Is there a powder shortage?

[RAF]

The other day I went to the range to confirm zero on my 10MLII and 300 WSM. I noticed I running a little low on 300 WSM so decided I'd better get busy and make some more. I have the bullets, primers and a little bit of powder. Off to the gun shop I went. Well, they didn't have the powder I wanted and hardly any others. In fact there seemed to be a real shortage of primers. They had small rifle, pistol primers but no magnum and I didn't see any large rifle. This is a big chain store. Today I checked the other shop, a smaller one, and they had a little more powder than the big chain but again, not the one I wanted. So I got busy and made up as many bullets I could with the remaining powder I had on hand. I'll have enough for the season and if I don't, well then my shooting skills have gone down the toilet . Just wondering if anyone else notice a shortage of powders.

[youp50]

This spring the local Gander Mountain store ran a 10% store wide sale. The manager was complaining that it was hard to get primers and then they run a sale. I was trying to buy some large rifle primers.

You can not see the powder stock here, just ask and they go look. I did buy some Varget last week, the clerk seemed doubtful they had it, but I got a pound of it.

I need to hang out at hte club more and find when others are going to order. That hazmat charge is easier spread over several guys.

[antleraddiction]

WSS hasn't had a good powder or primer supply for a longtime and as a result SGW's is being depleted. Primers have been in short supply for over a year, especially federal's.

Been buying components from Doug Rayner (Rayner Shine Gunworks Lancer Sask. PH# 689-2654).

[art338wm]

The three places nearest my home Cabelas, (about 6 miles) Gander Mountain, (About 22 miles), and Bass Pro (about 23miles) all have powder, primers, and reloading components in abondence, but not in all major brands. Still enough though that I could reload for any major standard rifle, handgun or shotgun caliber.

There are other places that sell reloading suplies I could go to, but these are the three closest to my home.

Hands down the hardest powders to get are VV powders. One and ONLY one store I am awear of has any VV powder for sale, thats mainly why I do not rely on VV powders for any of my CF guns or my 10ML-II.

Also when I do buy any reloading components especially primers or powder, I buy in large amounts as I have stocked piled ammo cans for long term storage. Learned the hard way about primer and powder availability in a spacific type. Example: H-4198 and RL-10X both of which my 10ML-II love and perform best with, are not all that easy to get by me, so I bought 4lbs of each last time I was at Bass Pro. Before the BP opened by me I was almost out of H-4198 and had to drive 180 miles round trip to get some, and that was the stores last lb of it.

Live and hopefully learn.

[wilmsmeyer]

Art,

I also stockpile when I find a good combo. If the availability went south tomorrow, I could hunt for many years and even shoot targets a little bit for all my guns. Manufacturers change things also, even if just a little. Having something that works in large supply is comforting. I have never seen a shelf life issue with anything we discuss here when stored properly either.

[RAF]

I wrote this post in September before the hunting season. I'm getting by with what I have but the powder and primers supply hasn't improved. Someone in the store tried to blame it on the conflict in the middle east but I doubt that. I doubt that the manufacturers of military ammunition use an wide selection of powders.

[bubba]

I would blame it on Obammy !

He has fixed parts of the economy - firearms sales are (pun intended) booming !

If he just threatened to ban automobiles, heck even Detroit would pick up I bet

-bubba