Powder..... I shouldn't be.....

I shouldn't be shocked or disappointed, but I've been waiting patiently for 2 years with this powder thing. I was just shopping online for pistol powders and after checking about a dozen vendors, everything (literally) is 'out of stock'. I have powder to do me for a good while, but I still want Unique and Bullseye and was hoping things were easing up a bit since some people have reported having powders available in their areas. Does anybody have any feel for why this situation isn't getting any better???

It's crazy...I haven't seen pistol or shotgun powder in a brick and mortar store around here in at least 2 years. I end up shopping online and buying it with as much other stuff as I can to offset shipping and hazmat. I am seeing reasonable prices online at big stores when I can find it, but auction sites are out of control. I won't buy from scalpers they can pound it. Check out the link below...they are building a new Cabela's here it's just crazy.


Long lines form early for Cabela's opening in Tualatin | Local & Regional | KATU.com - Portland News, Sports, Traffic Weather and Breaking News - Portland, Oregon

Sportsmans on 185th out in hillsboro has powder every now and then. I picked up some red dot, bullseye and trailboss.

Seems to me its getting a bit better, not good but better..

Been seeing some in the stores again here and there, and maybe I've just been lucky lately.. but it seems better..

Pistol powder has been a problem for a long time and when it's available you have to buy enough online to offset the hazmat fee or it's cost prohibitive. If you search Gunbot.net daily you can sometimes get a deal and they had Bullseye up there last week but they rarely have Unique.

Interesting. Powder was quite available for me 2 years ago. It became scarce out here in December of 2012.

redcar said:

Sportsmans on 185th out in hillsboro has powder every now and then. I picked up some red dot, bullseye and trailboss.

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I keep missing it there. The problem is I work full time and can't get by every day. Gotta use online to get my powder for sure. I've gotten good at loads with vihta vuori and accurate powders...any port in a storm. Bi mart used to always have red dot cheap but haven't seen it there long time.

Around here in Ky, powder is relatively easy to come by. The only thing I haven't found that I've wanted is Bullseye but I think that's the case for just about everybody.

I have speculated on this issue with a fellow chemist and friend of mine (Ben Hutcherson, he's on here too) and have came up with a hypothesis that I believe in part explains it. Powder production is on some level random, when they start off with a recipe depending on reaction conditions, the properties of the starting materials, humidity, temperature, etc. they can get one of several powders as products. Additionally, much like CPUs, the resultant product is binned by quality and properties into various grades and only the best become the powders we as reloaders purchase. So making large quantities of our canister grade powders is difficult.

So here's the gist of our hypothesis. Some powders such as bullseye are likely precursors to other powders. For example, Unique based on GC-MS analysis is essentially bullseye with some nitrogen compound that is likely a burn retardant. This makes sense since essentially all powders are simply differing concentrations of a relatively small set of compounds. So it would be practical to have a synthesis roadmap that starts with a set of precursers powders {X,Y,Z...} which undergo many other steps to provide the variety of powders we have available. Therefore if we assume that powder production was essentially at peak capacity a few years ago, the demand for powder across the board poses a problem. In many cases to produce more of powder Y requires producing and doing something to some powder X reducing the amount of it that makes it to market. I can't help but conclude this is one reason why of the alliant powders bulleye seems to be the last one that will become available. Also, the FBI database of powders has various entries for Bullseye that are very similar in composition, likely various products that come from the bullseye production process which are used by OEM ammo makers, so the increased ammo production likely impacts this as well.

Also, after speaking to a local gun store which recently became an alliant distributor, it looks like the supply chain is undergoing / undergone reorganization so maybe some regions that once had easy access to powder from the manufacturer may not now. Of course this is speculation, but as a chemist I think it is a reasonable explanation, at least to some degree.

The store I go to for most of my reloading stuff has had powder for over a year now. For a while it was just slower burning pistol powders like H110 and IMR4227, but recently I've bought Bullseye, Red Dot, and 800X, not to mention rifle powders like H4831 and IMR 4895. Their selection is better every time I go in there. Lots of primers, and the bullet selection is slowly coming back. They even had bricks of .22 a while back!

For you guys in the Portland or SW Washington area, it's The Gun Shop in Longview. I drive an hour and 20 minutes to get there. I'm usually passing through on business, but sometimes it's my only destination. Occasionally there's a screamin' deal on firearms, too. It's definitely worth the drive.

Also in Longview, Bob's selections have been getting better, and there's also a new Sportsman's Warehouse, but I haven't been in it yet.

I'm on the SE coast.......

RobertJ. said:

The store I go to for most of my reloading stuff has had powder for over a year now. For a while it was just slower burning pistol powders like H110 and IMR4227, but recently I've bought Bullseye, Red Dot, and 800X, not to mention rifle powders like H4831 and IMR 4895. Their selection is better every time I go in there. Lots of primers, and the bullet selection is slowly coming back. They even had bricks of .22 a while back!

For you guys in the Portland or SW Washington area, it's The Gun Shop in Longview. I drive an hour and 20 minutes to get there. I'm usually passing through on business, but sometimes it's my only destination. Occasionally there's a screamin' deal on firearms, too. It's definitely worth the drive.

Also in Longview, Bob's selections have been getting better, and there's also a new Sportsman's Warehouse, but I haven't been in it yet.

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It sure ain't that way on the SE coast.

PS Proximity to Canada may have something to do with it.

I like Clays, and HP38. Can't find them. SO... recently bought Bullseye, Unique, and Blue Dot. (sold B.D.) You are lucky to find something even in limited quantities. S.I.B.I. see it, buy it! Bob

Well I haven't been seeing it locally up here in So. Maine. One of our large Trading Posts had a batch of W231 and HP-38 a couple weeks ago, but it didn't last long. First I have seen either of those at a retail store in about 2 years. A LGS near where I work has WST in (2lb jugs and a 4lb left), but at $126 OTD for 4lbs of WST is a little much for me. They also had H110, but it was $28.99 a lb. and I didn't need any.

Getting a bit better (maybe).
Was in Milwaukie (PDX suburb) earlier this week and a small shop there had Bullseye, Unique, 2400, and a couple dozen other types in stock as well as .22LR.
Not being the greedy type, I happily limited myself to 2 pounds of Bullseye, leaving some for others.
$28 per pound.

Alliant products I've seen and bought.

Red Dot and 2400

I've seen Blue Dot but haven't bought any.

This is ALL of the Alliant pistol powders I've seen in two years.

It's just demand. Think about it. With the internet, there can be literally 100K+ shoppers looking at the same time. A big order comes in say 100 8# jugs of one powder. Even if you limit buyers to 1 each, that is a whopping 100 buyers. The other 90900 are left hanging. Throw in the powder companies schedule of production for all the diff powders, you are going to have shortages. Now add in lessons learned, reloaders are no longer satisfied buying 1# here or there, they want 8# min purchases so they don't get caught short next time. Even more shortages, a vicious cycle.

HA!! I bought an 8 pound jug of H-110 bout a month ago... then a 4 pounder of tightgroup... then a couple singles of Bluedot... then a single of Varget... then one of Bullseye...

RobertJ. said:

Also in Longview, Bob's selections have been getting better, and there's also a new Sportsman's Warehouse, but I haven't been in it yet.

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I went to the new Sportsman's Warehouse and picked up a 4 lb container of Win 231! I was in Heaven! I've even found .22's there!

Couple of the lgs here have had various pistol powders in stock. I buy atleast a pound every time I stop. Some times two. Even stuff I don't normly load.
Now 22lr on the other hand, that **** is hard to find.

GyMac said:

I went to the new Sportsman's Warehouse and picked up a 4 lb container of Win 231! I was in Heaven! I've even found .22's there!

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Should have bought two!!

GyMac said:

I went to the new Sportsman's Warehouse and picked up a 4 lb container of Win 231! I was in Heaven! I've even found .22's there!

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Rats!! The SW up here in Tacoma area, (Puyallup) did not get anything new this week. Though we do usually get a little .22 every other week, or so.