The Pistol Powder Shortage Seems to Be Over

[hanno]

The pistol powder shortage seems to be over (at least in SW Michigan).

I visited my former LGS today. I say former because it is no longer local (I moved away from the area a couple years back and it is currently a 2 hour drive). I only get there now when I have other business in the area.

Anyway, the day before Christmas I was there and bought an 8 lb jug of Bullseye for $124.95. There were many pistol powders available in 1 lb bottles but not much in 8 lb jugs.

Today, I stopped by and bought an 8 lb jug of Win 231 for $129.95 For pistol powder - the shop had 8 lb jugs of Red Dot Bulseye, Win 231, Universal Clays, CFE and Clay Dot. Red Dot, Bulseye, Win 231, Clays, Universal Clays and some others were available in 1 lb bottles.

There was a lot of rifle powder available but since I don’t currently load rifle I didn’t write sdown the names.

Looks like the easy times are finally back.

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[karnaaj]

Those are pretty good prices.

 

[smovlov]

Holy smokes!!! It exists! Good job.

However... I'll believe it when I see it around here. This little peninsula seems to be in a vacuum.

 

[MarkG35]

Still dry in Northern California!
Congrats on your find.

 

[lauderdale]

You let the cat out of the bag! You have any snow up Daddaa Way! ( I've been hinting all along I go up North.. Did you notice if they had any B.E. 86 friend?

 

[Jesse Heywood]

I must need new glasses. I thought I just saw 8 lbs. of 231!

 

[HOWARD J]

S.E MI
Very hard to find any type of powder for the general public
Most gun shops down here don't even carry powder

 

[SleazyRider]

I sure hope you're right!

This was the year I was to begin reloading, after studying up on it for the past several years. But there's no point to my buying equipment and setting up a reloading bench until I can get some pistol powder, and there's simply none to be had as far as I can tell.

Maybe next year.

 

[Fulliautomatix]

Our local shop is getting small shipments of powder that gets snapped up pretty fast. A couple weeks ago it was a dozen bottles of HP38 and a dozen of HS6... that got snapped up. This week it was a dozen bottles of Unique, and I'm sure that's gone by now too.

 

[jradisch]

sleazy

I just loaded my fist ever rounds this week. I had recently gathered all the reloading equipment I needed but couldn't find any powder. Just scored 4# of Power Pistol and two 1# of BE-86 from Recobs. The week before I found 1# of Bullseye at my local Bass Pro. Everyone had been telling me to keep looking for powder and eventually you"LL find it. Found it sooner than I expected.
Jim

 

[ReloaderFred]

I was passing through Reno, NV, a couple of weeks ago on the way to the SHOT Show and stopped in at the Cabela's store there. I bought the only two 1 pound containers of HS-6 they had for a friend who is out of it. I thought the guy behind me was going to start a fight right there in the store!

It was expensive, at $26.99 per pound, plus tax, but my friend was desperate....

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[hanno]

You let the cat out of the bag! You have any snow up Daddaa Way! ( I've been hinting all along I go up North.. Did you notice if they had any B.E. 86 friend?

Didn't see any BE-86 but it may have been there. I was so impressed to see the Clays in 8 lb jugs, I might have looked right past it if it was there. Yes we have snow and the ice is thick enough that the ice fishermen are driving their trucks on the lake. Wind Chill right now is -12.

 

[Blue68f100]

Things are starting to get better. My LGS has been starting to get a steady monthly supplies now of some powders. I'm seeing most of the pistol powders showing up on GunBot on a regular basis now.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Getting better found some at my LGS yesterday and picked up a lb of Power Pistol. Still waiting for some of my favorite powders to restock.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Things improved a few months ago here in MN, but dried back up a month ago.

I agree things are getting better and supplies are coming back. However, my LGS has been bone dry for a month.

I have seen some posts that things will be close to normal in June. That seems like a reasonable estimate.

 

[JO JO]

improved and very dry again
northwest

 

[westy39]

I was in Billings, MT at the Big Bear Store and there was powder. There was green dot, red dot, unique, tite group, bullseye, H7, H6, I was like a kid in a candy store... I bought 1 pound of Bullseye and ran out before I tempted to buy more. The one pound cost 24.95 but at least it was on the shelf.

 

[Nanook]

I found a 4 lb container of Power Pistol last week. I was looking for Titegroup, but I missed that one.

Lots of rifle powders around here, not too much pistol powder yet.

 

[MightyMO1911]

The situation is most definitely improving. One of the biggest benefits I believe is the Clays line of powders becoming available. Clays has a huge part of the shotgun market. With it being made and imported again that should start taking pressure off of the others. I would tend to agree that by late spring or early summer the situation should be back to relative normal. Barring any unforeseen atrocity between now and then.

 

[Terlingueno]

Over? I don't think so. But it's a whole lot better than it was 14 months ago when I bought my first press.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Still dry in Northern California!
Congrats on your find.

Not that dry...I just got an 8lb jug of Titegroup for $147 and I have some BE-86 enroute to my dealer

 

[gamestalker]

Yep, seeing the same trend out here also. I've been going on a buying spree lately, stocking up on Longshot, HS6, and H110 / 296. I think I'm going to add a few more varieties to my inventory, like some CFE Pistol, 2400, Blue Dot, and maybe some AA7 and AA9.

And rifle powders have been very abundant also, with all my favorites falling off the shelves, and falling off mine now.

The only component I'm still getting spotty availability with is magnum primers, both pistol and rifle. But when I say spotty, i mean I usually have to visit more than one LGS to find them, but I have been able to find them at least.

But those prices on powders out in your neck of the woods is really good, sure wish they would come down a bit more out here, however, prices are beginning to come down.

GS

 

[Potatohead]

Their was a pistol powder shortage?

 

[ATLDave]

It's definitely easing. Still waiting to see AA#5, AA#7, and ZIP make a return, though.

 

[Bamashooter]

Better here in N. Alabama, Picked up Unique, 231, Hp38 and Titegroup in last 2 weeks. They had a lot of WSF and WST also. No CFE pistol yet. Even had PB. Rifle powders are plentiful.