AJ
US Veteran
The most I have ever paid is about $225 for 8 pound kegs. Guess I am dating myself and my supplies.............
Bought A Pound Of 231 Today
- Thread starter max
- Start date
The most I have ever paid is about $225 for 8 pound kegs. Guess I am dating myself and my supplies.............
I got a deal on some LRPs today!
$390 for 5000 delivered - all shipping and taxes included
$78 per thousand seemed like a decent price - certainly the best price I have seen in several years.
They are DNU brand(?) primers, USA made and the picture looks they come in "white box" generic packaging.
The listing describes them as "Factory Seconds – Hard Cup Primers – NATO Spec. These are only considered seconds due to their hard cups. Light striking firearms may have misfires. These are still within NATO Spec and function perfectly."
I only have 2 guns that use ammo with large rifle primers, and neither have been modified in any way, so I don't expect I'll have any problem with them.
Hopefully.
$390 for 5000 delivered - all shipping and taxes included
$78 per thousand seemed like a decent price - certainly the best price I have seen in several years.
They are DNU brand(?) primers, USA made and the picture looks they come in "white box" generic packaging.
The listing describes them as "Factory Seconds – Hard Cup Primers – NATO Spec. These are only considered seconds due to their hard cups. Light striking firearms may have misfires. These are still within NATO Spec and function perfectly."
I only have 2 guns that use ammo with large rifle primers, and neither have been modified in any way, so I don't expect I'll have any problem with them.
Hopefully.
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AJ
US Veteran
Times are changing!! The last time I bought a case of primers it was $125.00 for the case. Hope my supplies last until I take a dirt nap!!
Yeah, I've got a BUNCH of SPP, LPP, and SRP that I bought at those prices too - probably enough to last my lifetime and then some.
But the one thing I didn't have is a good supply LRP, because I never owned anything that needed them until just a couple of years ago.
I actually had around 8k or 10k of them that I picked up for around $15-$20 per thousand, but since I had no use for them at the time, I (stupidly) sold them for $40 per thousand.
I made a couple of hundred bucks selling them, but now I just spent that much to get only half as many.
As they say, hindsight is always 20/20.
"I wish, that, I knew what I know now, when I was younger..."
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AJ
US Veteran
The LGS buys estates. Before all this craziness they sold us primers at $10.00/thousand, bullets $20.00/500, powder $5.00/pound and all other reloading stuff on a good deal basis. Now that they have figured out that it is worth their time to sell the supplies, our source has dried up. But, I have about three shelves full of primers and powder, so no worries.
enjoy your W231, after going nuts with not being able to get powders I went to one powder for my 9mm and my 45. I was also using it for my 40 and found it to work satisfactory in all 3 calibers. I am one who cleans my guns after shooting and have never shot so many rounds to have a
malfunction so a powder would have to be real dirty for it to matter for me.
I believe i am close to having a life supply of W231 a local gun shop has 8 lb jugs in stock and if a decide to get one I am sure I will have enough.
malfunction so a powder would have to be real dirty for it to matter for me.
I believe i am close to having a life supply of W231 a local gun shop has 8 lb jugs in stock and if a decide to get one I am sure I will have enough.
I still have a can of 231 in the Win/Western metal can. No price on it, but a can of 296 from about the same time has $17.95 on it. A later plastic jar of 296 is up to $22 on the tag. I had been saving that just for loading carbine but my 30 carbine has not been getting exercised as outdoor ranges are far away from me now. I think the last pound of Unique I bought showed up during the drought for 44$. But I got a long ways to go to use up the older version, that says HERCULES.
Green Frog
Member
That’s odd, David. 231 is about all I’ve loaded in the modest number of 9mm I’ve done so far. What charge weight and bullet are you using?
Froggie
The last Estate I bought had a load of powder...8 Lbs of 7625 8 lbs of Universal 8 lbs of Longshot .... 6 lbs of Green Dot 3 lbs 571/HS-7 4 lbs of Promo 2 1/2 lbs of 4759 and a pound of Benchmark and a 20 pound can of I ain't real sure. Can says Red Dot without the dots
max503
Member
I got a pound of Titegroup last week for $30.
Powder is crazy. The powders you use for pistol cartridges is cheaper per lb than the rifle powders, yet you can loads lots more. Makes rifle shooting far more expensive than it should be.
Take a look at Vihtvouri powders, they used to be the most expensive, but they haven' jacked their prices up as much as H & A has. May have to develop new loads though.
Take a look at Vihtvouri powders, they used to be the most expensive, but they haven' jacked their prices up as much as H & A has. May have to develop new loads though.
Just a few years ago, during Covid, I was in my local gun shop and saw a 4 lb jug of 231 on the shelf for $99. I didn't really need it at the time but bought it anyway. It has been my go to powder for probably 40 years. Ironically my favorite loads in 9mm and 45 acp are both 4.3 gr 231. It gives me a good 1100+ with a 125 JHP in the 9mm, and a mid 700 fps with a 200 gr SWC cast bullet in the 45 that is bullseye X-Ring accurate. I've still got about 1/3 of that 231 left, plus a lb of HP38. I also have 2 1/2 lbs of Varget on the shelf from my Prairie Dog hunting days. I may have to get rid of one of these days, as I sold off both my 22-250's and the 243. I do have a nice little Sako .222 left, but it likes 4198, and I have 3 lbs of it still on the shelf.
I use 231/HP38 in the 45 auto and other pistol/revolver rounds but don't bother with 9mm. I also like 4198 in 222/222Mag..as well as 2230.Seems like you've found your major go to powders for those calibers...and they are good choices. NOS 4198 can often be found at gun shows cheap
David Sinko
Member
My problems with 231 in 9mm started when trying to load service grade equivalent with cast and plated bullets. One particular 122 gr. TC cast bullet with a published load of 231 keyholed in every firearm that tried it, to include revolvers, autos and carbines. To add insult to injury I loaded this "undersize" bullet in .38 Special just to get rid of it and accuracy was excellent! Then I loaded a 122 gr. RN cast bullet with the same powder charge into the 9mm and accuracy was also excellent. So same charge of 231 with different bullets and dramatically different results. Accuracy with 231 and plated bullets has also been unpredictable.
AJ
US Veteran
Gotta keep trying until you find the bullet and powder charge the gun "likes". Not every gun will shoot that load accurately.
I was searching for my favorite powder...Unique...say what you may about it, it has just worked for a Century or more, and I found the "new, cleaner" version some better. Anyhoo, no luck, but I did run across a store that had two powders I have wanted to try for my 357...AA #5 and BE 86. I bought a pound of each, at nearly a Benjamin, and figured I was good to go. A fellow on another site read of my search, and PM'd me he had a pound of #5 he would give me. Say What?? We arranged to meet at a place I had wanted to visit, and he apperared at the appointed time. In the bag he handed me containing the pound of #5, there was also an unopened bottle of Uniqe! I offered to pay him, or help him fill his Harley's tank, but he wouldn't hear of it! The shooting community has some amazingly nice people in its ranks, and I'm happy to be one of them!
AJ
US Veteran
There are some good folks out there!
Powder described as “Red Dot without the dots” must surely be Alliant Promo. As you are a shotgun guy, you must know Promo! This powder has never been offered in single one pound containers.
Alliant tells you that it uses published load data for Red Dot by weight and not by volume! So find your favorite Red Dot charge from a published, trusted source and load it with Promo by weight. If you have a powder measure chamber set for a Red Dot charge, DON’T!
When the Barackolypse went down, I grabbed an 8-pounder of Promo for $75 and proceeded to use the entire thing for .45 Auto under 200 and 230 grain bullets. If my memory is sharp today… that rolled something around 11,000 rounds.
I have never really liked any of the Red/Green/Blue Dot powders or Unique. Never much cared for fat flake powder in handgun loads. Promo is the same, so I was never a huge fan of metering it, but for 11,000 rounds it worked fine. I won’t ever go looking for Promo again but at $75 for 8 pounds, it was a fiscally responsible decision.
