Powder Quantities

I buy whatever cheapest per pound,.which usually is the multipound jug.

It’s generally always cheaper to buy in 4#, 5#, and 8# jugs. Powder can vary from lot to lot so when guys develop a load they like, they will buy 1 or 2 8# jugs to insure they get consistent loads.

I try a powder in a 1lb can and if it's a good relationship then I buy big. Only jug I have right now is varget

From what I can tell, if you buy an 8 pound can, you're basically getting a pound free (compared to buying 8 individual 1 pound cans).

I've always been a 1 pound at at time guy, but now I've gotten into shotshell reloading, and I load a lot of .357 mag and .44 mag, so I think a large can of Blue Dot may be in order.

8 pound always if possible or multiple smaller from the same lot number. When changing lot numbers, best practices is to back off a bit and work your way back up again if you are running a hot load.

I usually will buy the largest jug and enough of them to fill a Hazmat order. It’s usually a better price per pound, and if I don’t use the powder I’ll give it to my son. One exception is the VV line, and if rebates are involved. Last year VV had a rebate on one pounders that made it more cost effective to go that route. I’ve heard of blending the same powder from different lots to smooth out any lot to lot variations. I do this to some degree when the remaining powder from one jug will fit into a newly opened jug. It’s not too scientific but it saves on shelf space. Good luck!

Bulk anything usually seems to be cheaper

I generally buy a 1lb to see if the powder is going to work for whatever need I have. If it does well and I have a need for ‘more’, I’ll buy a bulk jug.

I then use the bulk jug to fill the 1lb jug as needed. It allows for easier handling and opening the big one less times.

As said above, you get better prices when buying bulk. With rifle powders 8lbs isn't all that much powder when the cartridge charge is 50gr or higher. I use a lot of W231 but since the charge weights are so light for handgun cartridges I usually buy 4lb bottles.

I have 2x 8lb bottles of H4895 (M1 Garand ammo), an 8lb bottle of H335 (223/5.56 ammo) and a 8lb jug of H4350. Other rifle powders I'm trying are usually in 1lb bottles like LVR, IMR 4166 or IMR 4451. Only problem is, it's difficult finding places to store it all while complying with local fire regs. (But I get it done)

I try to buy 8# when I can. Seeing as I have to pay the hazmat to ship it I try to get as much as I can in one order.

WB

Once I settle in on a powder, I normally buy 8# jugs. I keep the smaller 1# bottles for use at the bench, filled from the 8#. This allows the 8# jug to only be opened will refilling the smaller 1 # bottle. For rifle powders since you normally only get around 125 rounds loaded per pound on average. The 8# make more since and is more economical. I write the date on the 8# bottle as to when it was opened. I transfer the lot number to the 1 # bottle for reference.

I generally buy 1# containers for rifle powder. I've bought 4# jugs of pistol powder. My rifles are only hunting rifles and a pound last a long time. Exception being AR rounds, that goes pretty quickly I just do not shoot enough rifle to justify 8# jugs.

-Jeff

Powder & other component only go up in price, year after year. Buy as much as you can use in 10 years. Bullseye & Unique powder, only 2lbs at a time. Bullseye goes a long way at 3.8 grs a round.

I have bought 10 one pound cans of IMR 4198 at a time . And larger 4 & 8 pounders of shotgun powder.

Primers 3000 to 5000 at a time. Primers never go bad.

film495 said:

what sizes do people like to buy? do you get a better price for a larger container? and then if you're going to have it a long time does the larger container not last as long because it is opened and exposed to air more frequently? Is it better to get several small 1 pound containers? looking for people's preferences and what they do in practice.

Click to expand...

If you're asking what you should stock....1 lb containers will outsell the multi-pound containers by a large number.

Most guys that buy the kegs are extremely price sensitive. If you can't match the online prices for those kegs they are just going to sit. A simple perusal of vendors would have answered your price question.

I buy what's least expensive. For powders I use a lot of I'll buy the 4/5/8 lb kegs.

For me, it depends. I buy mostly 1 lb. bottles for a few reasons. I hate to pay Haz-Mat ripoff and only rarely purchase on line. I do a lot of experimenting and some powders won't get used much so any more than a pound just sits around. And my local box store just stocks 1 lb bottles. Some powders I use a lot of so I get larger containers; Universal, IMR 4964, WC 820 and BR-5 all in 8 lb jugs.

In my experience, and what I've read, smokeless powders do not have a shelf life. If properly stored they will last many decades. I had some Unique that I purchased in 1982 (?) or thereabouts, and I used the last few grain of the last bottle just a few months ago, and I saw, and measured by chrony, no difference...

I started reloading about 20 years ago, then quit reloading about 15 years ago...only to start reloading again a few months ago. I've loaded up stuff recently with powder that has been sitting that whole time and haven't encountered any issues so far. It's been in a high tech, temp controlled storage area (my closet, on a shelf).

Bulk is always cheaper on a per pound basis; what you need to determine is how much shooting are you going to do? An 8# jug has 56,000 grains in it. If you're shooting Bullseye loads of 4 grains, you'll get 14,000 rounds from that jug. However if you only shoot 500 rounds a year, that will last you 28 years. OTOH, if you shoot a lot or in competition, you might go through that much in 6 months.......

film495, propellant, when properly stored (even when the seal has been removed), can last for decades.

As a general rule, I will buy 1 pounders of new-to-me powders for rolling testloads. If those prove-out, and I intend on using a good deal of the "new" powder, I will source one (or more) of the larger canisters.

Once I settle on a powder, I buy 8#'s... or more. My last order for IMR4895 was 32#.

Hi...
I buy in all size containers.

I buy a lot of one pound containers of powder to test different powders, particularly for rifles.

Most of my handgun loads are well tested and I have settled on the powders I plan to use. Therefore, I buy those powders in larger containers particularly Unique.

It depends on what I am reloading and /or trying different powders for load development. For new loads or low volume reloading, I will by a 1# bottle. Since I use Hodgdon Universal for all my semi auto pistols rounds, I buy it by the 8# jug. I can load a lot of pistol ammo with 8 pounds of powder. I normally buy Hodgdon H110 by the 1# bottle since it goes a long way when loading 410 shells. I get between 450 and 470 reloads out of a pound of H110 depending on the load/hull used. Now if I were to get into reloading 300 Blackout, then I would buy H110 in a bigger jug.