How much powder have you burned?

[Peter M. Eick]

I keep pretty meticulous records of my shooting and reloading. Today just for grins I took my spreadsheet and had it multiply the number of rounds loaded by the charge weight for each caliber and then sum the total.

I have now shot/loaded 254 lbs of powder. I have loaded over 280,000 rounds since I started keeping records in 1995.

Being mostly a pistol shooter this seems about right. Lots of unique and bullseye got shot to get to that total. If I had a spot to shoot rifle easier, I am sure the total would be a lot higher since I would like to shoot rifles more but the conditions at my range make it not much fun to do.

So how much powder and rounds have you burned?

 

[JohnM]

Enough to fill up a pretty big can.
Bout as close as I can guesstimate.

 

[floydster]

I haven't burned any, but I have shot alot

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I've gone through 8 lbs of IMR-4895 in .308
8 lbs of Unique in 40 and 9mm
4 lbs of H-4895 in .223

That's quite a few rounds.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have not consumed as much powder as mr Eick.

I could calculate the amount as I have kept records since 1980. But I am too busy priming my cases by hand off the progressive press.

 

[gahunter12]

Not sure about total powder, but I have gone thru 5lb of W231 this year so far.

 

[C5rider]

First ONE!!!!

I just polished off my first Lb of Universal powder since I started reloading this Christmas. Looking to try another powder as I go forward.

I load for 9mm, 38, 357 and 45.

Enjoy spending the time at the press.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Congratulations!

I vaguely remember my first pound of powder. It was Winchester 230 back in the mid 70's if I remember right. I was shooting 38 special then and 230 was the standard powder. I was also shooting 3031 in my Winchester 30/30. I am still using that powder today.

 

[ReloaderFred]

My first pound of powder was in 1963, and came in a paper roll top bag, like coffee beans come in. It was World War II surplus IMR 4831, and cost .35 cents.

Since then, several hundred pounds of various rifle, pistol and shotgun powders. Since about the mid 1970's, I've bought most of my powder by the keg, which I still do. Just looking at the recent kegs that I've cut the top out of to store brass and shotgun shells, I'd say I've loaded over a 100 pounds in the last two years or so. Loading for 31 calibers uses up a lot of powder, primers and bullets..............

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Uniquedot]

I've loaded over a 100 pounds in the last two years or so.

You gotta be a heckuva marksman! that's a lot of powder to burn in two years.

 

[rcmodel]

I actually haven't even got a good guess.

I started shooting .22 in 1950 something when I was about 7, and started reloading in 1962.
Then I shot GI issue ammo for Uncle Sugar for a while with no round count or accountability.
And also trap, skeet & hunting on my own dime.

I never kept that good a records, and if I did, I lost most everything in my first computer crash in 1970 something.

rc

 

[ReloaderFred]

Uniquedot,

My wife and I are heavily into SASS shooting, so we go through a lot of ammunition in a year's time. This year alone, we'll be shooting in matches in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. In one match alone, called True Grit, each stage requires 4 revolvers, two rifles and at least 10 rounds of shotgun. That's a minimum of 50 rounds per stage, and there are 12 stages over two days, not to mention side matches. In this discipline alone, we shoot an average of two to three matches per month, plus we shoot in other disciplines. And then there's the fun shooting.........

So yes, we do go through a lot of gunpowder, etc.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Armored farmer]

I couldnt say for sure, but back in the "80s pop and I were shooting/reloading 600 rds of 12 gauge per week at trap. I remember several late-nite reloading marathons to get ready for the upcoming weekend. Then there was the time we got a really good deal on lead shot and turned to 'ol Caprice into a low-rider. We had to scatter the bags out in the floorboards....too much for the trunk lol.

 

[gahunter12]

First ONE!!!!
I just polished off my first Lb of Universal powder since I started reloading this Christmas. Looking to try another powder as I go forward.

I load for 9mm, 38, 357 and 45.

Enjoy spending the time at the press.
*

Congrats! I remember my first lb of powder also. I just started loading about 10 months ago my self. I used up my first lb in a month! LOL! I have loaded 1000-1500 rnds of 45acp, and 40 s&w, and 800-1000 38spl per month in average. My wife and I shoot about 300-400 rnds each week plus IDPA once per month. I absolutely love my time spent at the bench. I usually load about 500 rnds of one caliber during the week, then finish up the last 500 on Sunday afternoon before switching over to a new caliber. Then repeat for my next caliber. This allows me to spend time at the bench during the week and a extended session on the weekend.

 

[BeltFedEd]

Never kept records, but the last time I was at the bench I went through about 42 lb. of powder.


The .50 is a hungry beast.

 

[FROGO207]

Just for grins I have saved all my old propellant containers since about 1980. Went to the attic and counted. I used 86 full pounds and have about17 containers on the shelf that are open but not empty yet. Last years pile of primer boxes showed I used 11300 assorted primers. Other than that I don't bother to keep many records because I would just depress myself with how much money I spent reloading.

 

[JLDickmon]

exactly one buttload.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I can't even begin to guess.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

I haven't burned any, but I have shot alot

Floyd Floyd Floyd!

 

[J_McLeod]

1 lb HP-38
1 lb HS-6
2 lb CFE 223

 

[Bull Nutria]

my first pound of powder was some Win 760 for my 30.06, my first pound of shotgun powder was 700X. that was about 1976. i don't keep records but i have an empty cardboard drum that once held 8 lbs of unique and another that held 8 lbs of E3. it has been a great and very relaxing and enjoyable hobby!

Bull

 

[Wil Terry]

SINCE 1960 I have loaded nearly 875,000 rounds of pistol and rifle ammunition going strictly by primer count as of the beginning of this year.

 

[loose noose]

Try shooting trap on the weekends and once during the week, last year just shooting a 1 1/8 oz load in front of Red Dot I shot 24#s that doesn't include the rifles and handgun ammo as well as the Black Powder; Man come to think of it I'm gonna have to take a second on the house just to keep shooting.

 

[EddieNFL]

My high year (round count wise) was 1987. All USPSA and steel shooting. Over 50 pounds. Not so much these days. Maybe 35 pounds annually, rifle and handgun.

 

[JohnM]

Actually burned, about 50 tons!
After a big remote blasting job we had a lot of powder left, cost too much to ship it out and we couldn't leave it, so.

Couple guys spent days dumping it in piles with front end loaders and it went up in flames! Hot fires too.