To re-load or not re-load is the question.  the answer to this one could take pages of different answers / solutions.  I do agree keep all your brass even 22 rim fires (Corbin equipment you can make small caliber bullet jackets using spent rim fire cases), keep all your wheel weights.  Then you can add once fired brass to your collection when either buying them or picking up range brass.  Buy used re-loading equipment once you get the knowledge of what to look for. the only thing I might buy new is a powder scale beam type (they last forever if taken care of). This is tongue and cheek  I'm just throwing it out there.   If you are looking at down the road of  re-loading supplies shortages or worse,  think consolidating guns, calibers, useful powders, primers, etc. A little off script here if you don't shoot very much it doesn't make sense to re-load just buy ammo or you can buy for each caliber a set of dies, shell holders, powder, primers and bullets and have a friend teach you to re-load on his equipment or buy your own down the road if need be.  Back on consolidating if the shxt hits the burner long term  you really only need a handful of guns, a good bolt action rifle probably in 308, ar-15, 9mm, 22 Rim Fire rifle and a 12 ga pump.   thinking long term availability of everything something along these lines,  tier 1  consolidate powders  to what can work in multiple calibers 4895 is a good one to start you can load big game rifles and 5.56 cals,  unique powder is another good one for shot guns to pistols, these 2 powders may not be the absolute best for all cartridges  but good enough for most,  get some  22 rim fires buy in bulk and keep them around.  now we all know no one is going to do this right.  the next tier 2 stuff you have right now that you like to shoot whatever that may be and keep enough supplies on hand.  right now primers are the hardest to find  and buy them in 1000 packs,  if you shoot hand guns buy small pistol and small pistol mag primers and  large pistol primers and large pistol mag primers, in rifles buy small rifle, large rifle and large rifle mag primers,  shot guns 209 and 209 mag primers,  all of this is dependent on what you shoot of course.   I don't think a lot of these supplies are going down in price for the most part,  powders and primers are the most important without them you don't shoot.  brass can be formed from other cartridges if needed, bullets can be made on lathes or cast, you can cast or swage bullets then plate them just depends on how far you want to go.

On the original question to re-load or not,   it's  my relaxation time to myself,    I've done it for year's,  I'm set up for it and still to this day buy equipment that I don't need or a duplicate.   these single stage presses today  and old school presses, you would have to drive over one to bend,  not talking the aluminum stuff,  buy good quality standardized equipment used when you can, buy mutiple re-loading manuals.  buy a good scale electronics are fine down the road but not to start.  used reloading dies when you can,  of ourse shell holders, get a good case trimmer, with all the pilots,  a good vernieer caliper 0" to 6 "  we have the good machinist grade but we use them on car's and other things. get a good vibrating tumbler and go the  pet store and buy ground pet litter ground walnut as a cleaning polishing media far cheaper than commercial stuff.  I use additives to our polishing media to make it faster,  you can use corn cob also takes a little longer,   you might want the get a good powder measure for throwing powder charges,  not the same as a powder scale.  loading blocks you can buy or make.  case lube you can make or buy or use carbide sizing dies on pistols and some rifle calibers or just lube and size with regular dies.  I roll my rifle cases on a concentric tool but not needed if you load carefully and rotate bullets 180 degrees upon bullet seating half way down and rotate before you bottom out, keeps bullets straight.  get a set of case guages mostly for auto pistols, you can case guage by pulling the semi auto barrel and using it as a case guage,  same with a revolver just drop each sized loaded case into the open cylinder and see it it drops in.  Lee makes the best final size die for auto pistols I have and use them to ensure correct feeding.  preparation and inspection is the best thing you can do when re-loading .   I probably forgot some stuff the other guys will chime in,  keep good re-loading records and keep targets in file folders with loading by each group,   all info is good info.     

Grouchy sorry about Rambo we all know how much you loved your dog.  Your new dog is going to be great.  our dogs are easier to get along with than a couple my relatives.   early this year my wife found 2  ten  wk old puppies starving to death eating inside an old dead cow carcass near an old de-activated train track a mile or so from the house she hikes down there with our female Catahoula dog,  tried to give them to humane society and other dog shelters no one would take them all full up,  anyway they are about a year old now and we finally found out 90 % guess  what these 2 male puppies are they are Carolina dogs,  my wife found more info on them calling them boot-leggers dogs.  they alert on every thing including me,  bark bark bark,  which is a good thing I guess.  they play fight like brothers and will stand their ground against intruders even though they are only 40 lbs,  smart frekin dogs and observant,  when they get bored and start eating or taking things they shouldn't,  we let them run a few fenced acres they chase ravens, squirrels, rats, lizards, rabbits, cars, anything that moves they go after.   one of them stole my Seiko watch off the same desk, they took something of my wife's can't remember what it was she wasn't very happy at all.  Found the watch in a little lawn by the garage didn't tear them up they just took them.   I think they are going to be great dogs,  they do well off the leash when out hiking,  they stay by us almost like a protector ,  they don't like other dogs and don't warm up to other people until they get to know them,   we did get them fixed I don't think it helped though.  now they have little insulated vests on at night  in their crates when it's cold out sleeping inside with us. you can set an alarm to them they wake up at 5:30 to 6 am every morning to go outside and pee, sitting by the side door waiting for me to quickly open the door so they can go chase the cottontails munching on the grass, then do their thing,   they take off like little rockets,  fun to watch them. 

If anyone could find it       beautiful,  wild,  and unforgiving. 

My every day carry is a Lone Wolf Harsey in S30V ,    sometimes i carry a  little 3 blade uncle henry not the tier one steel but 3 different blade styles suits my purpose for handy little utility knife that is easy to sharpen.  Most people can't sharpen a knife worth a dam there are exceptions of course  basically those people who make a living with a knife,  butchers, sailers, guides and others. I got a wild hair one year and bought a Boker infinity ceramic folder about a 3 1/4 " drop point ,  sharp knife but don't pry with it . I used it one year on 5 elk before it needed sharpening so I sent it back for sharpening to take the little chips out and re-new the edge,  it didn't come back as sharp as it was when new so I let it sit in a drawer for years until this last year and called the company up and they sent me out one of the last new replacement blades because they don't make the knife any more, so now it sits here in the drawer with a new blade.  I'm pretty anal about sharpening my son made me a wooden jig at different angles I can sit diamond stones in the get the corret blade angles, and then I will take a Spyderco triangle sharpener with 2 different ceramic stones for a final touch,  works good, on really hard to sharpen blades we have a little 1 " belt sander with different grits up to the thousands grits,  I rarely use it.   I do have my dad's old straight razer hone and stroop that does put a final edge on,  but it's for straight razors and of little use on other blade types.  Very first thing I do when I get a knife is get the correct angle on it so I don't have to fuss with it in the field or where I'm using it.

All of you will have memories of a lifetime,  great job!

Current typical world record rocky mtn elk  was taken with a Savage 99 in 308,   not to terribly far from where we live and hunt.  In basically the general area as  the Jimmy John's bull was taken and another monster bull was taken a few years earlier but will never go in the book so the rumors go.  I guess it was a year we were in there my son passed on a real toad because it was sky lighted on a ridge,  I ranged it out @ 200 yds totally broadside 3 other lesser bulls with him.  my wife and I just watched and said nothing oh well it was the right decision.  a lot of rain the year before and antler growth was as expected.  I wouldn't have an issue with a 200 yd  shot on any elk using a  300 Savage as long as it was a clean shot. 

Savage 99's are getting a little pricy today especially in good shape,  I prefer the older lever safety models although the tang safety models are nice also.  look for odd calibers.   Without seeing the rifle it's near impossible to put a price on a 99,  my guess would be in reference to the rifle Big Muddy   might be an earlier version only because of caliber,  could be a featherweight ?  might be a take down version ?  I don't know when they stopped making the 300 Savage without doing some research ?  I gave my son a 99  early featherweight version in 300 Savage in almost new condition he took his first elk with it.  The 300 Savage is a very good caliber akin to a 308 lite with minimal recoil.  My son's is very accurate 1 " or less @ 100 yds in an old lever ain't bad.  I asked if he would trade that rifle back to me,  no way.  If the rifle is in good shape no bad dings,  blueing is good, case hardening is good,  and remember prices vary from state to state.  sometimes gun shops will sell used or consignment guns at very reasonable prices just to get rid of them and other shops are selling used guns at factory new gun prices.  new guns are nice , but I will take a good quality old hand fitted gun anyday over a new version as long as it isn't all shot out.