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Starting to see primers in stock - little powder, however.??

1K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  soundguy 
#1 ·
I see primers have been in stock at a very large outlet that I have used in the past for several weeks now. This includes Tula, Remington and some others too. I'm also seeing primers stocked in my LGS.

Unfortunately, powder, especially in bulk is still in very short supply.

For the first year of this current component shortage, I was able to find some bulk powders but, in general I was not able to buy primers. Throughout the shortage, now going on 3 years, brass and projectiles were spotty - but in most cases they could be found if you looked hard enough.

So, is it expected that we will once again see inventory of powders on the shelves again?
 
#3 ·
Yeah, pistol powder is practically impossible to find. ...nothing in bulk - a pound here or there, maybe on the Net. Rifle powder is on the shelves locally here in TN.

....not sure why this is, however. The raw materials for rifle and pistol powder are the same, so the makers are directing their efforts to rifle and not pistol production.

I hate shortages. Since this president took office gun sales have skyrocketed but ammo and component makers have refused to increase production as they fear a sudden fall off of sales. Really? I just don't see this. The House is solidly in GOP hands, they are somewhat gun-friendly and this is not going to change anytime soon.
 
#7 ·
I was in Nashville last week and talked to the owner of a gun and reloading shop that told me he can't find pistol powder anywhere. He seems to think the govt. may have something to do with it.:rolleyes:Imagine that.
 
#8 ·
At Camp Perry this year 1 and 8 lb kegs of Bullseye were available all week; no Clays, WST, 231 or N310; small & large pistol primers were available all week by the case; Eley .22 LR was available all week by the brick or case; no CCI std vel. This past Thursday the BassPro in Harrisburg, PA had 1 lb bottles of Bullseye; plenty of primers; but no .22 LR.

I've talked to employees at three national chain hunting & fishing stores and they tell me the powder and .22 LR is arriving weekly, but employees are buying it for resale at gun shows.
 
#10 ·
I went over to my LGS on Friday to pick up a couple of bricks of .22 he was holding for me and while I was there I just looked around. He has 35 or 40 cans of CFE-223, several of Win 748, and a bunch of IMR powders. Pistol powder shelves were still almost empty though.
 
#11 ·
It would appear to me that with the millions of gun owners in America, and the numbers are on the rise, that gun, and ammo manufacturers would be producing both as fast as possible. It also appears to me that the gun industry is trying to keep up with demand, but the ammo industry is not. They might be adding some workers, but they are not investing in new production. Until that happens, there will continue to be a shortage of ammo, components, and powder. 2015 isn't looking to good at this point!

Ammunition demand is estimated to be about 17 billion rounds on the commercial side. That = 170 rounds a year per fire arms owner. None of these numbers include, DoD, Federal, State, Local law enforcement. They are strictly commercial numbers. http://bearingarms.com/think-the-ammo-market-is-about-to-get-better-think-again/
 
#12 ·
I for one don't buy into any of the conspiracy theories or that manufacturers are deliberately holding up production just to raise prices and here is why.

I live in a small town in the mountains with a population of approx 5,000 and my local source for powder isn't even a full fledged gun shop and has powder arriving almost every Monday. Last Monday they got in several cases each of just about every powder Alliant makes and probably put out at least 100 one pound jars. I really didn't need any more handgun powder but since they had it, I got three pounds each of their Bullseye and Unique powder and got a few pounds of Universal as well since these powders are on my list of powders compatible with my handgun loads and I want to compare them to what I already have. The powders ranged between $20 and $26 a pound, not bargains compared to the good ole days but not a rip off either considering the transportation costs up to my neck of the woods.

I have been buying powder for a friend who lives in the Phoenix area since he can't find it anywhere in that million + populated area with dozens and dozens of gun shops and all the big name sporting good stores.

I believe that the shortages ares now more the case of a LOT of people wanting the same thing at the same time and a few dozen jars here and there can just go so far especially when some are greedy butt heads trying to make an easy buck from reselling. I have befriended the asst. manager of my local source and visit him a few times a week and he says they have only a few dozen regular customers who are interested in powders and one day last week they refused selling powder to a fellow who came in wanting all they had. Good for them! They also get the same amount of powder as their store in the Phoenix area which sells out an hour after it arrives every week.

I'm glad I live here, I can't wait to see what they get in this morning since I have a few friends on a "want list".
 
#13 ·
We don't have much of anything around here, none at the big box stores, and nothing at the LGS's. I don't prescribe to the conspiracy theories either, I just think that demand has out stripped supply. Remember the gas shortages of 70's? Same thing. Demand has rose, and there is no way to produce enough components to meet that demand unless more manufacturing facilities are built. I think they eventually will be built, but not any time soon. This would be a major investment for any company to under take, and might not be a good idea in our current political climate.
 
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