Which powder gets hard to find? How long does it keep?

[dragon813gt]

I use 50 yr old powder often. Never bet on powder being bad. I loaded some IMR 4198 that had red dust in it and smelled like a cat's litter box. Velocity and accuracy were fine in my .450 Marlin.

This is a very bad practice. Powder that smells and has red dust is fertilizer and nothing more. Powder is a chemical compound and what you saw was decomposition. It should not be loaded when in that state.

[FergusonTO35]

I'm currently at the limit of what I am comfortable keeping in the house. I would guess I have around 20 pounds of powder and 10k primers. I bought a lot of oddballs during the shortages to get me through, I load them for practice ammo.

[jmort]

Alliant powder was the hardest to get.
Even at the worst, you could get powder, just not on a "I want it right now basis."

[ShooterAZ]

Alliant powder was the hardest to get.
Even at the worst, you could get powder, just not on a "I want it right now basis."

Yep 2400 was flat unobtanium in my area for at least a couple of years. I stocked up on all my favorite powders before the 2016 election. Bullseye, Reddot, 2400, Unique, 5744, 296. I'm good to go for years now. Maybe even the rest of my life. I need to hurry up and retire so I can shoot more!

[Bazoo]

Still cant get 2400 round here. Unique however, is commonly available. Round here, some of odd powders were available intermittently, WSF was found during the shortage.... magnum rifle powders of various types, but nothing like 3031 or 4198, or 4064.

[RogerDat]

H110 and 2400 were hard to come by for magnum pistol. BL-C2 and Titegroup were fairly available. I just looked at what I load, how fast I go through a specific round and over the last couple years built up based on that. Replace what I use as I use it and worst case I would just have to slow down my burn rate to make it last a long time if I couldn't get something anymore. By long time I mean years of wheel gun and bolt action. Autoloaders would have to be rationed a bit more.

[FergusonTO35]

700X was pretty much always available, as was IMR 4064. These powders are popular enough to be carried everywhere but not desirable enough to be devoured by the hoarders. I'm a big fan of 4064. 700X works well enough to preserve my stock of Bullseye and HP-38 but I sure wouldn't choose it if the latter were available.

[dragon813gt]

This thread has pointed out another issue w/ the shortage, regional availability. And not even regional as much as store availability. What was available in one area was not in another. I was able to buy 2400 during it. Bought it as a backup to H110/W296. Did not end up needing it since I did not run out of Hodgdon powders. And that’s another point. We were our own enemies because we were buying powder we normally wouldn’t simply because it was available.

It’s not a matter of if another shortage will occur, it’s when.

[FergusonTO35]

Yes indeed.

[ShooterAZ]

2020 will be the next panic.

[megasupermagnum]

Has anyone found that stores never got the supply they had in the 2000's? I used to shop at a local store, Guns N Gear Store, and they used to have any powder a guy could want. In my case, primers got harder to find first. Not all of them, but Federal primers disappeared before all else. Eventually many powders disappeared. I think it was about 2015 when I saw the majority of stores finally get powders and primers back in stock but at increased cost. Even now Guns N Gear Store might have a 20 powders in stock at best. The tags and shelves from back then are still there, it looks pathetic how empty it is. Even the primer selection is bad now. I've decided it's easier to buy online.

The thing that hit me the hardest was the cost of lead shot. What was $25 a bag about 2007, jumped rather quickly to $55+, and has only now settled to $45.

[JoeJames]

For awhile during the stampede/hoarding spell, even Fort Thompson's in Little Rock was plumb out of any pistol powder.

[bob208]

the powder youuse the most is the hardest to get when powder gets slow. me I had problems getting unique. ghat is my go to powder you can load lite or moderate heavy loads.

[trapper9260]

I say get the one you use the most and go from there same as primers.Load up on them now.I seen that Alliant powders was spotty here during zero was in office. The one I found easy to get here is IMR4064 at the time of zero .

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I heard the problem with powder shortages is the time it takes the manufacturers to cook up more when the market demands more. Hence the manufacturers are developing new recipes for powders that can be processed and marketed more quickly to meet the demand.

[Idaho45guy]

Idaho45guy, Do I understand you correctly? Your Walmart sells reloading powder? Groceries and powder in one store, truly one-stop shopping!

Yep. They only have four or five types of powder, though. I have never seen anything but CCI primers for sale. CCI is a local company, though.

[Petrol & Powder]

2020 will be the next panic.

That would be my prediction.

[dragon813gt]

It may be sooner than that. All it will take is one anti gun bill to be introduced and it’s off to the races. I have cash sitting aside. Not to buy components. But to buy gun manufacturers stocks. They’re down a good bit and a run will prop them up in short order. Should have done this the last go around.

[trapper9260]

All I can say just be ready and go from there. That is what I done. Just need more LRP and then a little LPP I be good over all. As for the last go round is just give a look out for what can come .

[Catshooter]

Don't wait to stock up. Events can happen really, really fast.

If I recall correctly, it was '92 when Clinton wrote an open letter to our primer manufacturers (there are only four in the US) asking them if they could make a primer with a one year shelf life. Over the span of two months, primers went from $7.50 to $65 a thousand. There was one principal guy at our gun show who dealt primarily in primers. He'd get in 250,000 to 300,000 each month, would limit you to 5K max and would be sold out before lunch.

Life can change on a dime - be ready for it.


Cat