What is your powder $ spending breaking point?
- Thread starter BCR1
- Start date
Are you saying that there are other good powders out there besides Varget???
Speaking of deals, there was a local guy getting rid of his personal stash of IMR 4320 at the beginning of the pandemic for $10/lb. I was able to get 8 pounds from him. The cost savings doesn't seem to make a difference on groups for me
Speaking for one, I’ll just put fewer rounds down range as prices rise. Fewer barrels, possibly looking at smaller cases, and less overall spent on brass and bullets.
The powder guys can be the brakemen on this whole handloading train. I know your product isn’t as relatively expensive as we are seeing in jugs because production ammo uses it and the powder and SR primer of a .223 push the sale price of loaded rounds.
Hodgdon, you’re pretty much the most out of line, lately, and “direct” pricing over what your own retailers charge kind of makes you like an internet scalper
).
The powder guys can be the brakemen on this whole handloading train. I know your product isn’t as relatively expensive as we are seeing in jugs because production ammo uses it and the powder and SR primer of a .223 push the sale price of loaded rounds.
Hodgdon, you’re pretty much the most out of line, lately, and “direct” pricing over what your own retailers charge kind of makes you like an internet scalper
).
ISS
Gold $$ Contributor
I went the other route: a precision air rifle, for two reasons. At least for the time being.
1. I do not have to buy powder or primers, and the precision extruded slugs my rifle likes the best are in the $23 range for a container of 200..
2. There is an indoor range eight minutes drive from my home, and a year membership where I bought the rifle cost me $200.
So, a shift in emphasis for now.
ISS
1. I do not have to buy powder or primers, and the precision extruded slugs my rifle likes the best are in the $23 range for a container of 200..
2. There is an indoor range eight minutes drive from my home, and a year membership where I bought the rifle cost me $200.
So, a shift in emphasis for now.
ISS
I spent about $1500.00 on reloading supplies in the last month. My buddy and I drove to both places.
We met dusterdave, which we enjoyed the new friendship. We went to Blue Collar Reloading, stayed in Concord. That was Monday and Tuesday. Nice little roadtrip. On Friday we drove to Widden's and back home. Bought, Powder, Bullets, Primers. I haven't reached my limit yet on $$$$ I'd spend. But hey, I shoot....don't drink, don't smoke.
We met dusterdave, which we enjoyed the new friendship. We went to Blue Collar Reloading, stayed in Concord. That was Monday and Tuesday. Nice little roadtrip. On Friday we drove to Widden's and back home. Bought, Powder, Bullets, Primers. I haven't reached my limit yet on $$$$ I'd spend. But hey, I shoot....don't drink, don't smoke.
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dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
I’m not in a position to buy right now but powder is the least worrisome of my costs.
My 222, 6ppc, and 6BRA each take a primer that I paid .05 for, plus .10-.20 of powder, and a .30-.55 bullet. I bought mostly in 2019-2020 and i don’t have facilities to store big amounts. Ignoring brass costs, at todays prices that went up to .10 primer, .15-.25 powder and a .40-.66 bullet.
I suppose if I shot a lot of inefficient magnum size cartridges I’d care more about powder specifically. At 70 grains of powder, a pound barely covers two ammo boxes.
I’m not sure how much centerfire I’ll shoot when my stash runs down. I’ll probably slow my burn and replace powder as required. I’m a plinker and don’t sign up for competitions so there is no pressure for me to constantly dump out a hundred+ rounds multiple weekends per month. I have airguns and rimfire too and while those costs have increased some, it’s much less than the centerfire.
My 222, 6ppc, and 6BRA each take a primer that I paid .05 for, plus .10-.20 of powder, and a .30-.55 bullet. I bought mostly in 2019-2020 and i don’t have facilities to store big amounts. Ignoring brass costs, at todays prices that went up to .10 primer, .15-.25 powder and a .40-.66 bullet.
I suppose if I shot a lot of inefficient magnum size cartridges I’d care more about powder specifically. At 70 grains of powder, a pound barely covers two ammo boxes.
I’m not sure how much centerfire I’ll shoot when my stash runs down. I’ll probably slow my burn and replace powder as required. I’m a plinker and don’t sign up for competitions so there is no pressure for me to constantly dump out a hundred+ rounds multiple weekends per month. I have airguns and rimfire too and while those costs have increased some, it’s much less than the centerfire.
Don't know a dollar figure but I have began moving over to VV powders. Why pay more for Hodgdon or the likes when one can get VV for around the same price or cheaper?
Myself too Bill. VV powder in the last year and before that when Shooter's World was very reasonable, less than half of what it is now. I have enough Hodgdon and IMR for the barrels lives that they get shot in. Surplus is always a good thing. I'm like others with a couple of replacement barrels on standby.
Lucky for me I'm a bit of a hoarder. I have started shooting the smaller cases more, and leaving the boomers alone....
$60 is hard to stomach, but R23 and Varget is running low.
$60 is hard to stomach, but R23 and Varget is running low.
Disposable income will be "Jìnzhǐ de" Thats Chinese for forbidden, you know for when they finally take ownership of this nation.
Exactly
VihtaVouri. Working on changing all my rifles over. Worked on 22 H today, 22XC yesterday, 257AI last week, much more coming.
Like some have mentioned above I think it's best for me to mostly stay with the smaller cartridges for now. Consuming less powder is a help.
CJ6
Silver $$ Contributor
Surely you don't REALLY need that 4320....Send it to me.Are you saying that there are other good powders out there besides Varget???
Speaking of deals, there was a local guy getting rid of his personal stash of IMR 4320 at the beginning of the pandemic for $10/lb. I was able to get 8 pounds from him. The cost savings doesn't seem to make a difference on groups for me
It’s funny after you been loading a .223 and then even go to something like a Creedmoor, Wow that’s a lot of powder.
I switched to buying 8 pounders and I don’t shoot nearly as much as I used to. I can’t see myself paying $400 for an 8 pounder but it doesn’t seem far off. It will force me to only load for a handful of calibers. Any new fun calibers that come out will be a no go for me if they don’t work with the powder I have on hand.
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Our last buy was VV 135 from Brunos for like $280 for 8 lbs if I remember correctly. The per lb price spread between 1 lb and 8 lb was massive for VV 135. I almost thought they made a mistake on the 8 lb price. We grabbed 4 of them.
It's sad to say $35 per pound is a good deal, but that's the reality. Especially when Hodgdon can go for over $50 per lb.
bozo699
Gold $$ Contributor
Of course
Wayne
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