What happened to the ammo? And why does it cost so much? Why not try reloading?

The same day I bought my S&W 1911 Pro, my sister bought her first gun (a used S&W 669).  The clerk at the store asked her if she wanted any ammo.  My eyes popped out of my head when he said that it was 35$ for 100 rounds of WWB 9mm.

I told her I'd give her a box and that she'd be able to find ammo online cheaper or at Walmart.  Wrong on both counts.

What happened to all of the ammo?  Following the wave of mass shootings and fear of new gun laws  plus the demand for ammo as more guns are being sold, the supply dried up!  Loose boxes can be found here and there but at prices nobody should have to pay for a box of 9mm.  I saw a box of American Eagle 9mm for 21$ a box!  It almost made me regret not buying the 35$ box at the store.  Almost.

I even saw the same box priced as high as 60$ from a dealer which claims to price their good for less than soil.  I'm not sure where they get their mud from, but around here, premium gardening soil is only a couple of bucks for a 20 pound bag.

The last time I bought 9mm I paid just under 12$ a box.  With the trend indicating that ammo is not going to get cheaper any time soon, I decided to reconsider the hassle of reloading 9mm.

After hours of research, I finally decided on a single stage press.  The Lee kits look good, and I am sure they are for the money, but I had read that aside from the press itself, most of the remaining parts of the kit ended up getting replaced later for better quality components.  Ultimately, I ended up getting an RCBS Rock Chucker kit.  The lifetime warranty and high praise from others helped make that decision.

While the press itself was readily available (and with a 50$ rebate!), some of the other supplies necessary for reloading are not so easily obtained at the moment. 

The die I ordered is on backorder and I won't be seeing it for at least a month.  Additionally, primers and powder are impossible to find at a fair price.  So for now, it looks like I'll be set to order the components when they become available. 

Fortunately, I have enough 9mm to last me for a while and this will give me some time to collect my brass.