Powder Valley

[Jeff H]

I've shopped at Powder valley many times and have always been pleased but lately their prices haven't seemed a super as usual so I did a little comparison shopping with Grafs and Winders on a small ($300ish) order.

Grafs was higher than Powder valley for the 12 lbs of powder and 1000 bullets I was buying.
Powder Valley was $360 once the hazmat fees were tacked on.
Winders was $330 total. That's almost 10% cheaper so they got my order. I've never used them before, but they have a good rep.

Of the 3 items on the list, Powder Valley didn't have the cheapest price on any of them.

 

[sellersm]

That's fairly unusual. PV almost always gets my business because they're closer to me (I'm in CO) so the shipping is usually very inexpensive. Widener's does have some great prices sometimes, however!

 

[Walkalong]

Wideners is just as good a supplier. If they have the better price, use them.

 

[rajb123]

I use PV often but I do not assume they are the seller with the lowest price. ....accordingly, shop around before you buy anything.... prices vary a ton!


....the price of components has gone through the roof lately.... I suspect the federal government's claim that inflation is near zero is BS!

 

[rogn]

If you're following prices, they are starting shuffle upward again. I suspect its another offshoot of Obamama care. Is there an election coming?

 

[rajb123]

I bought my last load of primers and powder from my LGS..... yeh they are higher than PV but after the hazard fee and shipping it was close in price...

when I consider where to buy, shipping and the haz mat fee are very important

 

[Otto]

Depends on what's ordered

Examples:
Varget 8lbs......PV $145 in stock / Wideners $139 Out of Stock
Win 231 8lbs....PV $121 in stock /Wideners $118 Out of Stock
Rem 7½ primers....PV $30 in stock /Wideners $26 Out of Stock

A company's lower price doesn't mean much if they're out of stock.
Wideners is often out of the stuff I need, whereas Powder Valley has better inventory.
I like one-stop shopping because it saves on HazMat fees and shipping.

 

[4895]

I've never ordered a hazmat product mostly because I can't see purchasing such a large order. One of these days I might but unless I split an order with someone else, I can't see buying 5k primers and 8 lb. of powder to save $10 from the lgs.

 

[jack44]

It's alway better to shop around before you put your order in.

 

[dickttx]

Always go to the bottom line-delivered price. Nothing else matters.
Some people try to completely avoid the hazmat fee.
My last PV order was for 10K CCI primers and 8# of HP38. It was for $418.45 sitting on my porch.
Local was $5 per hundred for primers and $136 for the HP38. Total with sales tax would have been $688.47. Not counting pickup gas for a 50 mile round trip. Which, incidently, would have been approximately the same as the shipping.

 

[Sidewinder72]

I shop around also. I have bought alot from PV. And have always had good dealings. They get most of my powder and primers for me.

 

[FROGO207]

I will check all the usual suspects listed and more including Natchez and Midway before I buy. Most times an hour spent on the computer will be worth about $40-$50 in savings. Also I always have a want list and will buy when most of the products are available from a single source. I might not necessarily need one or two things on the list at that time so if the vendor has everything else at a total lower cost, I buy and the missing things go on the next list. I try to buy in bulk and plan for staying 2 years ahead of demand. I feel I am extremely fortunate to be able to spend my money on things like this these days. I realize some on here can not afford the cost of buying even 1K of primers and a pound or two of propellant at a time. IMHO small amount purchases is the costliest way to get haz-mat items no matter which way you purchase them.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I recently placed a 600 buck order with PV. I had it in 3 days and was only charged $15.95 S&H on top of haz mat/insurance. All in all, I saved over 30% compared to buying locally.

 

[biogenic]

PV always treated me right. I found they have the best prices around and their service is first class.

 

[dragon813gt]

You're already on the Internet so it makes sense to look at the all options. The last two large component orders I placed were through powder valley. They had the best prices and everything in stock. The last order I had for dies and other tools was through Midway. They didn't have the cheapest prices on individual items. But all were in stock so I saved by not having to pay multiple shipping charges. No reason not to look at every vendor.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

 

[dickttx]

Dragon has a very good point. If it is not in stock you are usually going to have additional shipping charges.

I recently purchased a LnL AP, with two shell plates and 10 lock rings. I priced it out all the way through shipping with four different vendors. Only about $10 difference from high to low. However, Natchez was the only one that had it all in stock. Even if backorder was shipped free, couldn't imagine setting there with a new toy and no shellplate or bushing.

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Always go to the bottom line-delivered price. Nothing else matters.
Some people try to completely avoid the hazmat fee.
My last PV order was for 10K CCI primers and 8# of HP38. It was for $418.45 sitting on my porch.
Local was $5 per hundred for primers and $136 for the HP38. Total with sales tax would have been $688.47. Not counting pickup gas for a 50 mile round trip. Which, incidently, would have been approximately the same as the shipping.

I came to that conclusion my self. Local was maybe two or three dollars more per item. say $24.95 for a pound of powder compared to $21. Primers are another one. I order Tula from PV compared to best price CCI local. Saves like $10 a thousand.

When you figure Gas, Sales tax, My time, and the premium. Paying the hazmat/ Shipping is a no brainer.

I still obsess about it some. just not like I used too.

 

[Striker Fired]

I used to order a lot from Widners.They always had some of the cheapest prices. I got tired of waiting 3-6months for them to get items in stock and get billed 3 times for shipping because they had 2 things out of 10 "in stock" and every time an item or two came in, they would ship them out(charge shipping again), then wait till the next item(s) came in and repeat.That may have changed since I last ordered, but the last time I did look on their website, not one thing I needed was in stock.
I now buy most bulk at PV. Widners would be one of the top companies if they would just have anything "in stock". I no longer even go to their website.

I have no real local source for reloading,other than some primers and a very limited powder choice. Other than a Gander Mtn at 2x the standard price.

 

[Bowfishrp]

I compare apples to apples when ordering too. Some add a handling and shipping fee others dont. It takes longer but I compare them all out just to be sure before they get my money.