartridges, so brass for the less popular stuff gets sidelined a bit. Reloaders are not expending primers at the same rate, so that effects some of the supply.
I’ll stay out of the politics because it doesn’t belong here. I will say that just today I was looking at the website of a supplier of used brass. They had lots of the common calibers, 223, 308, 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 9mm, etc. And the prices were not horrible for today’s market. I found it strange that they were out of the less “mainstream” stuff like 32 ACP or 357 Mag. – Those casings are far from rare, but the supply chain has been warped.