Powder....making it's way back and the state overall of components

300WSM

Handloader
Dec 24, 2011
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577
It appears to me powder is definitely making it's way back. While stock isn't at 100 percent it's getting back up there. That's for certain. Shelves are getting full. There may be a blend or two that’s still M.I.A. but for the most part most anything made is available again.

Primers on the other hand while loosening up a tad is extremely sporadic.
In other words maybe one week large rifle hits the shelf. They get bought in hours...then small pistol hits...gone in hours....primers are popping up (no pun intended) here and there just not a good overall variety at once.
Plus the end user is in such dire need they buy what gets shipped in record speed.

Bullets?
No change. At least none that I've seen.
For some companies I'm not sure when that will loosen back up. There are no signs of it improving whatsoever.
It appears still only one mfg of the big 4, Speer, Sierra, Nosler and Hornady are getting bullets out with decent regularity.

It feels like the industry is starting to breathe again. It might be small breaths but no doubt there is a little life once again.
 
Yep, powder has been back near old times capacity around here for quite a while. When I say that, I say it about the common powders in Hodgdon and IMR. Most (not all) shops have most of the powders in those 2 brands. When it comes to RL powders and some of the others, they are far from being back, but it's not hard to come up with a substitute powder now if a person needed to.

Bullets, pretty good around here if you stick to Hornady. Other brands? Extremely hit or miss.

Primers is the missing link at most stores and shops. Doesn't matter what you have powder/bullet wise, if you can't make it go bang. I shouldn't have to buy any primers for 20 yrs, but that doesn't help the rest of the country. I hope it somehow soon gets straightened out supply wise on primers, then eventually reasonable prices will follow.
 
Still can't find Reloder anything, or either 4350. Everything else seems reasonably easy to find, if you look at a couple places

 

I'm gonna grab some, thanks!
 
Still can't find Reloder anything, or either 4350. Everything else seems reasonably easy to find, if you look at a couple places
One store I was at yesterday had all Alliant powder in stock sans R17
All Hodgdon was in including Retumbo
IMR ...
The usual suspects were good to go...
AA was completely in stock...

Even had Winchester... all varieties in stock which seems like Winchester has been the most ignorant of the bunch on availability 🤷‍♂️
 
Yep, powder has been back near old times capacity around here for quite a while. When I say that, I say it about the common powders in Hodgdon and IMR. Most (not all) shops have most of the powders in those 2 brands. When it comes to RL powders and some of the others, they are far from being back, but it's not hard to come up with a substitute powder now if a person needed to.

Bullets, pretty good around here if you stick to Hornady. Other brands? Extremely hit or miss.

Primers is the missing link at most stores and shops. Doesn't matter what you have powder/bullet wise, if you can't make it go bang. I shouldn't have to buy any primers for 20 yrs, but that doesn't help the rest of the country. I hope it somehow soon gets straightened out supply wise on primers, then eventually reasonable prices will follow.
The only company of the Big 4 I can say is good around here is Hornady. I suspect similar across the country.

Secondary companies...
Berry's is pretty damn well stocked if you need FMJ pistol stuff.
 
One store I was at yesterday had all Alliant powder in stock sans R17
All Hodgdon was in including Retumbo
IMR ...
The usual suspects were good to go...
AA was completely in stock...

Even had Winchester... all varieties in stock which seems like Winchester has been the most ignorant of the bunch on availability 🤷‍♂️
i WISH ....WHAT STATE?

All we get here is AA TCM powder and some black powder
 
Still can't find Reloder anything, or either 4350. Everything else seems reasonably easy to find, if you look at a couple places
Last time I got my hands on anything from Alliant was back in late June when I was able to latch onto a couple pounds of Reloder 16 at Brownells.
I've been wanting to try Reloder 22, 25, & 26 on a few of my rifles, but can never find it.
 
Yikes is right! This world we live in now. You either pull the trigger now or maybe not get what you need? I've been a victim of this too. I think some of the things we all see in stock..for sale right now, may have been ordered by suppliers possibly a couple years ago? Just my thought and thats all. For now... just for now, I'm not playing the game. The haz mat fees will eat you alive! A couple pounds of powder here a thousand primers there adds up fast! I don't live in a place where I can buy supplies locally. I've been getting stuff I know I will use sent to me..period! We all live in some times I'm not used to. If we can weather the storm, we will be good. I've adapted the way I go about working up loads I want to try these days.
 
Overall I've got more components than I've ever had by far, yet overall I'm shooting far less. The reason at least in part is because I don't want to needlessly run myself out of something and have to get into a routine of paying current prices.

I can tell you the regularity that I used to be buying something component wise, has stopped. I gotta believe more and more people are doing the same. That in itself will eventually turn some things in the right direction.
 
Overall I've got more components than I've ever had by far, yet overall I'm shooting far less. The reason at least in part is because I don't want to needlessly run myself out of something and have to get into a routine of paying current prices.

I can tell you the regularity that I used to be buying something component wise, has stopped. I gotta believe more and more people are doing the same. That in itself will eventually turn some things in the right direction.
Well....

I can't say I've shot less overall...just different platforms.
I've got several 300's and I shoot them @ 1000 yards. Some competitively and some for fun.
Now those I haven't shot as much because of the component shortage. I'm extra particular on the mfg of components used in that discipline.
I've definitely shot more in the time being of 1911's and AR style platforms, M4/M16/AR10

I reckon that's by design because I'm very busy and don't have time to track down conponents for a second discipline of shooting or platforms. It takes a lot of effort, energy and time to track down items you need.
I've focused on components for 5.56x45 , 7.62x51 (45 i just buy right now already loaded) so I can keep loading and shooting for the time being....and those particular components are obtainable if you look hard enough.
I shoot Claybirds as well and it's still a lot of cheap fun. Shotshells I definitely buy loaded as I buy them wholesale and it's not cheaper whatsoever to load shotshells versus buying and accuracy is no different out of a shotgun.

It's truly amazing how quickly skills can erode when you're not shooting. Muscle memory, focus and concentration can drop off pretty quickly when not doing it.
 
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