Why is there no shortage of shotgun powders and primers?

[shooting on a shoestring]

Noticed a while back the pistol powders, rifle powders and primers for both got sold down to the bare shelves in the stores and internet shops. However, there still seems to be 209s to be had and plenty powders like e3, titewad, 20/28, 410, Steel.... Wonder why?

[dbosman]

Shotguns kick more than black polymer rifles?
And most don't take 30 round magazines.

But, in my area, shotgun powders, primers, wads, and loaders are missing from the shops. Ammo is still available at Walmart though.

[fecmech]

If you want Unique and can't get it take a look at 20/28. Burn rate is right there with unique and in a .38 loading .2-.3 grs less than Unique gives identical ballistics.

[Rocky Raab]

Several reasons. Virtually all clay target shooters buy in bulk and have good supplies on hand. Second, there hasn't been a huge number of people suddenly deciding to take up trap or skeet shooting. Bird hunting seasons are all over now, so no demand for field loads. Lastly, everybody who wants to reload for shotguns already does - no huge increase in reloading as there has been with metallic cartridges.

[RayinNH]

With the cost of shot there's not much to gain over purchasing loaded shells.

[dbosman]

With the cost of shot there's not much to gain over purchasing loaded shells.

That nails it better than the reasons I came up with. Thanks.

[mtgrs737]

I might add that black rifles and handguns are the first choice in an urban defense situation most of the time, and the Gov. is not trying to ban shotguns........yet.


The others whom posted here are also correct, with the price of shot very little is saved reloading your own. Secondly, those whom do reload do buy in bulk to save money and if they are that serious about shooting the shotgun games then they do keep a decent supply on hand just for this type of situation.

All the best!

Mtgrs737

[451whitworth]

With the cost of shot there's not much to gain over purchasing loaded shells.

if you are talking about 12 & 20 ga. i agree. With the 10, 16, & .410 there is much to be saved.

[jeo22]

Biden recommended them, that should keep a few 'Thinking' folks away from them.

Seriously, there are a lot of reasons but ,22RF and center fire, both rifles and handguns are more popular with most folks than shotguns.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Take advantage of the situation. for example, green dot and blue dot powders make for excellent, near full power loads in 222 and 223 with j-words that shoot great in bolt guns. Check the reloading tables at accurate reloading.com. As noted above GD is great in many pistol cartridges, red dot in rifle CB loads.


BvT

[Trapaddict]

I can load a box of 12 gauge one ounce trap loads for $4.15 using $40 a bag shot, Wads at $75/5000 Primers at $110/5000 and powder at $ 12/lb. These are current prices from a supplier that frequents our bigger trap shoots here in MI. These prices are much lower than the average Joe is going to pay at his local gun shop by a long shot. Even at my cost, there is no really big savings over the Wally World promotional shells. However..... like earlier posters stated, I also load 28 and 410 which run $10/box for skeet loads. I can load a box of 410's for $1.50 and 28's for $2.00 (hulls and wads are way more expensive). That is where your huge savings comes in. A box of Federal 28 gauge 3/4 oz hunting loads are $20+ at Gander Mountain. Loaded here at my house for $2.00. And yes, we clay target shooters tend to buy in bulk. Really Big Bulk. At our house, we are still shooting $15/1000 primers, $8/lb powder (several 25# kegs bought years ago) $45/5000 wads and 3 Cent STS hulls that can be loaded at least 10 times. I am one of the minority of shooters that makes my own shot too. My shotmaking equipment is paid for many times over already so my net cost for the shot....in addition to my time, about $5.00 worth of electricity and $20.00 of propane to make 1000 pounds of shot (500 pounds of which I get to keep). I get my lead for free for making shot for others that have access to lead. We are very fortunate to still be shooting $1.05 a box 12 Ga reloads here and will be for a number of years to come.

[grampa243]

they are all gone here.

[35remington]

Stocked up on shot when it was 33.50 to 35.00 per 25 lbs.

And I am shooting down to 3/4 ounce loads in 12 gauge and 7/8 ounce as well.

Savings?

Yeah.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I too stocked up on Shotgun components when the getting was good. I am now setting up to load .410 and I bought a .410 O/Urecently mainly because I have 10 lb of H110 powder I'll never shoot up in my .44's. $2000 gun to use up $100 worth of powder, makes sense huh?

However I feel the main reason why there is still some shotgun components out there is because they don't make a 12 ga AR-15.

Randy

[NSP64]

$2000 gun to use up $100 worth of powder, makes sense huh?

Randy

You must work for da gubmint. Lol

[shooterg]

Not as big a percentage of new T&S shooters as there are new wannabe reloaders for rifles and pistols ?

[destrux]

However I feel the main reason why there is still some shotgun components out there is because they don't make a 12 ga AR-15.

Randy

Oh... but they DO.... http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...erned-shotgun/

[geargnasher]

Follow the money trail. Politicians know if they go after shotguns--particularly soft-shooting, semi-autos, the typically well-off and politically connected clay shooting and wingshooting types will raise hell, where it HURTS. (think GOLF, same thing: Plea bargains, legislative "deals", etc. are worked out between lawyers and politicians on the course).

Bummer's pic with the o/u and biden's advice to women more a HD gun are spelling out "it's ok, we're not after double-barreled shotguns". (yet).

Gear

[9.3X62AL]

I heartily disagree that reloading shotshells doesn't save money. If you are content with the soft shot, lackluster performance, and lower velocities of the promo "dove & quail" shotshells, then you might be "saving money" (SNORT). But if you want to hunt with full-potential high velocity shells that pattern A LOT BETTER and reach out significantly further, then get thee hence to a reloading shop and find thyself a MEC or Ponsness-Warren (said to the meter & rhythm of Tommy Lee Jones' "LOSE THAT NICKEL-PLATE SISSY PISTOL AND GET YOURSELF A GLOCK).

Try finding 3-3/4 dram 1-1/4 oz 12 gauge loads with #9 shot. Or 28 gauge 1 oz loads in ANY shot size.

[Reload3006]

I heartily disagree that reloading shotshells doesn't save money. If you are content with the soft shot, lackluster performance, and lower velocities of the promo "dove & quail" shotshells, then you might be "saving money" (SNORT). But if you want to hunt with full-potential high velocity shells that pattern A LOT BETTER and reach out significantly further, then get thee hence to a reloading shop and find thyself a MEC or Ponsness-Warren (said to the meter & rhythm of Tommy Lee Jones' "LOSE THAT NICKEL-PLATE SISSY PISTOL AND GET YOURSELF A GLOCK).

Try finding 3-3/4 dram 1-1/4 oz 12 gauge loads with #9 shot. Or 28 gauge 1 oz loads in ANY shot size.

yep. you cant load cheap **** as inexpensively as Wally World promo ammo. But if it wont cycle your A5 or won't kill a bird at 35 yards when you buy ammo that will. You will find that you can load it a lot less expensively. actually for about the same price as the cheap stuff at wally world or maybe a little less. Since I purchased most of my supplies in the 70s and early 80s I can even beat promotional ammo. And you still can to but its going to take some trips with momma to the rummage sales.