Powder prices? Seriously?????

Following.

Have bought plenty of powder lately, and left 10 times as much on the shelves. We’re probably looking at different powders, but yesterday I found H3031, H4198, VV N105, N130, N140, IMR4227, plus HS6, H110, and that’s just one store. Higher prices than a few months ago, about $26 to $32 lb for Hodgdon and IMR, $38.75 for the Vihtavuori.

I’m driving further than ever before...but finding plenty...variety of projectiles...no primers.

Grabbed a set of .223 Rem dies, some 55gr FMJBT, and 150gr FMJBT in .308 for my .300 BO. Then last night I ordered 750 125gr solid copper BT bullets, also in .308...$175.47 shipped.

The simple solution here is powder, primers, ammo, too high? DO NOT BUY. Price will go down. Or go on line and tell everyone you just found out there is none, and some are trying to get very high prices for it. Since of course no one knew that already.

Here's the powder & primers section of the Bass Pro Shop B&M store in San Antonio, Texas on October 13, 2020. It was the most powder I'd seen in store stock there in months at that time.



I have some IMR 4831 powder I purchased online with free ship-to-store that's currently waiting for me there I'm waiting for an order of primers I purchased last week separately (were available a different day & time than the powder) with free ship-to-store to be delivered next week then I'll make a trip to pick up both those orders. I'll take a fresh photo at that time to show what current store stock is.

ETA: Both MidwayUSA and Powder Valley had numerous varieties of Shooter's World powders suddenly become available this week, some are already sold out again. Since you're looking for Varget here's an article comparing Hodgdon Varget to Shooter's World Precision Rifle powder, for consideration.

https://www.reloadingallday.com/post/varget-vs-shooters-world-precision

Sniper66 said:

I know we have a serious panic going on, but I'm stunned and frightened...yes, frightened. I started looking for some powder today since I'm running low on Varget. None of the suppliers have any. NO ONE!! GunBroker has it for over $100 per pound! Last pound I bought was $32 and I was annoyed by that price. Found an #8 pounder on GunBroker for $825. Where in the name of h*** is the powder going? The manufacturers (I think) are making it as fast as they can do so safely. These prices will put most people out of the reloading business, including me. I'll have enough to make my hunting rounds for a few years, but forget target practice. Has anyone found any powder in a retail store in the last month? Is there any help out there??

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How long ago did you buy your Varget? It has been hard to find for several years, both locally and online. Just, FYI, other hard to source powders are IMR-8208XBR, H-1000, Retumbo, AR Comp, H-4895, among others. H-4350 has been in short supply for several years due to 6.5 Creedmoor shooters, but is starting to show up again online.
The past 8 months, the increased demand for ammunition and reloading components has led to an unprecedented panic due to COVID 19, civil unrest in major cities and a questionable election. Primers are also near impossible to find at last year’s prices and have been shown selling at auction sites for 10 times last years prices. The only way to battle these high prices is for people to stop paying them. If supply stays constant (or increases) and/or demand falls, prices will start falling. That’s how markets work.
In the meantime, you might look for IMR-4064. It is very close to Varget in burn rate and application and has been much more available than Varget over the past several years. I managed to purchase six pounds locally over the past 6 months. Of course, it too, may be in short supply now, too.

The shelves in my local stores are basically empty and my handloading supplies are about gone. I still have plenty of factory ammo and handloaded ammo.

I don't plan to pay rip off prices for factory ammo or supplies. Firearms are a hobby for me. I've backed off going to the range, most local gun shows have been canceled. I've stopped going to the ones that are still scheduled. I am doing as much as I can to stay healthy and avoid exposure to Covid or other crud that goes around every winter.

Things will get better and more normal (whatever that is) before too long.

There are other more important things in life and I am simply refocusing my attention and priorities for now.

Wow. Someone else saying Varget is hard to find.

Over the last 10 years, I don't know how many times I've heard the same thing.

One would think, after all these years, people would find something else. There are myriad other powders that will perform within the parameters of Varget.

If it can't be found, use something else. This isn't 1935, there are other powders.

I have, over the years slowly built up my stock of reloading supplies. I try to keep what I plan to use for the next 5 years in reserve. Then I resupply as sales and deals allow. Now I am slowing my consumption down. This has been a winning strategy for me for decades now.
I remember giving the advice in March to buy primers, that's what I did.

I'm a handgun reloader.

My sport pistol 8lb keg was down below 3lbs so I was looking.
My research pointed i would like some Winchester wst mostly for 45acp. My bullseye was down to two pounds so was looking for that.

I looked daily for a few weeks. Could find one but not the other two at a online vendor. Then it was gone and another of the three was available. Finally after three more weeks I bought 8lb of sport pistol. Then next week 8lb of wst from a different vendor. The double hazmat/ shipping hurt a little but these are the times and that was the price I was willing to pay.

Haven't found bullseye except for one pound at algs for $35 plus tax.. I passed. The 16lb of aforementioned powder have pretty much set me free.

I also load 44 mag but shoot less of it and will worry about it once my current stock of 700 loaded rounds is shot down some.

Below is price difference one year apart

The powder will only cost that much if you buy it.

Where is it going? It was cheap enough when in stock for people to buy more than they could use, so they did. Now people who didn’t have to go without or pay prices that they will be ashamed of in a few months. Not unlike the folks that bought $650 AR’s for $2000 or $12 P mags for $100 after Obama’s re-election and Sandyhook.

I bet there are more than a few people that are still paying interest only on stuff they bought back then that they could have purchased for much less in the years between then and now.

I stop by local stores mid-week. By a pound of what I need. Now usually in the high $30's rather than high $20's, but thats just the current market.

I’m a year away from eight decades on this planet and crap like this seems to happen every decade or so, I think this is my third or fourth such episode. In the first few I held the opinion that normal inflation wasn’t enough for the components manufacturers so the created an artificial shortage to drive prices up or so it seemed to me. But 2020 has not been a normal end to a decade.

Are they getting it? Or just asking for it?
And remember Gunbroker doesn't "have" anything.
They host a site for people to auction stuff. Folks can get on there and ask whatever they want.
However, it wouldn't surprise me right now if people were paying it. The absolute insanity of panic minded people never ceases to amaze me.

My friends shoot Varget and have said it has been somewhat hard to find for over a year, especially if you wanted 4 or 8# jugs

Mr. Zorg said:

Here's the powder & primers section of the Bass Pro Shop B&M store in San Antonio, Texas

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Last time I was in Cabelas in Allen, TX, they had about 30 pounds of smokeless on the shelf. Further, just down the street at the LGS, they had about twice as much, plus a few 8# jugs, including H335 and HP-38.

Powder is out there... you just have to be patient. Don't give in to the Dark Side.

Sniper66 said:

Has anyone found any powder in a retail store in the last month? Is there any help out there??

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Don't know about help, but I stopped by the LGS a couple of weeks ago, and they had 30~40 pounds of powder. Nothing I was looking for, but it was there and at reasonable prices. Vihtavouri in the $36~$40 range, etc... They had bullets as well, but again nothing I was looking for.

No primers though.

chris

Sniper66 said:

I know we have a serious panic going on, but I'm stunned and frightened...yes, frightened. I started looking for some powder today since I'm running low on Varget. None of the suppliers have any. NO ONE!! GunBroker has it for over $100 per pound! Last pound I bought was $32 and I was annoyed by that price. Found an #8 pounder on GunBroker for $825. Where in the name of h*** is the powder going? The manufacturers (I think) are making it as fast as they can do so safely. These prices will put most people out of the reloading business, including me. I'll have enough to make my hunting rounds for a few years, but forget target practice. Has anyone found any powder in a retail store in the last month? Is there any help out there??

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This is price gouging at it's finest. Buying only encourages the behavior.

Alex Clayton said:

The simple solution here is powder, primers, ammo, too high? DO NOT BUY.

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Exactly this.

.40

I guess it varies by region. My local guns store has zero primers and few bullets but the powder shelves are full. The three I normally buy H335, Titegroup and CFE are all readily available for around $30/lb.

Bullets I can still get online for reasonable prices if I'm willing to wait 8 weeks or so.

Primers for more than $200 per thousand isn't going to happen unless I get a lot more desperate than I am now.

Well since yesterday at 3PM and 10PM all the Shooters World powders at PV have been sold out. I figured at least SOME of them would be available for a day or so.
And no, I did not need to purchase any so just watched it happen.

Are we surprised? I’m not, it’s the same as everything else.

Y2K, Obama’s election, Sandy Hook, Obama’s second election, Las Vegas shooting, Clinton’s run, China Virus, Riots, Biden/Harris

This is nothing new and it won’t be the last time we see this. Why not save money right now instead of buying expensive components and blow the savings when components return to normal.

forty_caliber said:

This is price gouging at it's finest. Buying only encourages the behavior.



Exactly this.

.40

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It happens when anything is in short supply for any reason and it sucks but damn. Every time we have one of these panic shortages it gets really old to hear the whining and crying about the scalpers making bank. It happens over and over and one thing you can count on is after it's been going on for months someone feels it helps to daily go on line to tell the world they just found out there is a shortage and some are scalping, and whine about it. When people stop buying the stuff pipe line fills again, price drops to normal, shelves fill up and everyone ignores the stuff. Rinse and repeat next time.

Whats funny is... I expected powder to show back up first. Without primers and bullets... there is very little need for powder.

Recently bought an 8lb keg of 4320 for $195 at the LGS. H4831 was $250 for a 8 lb keg. Thier 1lb'ers were right in line at about $30.