Where IS it???

[Smokey Joe]

I don't reload shotgun ammo much at all, like years between batches. (I'm mostly a rifle and pistol shooter.) But recently the urge came on me, and therefore I began assembling ingredients. Which brings me to the question:

WHERE THE DEVIL IS ALL THE SHOTGUN POWDER?????

No local source I've checked has ANY, let alone the specific one I was after. Midway is oh-you-tee OUT of shotgun powder. I can get most kinds of rifle powder, and some pistol powder, locally, but nobody has any shotgun powder.

Some sources have wads, but what are you going to do with powderless wads?

209 primers seem in very short supply, but there are some, if you're not fussy about brands. And all types of primers seem to be in short supply. Shot seems to be available, somewhat, but of course, not the 8 1/2's that I was after, and gee whillikers is the shot expensive. But that's OK, because w/o powder I can't use any shot nor primers anyhow.

I really didn't want to mail-order powder and primers--All I want is a couple pounds and a few hundred, so not enough to justify the Haz-Mat fee, but that seems to be a moot point.

I feel a little like Rip Van Winkle.

 

[Louca]

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen ..."

Yeah, I am pretty much in the same boat as you are. I am wondering if there might be a huge number of trap and skeet clubs that are doing some massive collective buying of powder. I have been waiting for some 700X for I don't know how long. If shotgun was my primary shooting activity, I would be one frustrated and depressed puppy.

Lou

 

[Reefinmike]

welcome to 2014, how have the past two years under a rock been? haha

Id say primers are in good supply, if you look around online, you should be able to find what you need. Pistol and shotgun powders have been the in demand item the past year. its getting better but slowly. Im not expecting to readily see bullseye and unique on the shelf until atleast 2015

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Welcome to the great shortage of 2009-2014.

 

[gahunter12]

John the club. Lots of the popular shotgun powders are used by shot shell reloaders, and pistol reloaders alike. As others have said the powder/primer market had been unstable since 2009. Add the Sandy Hook gun grab attempt by the Gov, and you have major shortage in the reloading world.

Things are getting a little better. I found 4lbs of Titegroup, 10lb of Titewad, and 5lb of 700x at a LGS yesterday. That's not counting the great selection of rifle powder. The only popular rifle powder he didn't have was H335. Finding primers of all kinds hasn't been a problem for a while now.

 

[UziLand]

Found some PB and 800X to use in my 12ga trap loads. Haven't seen WSF (my preference) in years. Yes, the price of shot has doubled and the one place in town that has carries 7 1/2 or #4. Take whatever you can find. I did feel that the 800X (through my MEC) felt like hotter loads than WSF. I am saving the PB for pistol because it makes nice clean light 38spl loads.

 

[splattergun]

A lot of the shotgun powder is going into pistol rounds. When it shows up on shelves, that is.

 

[Potatohead]

I'll give you some 800x or some Herco Smokey Joe, where you at? (at least I think 800x is a shotgun powder?)

 

[Jesse Heywood]

800-X is a good handgun powder, provided you have a RCBS Uniflow measure, or are willing to weigh each charge. The big flakes don't work in most measures. I would say it is the hardest metering powder I have used. But I love it in 45 Colt and 357 magnum. It also does well in 9mm and 38 spl. Loads are listed in 380, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Potatohead]

Yea Ive been tinkering with a 147gr 9mm load with it. It only barely started ejecting at max though, so Im not to sure what's going on...SPR TMJ

 

[Smokey Joe]

Generous!

Gosh, Potatohead, that's awfully generous of you! 2 problems: You're a bit down the road from me (surmountable I guess.) and worse, I have no recipe for either powder for the hulls I intend to use.

I've no idea about the hazmat rules for one private citizen sending stuff to another private citizen.

Got a ton of old Rem RXP hulls that I was intending to use up. Not made any more I understand, and Lyman's 4th ed. doesn't include them. However the older 3rd ed. does.

The deeper I get into this, the more complicated it gets. Guess that's the way of things...

 

[Potatohead]

Dont know about the Hazmat stuff.

But if you want it, the offer stands. And I'll find a way to get it to you. Let me know. how far away are you?

 

[gamestalker]

Although the last several years have been a tough time for powders and primers, I have almost always been able to find what I need with a little bit of shopping around, locally, not online. The one exception has been my RL22, which seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Many tell me I just missed it at this or that LGS, so I guess it's still around, just not when I'm around.

As for primers in general, I haven't had any problems finding primers for a pretty long time now. And even when primers were in short supply a year or so ago, 209's were falling off the shelf, and they still are.

But I have heard that it varies according to geographic locations. Some folks are seeing my RL22 in good supply 500 miles away, but they can't find H4831, which is falling off the shelves here.

Maybe we should start a THR component trading program? A guy needs what I've can get or have, and I need what he can get or has, so we swap components for components?

GS

 

[joneb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7qQ6_RV4VQ

I feel a little like Rip Van Winkle.

Time to wake up then.

 

[DoubleMag]

Found Varget for $28 a lb can. I passed too rich for my blood. Is that a normal price +- thesedays?

 

[Potatohead]

Pretty much. Unless you get it online, where the hazmat will then make it 28$ or more unless you spread out the hazmat with a lifetime supply of primers you didnt need.

 

[UziLand]

The prices around here run from 27.95 to 32.95 a pound (some, like PB, is 27.95 for 14 oz can). Primers are down to about 35.00 per thousand which is still too much. But this is what we have to live with.

 

[Potatohead]

That's what Im seeing on Tula primers at my LGS. (35$)