More or less?

[3 gun Gus]

I spoke to about a dozen reloaders at three clubs and ask them this question.
Do you have more or less powder on hand now then before the shortage?
75% now have more powder on hand then ever before and they also said it was hard to find.
Maybe it's hard to find because many are keeping a larger inventory at home?

Tell the truth, do you have more or less?

Gus

[375supermag]

Hi...

Quite frankly, I have more powder on hand and a larger variety than I have ever had at any time in 35+ years of reloading.
I continue to increase my supplies whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I never ran out of any powder during the recent shortages and have no intention of doing so in the future if I can avoid it.

I continue to stockpile primers, bullets(cast and jacketed) and .22LR ammunition, as well.
My next stockpiling plan is to lay in a supply of new cases for each cartridge I reload for. I am not entirely sure that 1000 cases of each cartridge case is sufficient, which is where I am now (more or less).

My son is just now getting into reloading and I intend to make it clear to him how important it is to keep a supply of components on hand.

[MUSTANG]

I currently have significantly less powder for 38/357/9mm/41/44 and .223/308/30-06/7mm/8mm/45-70 use; but I have quite a bit more "Total"powder on hand because of loading for the 50BMG. During the last three years, the 50BMG powder has kept me shooting when others were either out of powder or "Saving It For A Rainy Day".

In terms of "Potential Reloaded Rounds" for the powder on hand<used as it is designed for> ; I have less than three years ago. The 50BMG eats up a lot of powder at 190 to 230 Grains per round.

[David2011]

Definitely more but honestly, not that much more than I would have bought before. Buying habits have had to change. Where I once bought a pound of whatever when I needed it, I now have to buy in quantity because the LGS prices are extremely high and selection has been so spotty for so many years. Two pounds from the reasonably priced Internet sources plus shipping and HazMat costs the same as two pounds purchased locally so I'm ahead of the local prices at 3 pounds and way ahead if I buy at least 8 pounds at a time. That alone causes the inventory to go up.

Uncertainty of when more will be available results in purchasing more at an inventory level that was once considered plenty for a while longer. Same as 375Supermag, have had to buy when it's available. I was at a point where I could see having to stop shooting USPSA due to powder availability at any price. I finally found a 4 lb. Titegroup but that's only good for about 5900 rounds. It only gets used for my competition rounds.

I've also stocked up as available with Win748 and H4895 as those are my go-to powders for all of my rifle loads. If I found more Titegroup and 748 I would buy them to replenish what I've used; otherwise I'm not really looking for powder at this point. I'm not continuing to buy just to increase the stock level. Some of it was purchased at reasonable retail prices; some as high as $45/lb at gun shows or don't else shoot that cartridge.

I have "enough" brass in all calibers that matter for competition and defensive use to last a long time; probably enough to start selling off some.

Wish I had some idea of "how much is enough" both for powder and loaded ammo. In an EOTWAWKI event I feel like there are 2 rules. Those with enough ammunition will survive the longest and even then someone will eventually get me before I get them. I don't consider myself a survivalist or prepper; just remembering the Boy Scout motto: "Be prepared."

I'm continuing to load defensive rifle ammo and convert alloy stock into useful shapes, sized/lubed, some loaded and some ready to load. Continuing to accumulate lead and other casting metals. If SHTF, then only what's already loaded matters. This is just driven by the current political atmosphere and lack of confidence that the country is stable under the current administration. I never felt this way before election day 2008.

Sorry; maybe drifting a little off topic but I thought why I'm stocked up and what in particular I have stocked up was as significant as the original question.

David

[ascast]

exactly the same amount no more no less

[funnyjim014]

Total powder. ...alot more ....3x more. But before the shortage I only kept 1lb of 231 for my pistol loads and 1lb 4064, 1lb 4895 for my rifle loads. Now I have unique, bullseye, cfe pistol, tight group, trailboss, varget. I feel now I am more versed in my options andcan work up several different powder combo's and find what works best. So yes I have more powder but dont consider myself a horder.

[Nicholas]

I bought just a couple of #s of 4350 powder more that I was running out of. This was just about offset by my loading shot shells for skeet.

[rsrocket1]

Maybe it's hard to find because many are keeping a larger inventory at home?

Gus

Gus,
The amount of retail canister powder is a drop in the bucket compared to what is being produced by the big arms manufacturers. Don't you think ATK (Alliant) would have loved to capitalized on Hodgdon's hiccup with the ADI dryer fire/transport chain problem/government red tape and subsequent stoppage of Clays? ATK found bigger fish to fry and bigger dollars to pocket by trickling out just enough retail powder to say "we are making as much as we can". Loaded ammunition has the best markup of powder around and canister powder is at the bottom of the profit totem pole.

Look at ammunition sales both retail and government (deliveries, not nebulous IDIQ contract signings for billions of rounds that have not been produced nor are yet to be ordered) and you'll see that a perceived shortage along with a slight uptick in demand followed by a modest increase in demand can seriously affect the available stock of canister powder.

Now guess what will be in short supply when the hoarders decide they have enough and the powder shelves return to normal. Hint: they usually come in boxes of 10 trays with 100 in each tray. Just make sure you have a year's worth of supply and you'll be good. I only had a 6 month supply last time and it carried me over. Now it is one year's worth and I know I won't be scrounging during the next shortage.

As for me, I have more because I shoot more. My shooting has increase a lot since 2013 and it just keeps increasing. A pound of pistol powder is sometimes used up in less than a month. Another pound can be used up in a month of shotgun shooting. Fortunately it can be the same powder.

Sometimes I have to put on the brakes and go to muzzleloading where 20 shots in a sitting is considered "lots of shooting".

[Case Stuffer]

More, in fact what I consider a lot more but no much by many's standard. I have enough power to load just over 10K rounds of pistol and 3 K round of 223. More than enough primers for these and I keep adding a little along. The way I see it prices are never going to come down but they will likely keep going up.

I am still using some primers which I purchased back in the seventies and early eighties for $8 to $10 per K.

[GhostHawk]

19 years ago this weekend I got married, hung up my guns and fishing rods. Packed away my reloading gear. A year ago I had less than a pound of powder and no primers. Now I am sitting on around 20 lbs of powder, at least 7k primers in various sizes, went from a single Lyman .445 round ball mold to 9 or 10 lee molds in everything from .223 to .45 acp.

Enough ammo loaded that I'd hate to have to try to load it and take it anywhere.

Went from no press's to 3. Added at least 150 lbs of lead. Went from mostly shotguns to 5 handi rifles, 1 sks, 2 Mosin's PLUS the shotguns, and added a couple of pistols. Am I ready? Probably not, but I'm close enough that I sleep well at night.

[jonp]

More but of less variety. I think we are going to see powder shortages come on a frequent basis.

[butch2570]

Alot more. More types also.

[Bzcraig]

More, as I was just starting to reload when ammo became too high for my blood. That's when the addiction started.

[Boaz]

I have accumulated about 25 pounds of Unique , Red Dot and Bullseye . Got around 10 k of primers , mixed large and small . We are only loading pistol (need to get into rifle) so we are in good shape for a good while . Have also layed up about 150 pounds of pistol brass . We have a presidential election coming up pretty quick so .............?

[rush1886]

Applicable sympathies on your divorce. (only logic I can see!)


19 years ago this weekend I got married, hung up my guns and fishing rods. Packed away my reloading gear. A year ago I had less than a pound of powder and no primers. Now I am sitting on around 20 lbs of powder, at least 7k primers in various sizes, went from a single Lyman .445 round ball mold to 9 or 10 lee molds in everything from .223 to .45 acp.

Enough ammo loaded that I'd hate to have to try to load it and take it anywhere.

Went from no press's to 3. Added at least 150 lbs of lead. Went from mostly shotguns to 5 handi rifles, 1 sks, 2 Mosin's PLUS the shotguns, and added a couple of pistols. Am I ready? Probably not, but I'm close enough that I sleep well at night.

[jonp]

19 years ago this weekend I got married, hung up my guns and fishing rods. Packed away my reloading gear. A year ago I had less than a pound of powder and no primers. Now I am sitting on around 20 lbs of powder, at least 7k primers in various sizes, went from a single Lyman .445 round ball mold to 9 or 10 lee molds in everything from .223 to .45 acp.

Enough ammo loaded that I'd hate to have to try to load it and take it anywhere.

Went from no press's to 3. Added at least 150 lbs of lead. Went from mostly shotguns to 5 handi rifles, 1 sks, 2 Mosin's PLUS the shotguns, and added a couple of pistols. Am I ready? Probably not, but I'm close enough that I sleep well at night.
Why would you marry someone that would lead you down this path?

I quit one that objected to my going to hunting camp. The next girlfriend brought me homemade lasgagne to hunting camp. My current and first wife has more guns than I have. In fact, she just read the directions and helped me set up my new chrony

[otter5555]

i have kept what i consider (for me shooting every day) a lifetime supply of brass, lead, powder, primers, 22lr and extra reloading tools since the mid 70's. i simply replace what i use and rotate stock.

so, i have basically the same amount of stuff on hand today as i did before the last shortage.

[zomby woof]

more.....

[Blackwater]

More. A lot of folks have recognized the fact that an awful lot of very powerful people don't want us to have guns at all, and seem to be doing a workable job of harassing anyone who makes guns, powders, etc. so a lot have chosen to "stock up" "just in case." That's NOT an un-intelligent thing to do. History seems to have proven that those who do NOT prepare for and anticipate "bad times," tend to pay heavily for it, so .... they just took the hint and ran with the ball. Pretty responsible in my book, but that's just me. In a "don't worry, be happy" world, it's ASSUMED that supplies will ALWAYS exist, but our assumptions have been proven wrong in the past, and some of us learn and some don't. That's just life in this "New Millenium" now.

[flyer1]

Reloading supplies. Brass, powder, lead, primers,bullets, What are these things? Putting what you have in stock on the internet???

[imashooter2]

About the same...

I like to shoot and a long time ago I decided to have supplies on hand that would allow me to continue to do so unabated by any temporary market fluctuations. So far, so good...

[dragon813gt]

I used to stock three powders in bulk. I now have more of a variety. That's all I'm willing to say.

[Flinchrock]

Used to be when you needed some powder, you went to the powder store and bought a few pounds, nowadays you have to BE the powder store...:D

[goryshaw]

I try and pickup anywhere between 1 and 4 pounds of powder every two weeks. Don't always manage, but the average for the last 18 months is probably close to 2.5 pounds a month. Shot off some of course, but have enough that storing it in separate 20 pound lots is necessary. Right now I'll grab any pistol/shotgun powder I can find, rifles I can be a little bit more picky. But even for rifles anything slower than IMR 4227 and faster than IMR 4350 is fair game. I tend to focus more on the range from Benchmark to RL-15, but I can find a use for the faster and slower stuff as well.

[rintinglen]

I used to stock three powders in bulk. I now have more of a variety. That's all I'm willing to say.

me too. I used to use WW-231, Unique, 2400,WW-748 and 4350. Now I have a dozen pounds of this-and-that powders that I bought catch as catch can. I'd like to get back to my standby's, but I have to use up all this other stuff.