Will "non-domestic" branded powders ever become popular?

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LiveLife

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I had hoped the current "great component shortage" would have been resolved by now. While availability of pistol powders is improving, popular powders are still not readily available or being sold out fast.

I am seeing these non-domestic branded powders carried by different online vendors in increasing numbers:

Vectan by Nobel Sport / Sweden:
- Single base stick powders - Ba10, Ba9 1/2, Ba9, Ba7 1/2, Ba6 1/2
- Single base flake powders - A0, AS, A1

Shooters World/Lovex by Explosia / Czech Republic:
- Single base powders - S011, S015, S020
- Double base powders - D013, D032, D036, D037.1, D037.2

Norma by Ruag / Swiss:
- R1, R123, SP2, SP3

Will these "non-domestic" branded powders ever become popular?

While I have plenty of my favored domestic branded powders on hand; if I was short on powders, I would be tempted to test some of the powders in comparable burn rate range as my favored powders.

Listing of powders by "relative" burn rates - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=10163949#post10163949
Faster burning pistol powders:

E3 - Competition - Nitro 100 - N310 - R1 - Ba10 - S011 - D013

No. 2 - Bullseye - Clays - WST - Red Dot/Promo - 700X - TiteGroup - Solo 1000 - Am. Select - International - Trail Boss - PB - N320 - AS - Ba9 1/2 - S015 - D032

No. 5 - W231/HP-38 - Zip - Green Dot - SR7625 - N32C - A1 - S020 - D036

Slower burning pistol powders:

Unique - Universal - BE-86 - Power Pistol - WSF - N330 - Ba9

HS6 - AutoComp - CFE Pistol - Silhouette - Long Shot - Herco - 800X - True Blue - N340 - 3N37 - A0

No. 7 - SR4756 - Blue Dot - N350 - SP2 - Ba7 1/2 - D037.1

No. 9 - Enforcer - W296/H110 - 2400 - Steel - SR4759 - H4227 - Lil'Gun - 3N38 - R123 - SP3 - Ba6 1/2 - D037.2
Click to expand...
 
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Many "domestic" powders are made overseas, so why not? Vihtavuori has gained a good hold, why couldn't others? Time will tell.
 
Reloaders with less experience may shy away from them because the big name bullet mfg and popular reloading manuals don't often provide load data using those powders. Personally, if I were clean out I would give them a try. Otherwise, there is a lot more load data from trusted sources for someone like me that has only been doing this a few years with more popular powders.

Just a different perspective from someone that doesn't have decades of experience like you guys :)
 
bds, I thought Nobel Sport was out of France.

But yeah, if I too hadn't already have enough powder. And it was like 2013 again. I'm sure I would have a few pounds of it.

Norma and Nobel Sports seem to be carried by several sites. Shooters World by a few.

There is also CSB, I think out of Spain. But it doesn't look like they have much of a supply network here in the states.

I'm with horseman1, in that with more data on hand, the domestic powders will be readily received over the newcomers.
 
Have a better price? More availability? I would do it. I have been at it long enough that working up a load without precise data would work for me. BUT the newer reloaders will have to play it safe and stick with proven data IMHO.

FWIW I remember going to the hardware/radio parts store with my grandfather and getting a paper sack of propellant to reload with. They had a wooden keg of "rifle" and one of "pistol/shotgun". It did not even say who made it. We would take it home and spend a day or so developing data, first with cast lead bullets then with the more expensive jacketed bullets. Or spend the day patterning shot. If were lucky the next time we called there the same keg would still be there and have some in it. No need to work up data again. That equated into a big savings in time and materials. What we used worked OK but the canister propellants when available like say #2 were better when loading for specific calibers. BUT back then we did not do a lot of shooting like is done today at the ranges. We reloaded mostly for hunting and pest control on the farm.
 
Was over 20 years ago the bench rest community where I shoot introduced me to VihtaVuori and I maintain a good stock of the stuff still today. Have some Norma powder but haven't tried it yet. I am always open to trying new powders. If nothing else the recent drought got a good number of people trying powders, including foreign imported names to try powders they would not generally try or use.

As to foreign manufacture? Are any of the what we would call domestic named powders actually made in the USA?

Ron
 
With Shooters World being the actual mfr of Accurate I would hope that one will take off.
 
Reloadron said:
Are any of the what we would call domestic named powders actually made in the USA?
Click to expand...
Yes, there are quite a few - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=10164087#post10164087

Accurate No 2 - USA
Accurate No 5 - USA
Accurate No 7 - Belgium
Accurate No 9 - Belgium
Accurate 1680 - Israel
Accurate 4100 - USA

Alliant Bullseye - USA
Alliant "Dot" powders - USA
Alliant Promo - USA
Alliant Unique - USA
Alliant Power Pistol - USA
Alliant Herco - USA
Alliant Reloder 7 - Sweden
Alliant Reloder 15 - Sweden
Alliant Reloder 17 - Switzerland
Alliant Reloder 22 - Sweden

Goex powders - USA

Hodgdon HP-38 - USA
Hodgdon Titegroup - USA
Hodgdon "Clays" powders - Australia soon Canada
Hodgdon CFE Pistol - USA
Hodgdon H335 - USA
Hodgdon H4198 - USA
Hodgdon H4895 - Australia
Hodgdon Varget - Australia

IMR powders - Canada
IMR Trail Boss - Australia

Norma powders - Switzerland & 4 other countries

Ramshot TAC - Belgium

Shooters World/Lovex powders - Czech Republic

Vectan powders - Sweden

VihtaVuori powders - Finland

Winchester 231 - USA
Winchester Super Target - USA
Winchester Super Field - USA
Winchester AutoComp - USA
 
Never mind. While I was out in the shop checking labels, bds provided a comprehensive list :).

In my attempt lame to add value, I did find out that you can add Longshot to the list of USA powders!
 
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Ron, it's good to have choices in life. While I like A1680 for .300 BLK, I won't have any issue using H4198 and I have W296/H110/H4198 on hand and looking for 300MP.

horseman1, thanks. Here's an updated list:

Accurate No 2 - USA
Accurate No 5 - USA
Accurate No 7 - Belgium
Accurate No 9 - Belgium
Accurate 1680 - Israel

Alliant Bullseye - USA
Alliant "Dot" powders - USA
Alliant Promo - USA
Alliant Unique - USA
Alliant Power Pistol - USA
Alliant Herco - USA
Alliant Reloder 7 - Sweden
Alliant Reloder 15 - Sweden
Alliant Reloder 17 - Switzerland
Alliant Reloder 22 - Sweden

Goex powders - USA

Hodgdon HP-38 - USA
Hodgdon Titegroup - USA
Hodgdon "Clays" powders - Australia soon Canada
Hodgdon CFE Pistol - USA
Hdgddon Longshot - USA
Hodgdon H335 - USA
Hodgdon H4198 - USA
Hodgdon H4895 - Australia
Hodgdon Varget - Australia

IMR powders - Canada
IMR 700X - USA
IMR 800X - USA
IMR Trail Boss - Australia

Norma powders - Switzerland & 4 other countries

Ramshot TAC - Belgium
Ramshot ZIP - Belgium

Shooters World/Lovex powders - Czech Republic

Vectan powders - Sweden

VihtaVuori powders - Finland

Winchester 231 - USA
Winchester Super Target - USA
Winchester Super Field - USA
Winchester AutoComp - USA
Winchester 748 - USA
 
It is a global economy for everything. If it works, I really do not care where it comes from. I like to support the USA but if we can;t do it for some reason, then we are just killing ourselves. Just like primers
 
Note: Since the "IMR" brand name is now owned by Hodgdon, these powders are no longer exclusively made in Canada. Hodgdon has them made wherever they want. IMR4227 has been made in Australia for several years now.

Don
 
Depending on currency exchange rates, if non-domestic powders perform comparable to domestic powders, I think whether they become popular may depend heavily on price/lb and availability.

While some of us were/are fortunate enough to stock up on powders of our choice, there are new reloaders and older/match shooters who must purchase whatever powder they can get their hands on. If their preferred domestic branded powders are not available, they may elect to try non-domestic branded powders of similar burn rate.

I am continuing to teach new reloaders how to reload. While I have enough powders on hand to share with some of them, I find myself testing new powders so they can reload with powders that are obtainable.
 
bds said:
I had hoped the current "great component shortage" would have been resolved by now. While availability of pistol powders is improving, popular powders are still not readily available or being sold out fast.

I am seeing these non-domestic branded powders carried by different online vendors in increasing numbers:

Vectan by Nobel Sport / Sweden:
- Single base stick powders - Ba10, Ba9 1/2, Ba9, Ba7 1/2, Ba6 1/2
- Single base flake powders - A0, AS, A1

Shooters World/Lovex by Explosia / Czech Republic:
- Single base powders - S011, S015, S020
- Double base powders - D013, D032, D036, D037.1, D037.2

Norma by Ruag / Swiss:
- R1, R123, SP2, SP3

Will these "non-domestic" branded powders ever become popular?

While I have plenty of my favored domestic branded powders on hand; if I was short on powders, I would be tempted to test some of the powders in comparable burn rate range as my favored powders.

Listing of powders by "relative" burn rates - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=10163949#post10163949
Click to expand...


Shooters World D032 seems to be a near exact copy of AA#2, and it should be as it's made in the same factory by the same people that used to make AA#2.

It's certainly became popular with me. I won't give exact numbers, but you know the volume I shoot. I have several years worth in reserve.
 
AnselHazen said:
With Shooters World being the actual mfr of Accurate I would hope that one will take off.
Click to expand...


To be accurate(pun intended)Shooters World(Lovex, Explosia) used to be the manufacturer of some Accurate Powders. Now they are selling the same powders under their own brand. Load data overlaps and neither company will say they are the same for obvious reasons.

My testing certainly proved that D032 is the same as AA#2, at least the lot I have is. Both by volume and speed.
 
ljnowell, now you got my interest. So No 2 ~ D032, check.

I listed N32C/A1/S020/D036 at same burn rate as No 5/W231/HP-38. Anyone have experience with these powders compared to W231/HP-38?
 
I'm not strictly opposed to trying them, but one of the three would have to happen for me to really hop on board:

1. The foreign brands become significantly cheaper than the domestic brands.
2. The major reloading manuals start to list data for the foreign powders.
3. I am completely unable to find any powder by the established brands.

So far none of those has been true (close on #3 but I've always found something by Alliant, Hodgdon, IMR, etc to load with).
 
If they want more market share and to be a bigger player in the market, they will need load data using their products published in manuals that people have grown to trust. Plated bullet companies have recently done this. Otherwise, they will only will get orders from the experimenters/advanced/serious hobbyists or only in desperate times of product shortages when the competitions product is made of unobtainium. That may be OK, but it leaves a lot of potential customers on the table and isn't real predictable. Give Lyman, Hornady, Nosler, Speer, Sierra etc, free stuff?, Do testing for them or pay them to do it? I dont know how all that works. I'll bet it will cost some money any way you slice it. I was never in marketing :).
 
It all depends on the availability. If domestic powder is not available and non-domestic is there is no reason not to go with it. Especially when you are running low and put off buying when you should have.
 
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