Another Powder Rant

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Jboutfishn

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I have been making a serious effort to find some powder to load my pistols. To keep things simple I have been loading HP38 for 45APC, 40S&W, 9MM, and 38SP. I have been monitoring Gun Bot and checking all of the usual suspects for powder. I have not seen any HP38/Win231 in months. I did see some autocomp and unique but it was sold out in 2 minutes.

There seems to be a lot of rifle powder about, but the great metering pistol stuff seems to be extremely hard to come by.:mad:
 
Back during the 2008 scare I was forced to try a new powder - Silhouette. Glad I did as it is a great 45acp propellant. Since you're haunting gunbot already, perhaps now is the time to try a different powder.
 
Great metering??? At this point I would take some poor metering stuff I've never even heard of before.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
Great metering??? At this point I would take some poor metering stuff I've never even heard of before.
Click to expand...

I was talking about this with a couple of guys at a match earlier this week and one of the ideas was to run 50BMG powder through a coffee grinder so it would fit into pistol cases. :eek:

50BMG seems to be the only powder that everyone has in stock.
 
Auto comp and Unique will do anything HP 38 will. I also prefer HP38/W 231 but you gotta grab what you can.

No local places for you? I have none, anything I get is on line,

I think I see a glimmer of hope.(no not that HOPE):rolleyes:

Primers and rifle powder are becoming available, My LGS at least has ammo (expensive) but all calibers. so the tide may be changing.
 
Rule3 said:
Auto comp and Unique will do anything HP 38 will. I also prefer HP38/W 231 but you gotta grab what you can.

No local places for you? I have none, anything I get is on line,

I think I see a glimmer of hope.(no not that HOPE):rolleyes:

Primers and rifle powder are becoming available, My LGS at least has ammo (expensive) but all calibers. so the tide may be changing.
Click to expand...

I'm not holding my breath about things changing for the better.
we are in year 2 of the crunch and all I've seen are a few miniscule increments toward normal when we should be at full recovery plus some reserve.
who can put up with all this frustration and still maintain interest?
 
Have you tried or can you get 700X? I've recently seen it around here - Midwest. I've used it a lot for pistols although now I mostly use it for 12ga. Meters OK but not great - better than 800X

Jeff
 
Turns out Butch's does NOT have 4756. They recently changed their site software and that one slipped thru.
I just got off the phone with Aaron and he has credited me back my order.
Bummer as I have been wanting that powder for months amid rumors of its impending demise.

---
Nemo
 
Some LGS have BE and 231 in small amounts and limit purchases to 2 pounds per customer. The problem is their supply is not predictable, hence it's hit or miss, at least that has been my experience (2# 231 in the past 9 months). My dealer states this will not change until next year. When supplies start to return powder will still be scarce since people will start building up inventory, concerned about the next shortage. We're a long ways from "normal".
 
dla said:
Back during the 2008 scare I was forced to try a new powder - Silhouette. Glad I did as it is a great 45acp propellant. Since you're haunting gunbot already, perhaps now is the time to try a different powder.
Click to expand...
I agree silhouette is a great powder just got done loading 500 rounds of 38 special today. This powder is great for both 9mm and 45acp. I picked up 5 pounds to supplement the 1 that I had. It meters very well and is clean.
 
Unless you're new to loading, I can't understand why people weren't prepared for this.

I stock up when supply is high. I haven't had to buy squat. I may or may not have enough to last the duration?

Lessons learned from the past....
 
venomballistics said:
I'm not holding my breath about things changing for the better.
we are in year 2 of the crunch and all I've seen are a few miniscule increments toward normal when we should be at full recovery plus some reserve.
who can put up with all this frustration and still maintain interest?
Click to expand...

It really is year 6. The initial panic started the 1st election, started getting better then the tragic shootings,So it has never let up. I still believe people taking advantage and buying whatever and re selling it are a large part of the problem. No I have not real proof but when bricks of 22lr are selling for $65, that's insane!
 
I have been trying to get some 231 also. No good. Cannot find it on any of the internet suppliers, and haven't been able to for the last year. I don't know where it is going. Most Winchester powders seem especially scarce nowadays. I cannot believe that all of these large distributors are not getting any. They are either filling a huge amount of backorders, or saving it for their prefered customers. By the way Hodgdon HP38 is the same as Winchester 231, and for some reason, it is always a buck or two a pound cheaper. Anyway, there ain't none of that available either.
 
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There ain't no 231/HP38. Unique is rare, but 700X & 800X seem available. I buy powder throughout the year, not just when I'm low, so I'm sitting okay myself at this point. Shortages like this require flexibility and forethought. If you only look for what you've used in the past, you probably won't find it. I bought a couple of lbs of Herco from a local shop a few weeks back. The guy ahead of me stood there complaining that they didn't have any Unique on hand. After he left, I smiled and told the guy I'd better take those last two lbs of Herco. As many of you know, Herco is the next slower powder from Alliant from Unique. In some lots, they're almost identical. These are the sort of approaches that will keep you shooting.
 
I'll say one good thing about the current powder situation. It has gotten me to experiment with different powders from what I have always used. Some of the experiments were good, some, not so but they all went bang and I am able to keep shooting the amount I want. Now, that being said, I'd sure like to go back to the boring W231/HP38. :D
 
Powder

Ok, what I have been doinbg is shooting a lot of shotgun powders.
they seem much more available.
I have come to believe that other then its poor metering, Green Dot is about as good as it gets in a 45 acp target load.
I have also been using 700X and 800X.
Now, I have not really run out of anything yet, but I am very low so I thought it was time to experiment, very happy with results so far.
Silhouette is great, similar to Accurate #5 which is about my favorite.
I have come to believe that for me, Accurate powders are best, I have never ever seen anything else meter as well as #2, #5 ,& #7
I was lucky enough to get a 4# of Power Pistol which I used a lot of before I discovered #5 and after I had driven myself nuts chasing Unique , which by the way meters easily as poorly as Green Dot , and 700X and 800X
800X is listed in several of my manuals as a best powder choice for 10MM for example.
 
Steve in Vermont said:
Some LGS have BE and 231 in small amounts and limit purchases to 2 pounds per customer. The problem is their supply is not predictable, hence it's hit or miss, at least that has been my experience (2# 231 in the past 9 months). My dealer states this will not change until next year. When supplies start to return powder will still be scarce since people will start building up inventory, concerned about the next shortage. We're a long ways from "normal".
Click to expand...

Right now, I wish I lived in Vermont and could buy 2 lbs. of Bullseye! Last pound I bought was late last summer/early fall. A few weeks ago I was able to buy 5 lbs. of Red Dot (1-1lb. & 1-4 lb.) from 2 different LGS. My manuals show loads for the 3 calibers I shoot; 38 Spec, 9mm and 45 acp. Tried one load in the 45 and shot almost as good as my Bullseye load, so I'm pretty happy with initial results. Will be working up loads for all 3 and continuing to look for more Bullseye!
Best of luck in your search...
 
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I am loading for .45ACP and .44 magnum. I am set on .45ACP, I did a lot of Ransom Rest testing and came up with a Titegroup load with 185gr Nosler Custom Competition bullets that will shoot into less than 3/4" at 25 yards (from the RR). I have powder, brass, primers and bullets a-plenty for the .45ACP (which I seldom shoot any more since I got the .44 wheelgun).

Earlier this week gunbot.net led me to find some WW296. I have been looking for that or H110 (same stuff, different label) for a while and now I'm well set.

I have plenty of LP and LPM primers, so I am OK there too. I have a lot of XTP and 240gr hardcast bullets, so I'm good on that.

Unfortunately, I love shooting high power loads, and I think that will shorten the life of my stock of .44 mag brass. There doesn't seem to be any of that around at all.
 
Rule3 said:
It really is year 6. The initial panic started the 1st election, started getting better then the tragic shootings,So it has never let up. I still believe people taking advantage and buying whatever and re selling it are a large part of the problem. No I have not real proof but when bricks of 22lr are selling for $65, that's insane!
Click to expand...

true ... but it was manageable up to Sandyhook.
Before this, we didn't have to make due with substitutes and feel fortunate we found a can of anything that would work. or any other component for that matter.
if you didn't see it, it was in next week.

I can't help but think in tinfoil hat terms about it. I've never seen an industry take much past a month to make at least a 40% recovery.
even the cabbage patch kids blood bath back in the 80's.
black friday led to post apocalyptic scenes with fist fights stampedes and other assorted chaos. By Christmas, everyone had em.
It's been that way with the hot ticket item nearly every year since.
Bread lines in Poland prior to this .... a crisis good for about 2 or 3 months.
Even the launch of the Iphone 5 was covered in a few weeks.
Here, its a single list of related commodities that hasn't substantially improved in well over a year after the industry projected a year to recovery.
Something is in the way, and that something probably laughs at us every time we point fingers at each other over hording etc.
 
Just got back from the gun store about a 45 minute ride away. This guy is loaded with stock. I have no idea where he is getting his inventory as evey other shop in the eastern half of the state has nothing. Period.

Shelves of powder on hand. Unique, Titegroup, on and on. 8 lb jugs of Varget and IMR 4756. Every IMR made and the complete line of Hodgdon. Also shelves of many powders that I have no idea as I don't use them. Unfortunate part is the owner limits purchase to 1 lb or 8lb jug a week. Average price is $30 a lb which is high. 8 pounders run about $200. At least the stuff is available.

Every time I head that way I swing in and make a purchase. Sitting pretty good as of now. I'm going to continue buying as who knows when supply will dry up. I feel for you guys who can't get anything.
 
I was lucky enough to score 3lbs of Unique for $20/lb Yesterday at my LGS.He has always kept his prices fair through all the BS,He is in a small Town and realizes that this insanity will end and all his customers will remember him being fair.
 
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