I saw 3500-4000lbs+ of Power Pistol today

[9w1911]

All in the 55 gal drums.

Guy I am doing a website for is a commercial reloader, and he knew how powder gets me all hot n heavy. Well he showed me the stash today.

No plastic kegs, all Alliant Power Pistol all in 55 gal drums

oh my heart

[Tatume]

You and me both!

[slim1836]

Pictures, should have taken pictures.

Slim

[358 Win]

That much powder would have had me drooling and doing a happy dance! I was at Cabela's in Hamburg PA yesterday and their powder on the shelves was almost non existent!!! Three one pounders of Alliant Reloder 33, two one pounders of IMR-8208, and one eight pounder of IMR-8208 ($199.00 per). Remington 9 1/2 primers were $6.99 per hundred. We drove 40 miles to get there and left after five minutes of looking and head shaking.

Sounds like I need to get at least one pound of Power Pistol if that professional reloader had almost two tons of it. Must work in a lot of pistol cartridges!

358 Win

[koehlerrk]

Well, if he's loading, let's say 7 grains because it makes the math easy, he can do:

1000 rounds per pound
1 million rounds every 1000 pounds
3.5 to 4 million rounds total

I'd love to see how he handles cases, primers, bullets, etc...

For reference, if he's working 8 hours a day, and gets 75% operational time (which is a great average) and is loading at the rate of one round per second then it will take him 46.3 days to load a million rounds. Yowsah!

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Makes a person wonder if someone has figured out where the choke point for ammunition in the hands of the serfs is.

You know gunpowder manufacture was a widely distributed local business, almost like milling corn/flour in the early days of our republic. That was because one of the greatest armaments problems during the pioneer days, and the Revolution before, during and after frontier period was providing for and maintaining the local powder supply. It was only later that the powder business was consolidated by major manufacturers.

If you read Phil Sharpes reloading books you will see that by WWII the manufacturers were making 50 ton lots of powder for the '06' in a matter of days to be in sync with the ammo makers and anticipated ammo needs. Sadly, a high percentage of our powder needs these days are met by foreign production. Do you really thing the goobermint's ammo buying or the deer hunter's hoarding is a cause for the shortage now?

BvT

[imashooter2]

His magazine must be an impressive building in its own right...

[9w1911]

He had it in a large vault. I think he said he can put out 100,000 rounds per day. I was there to take pictures but did not of the powder storage and some other sensitive stuff. He processes all the brass in another building.

[dragon813gt]

I was at Cabela's in Hamburg PA yesterday and their powder on the shelves was almost non existent!!!

It's been that way for a long time. They've never had a good selection, even before the shortage. You picked the worse store in the area to go to for reloading supplies.

[tomme boy]

Baron, there is a local reloader here also. He never ran out of powder and had access to every powder he wanted last year. He always laughed when he heard me talk about no one being able to get powder. He said you just have to know the right people.

[tazman]

Baron, there is a local reloader here also. He never ran out of powder and had access to every powder he wanted last year. He always laughed when he heard me talk about no one being able to get powder. He said you just have to know the right people.

Seems like things are always that way. Much to my disgust.

[dkf]

It's been that way for a long time. They've never had a good selection, even before the shortage. You picked the worse store in the area to go to for reloading supplies.

I agree. They are also overpriced on pretty much everything.

[Lloyd Smale]

are his initials TS? ;)

[9w1911]

Actually they are not. if someone knew him they could probably piece together who I am and I already feel I crossed a line divulging the little I know, but I will ask him next time to take a picture of the powder storage for you guys, it cant hurt if I block out names or logos, I mean I am an expert in the photoshops :)