pistol powders

[soldierbilly1]

Anyone know where they went? Cabela's has the factory ammo, most reloading stuff and the pistolas back...bur no pistol powder. Whats up with that? Are you all getting powder?
billyboy

[jeepyj]

My LGS got in a hundred pounds a couple weeks ago. I picked up a couple of pounds of H110. He had a decent variety. Certainly if a fellow was a little flexible and had a loading manual with him would be no problem getting something that would work even if it wasn't his first choice.
Jeepyj

[histed]

Soldierbilly - where are you in PA? I'm near Lewistown. If you're in my area I can point you to a couple small time LGS who always seem to have something. Might have to take red Dot instead of Bullseye, but they do have a pretty good variety

[soldierbilly1]

Soldierbilly - where are you in PA? I'm near Lewistown. If you're in my area I can point you to a couple small time LGS who always seem to have something. Might have to take red Dot instead of Bullseye, but they do have a pretty good variety

I appreciate that, I am in the Reading area, we have about 4 shops here, all are dry!

[fredj338]

Like this All over the country. Some areas are better than others but handgun powders & many rifle powders are just non existent. I am down to my last 4-5# of WST for my 45acp. I hope this krap ends sooner than later.

[trucker76]

Altoona area here. Was able to find bullseye and 2400 for the magnum.

[histed]

Well, if you get up this way from Reading on 322 headed for Jopaville (State College), get off the Burnham exit just the other side of Lewistown. Right at the firts stopsign, left at the next, bottom of the hill is a shopping center. Little shop called Lewistown Hunting and Fishing. They've had powder when NO one else did - same with primers. NO online sales.

trucker - Allegheny Trade still in business? Heard Chuck and Mark sold out. Used to be great foe everything.

[Beagle333]

I'm just learning to load a lot more powders. My LGS is getting in different numbers of Hodgdon and IMR all the time. I miss my Alliant, but the others will do everything I want, just not all from 2 or 3 jugs.

[trucker76]

trucker - Allegheny Trade still in business? Heard Chuck and Mark sold out. Used to be great foe everything.

Yes afaik they sold it, lock stock and barrel around Jan. I haven't been there since. They had some amazing stuff. Old ammo still in boxes, antique traps. And a functioning Lahti anti tank gun up on the wall.

[soldierbilly1]

Just hop on the turnpike, head west and get off at the Lebanon exit. Shyda's generally has a good selection or powder and primers and at prices comparable to the best you'll find on the net.

I called today, very little of anything.

[edadmartin]

I finally after 6 months got 4 pounds of red dot. I got on the list at lohmans arms december 6th 2013. No Accurate #2 in sight. I did get some goof ball 800x and 700x as last resort, so Im not sweating any more this year ,but it is very difficult.

[spfd1903]

Stopped by a small store in Peru IL that usually has a wide variety of powder. Asked about Bullseye. He said he just got three 1 lb. containers in and would sell me one. So happy to find some I never even asked about the price (He is generally pretty reasonable with pricing).

[bangerjim]

Don't forget all the shotgun powder out there! They work very well.

banger

[Airman Basic]

Don't forget all the shotgun powder out there! They work very well.

banger
Can't find those either.

[rintinglen]

That has been my experience of late.
Rifle powders are generally available, except for .223 suitable ones, but pistol and shotgun powders are virtually unobtainable, especially in the larger (4-8lb) sizes. I have managed to buy 1 pound of 2400, 1 of Power Pistol, 1 of Unique, and 1 of HS-6 this last winter. The one good thing for me about this shortage has been that it forced me out of my comfort zone and I have found several excellent loads that I would not have come across, had necessity not compelled me wander off the beaten track. The down side is that it has come at the cost of a proliferation of powders.
I was quite content with my ww-231, Unique, 2400, WW-748 and IMR4350, wish I could go back there.

[hickfu]

I am so glad I started picking up powders in the last 2 years when I could.... I never though I would see the day when you cant find any more powder out there! At least I made sure to pick up 24#'s of 2400 when I saw it, Can never have too much 2400 sitting around.

Doc

[Wayne Smith]

Yikes! I don't think I have ever seen 24# of 2400, or any other single powder, for that matter. I must shop at the wrong stores!

[CBMC]

Yikes! I don't think I have ever seen 24# of 2400, or any other single powder, for that matter. I must shop at the wrong stores!

I would guess he bought 3 8#s not 24 1#s. I did the same thing when I saw 8# of Unique for $99. Couldn't pass up $13.40 per pound after tax.

[dragon813gt]

I appreciate that, I am in the Reading area, we have about 4 shops here, all are dry!

Where are you going. I don't go to any in the Reading area even though I live close. There is plenty of powder if you heads towards Philly. No point in listing the stores because everyone I've gone to has had plenty of powder in stock.

[TXGunNut]

Can never have too much 2400 sitting around.-Doc

Amen!
"Found" a pound of HS7 on my powder shelf this past weekend. Not sure if it works for anything I own or if I need to buy another gun. ;-)

[Rhoa4396]

Spfd,

By any chance are you talking about Woodshank down in Peru? I need powder... badly.

Ken
====

[spfd1903]

Spfd,

By any chance are you talking about Woodshank down in Peru? I need powder... badly.

Ken
====

Boomers and Blasters, downtown Peru. Pound of BE was $18 and change.

[Rhoa4396]

Boomers and Blasters, downtown Peru. Pound of BE was $18 and change.

YES!... I was hoping that is who you were talking about. I knew Mark back when he used to run IHMSA matches. (long time ago) I am now starting to load in bulk and in need of powder without wanting to take a mortgage on the house. I had forgotten all about Mark. It is not a short trip for me but would be well worth the drive from Chicago. Thanks

Ken
===

[Pinsnscrews]

I got both Longshot (receipt says 4/10/14) and IMR4227 (February) at Cabelas (Glendale AZ)

[Satokad]

In my work, I travel around within 300 miles of the house. There are several shops I visit while traveling, and I have had good luck usually finding something.The last two weeks were great for me. I found 4 - 1# of Herco, 2 # of H-110, a 4# jug of 296, a # of WST, and there's a 4# and 8# L'il Gun and an 8# Longshot I could grab if I wasn't sitting pretty with these already (although I am considering the L'il Gun for some 28 loads). The powders are coming in fairly regularly, but it's worse than 22LR ammo. People are creating this shortage because they buy anything they see that they think they can use. If I bought everything I saw, I'd have more powder than I'll ever use. I could have grabbed 4 more pounds of the Herco, 5 jugs of 4227, CFE Pistol, etc etc. One time late last year, I didn't buy some 4831ST that I saw because I already had two pounds (several years worth of hunting rounds). I went back the next morning and some guy had the last pound in his hand. I said something along the lines of, "Oh ma-a-a-a-a-n," and he gave me the powder. Said he wouldn't need it for awhile. That jug plus the other 2 are still sitting on my shelf 6 months later (yes, I was guilty of the same thing I'm accusing others of).
Nowadays, since I have enough powder to survive political upheaval, Red Dawn 3, Sharia Law, and a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel, I don't think of emptying a shelf when I see one. Just bought an MEC 28 gauge, a 45 Colt, and I started to cast, so there were some powders I wanted to try that weren't in my inventory (H-110, 296, and Herco), but I found them fairly quickly.
Some people load a lot, but many others are stockpiling. If everyone did an honest assessment of how much powder they use in a year (or 22LR for that matter), the buying frenzy would stop and things would get back to normal fairly quickly. I have told myself at this point that I won't buy any more powder that I already have on-hand, except a 4227 for the 45 (Cabela's has had a half dozen sitting on their shelf for 2 months). When Universal gets back up and running, I'll buy some if I'm lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, I think that the people who have been wanting that will make the Wal-mart Black Friday shoppers look like nuns.
Just my .02 cents.

[dragon813gt]

Why should I have to base my assessment on a year? I base mine off the rest of my life. And being in my mid thirties I have a long way to go. Nothing is coming down in price and I have the money to buy now. My one year assessment for 22 is probably more than most will use in their entire life. I shoot it that much. Buying a powder that doesn't work for anything you reload for is one thing. Buying all you can find for those that you use is prudent. It's the basic ant and grasshopper story.

[Satokad]

You don't have to base it off one year. If you want to buy everything you can, that's your call, and more power to you. My point was simply that if everyone relaxed a little, availability would increase, price would (possibly) decrease due to the law of supply and demand, and everyone would be closer to the old normal. Before this started, I'm assuming you didn't buy everything you found that you might use in this lifetime because it would be there next week if you needed it. If we got back to that supply flow, we could all find something else to stress about.

[hickfu]

I was at a gun show around 2 years ago and while everyone was in line for powder (they usually have 1 vender for powder) I found a guy way in the back that I started talking to at a booth and he said he had some powders under his table so I asked what he had. HE pulled out 3 8# 2400 tubs that were unopened so I said I will take them all along with the H322 8#ers he had as well.

Doc

[dragon813gt]

I'm assuming you didn't buy everything you found that you might use in this lifetime because it would be there next week if you needed it.
Your assumption would be 100% wrong. I buy everything in bulk if the item permits it. Why buy a four pack of toilet paper when I'm going to need a lot more than that. Nothing is staying the same price, let alone going down. So I buy non perishables in bulk. I've been buying powder this way since long before the current shortages. I also haven't been paying inflated prices so I'm not preventing those that just need a pound or two from getting it. I was in high school and learned a valuable lesson during the Clinton era primer shortage. I don't see things calming down for a long time so buy what you need when you can afford it.

[Satokad]

OK, pal. You left the part of my quote out that said, "Before this started...", and maybe you've always bought everything you could, as opposed to buying in bulk. We buy the 36 pack of TP ourselves. But logic would dictate that if you continued to "buy everything you found" since the Clinton era, you would have to have an incredibly large stockpile by now.
I'm not here to argue for the sake of arguing, so I'll just politely back out of this conversation now.

[dragon813gt]

I never said I buy all I can find. I was pointing out that not everyone buys a pound or two at a time. Yes I've been buying powder in bulk when I can over the years. But that also means I've been shooting it up as I go along. Your "assessment" sounds like rationing of a sort to me. It's the "well you won't shoot that up this month so you don't need it" argument. There are people that are buying powder that they will never shoot. This is contributing to the shortage but it's only a small part of it.

[dakotashooter2]

Supplies were decent around here until the spring itch hit. Then everything disappeared in a hurry. Since most of my shooting is plinking i'm not overly picky about what powder I use. I just work up a load for whatever I can get.

[TXGunNut]

I used to think a year's supply was prudent so I went into this past (?) shortage with a 2 year supply. Felt pretty good about it until recently, as soon as prices settle down a bit I'll put aside enough to last quite a bit longer.

[jonp]

Powder is like 22lr. When I see it I buy a little bit. Over time it adds up.

[Buck Neck It]

Lay in a lifetime supply of toilet paper, and your basement will flood sure as shootin. I overbought IMR4350 and IMR4831 during the Clinton attack. Not bad stuff to have, but can't trade it for pistol powder, since no one seems to have any. I see more diverse hoarding in my future. And cast bullet loads with 4350 and 4831.

[randyrat]

Don't over look it is getting close to trap shooting time and some are stocking up on shotgun powders which are pistol powders. I can see a lapse in supply for a little while.

[shooterbob]

I had a lgs tell me that frankly it wasn't worth his time to call his wholesalers every day to order powder. I wonder if that's going on in a lot of small shops. I have another lgs with 400 lbs of every powder conceivable. His prices are 35-37 per lb, so maybe that's why

[bdecker9]

I'm not so sure if this is responsible for the whole problem, but there are many people that buy stuff, with the sole purpose of reselling at higher than retail. i believe it started with 22lr. they made a little money, they search our forums for whats hot. check gunbroker. you can get a lot of powders in bulk that i just haven't been able to get. for a super whack premium. i have a "friend" that that does this with guns. and i tell him hes pond scum(to put it nicely.) there is no risk. not an ethical business. even if they get stuck with this stuff. they can get the retail value back out of it. which may be higher due to the stress they themselves put on the supply.

[bdecker9]

they have 43 pages with hits for powder. people are selling three pounds of 700x for 90$. don't look like they are getting many bids. but that's one site. there are 100's. people sitting on stuff they never had a use for. they just think they can make some easy money. i really hope they all go broke or get robbed of there inventories they "stole" from us that just wanna shoot and have fun.

[Satokad]

There are 2 LGS that I used to shop in my town. One day last summer, I bought a pound of Unique (in the new design container) at one of them. I paid $19.99 for it. I cruised by the other LGS looking for a gun and they had a pound of Unique (in the older design container). Didn't find the gun I was looking for, and when I checked out, the guy said, "That'll be $31.46. I looked at him, and he had this sorry look on his face and just said the owner set the prices. I bought it because I was to shocked too think clearly. When I got home, I noticed that the cap had an older price sticker that was partially removed, and a new sticker with the $29.99 on it. I had bought several guns and fishing items here in the past, so I called the guy up to tell him I wasn't thrilled with his jacking the price up to make a quick profit. He started yelling at me about how there was a shortage and everything was more expensive and I was lucky he had any powder to sell. I was amazed because I had normally had decent service from them (as long as I was buying stuff and not complaining, I suppose). Haven't been back since, and for that extra $10 he got, he lost the chance to sell me any of the items I have purchased since then.
A man can run his business any way he wants, but his 'Business Plan' has cost him over $1000 in sales and referrals so far. Pretty big bill to pay for a $10 profit.