Why rifle but no pistol powder?

[berettaprofessor]

It never occurred to me before, but for the past year, I've seen lots of different rifle powder everywhere, including benchmark, 4895, and other commonly used powders. Yet all this time pistol powders are almost unavailable. Was there a big backlog of rifle powders at the beginning of the scarcity? Have manufacturers not yet shifted into more pistol powder production? What do you think is going on?

 

[savanahsdad]

lots of things going on here , the plaint that makes Universal burnt down last year , that powder is real close to Unique so a lot of hand gunners went from one to the other and now we can't find either , a lot of the pistol powders are shotgun powders and shotguns use a lot of powder, there are more rifle powders to pick from , and a lot of new reloaders are starting with handguns , I saw in the last few day 4 or 5 guys on here that said "I'm just starting out and I'm only loading pistol cal's for now " on the bright side pistols use less powder, so when some of these new guys find out that 3# of Bulleyes will last a long time or a 8# keg of Unique could last years , they will stop buying powder for awhile ,

 

[splattergun]

I think at least a part of the answer is that many of the pistol powders and shotgun powders (many of them used for both applications) are used in a larger quantity of cartridges than rifle powders. For example, I use Unique and Red Dot for both multiple pistol calibers and shotgun gauges. I also load a lot more cartridges for pistol than for rifle. I shoot a lot more pistol than rifle, and so I use about 2X as much pistol/shotgun powder than rifle powder. It also seems that my rifle powders are a little more caliber specific.

 

[mdi]

I too would think it's usage by reloaders. I use about 5 times more handgun powder than I do rifle powder, even though the rifle charges are 4 to 6 times more powder. I shoot mebbe 250 rounds from my handguns each session, but barely 100 rounds of rifle ammo (in my Garand. other rifles/calibers much less), so I'm using waaaay more handgun powder...

 

[USSR]

Was there a big backlog of rifle powders at the beginning of the scarcity? Have manufacturers not yet shifted into more pistol powder production?

I think you provided yourself with the answer. It certainly isn't some obscure plant in Australia burning down. Manufacturers don't have separate lines making each and every powder product at one time. They have a limited number of lines that are set up to produce a specific powder. When they want to produce a different powder, they stop producing the powder they were producing, and set things up to produce the new powder. For whatever reason, they have elected to concentrate on rifle powders to the detriment of pistol powders.

Don

 

[Warp]

I don't know but as I tool up to reload more seriously (I've loaded like 350 rounds so far lol) I am very happy to have bought-in before the panic hit. My initial order of 4 lbs each Unique, W231, and 2400 is feeling like a stash of gold right about now (.38spl/9mm/.357mag)

 

[savanahsdad]

I think you provided yourself with the answer. It certainly isn't some obscure plant in Australia burning down. Manufacturers don't have separate lines making each and every powder product at one time. They have a limited number of lines that are set up to produce a specific powder. When they want to produce a different powder, they stop producing the powder they were producing, and set things up to produce the new powder. For whatever reason, they have elected to concentrate on rifle powders to the detriment of pistol powders.

Don

Obscure Plant . LOL. Australia the article I read in "HandLoader Magazine" last summer said that Hogdon's plaint in CANADA burnt down last year and that there would be no new Universal available tell early 2015 . sure it is only a small part of the problem but it sure didn't help ,

 

[RandyP]

I was at two different gun shows in Indiana over the last week - Titegroup and Trailboss were available (at $26 a pound) from a few vendors.

 

[kcofohio]

Obscure Plant . LOL. Australia the article I read in "HandLoader Magazine" last summer said that Hogdon's plaint in CANADA burnt down last year and that there would be no new Universal available tell early 2015 . sure it is only a small part of the problem but it sure didn't help ,

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought all of the Clays (Clay, International, & Universal) were produced by ADI out of Australia.

 

[748]

My own observation was typical rifle powders vanished first. For a time I couldn't get win748, H322, H335. That was about the time I picked up my keg of unique.
Now rifle powders are back and faster/medium burning pistol powders seem to be harder to find.

 

[Ccctennis]

Powders

Sportsman warehouse in columbia has the following as of last night:

8 pound jugs of h380 and 50bmg

1 pound jars of leverevolution, super performance, imr 7828 sc


That's it. That's the list!
I haven't seen pistol powder in any store in over 15 months.

 

[savanahsdad]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought all of the Clays (Clay, International, & Universal) were produced by ADI out of Australia.

but it is tested and bottled at Hogdon's plaint before we see it, some others come from Israel and I think Africa and so forth. but that isn't where we get it from

 

[kcofohio]

but it is tested and bottled at Hogdon's plaint before we see it, some others come from Israel and I think Africa and so forth. but that isn't where we get it from

But in this link, under the date of 12-June-2014, they mention of having a burn event in 2013 that shut down their production of the flake powder. It goes on to say that production will proceed the 2nd half of 2014.

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/handloaders/news.asp#item0

 

[mongoose33]

In my own case, I shoot rifle the least. Lots of shotgun, lots of pistol (and as others have noted the two are often the same. In fact, the one rifle I shoot a lot is a lever action in .357/.38 special--or handgun cartridges.

 

[savanahsdad]

But in this link, under the date of 12-June-2014, they mention of having a burn event in 2013 that shut down their production of the flake powder. It goes on to say that production will proceed the 2nd half of 2014.

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/handloaders/news.asp#item0

good info there , but what I read was Hodgon lost one of there own plaints in Canada I had not heard about any of there suppliers ,witch adds to the shortage.


just did a Bing search " Hogdon Plaint Fire " most the forms say it was a roomer yet there is pictures of a plaint fire , ?? there was also a fire in Hogdon Main , not the powder plaint , and it sounds like it was in 2013 , I would think distributors would check before telling local shops .



well the supper misinformation high is making me think the fire at the production plaint stopped the flow of flake powder to the plaint in Canada and not a fire at that plaint , hum there is enough info out there to go either way , this I know for sure everyone is out of Clays Universal , except me
.

 

[kcofohio]

good info there , but what I read was Hodgon lost one of there own plaints in Canada I had not heard about any of there suppliers ,witch adds to the shortage

Agree! Some powders were already in tight supply before the "great shortage".

Plus, I had read on VV, that they switch hands. There was a stoppage in their supplies until a new owner got them back on line.

 

[BigBore45]

a hodgen plant in kansas burnt down and it manufactured pistol/shotgun powder.

 

[jhop73]

I am starting to see pistol powder show up here in ohio. over the last week i have seen bullseye, unique,300mp, h110, hp38 and several others.

 

[rsrocket1]

It was the ADI plant in Australia that had a fire in their powder drying line. Since they supply the Clays line of powders (Clays, Universal, International), Hodgdon was left high and dry although they did their best to cover it up by deflecting questions about the fire with answers like "we are producing and distributing powder as fast as we can".

The Clays line of Hodgdon powders is a very popular line and with shotgun shooters using so much powder (one group of 5 shooters where I shoot go through 10 pounds per month just among them), a disruption of 1 of the 2 main powder marketers in the US can easily disrupt the powder market and send the rest into hoarding mode.

Rest assured, it will ease up and you will find powder at just about the same price it was pre-2013. The powder companies have not raised prices because some of the "honest" gun stores are still selling it at reasonable prices. I just got 8# Red Dot for $124 and have been buying 1 pounders for $18 when they are available at the big box LGS. Other local stores are selling 1 pounders for $30 and 8# jugs for $200. I won't support them any more.

 

[gojuice101]

I have the opposite problem. I can find every pistol powder I use but don't need any. Rifle powder, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found around here. Especially 4895 and Varget, which I originally used for everything. Haven't been able to find a bottle of either around here for well over a year. Had to change rifle powders to one of the few that I could find from time to time.