Some insight into powder prices

[BadgerRidge]

Boss is a premium shotshell producer here in Michigan. As I shoot up my stock of nontoxic (steel) I'm replacing it with Boss. I find their copper plated bismuth patterns well and has worked well for me at distance. That said they like to stay in touch with their customers and shoot straight... Here is a snippet from their last email concerning powder prices:

Powder Shortage

In late December I had a conversation with our powder guys at Hodgdon and got some shitty news. It was reported to me that powder prices were going up and supply was going down. I'll try and keep this short. Nitrocellulose is still hard to get, most of the low cost Chinese material seems to have been diverted to other areas of the world (I think Russia). The largest European manufacturer of NC lost a significant amount of manufacturing capacity last summer with a plant explosion and is 9 months behind in production. The USA made NC is “military weapons grade” and about 10X the cost of commodity material. On top of that, the DOD is ordering insane amounts of ammunition, the powder plants have all the military business they can handle and Hodgdon is only going to get 80% of what they got last year. They also have been asked to service some OEM’s that the plants serviced directly over the last year or so. Not good. Worst of all, our prices shot up 25-50% depending on the powder used. The last time things got tight like this was during covid....

Again not my words... Just those of an excellent high end shot shell company, that I thought might be insightful to those who use this forum.

 

[MrTom]

I've been getting ready for this event this time. I'm good in every component for a long time.

 

[retrieverman]

I’m not saying this is necessarily some kind of backdoor conspiracy because I don’t think the people in our govt are smart enough to come up with it, but the best and most practical way for the govt to accomplish gun control is ammo control.

 

[Ninering62]

I’m not saying this is necessarily some kind of backdoor conspiracy because I don’t think the people in our govt are smart enough to come up with it, but the best and most practical way for the govt to accomplish gun control is ammo control.

You’re exactly right about the fact that the govt doesn’t have to take our 2A rights away, when they can simply make all of the components we need to shoot our guns either too expensive for most ppl or unobtainable to most ppl -except for the govt of course

 

[Smyrnagc]

Please be careful about crossing over into politics. Thanks

 

[BadgerRidge]

How is anything said above politics?

Defending basic, enumerated rights is not politics. Believing that it is, says more about the person that holds such an opinion than anyone wishing to defend these basic rights.

 

[edmehlig]

Not to get into a political push and shove, but wasn’t it Obama who said , “I may not be able to control guns but I can control ammo”, while he was president?

 

[Ninering62]

How is anything said above politics?

Defending basic, enumerated rights is not politics. Believing that it is, says more about the person that holds such an opinion than anyone wishing to defend these basic rights.

Well said & TY Tom

 

[Smyrnagc]

How is anything said above politics?

Defending basic, enumerated rights is not politics. Believing that it is, says more about the person that holds such an opinion than anyone wishing to defend these basic rights.

Didn’t say it was…just posting to stay out of Red and Blue.

 

[Ninering62]

Didn’t say it was…just posting to stay out of Red and Blue.

I know that I/we didn’t cross any lines with what was posted, but I also know how quickly we in here & that topic can go right off the rails. So I understand why you said what you said, in all fairness.

 

[4stringdude]

Like others, I've been buying what I can when I find it. My wife thinks I'm a little crazy, but I'm just being prepared. I got caught flat footed in the latest shortages. Not again.

 

[earlwb]

No surprise as with inflation the global not just the USA economy has been terribly disrupted and is whipsawing back and forth. Then the Middle East conflict has been expanding too. Ukraine already is consuming up a lot of resources from many countries. All that drives up prices and creates shortages etc.

I noticed the other day that .410 shotshells with bismouth shot was $60 a box of five. They must gold plate that stuff.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

There is so much more than just red vs blue politics going on with guns, ammo, and supplies, although thats a big part of it. One side wants to take it all away, but the other side does nothing to make it easier to get, again. Both sides are controlled by greed, lust and power but feed us BS about “being on our side”.

Im starting to see bare powder shelves now. I stocked up on what i could, while i could. Ive got enough primers to last me a long, long time, but i still fight the urge to overstock on a few things. I want to get an 8# of n110 and n120 and another 1k LRMPs. But i don't really need them. I keep thinking “what if this is the end of any availability?” I want to have enough supplies to leave for the next gen when i kick the bucket.

 

[retrieverman]

Didn’t say it was…just posting to stay out of Red and Blue.

People that still want to get into red and blue debates just aren’t keeping up, because everyone of those elitist sumbiches that consider themselves “leaders” are the enemy of the people. This country is now the same as every other third world oligarchy.

 

[WP79Vet]

People that still want to get into red and blue debates just aren’t keeping up, because everyone of those elitist sumbiches that consider themselves “leaders” are the enemy of the people. This country is now the same as every other third world oligarchy.

Yep, and even those who start out defending the interests of ordinary people seem to get corrupted in the blink of an eye....

I spent most of today filling in the holes in my own inventory. Will be spending lots of quality time at my reloading and shooting benches this spring and summer.....

 

[Wilyote1]

My financial advisor said to invest in heavy metals , so I did. .

If they can't take away the boom stick they will try to take away the bang. I live in NY and ammo registration is one of the beginning steps.

 

[WP79Vet]

My financial advisor said to invest in heavy metals , so I did. .

If they can't take away the boom stick they will try to take away the bang. I live in NY and ammo registration is one of the beginning steps.

Yep. The long-term drive to disarm ordinary Americans currently seems to be focused on making ammo unavailable: How much of recent ammo price increases and looming ammo / reloading component shortages are intentional?

In WA, the new thing is a declaration that shooting is a "privilege" which should be subject to a special 11% tax on ammo. WA being WA, the new special tax will undoubtedly pass - so the real question is whether it will survive court challenges. I consider this to be a huge threat because our cowardly and utterly politicized courts may ultimately decide that "arms" and "ammunition" are two separate things, and so the 2A protections for bearing arms do not extend to ammunition.

 

[kb2112]

I took me 40 minutes to purchase two boxes of .22 rimfire stingers the other day. Im in NY.... Stock up if you can

 

[Wilyote1]

I took me 40 minutes to purchase two boxes of .22 rimfire stingers the other day. Im in NY.... Stock up if you can

Or go to Vermont or PA. I refuse to do the ammo registration. I can buy enough powder, bullets and casings to load hundreds of shells. Other than my taxes, no one cares. Buy a box of 22s and they want my life history.

 

[Smyrnagc]

This thread is about powder shortages and prices...Please stay on topic.