contender
Ruger Guru
Due to the very few places that actually make powder, (or primers,) the demand has exceeded the supply for a while here. But, it is SLOWLY getting better.
Powder Availability
- Thread starter contender
- Start date
Help Support Ruger Forum:
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
DB, there was a pretty good powder shortage out here right after the 2008 elections, too!
On the good side, a buddy picked up some Win 748 and H4895 a couple of weeks ago from a local distributor, and there was a moderate to fair assortment of powder at the gun show another buddy and I went to weekend before last. I didn't really pay much attention to what they had on the shelf, though, as I'm pretty well set right now. Local prices are running about $30/lb wherever we see it right now...
Rick C
DB, there was a pretty good powder shortage out here right after the 2008 elections, too!
On the good side, a buddy picked up some Win 748 and H4895 a couple of weeks ago from a local distributor, and there was a moderate to fair assortment of powder at the gun show another buddy and I went to weekend before last. I didn't really pay much attention to what they had on the shelf, though, as I'm pretty well set right now. Local prices are running about $30/lb wherever we see it right now...
Rick C
Rifle powders are become available more frequently. If you need 50BMG powder you are good to go, since every vendor seems to have it in stock for every manufacturer from 1- 8lbs. Everyone seems to have Hodgdon 869, H380, LT-32, MagPro, 5744, Steel, 3 or 4 of the Alliant Power-Pro's, and IMR 7828.
The more popular stuff is showing up and disappearing fast: RL15, 4064, 4895, 4350, etc.
For popular handgun powder you better be Johnny on the Spot if you want to get it. I haven't seen W231 or equivalent HP38 available anywhere in months. Unique & Bullseye have surfaced a few times, but if you don't get an online order in within 10 minutes you missed out. The sad thing is that I called three larger vendors on one day last week. I just asked if they had any "handgun powder," and they told me "no." Not even a specific powder, just handgun in general.
The more popular stuff is showing up and disappearing fast: RL15, 4064, 4895, 4350, etc.
For popular handgun powder you better be Johnny on the Spot if you want to get it. I haven't seen W231 or equivalent HP38 available anywhere in months. Unique & Bullseye have surfaced a few times, but if you don't get an online order in within 10 minutes you missed out. The sad thing is that I called three larger vendors on one day last week. I just asked if they had any "handgun powder," and they told me "no." Not even a specific powder, just handgun in general.
Since the first of the year, I've been able to get AA#7 and #9, H110, and Win 296, H335, IMR 4320&4985. Some place in Indiana or Illinois where Tom stopped actually had so much on the shelf they were marking it down 20%($16-18/# average pre-tax price). I think we got around 40-45# right there and there was hundreds of pounds left on the shelves. Tom said he'd never seen so much powder in one place and that was just what was displayed.
The Blackhawk Kid
Blackhawk
:arrow: I have been looking at surplus military powder, and have had a "little" luck. I just snagged an 8# jug of WC 820. It's good for 9mm, 40 S&W, 41 mag and 44 mag. I can't find W231 in any quantity. I have worked up loads with alternate powder. Seems to work. 8) JMHO 
bhk :mrgreen:
bhk :mrgreen:I think the same thing is happening with powder that has been going on with 22LR ammo, panic buying, and of coarse the greedy buy all you can find to resale for double price scalpers, I see lots of powder for resale on Armlist so it's simple to see where our local supply is going, just glad I have a good supply I've gathered over the last 30 years or so.
m657
Buckeye
given the sporadic and cyclic nature of reloading component availability, if you intend to do such, you better figure on snagging whatever you can use whenever it comes into your grasp....otherwise you too will be 'temporarily out of stock'...
Hint: having "too much" is better than having "none".
Having "not what I wanted" is better than "none".
Having to learn some new recipes for what you use, is better than "none".
Hint: having "too much" is better than having "none".
Having "not what I wanted" is better than "none".
Having to learn some new recipes for what you use, is better than "none".
Jimbo357mag
Hawkeye
Isn't it interesting the way the shortages went from guns to ammo to components? I got caught a little short after '08 but not this last time. I have just recently bought some more bullets from Barry's to keep my supply up to snuff. I don't know if I will ever buy ammo again at the prices I see now, except maybe for some carry rounds. :? :?
Think outside the box. If it's a "shotgun" powder of any type, BUY IT.
I bought a pound of Alliant e3 and found it to be a tad faster than Bullseye or Red Dot, but it works for light loads in mu 38 and 44 Specials.
Bought a pound of AL 20/28 and at first found it to be an alternative to Unique. It workes so well, that I bought a 4 lb. keg and it' now replaced Unique on my loading bench.
Bought a pound of Pro Reach and found it similar to Herco in my 357 Mag and 44 Special.
The boys over at the Cast Boolit site have been trying AL 410 and AL Steel too.
I bought a pound of Alliant e3 and found it to be a tad faster than Bullseye or Red Dot, but it works for light loads in mu 38 and 44 Specials.
Bought a pound of AL 20/28 and at first found it to be an alternative to Unique. It workes so well, that I bought a 4 lb. keg and it' now replaced Unique on my loading bench.
Bought a pound of Pro Reach and found it similar to Herco in my 357 Mag and 44 Special.
The boys over at the Cast Boolit site have been trying AL 410 and AL Steel too.
The Blackhawk Kid said::arrow: I have been looking at surplus military powder, and have had a "little" luck. I just snagged an 8# jug of WC 820. It's good for 9mm, 40 S&W, 41 mag and 44 mag. I can't find W231 in any quantity. I have worked up loads with alternate powder. Seems to work. 8) JMHO
Any WC820 I've seen is a mite slow for 9mm and 40 S&W... good for the magnum calibers and "Ruger Only" 45 Colt loads.
You might check on the castboolits website for more information on this powder. 8)
Rick, I opened my H4227, that I bought years ago. The price was $14 for the pound bottle!
gramps
gramps
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
gramps said:
Hi,
That's been a little while ago, hasn't it, gramps?
You'll enjoy this one when I dig this it out of the Way Back Machine: I've got a little bit of Unique left that came in a 15lb cardboard "keg" and the price is written on a piece of masking tape across the top w/ a black marker. $65.00!
I'm guessing early to mid-'70s for that one? That was about the end of the time I could walk into the LGS, tell 'em I needed a pound of XYZ powder, and the guy would disappear into the back. A couple of minutes later he'd come back, with a small brown paper bag stapled shut, marked "XYZ 1#" on it!
Least I remember paying was about $3/lb shortly after I got started in late '65. Doesn't sound like much now, but at the $1.35/hr my weekend jobs in high school paid, even that seemed dear.
Rick C
I've been fortunate to find powder at the gun shows, 3 #'s of 231, 2 #'s each of Bullseye and 2400, 2 #'s of 748, and some Unique. Prices? About $24 per # except for the 231 that's pretty scarce; $28-30 per #.
I'm still stuck at paying $11 per # for 231! :shock:
I'm still stuck at paying $11 per # for 231! :shock:
sandman228
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2011
- Messages
- 191
you gotta grab what you can when you can im buying powders ive never used before because of availability. ive got 4 lb of 4756 cause I saw it at a shop ive never used it before same deal with 2 lb of lil gun. im now using 296 for 357 mag instead of herco or titegroup because I ran across 7 lb of it at a local shop . but pb is 1 im mostly out for I read its being discontinued this year and I really like this powder I grab it anytime I see ive got 9 unopened 1 pounders of it stashed away .powder is out there its tough and sometimes u gotta buy what there instead of what you really want ive managed to pick up and stash away 42 1 pound containers in the past 6 weeks or so plus ive got 8 or 10 open containers im using out of now
sandman228 said:
Your part of the problem then of why we have a shortage, out grabbing everything you can get your hands on whether it's a powder you even use or not, and what do you need 42lbs. for? ever think of leaving some for other people? it only takes one or two people like you running around to empty every shelve in town, this is the exact same thing that's happening with 22LR ammo.
I did all that when Clinton was president and still have some powder from that era that I'm using. THat's back when I could get Accurate Arms powder for $57 a keg as a dealer from Jerry's Sports.
I ordered more in 2008 and I'm pretty set. Guys who didn't store up powder in advance of all this mess are the ones scrambling now.
There is no smokeless powder in my town; just a little black powder. A few primers at $3.89 - $3.99 per hundred.
I ordered more in 2008 and I'm pretty set. Guys who didn't store up powder in advance of all this mess are the ones scrambling now.
There is no smokeless powder in my town; just a little black powder. A few primers at $3.89 - $3.99 per hundred.
sandman228
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2011
- Messages
- 191
first off its my right to buy what I want when I want! no I do not clean out shelves I saw 8 lb of 296 on a shelf I bought 2 went back a few days later still 6 lb I bought 2 more I do not clean out anyones shelf in 1 visit!!unless its pb then I grab what I see because of it being discontinued. if I make 3 or 4 visits to 3 or 4 local shops and its still there each time I don't feel im cheating anyone out of anything ! and if you don't like that I have 42 lb of powder well that's to bad I shoot a few hundred to several hundred rounds every week and I want to make sure I have supplies on hand to keep doing so .what I have on hand was acquired from 3 local shops over a handful of visits and some was bought online .6gun said:
sandman228 said:
22 scalpers have the right to buy it all up and be selfish also but look at what happened, at the rate you say your shooting you have enough powder already for the next 5+ years.
my point is selfish panic buyers is what's damaging shooting sports for everyone else.
