What do elections and ammunition have in common? If 2016 is anything like 2008, a close race or a final win by a left-leaning candidate could equal a race for the ammo aisle in many sporting goods stores. That’s what occurred after the 2008 election and every time a politician (one in particular) opens his/her mouth about firearm control or ammunition restrictions, sales of both shoot through the roof.

For many, that’s reason enough to consider reloading ammunition. Preppers, take note. If you’re a predator hunter there are several additional reasons to consider transforming that spare bedroom into a reloading room. You really don’t want relatives staying at your house anyway … do you?

First, you can save big time by reloading over the cost of purchasing manufactured ammunition. On average, reloaders save anywhere from 60 to 70 percent over new. Why? You’re keeping a main component, the brass, in play for several uses, and you’re also not paying for someone to do your work.

Saving some extra cash for a rainy day is always a worthy goal, but as a shooter an equally important goal should be to shoot accurately. Reloading gives you the freedom to tune a load and improve the function of a particular firearm. Your predator rifle is like your body. It may run fine with water, but slam a Red Bull and suddenly you have a zip in your step to complete a task with efficiency. A new bullet, a few grains less of powder or even seating a bullet differently could make a world of difference in a 3-shot group at the range.

How about availability? When speaking with several ammunition manufacturers in the past several years, they readily admit. They’ve reduced output or even dumped lines of calibers with few followers. It just makes sense. When you can turn out more .223 Remington ammunition that leaps off shelves why would you tie up equipment with the disappearing (or gone) .225 Winchester? Nevertheless, if you have a favorite rifle in an unpopular caliber you can still use it by reloading ammunition. It could keep a family heirloom or a pet rifle in play for many years to come.

If you want to jump into the world of reloading, it might be wise to skip flea markets and garage sales for your equipment. Missing, worn and suspect parts could prove to be frustrating, or even dangerous. Modern reloading equipment makes the work easy and you can even purchase complete kits, like Hornady’s Lock-N-Load Classic Kit, to get you in the game. It comes with everything you need to get started, novice or professional. The only thing you’ll need to add separately are dies and shell holders. It even includes a reloading manual.

In a few months we may once again see a run on ammunition, especially if the election is as close as some are predicting. Don’t get caught without ammunition. Consider reloading. Your predator hunting will benefit and you may as well keep the bunker stocked in case of …