Does anyone know the truth behind the powder shortage(s)?

[Captain*kirk]

Ukraine. IDF/Gaza war. Blah, blah...
We've all heard the excuses, but facts are, certain powders have been 'unobtainium' for several years now, some for nearly a decade (e.g. Trail Boss). Has anyone come across any legitimate factual evidence as to why certain powders are unavailable? Most of us are aware of the whole GOEX black powder thing...that was legit, and now they are pumping out powder and catching up. But mainstream smokeless powder manufacturers seem to have huge gaps in their inventory that are not being refilled, and I don't know if these powders are being phased out, or if they are concentrating on pumping out military-type powders and to hell with the Saturday shooter? I would appreciate any insight as to what in the world is happening to the supply chain in the reloading world.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Well, I did find this straight from Hodgdon. It's several years old now, prior to Ukraine and far older than the Gaza conflict. It does not inspire much confidence...

Hodgdon Powder Update — Why Are There Shortages? « Daily Bulletin

As any handloader knows, popular reloading powders have become difficult to find. And when you do locate the powder you want, the price might be twice what you paid a year ago (or even more on auction sites).

bulletin.accurateshooter.com

 

[AJC1]

We are what most factories do for side money. Huge military contracts and manufacturers like Remington Hornaday and the like are the keep the doors open contracts. As long as those contracts are available, those orders are filled. Every ammo panic that clears the shelves causes the big companies to order more of what we want.
Trail boss is an entirety different animal, produced in Australia and adi has its own deal.

 

[Captain*kirk]

We are what most factories do for side money. Huge military contracts and manufacturers like Remington Hornaday and the like are the keep the doors open contracts. As long as those contracts are available, those orders are filled. Every ammo panic that clears the shelves causes the big companies to order more of what we want.
Trail boss is an entirety different animal, produced in Australia and adi has its own deal.

Yes, and according to the Hodgdon newsletter I posted, ADI is producing practically nothing as the plant had effectively shut down at time of publishing. Just one more reason not to engage in global manufacturing agreements.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Who’s turn is it to make the popcorn?

 

[Varminterror]

Hodgdon is pretty open about their production - there are high margin, high demand powders which draw their focus, and then there are lower margin, lower demand powders which are still cataloged but which don't warrant production prioritization - like Trailboss.

A LOT of folks do like saying things like Retumbo, H4350, H110, Varget, etc are "unobtanium," all the while some of us are buying 30+ pounds of these every year, even during the ACTUAL year of covid when production was either stopped or on reduced staff... But folks don't see it on the shelves at their small, local shop, they assume nobody has it...

 

[AJC1]

Hodgdon is pretty open about their production - there are high margin, high demand powders which draw their focus, and then there are lower margin, lower demand powders which are still cataloged but which don't warrant production prioritization - like Trailboss.

A LOT of folks do like saying things like Retumbo, H4350, H110, Varget, etc are "unobtanium," all the while some of us are buying 30+ pounds of these every year, even during the ACTUAL year of covid when production was either stopped or on reduced staff... But folks don't see it on the shelves at their small, local shop, they assume nobody has it...

My benchmark for hard to get is PV, midsouth, and midway don't have them in stock.... just a guage.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

My benchmark for hard to get is PV, midsouth, and midway don't have them in stock.... just a guage.

I added Precision Reloading to the list a while back. Most pistol powders are also/actually shotgun powders so any retailers specializing in shotgun will also potentially be good sources for pistol powders.

Blue Dot was developed for magnum 12ga loads so check the big shotgun supply sellers.

 

[Walkalong]

Not really a reloading topic, and unless someone is in that business at a high level, they're just guessing.