Where is all the Alliant Powder?

[jelenko]

Alliant powders(& others?) will continue to be unavailable or in short supply, as long as the world is at war?

No question the war is soaking up a bunch of components!

I'm finding lots of non Alliant powders available - although at much higher prices than in 2019!
It will be interesting to see what happens to component prices when the war in Ukraine ends [assuming no new ground wars]

 

[Evan]

It is funny how all of these shortages seem to start back in 2019 during the Covid scare.

More to do with the election year than COVID. People freak out and empty the shelves on election years, especially if the democrat ticket is strong.

 

[jelenko]

More to do with the election year than COVID. People freak out and empty the shelves on election years, especially if the democrat ticket is strong.

Yeah. And because you never know who will be elected, maintain a 2-3 year supply of components.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Yeah. And because you never know who will be elected, maintain a 2-3 year supply of components.

I think Rubio will be friendly.

 

[jelenko]

I think Rubio will be friendly.

If he's elected.

 

[fatelvis]

I've pretty much turned my back on Alliant. I will not be buying their products again. VV is my new best friend! Lol

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I bet VV thinks Hodgdon is it’s new best friend

 

[servant403]

I dont even look for it anymore. Replaced my 2400 with other powders and Unique also. 2400 is easy to replace IMO. But Unique is well "unique" I haven't really tried anything out there quite like it. But I can make due with other powders.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I saw some R15.5 or maybe R16 in a store the other day. $110 plus a pound.

 

[DShortt]

I dont even look for it anymore. Replaced my 2400 with other powders and Unique also. 2400 is easy to replace IMO. But Unique is well "unique" I haven't really tried anything out there quite like it. But I can make due with other powders.

Wish I could find something as versatile as Unique.

I'll keep looking.

 

[Fire Dog]

I bet VV thinks Hodgdon is it’s new best friend

Not from this side of the ditch…
VV = Unobtainum almost totally and triple the cost (if you can find any) of any ADI powder which is what Hodgdon sells under their label in the US.
European powders are going big time into the armament industries and the civilian market is a “second best” side of the industry.
As for the cost, that reflects “Big Beautiful Tariffs”, transport costs as it is a “dangerous goods” item and in this world Nothing is cheaper than it was before…
Just filled up with some US$8 a gallon diesel… Think how you feel spending $330 to fill up your 4x4 drive vehicle…
Premium is only a couple of cents cheaper and currently rural areas are starting to run out of supplies or reduced to rationing. {:~(
“These jobs {product prices} are going boys… and they ain’t coming back…”
Bruce Springsteen “The Boss”

 

[servant403]

Wish I could find something as versatile as Unique.

I'll keep looking.

Titegroup and Universal can fill a lot of needs for a bunch of different cartridges. I use them both for light 44 mag and .357. Titegroup is supposed to be non position sensitive. Both have shot pretty well for me out of 44 mag carbine. Titegroup seems to have a very small loading volume range in Hodgdon data. Except for a couple cast bullet loads. Universal has a slightly larger loading range from minimum to maximum charge according to Hodgdon data. Neither have the case fill that Unique with its large flaky composition. But the tradeoff is the others meter a bit better. Ive used a lot of powders and Unique is the first powder I ever reloaded with. And its the most versatile by far.

 

[fatelvis]

Wish I could find something as versatile as Unique.

I'll keep looking.

BE-86 has been taking Unique’s spot for me for awhile now. Good stuff!

 

[brokeasajoke]

Wish I could find something as versatile as Unique.

I'll keep looking.

Be-86 has some promise amongst several people, but ...........also Alliant.

 

[searcher]

It is funny how all of these shortages seem to start back in 2019 during the Covid scare.

I'd say they started decades before that. Sometimes, we just get longer intervals between what we can and cannot get. This is no different than 10 years ago, for sure.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

I'd say they started decades before that. Sometimes, we just get longer intervals between what we can and cannot get. This is no different than 10 years ago, for sure.

Agreed

And now primers are available all over, half the price of a couple years back, and people might buy a brick, then be distraught in a couple years. Same for all components. Prices are what they are. Availability means stock up, or don’t shoot eventually, or pay more later.

Consistent as gravity. Availability is the variable. Price increases are the constant. They go up and down but never below previous prices.

 

[searcher]

Agreed

And now primers are available all over, half the price of a couple years back, and people might buy a brick, then be distraught in a couple years. Same for all components. Prices are what they are. Availability means stock up, or don’t shoot eventually, or pay more later.

Consistent as gravity. Availability is the variable. Price increases are the constant. They go up and down but never below previous prices.

Yep. Kind of like watching house prices drop. No one knows when the bottom came in until it was long past.

 

[DrLogik]

The current World military demand for ammo is a large part of it, yes, but it's not the ammo or the powder itself that's the issue, it's the nitrocellulose used to make the powder. Powder makers that make their own nitrocellulose "usually" don't have the supply problem that plagues other powder makers. Why? Because sourcing cotton, the raw material for nitrocellulose, is much less susceptible to supply chain demands than depending on the nitrocellulose itself.

I switched almost entirely to Vihtavuori for that reason. They make all of their own nitrocellulose and have steady cotton suppliers for the raw material. Be willing to reformulate for a different powder and you'll rarely have supply issues.

My local gun shop always has a plentiful and varying supply of Vihtavuori powders for both pistol and rifle. And, Vihtavuori is now cheaper than Hodgdon in the same use-case powders. For example, Hodgdon H4831SC is $70 bucks but Vihtvuori N565 and N568 is $54 bucks at my local shop.

I just checked, neither Alliant nor Hodgdon make their own nitrocellulose. That would explain their supply issues and and current higher price differential to Vihtavuori.

 

[simo hayha]

Sitting in my underground bunkers......

 

[Iowa Fox]

Scheels in Coralville is pretty well stocked on Alliant. Red Dot, Green Dot, Bullseye, Unique, 2400 and others when I was there a couple days ago. No Blue Dot that I saw. I got a call from them today my form 4 was approved and ready for pickup. It was submitted on 3/20 so pretty good approval time.