This year I've noticed that several powder brands are available, sometimes at pretty reasonable prices. I bought several pounds of W244 for about $27 / lb earlier this year, and both Natchez and Brownells have it right now for right around $30. Unique has finally showed up again, but is "on sale" at Natchez for $45.39 / lb. Power Pistol and BE86 are about the same, and RL 16's "sale" price is $61.19. RL 15 is still AWOL.
244 isn't Unique*, but it is pretty useful and at 2/3, or less, the price, I have been using it where I would normally be using Unique, only using Unique for my .44 Special Skeeter loads and nothing else right now.
I'm hoping that this is temporary and maybe caused by Alliant in particular having government contracts that the other powder vendors don't have, but that seems a little far fetched. I would imagine that all powder vendors have government contracts.
I know none of you have better crystal balls than I do, but does anyone have any interesting guesses as to what's going on or what the future might hold?
* Some burning rate charts disagree and show 244 adjacent to Unique.