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Cheap powder

Cheap powder - olde guy remembering - Dupont 4895, $3.95 LB steel can, H4831 (surplus) about $ same, red & yellow cardboard container, H380, 8-pound (?) round cardboard keg, about $20. Life was simple, three rifles: 22-.250 with H380 & 50-55's, .308 match rifle, 168's with H380, 6.5-06 long range chuck rifle with 129's & 140's & H4831.

I just bought a pound of SW4350 for $49.99.

Wifey brings nice eaties & cold/hot drinks to range & keeps data notes in addition to shooting - sometimes more hits on 300-yard steel than I do.
 
del2les said:
Ah yes the good ol' days. I remember buying 8# cardboard kegs of Herc powders for $35 and numerous cans of IMR, WW, etc for around $4-5/lb. Numerous cardboard 8# kegs of BL-C(2) went down several 308 barrels, and I still have a few 8# plastic jugs of surplus 50cal powders I bought for $100/32# delivered, which were 4-8# jugs per box.
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You're older than me 😉
I love and miss the good old days but if I dwell on it it takes me into depression. I'm always fighting it. I have some old stuff. I'd rather give it to a collector than use it. A lot I have. Love threads tike this but makes me sad. I know. Been told stop living in the past. I can't help it. ☹️
 
WYO300RUM said:
You're older than me 😉
I love and miss the good old days but if I dwell on it it takes me into depression. I'm always fighting it. I have some old stuff. I'd rather give it to a collector than use it. A lot I have. Love threads tike this but makes me sad. I know. Been told stop living in the past. I can't help it. ☹️
Click to expand...
I have a few collector type firearms, but I shoot them...one of my favorites is the Colt SAA in
45 Colt, and its very accurate and perfectly regulated with 8.5 grs of Unique and 255 gr Oregon Trail Cast and a nice 2 Lb trugger. Perfect for a walk in the mountains, with 200 or so rds to shoot at grasshoppers, rabbits, squirrels, and stumps at 250 yds. I'm not a gun collector, and not concerned about losing its value, do not abuse it... but enjoy it. Ya only live once, and ya can't take it with you.
 
Hugnot said:
Cheap powder - olde guy remembering - Dupont 4895, $3.95 LB steel can, H4831 (surplus) about $ same, red & yellow cardboard container, H380, 8-pound (?) round cardboard keg, about $20. Life was simple, three rifles: 22-.250 with H380 & 50-55's, .308 match rifle, 168's with H380, 6.5-06 long range chuck rifle with 129's & 140's & H4831.

I just bought a pound of SW4350 for $49.99.

Wifey brings nice eaties & cold/hot drinks to range & keeps data notes in addition to shooting - sometimes more hits on 300-yard steel than I do.
Click to expand...
Nicey wifey!
 
44-40 said:
I have a few collector type firearms, but I shoot them...one of my favorites is the Colt SAA in
45 Colt, and its very accurate and perfectly regulated with 8.5 grs of Unique and 255 gr Oregon Trail Cast and a nice 2 Lb trugger. Perfect for a walk in the mountains, with 200 or so rds to shoot at grasshoppers, rabbits, squirrels, and stumps at 250 yds. I'm not a gun collector, and not concerned about losing its value, do not abuse it... but enjoy it. Ya only live once, and ya can't take it with you.
Click to expand...

Same here. It is a rare firearm that I buy and would not shoot, and it is the same for much of my old powders and primers. I have too much old load data that works far too well with some of these powders to just sell to a collector. I purchased a lot of bulk back in the day, so even decades later, I still have a fair amount of some types, and very little of others that were discontinued and were some of my pet loads in various firearms.

Even with all the variety as of late, there are a few rifle loads I cannot duplicate without using the older stock.

Ya only live once, and ya can't take it with you.
Click to expand...

Just last evening, I was watching a new video of a collectables dealer opening a couple of garage located gun safes for the first time in 8-10 years, and of a gentleman who had passed away leaving his widow with untold items she knew little to nothing about. In those safes were firearms valued at $500k-$1MM, and it had me thinking of this very topic you stated. All his decades of collecting are now going to be someone else's property. Such is life.
 
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Pointman said:
Actually, my good wife got me into the habit of buying primers every time I visited my local shop. It was a wise suggestion that allowed me to shoot whenever and how much I wanted without the concern of running out of primers. Same for those powders that I used for my weapons.
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Same here. One thing I did right anyway, and I ended up with enough primers at an average cost of $30-$35 per thousand to last forever. After the last primer / powder shortage a few years ago I swore to never get stuck again, plus at the beginning of 2019 CA passed this BS law that all ammo sales are background checked, so I bought enough reloading supplies starting in 2018 to never have to buy store bought ammo again.

The only thing I can't reload is .22LR and I'm not setup for 7.62x39, so I started stockpiling those 10 years ago during Obama's second term as well. 2-3 boxes 26 times a year at payday adds up after a few years, and I also got a couple of cheap cases with double spam tins of 7.62x54R for an M44.

Shortages aside because of new shooters stocking up or wars, the anti-gunners aren't going after guns anymore, but figured out ammo is all they have to restrict.
 
Svashtar said:
Same here. One thing I did right anyway, and I ended up with enough primers at an average cost of $30-$35 per thousand to last forever. After the last primer / powder shortage a few years ago I swore to never get stuck again, plus at the beginning of 2019 CA passed this BS law that all ammo sales are background checked, so I bought enough reloading supplies starting in 2018 to never have to buy store bought ammo again.

The only thing I can't reload is .22LR and I'm not setup for 7.62x39, so I started stockpiling those 10 years ago during Obama's second term as well. 2-3 boxes 26 times a year at payday adds up after a few years, and I also got a couple of cheap cases with double spam tins of 7.62x54R for an M44.

Shortages aside because of new shooters stocking up or wars, the anti-gunners aren't going after guns anymore, but figured out ammo is all they have to restrict.
Click to expand...
👍🏼
 
del2les said:
Same here. It is a rare firearm that I buy and would not shoot, and it is the same for much of my old powders and primers. I have too much old load data that works far too well with some of these powders to just sell to a collector. I purchased a lot of bulk back in the day, so even decades later, I still have a fair amount of some types, and very little of others that were discontinued and were some of my pet loads in various firearms.

Even with all the variety as of late, there are a few rifle loads I cannot duplicate without using the older stock.



Just last evening, I was watching a new video of a collectables dealer opening a couple of garage located gun safes for the first time in 8-10 years, and of a gentleman who had passed away leaving his widow with untold items she knew little to nothing about. In those safes were firearms valued at $500k-$1MM, and it had me thinking of this very topic you stated. All his decades of collecting are now going to be someone else's property. Such is life.
Click to expand...

Yes, I saw that! I would have given anything for some of the firearms lost when my Dad died in 1982, when his second wife's druggie son helped himself, but my own son could give a rat's behind for any of the firearms I have now. I don't have some of the incredible hunting rifles some of you have, but have a few nice pieces and everything I own is in great shape. My pride and joy is Colt Series 70 I bought in 1978 and customized for IPSC in 1982, and dressed up with pre-ban Ivory grips in 1987. I did almost all the work myself, and it represents a lot of time and obsession.

I also collect knives and have literally hundreds of blades, and my son wouldn't know the difference between a $650 CRK Damascus Sebenza or a $700 Randall M14 Attack and a $10 crap steel gas station knife, and cares so little he'd sell the lot to the first guy who waved a $50 bill at him. Depressing.

They will all end up being sold to strangers when the time comes, probably for far less than they're worth for money to go to Olive Garden or to Giants games, or given to his wife's poor distant relatives in Mexico. Like I said, depressing!

I just need to time my passing exactly, and sell it all the week before I check out, LOL!
 
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Svashtar said:
Yes, I saw that! I would have given anything for some of the firearms lost when my Dad died in 1982, when his second wife's druggie son helped himself, but my own son could give a rat's behind for any of the firearms I have now. I don't have some of the incredible hunting rifles some of you have, but have a few nice pieces and everything I own is in great shape. My pride and joy is Colt Series 70 I bought in 1978 and customized for IPSC in 1982, and dressed up with pre-ban Ivory grips in 1987. I did almost all the work myself, and it represents a lot of time and obsession.

I also collect knives and have literally hundreds of blades, and my son wouldn't know the difference between a $650 CRK Damascus Sebenza or a $700 Randall M14 Attack and a $10 crap steel gas station knife, and cares so little he'd sell the lot to the first guy who waved a $50 bill at him. Depressing.

They will all end up being sold to strangers when the time comes, probably for far less than they're worth for money to go to Olive Garden or to Giants games, or given to his wife's poor distant relatives in Mexico. Like I said, depressing!

I just need to time my passing exactly, and sell it all the week before I check out, LOL!
Click to expand...
Why not start selling off a few items to some friends or hunting buddies that will appreciate them. And you may still have the option of using them. I would have no issue lending you a rifle you sold me. Especially knowing how well you took care of them while you owned them.
 

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