I've started this thread to avoid cluttering up another.
I'm still puzzled about powder shortages.
All the manufacturers reckon they are working to capacity and yet available powder has taken on the mantle of rocking horse poo over the last several years.
Surely the preppers arnt hoarding that much?
Or is it bragging rights on forums to brag " I've got 20 lbs of varget etc"
OK those who have a clue please un puzzle me.

Here in the USA, I expect powder shortages to continue for a while. We have added a great many new shooters and with that new reloaders too. I expect it will be about a year or so before things get back to some semblance of normal.

Been looking for lilgun since forever.. everytime the LGS say they have some, by the time I can make it there they sold out... and since there is shortage they are not going to hold any for me either.

Interesting you brought this up, as I went to Cabela's last Wednesday and found the shelves full of powder and a sticker on the shelf that said the limit on powders has been discontinued due to greater supply. Staring me in the face was H110 and I have been on the search for at least a year to be able to reload for my 300 AAC. Bought 2, went home smiling.

Haven't gone to any other stores, but since you brought this up I think I will look around and see. I haven't been shooting at all because of the shortage, but now the dry and flammable conditions kinda limit where I can go. We've had some very close calls with forest fires around here so I don't want to get caught in the wrong place.

I haven't even looked for powder for months, until the other day and it really surprised me, hope things are getting back to normal. It'll trickle down south soon I bet.


Suz

It's a very strange situation. Places that normally have decent supplies have little to none but others seem to have at least limited availability. I had been on a waiting list for Hodgdon CFE223 for over 8 months. Since this has proven to be the supreme powder for my .17 Remington and .22/250, I was nursing my last pound and waiting to do serious load work. Finally, with a mental slap to the forehead for not thinking of it sooner, I remembered that I used to buy a lot of powder and bullets from Powder Valley but had gotten out of the habit for some reason. I checked their web page and found that their selection was far better than others even with certain powders still hard to get. Bottom line though is that I now have another 16 pounds of CFE so I am a happy camper! Hopefully this is a sign that things are loosening up on our powder "shortage" situation.

I think SSL's purchase indicates the demand side will still be high but then will slow. Usually I buy powder in 2# lots. Last time I bought as much as I could get. Not hoarding but insurance against ongoing shortages. That will end as the result is extra purchasing now means less in the future. Things will eventually smooth out with demand leveling out and supply just above demand. The domestic market in the US will find itself in surplus however before foreign markets start benefitting from the domestic oversupply. With exchange rates being as they are, the strong US dollar is attracting exporters in other countries to sell in the US before supplying their own domestic markets. A lot of powder sold in the States is made in Canada and Australia. I know that there are others made in Europe but am not as familiar with those. The other good news is sale prices should drop although "regular" prices will remain as posted.

I think you are right that the hoarding will continue for awhile until it is obvious that supply has eased. In my case, I don't want to invest the time and effort of refining loads for my rifles only to have to start over due to another shortage. I have always indulged in the practice of defining which powders work the best for my various uses and then buying bulk quantities. My original purchase of CFE223 was only two pounds (ordered through a local shop) for testing purposes when it was first released. The shortage occurred shortly afterwards. This years-long practice is why I always have a minimum of 8 pounds (and usually 16 or more) of Bullseye, 2400, H322, AA2700, AA2200 and IMR4064.

The only powder I've yet to find is Varget. I have 80% remaining in my last can so I'm stretching that.


-DallanC

Varget's popularity as being one of the more versatile powders will probably keep supplies low for some time as purchase levels remain high versus actual supply. Even though so many people have excellent results with Varget, I have never been able to get top performance with it in my rifles. I am definitely not knocking Varget, it's just another example of the individuality of rifles. It's also an excellent reason to buy small quantities of any powder for testing and then lay in a substantial supply of what works when possible.

gelandangan wrote:

Been looking for lilgun since forever.. everytime the LGS say they have some, by the time I can make it there they sold out... and since there is shortage they are not going to hold any for me either.

thats plain weird as its a powder with limited useage.......I just love the load you helped me with ....
.44mag and .410 shotshell cant be THAT popular, also lilgun gets a hammering in the forums with guys saying it is burning out/cracking throat/leade in guns as its too hot

The gun shops that I visit all have a decent supply of powder on the shelves and all have higher price stickers on the containers. I suspect things are getting slowly back to what used to be normal. The higher prices may hang around for a while longer. All the best...
Gil

Yeah well you guys been buying up all the stuff down there in bulk - it's hell to find powder and bullets here. It's all gone before any can get loaded onto the north bound trucks. I've been looking for two years for a couple of powders and I get the same story every time - "well, none of it seems to make it past the warehouse to the Canadian market cause the Americans are buying it all up". Lighten up would ya? I need some X-Terminator or Accurate 2230. Bullets is the same thing. Go to Cabelas or Whole Sale Sports and there are more empty holes on the shelves than spots with boxes in them. Please slow down, share. Didn't your Mom teach you it's nice to share?

Grey_Wolf wrote:

... Please slow down, share. Didn't your Mom teach you it's nice to share?

I feel ya problem mate...we have a similar problem down here in Australia with components other than powder (I use predominantly Aussie made powders). I had developed and set up loads using all Remington components and when they became very difficult to find I contacted both the Aussie distributor and Remington in the US and got the same answer from both...'all components are being used for the domestic US market and this will remain so until all shortages are overcome'.

I have now changed component brands to Hornady and setup my rifles for that brand, and I'm getting equal, if not better, performance. Luckily Aussie powders, although occasionally in short supply, are usually available. As you have found, US made powders are a different kettle of fish though.

Yeah but even the Western Powders that are mostly made in Belgium are hard to get. They are brought into the states first and then POOF! it's gone. Starting to see some movement of powder across the border now but none of the stuff I'm looking for. Ah well work with what ya have....

I haven't bought any powder in about twelve years but I am going to have to replenish everything soon. I use six different powders and I'll be buying 48 pounds so get it when you see it.