powder availability?

[Creedmoor shooter]

I cant find anything around me that i want. I havent seen H4350 in a very long time.

 

[SidecarFlip]

My comment about Cabelas is they are overpriced on just about everything, especially factory loaded ammunition and components and I'll never buy any propellant in a one pound ja (except Blackhorn 209 and thats because I don't use all that much).

The thing that amazes me about Cabelas (or at least my local store) is the total ignorance of the sales people in the firearm department. I've listened to them give some terribly untrue recommendations to naieve cuzstomers (my wife loves to shop Cabelas for householfd fru-fru) ao I'm there and of course I gravitate to the firearm section...........

I also believe that savvy shoppers (those of us who don't impulse buy) are wise to Cabelas gouging and avoid them (I do and I live 2 miles from one of their large stores). The only time I purchase anything at Cabelas is when I have the points on my black card. Thats it.

Finally, until Obama is gone and Holder is gone and Pelosi is gone, the availability of components we have gotten used to in preceeding years (BO- before Obama) won't return.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I cant find anything around me that i want. I havent seen H4350 in a very long time.

Just the opposite for me with a caveat and that is, I get what I require but I have to wait for it.

Case in point, I've had 240 grain Sierra Sportsmasters in 44 caliber on order with Sierra for months and I expect them to arrive sometime this summer. No issue. Good things take time and Rome wasn't built in a day.

I have 380, 4350, Varget, Retumbo and H1000 on the shelf and on order. Key words here is anticipate and order accordingly.

I know what my component usage is over a given time period and I gear all my purchases around that.

That time when you could trundle down the local outfitter or jump on the Internet and order up what you wanted and get it in a day or two is gone, forever.

I shoot and reload a lot of handgun calibers, especially, 45LC's and 44 Remington Magnums but some searching around netted me a good source for handgun components...you have to look and not be impulsive.

 

[Shootin4fun]

Seems his dog got very ill after finding and eating deer guts in the woods adjacent to his property.

Do you know if the dog got sick because of lead poisoning or from some other aspect of the guts? California passed a ban on lead bullets for hunting last year because of supposed predator deaths and sterility from eating gut piles so staring in 2018 we have to hunt with lead free bullets.

 

[Shootin4fun]

My comment about Cabelas is they are overpriced on just about everything, especially factory loaded ammunition and components and I'll never buy any propellant in a one pound ja

The thing that amazes me about Cabelas (or at least my local store) is the total ignorance of the sales people in the firearm department.

First off, I've seen the same happen with 1 or 2 Cabelas sales people, but for the most part my experience is that most of the guys are avid shooters and reloaders themselves.

Their ammo prices are generally the straight up retail going price, which is usually a little less than what the manufacturer's site says is MSRP. The only way to beat these common retail prices is to jump on the sales that various vendors have from time to time.

Same with their 1 lb. jars of powder - pretty standard pricing, though most have gone from $22 to $27+ in the last 4 years. Gouging to me means $5 or $10 over that, and there are some local small shops that do that sh*. Okay so they don't get ANY of my business in that case, even if it means shifting to another product that I have on the shelf or another store has, and having to do another round of load dev.

We also have Scheels and Sportsman's Warehouse, and everyone is very close if not identical in price on the commodities on any given day. If 1 does a sale, the other often matches it though sometimes they are out of sync.

Having said that, I've snapped up a couple of very good deals on new rifles from the big C; $100 or $150 below anywhere else I've seen them and they were "only one at this price" kind of deals. I am happy we have one only 45 miles away (LOL, just far enough to be out of reach of an impulse visit/purchase.)

Sorry if that was a bit long winded.

 

[WildRose]

All 3 of the big stores in Reno are still getting only little dribs and drabs of various powders. They all used to have at least 15 powders in stock at any given time. I have not seen any Varget for 16 months. Standard rifle primers are back, but no Match primers. This is getting ridiculous.

I think between the "preppers", hoarders looking to sell later at a huge markup, and our own gov't buying up huge amounts of ammo the entire industry just remains taxed well beyond production capability.

Guys like us get lucky to catch a new shipment coming into one of the big online retailers and get 10lbs one our favorite two or three powders and usually it won't be "the favorite".

I'd been trying to get RL 25 for two years and finally got 10lbs ordered thanks to one of our members mentioning it was back in stock.

10lbs per order per day was the limit so I went back the next day to see if I could get 2-10lbs more and sure enough they were already sold out.

Luck and timing plays a big part along with persistence in checking your favorite sources on a weekly, bi-weekly or even daily basis. When you are lucky enough to find it, break the piggy bank and git'r done as fast as you can or it most certainly will be gone.

 

[Shootin4fun]

So, I found Varget a gunbroker.com but what seems to be happening is this:

Smaller stores, not corporate like the big C or Sportsmen's warehouse, are putting their inventory up for bid rather than sell it in their store where they would likely alienate their customers. They have bidding reserves close to $300 / 8 lb. jug, which defines gouging in my book. 1lb jars go for even more. Plus there's often an additional hazmat fee of $18 or $28. Ones that don't have reserves get bid up by hoarders or desperate guys. The last powder I bought 4 months ago (IMR4831) was $169 for 8 lbs. and that's the normal retail price. So they are getting almost double normal retail prices, meaning 4x what they paid. I refuse to support that. No "brotherhood of shooters" attitude or even common respect for their customers there! Imagine your local hardware store tripling the cost of plywood before a hurricane. These profiteering gun stores know its offensive and that's why they are going to gunbroker and not selling them out of their store in the first place.

I guess that's America these days; screw everyone while you can and look out only for #1.

Diatribe over and out!

 

[Zep]

I am pretty good at reading people and situations and I have no doubt my LGS is selling on the side. I have already started taking my business elsewhere. Does he care, no he is going to keep selling handguns and blackrifles to newbies, his business model has changed. He is after the quick buck, he no longer wishes to cater to the sportsmen shooter.

 

[Bishop]

+1 on Shooting Supply Store at Third Generation Shooting Supply

Nice website with in stock numbers etc, got 8 lb jug of imr-4064 there a month or so ago.

They show 489 lb's of reloader 17 atm

8 reloader 33 8 lb jugs

And some 7828

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

Managed to get 3lbs of rl33 last week from midway. My buddy has been looking for retumbo the last 6 months in town with no luck.

 

[motown]

Went into a small local shop here in SE PA the other day and i walked out with 2lbs of retumbo,h1000,imr&h4350, and imr 4064. He has a 2lb per day purchase limit on all powders so i may go back next week for more retumbo.

 

[WildRose]

Went into a small local shop here in SE PA the other day and i walked out with 2lbs of retumbo,h1000,imr&h4350, and imr 4064. He has a 2lb per day purchase limit on all powders so i may go back next week for more retumbo.

You could make 5 extra trips for some H1000 for me

 

[Bishop]

You could make 5 extra trips for some H1000 for me

Aint that the truth, I have a 338 barrel with Ryan Pierce right now that will be wanting some tasty h-1000 to drink later on this year, im starting to worry lol.

 

[Broken arrow]

I'm starting to see supplies showing up. Walmart seems to always have 8-10# of powder.