First experience with Powder Valley

[dickttx]

4runnerman,

Powder Valley:
10K primers 260.00
Hazmat 27.50
Shipping 13.95
Total 302.45


Local:
10K primers 500.00
Sales Tax 41.25
Total 541.25

I usually also order an 8# jug of HP38 for 113.50 and there is no additional hazmat or shipping.

I buy CCI primers and from time to time PV is out of stock, but, the next day they may have them again in the morning and out again in the evening. You just have to keep checking. I have always received them when they were in stock when I ordered. I can visualize big trucks unloading them while they are going back out the door in UPS vans!

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Question--- I have looked at them also. I am at a loss here. When you say you save even with haz mat fee?. My question is how much are you paying locally for your powder?
If i add haz mat fee and powder cost for-say one powder i use H4895. I would have to buy at least 10 lbs plus just to break even with my local store cost.

Just the haz mat fee buys me 1 more lb of powder plus

The bullets- I would have to buy at least 500 to break even.

Oops- I did not take tax in to account- But you still pay taxes at powder valley to-Right?.

Your local prices must be extraordinarily low. I can buy 1,000 primers and 2 pounds of powder and more than cover hazmat.

My local prices average at least $10-$12/pound and about the same per 1000 primers than PV. So, 2 pounds and 1,000, I save at least $30, sometimes closer to $40, and that's not including tax.

 

[tkglazie]

The bullets- I would have to buy at least 500 to break even.

There is no hazmat on bullets and cases.

I am the same as BP. My local primer prices are at least $7/1000 more, and often $9-$10/1000 more than PV. A single 5K primer order gets me to the break even point. Considering I shoot N320 primarily and would be paying well over $30/lbs locally IF I could find it, a 4# jug of that is also close to a break even for me.

For a reasonably active semi-auto pistol shooter the math adds up in a hurry.

 

[hodaka]

They are backed up about a week in shipping at the moment. It makes sense to combine orders with other shooters you may know to further reduce the impact of the hazmat and shipping charge. Still, all of my powder and primers comes from PV. My usual order is $4-500.

 

[Jerry45]

Just received my order from Midsouth. Placed order Saturday night shipped Monday received it today. I don't know if this is normal but being my first order with them I'm impressed.

 

[tkglazie]

Midsouth is excellent as well, for sure.

 

[browninghunter86]

my local gun store charges about $10 more per 1# of powder and about $14-15 more per 1k primers. And 8# jugs of powder they are charging about$35 more than I can get online. Bullets they charge about $9-12 more per box. I am all about supporting local business but reloading is all about saving $$$ other than the accuracy improvements you get.

So my break even point is very easy to do with needing just a small amount of components plus no sales tax on online orders at the moment

 

[de03x7]

I live in Alaska and last fall I ordered 48 pounds of powder from PV. Paid the shipping and hazmat charge to get it to Washington then had to pay a shipping company to bring it up to AK. After all of the chipping charges I still saved $200 over buying it here at Sportsman's if they had any. I checked the local store at least every two weeks for four months and they never had what I wanted. I use over 20 pounds a year loading 9mm and 45 for my wife and I to use for USPSA matches plus practice.

 

[4runnerman]

I don't buy in bulk like that (would like to). My local store 1lb of H4895=$ 21.99. 1000-primers $349.00. No haz mat fee. Most of the time -In stock

 

[schmellba99]

I don't buy in bulk like that (would like to). My local store 1lb of H4895=$ 21.99. 1000-primers $349.00. No haz mat fee. Most of the time -In stock

If you are paying that much for primers, I'll sell you 1k for $150, and I will pay the hazmat fee myself to boot.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I think it's pretty clear that he meant $34.90

The last time I looked, the best local prices I could find on CCI primers was about $3.99 per 100, no discount on 1000. At that time, PV had them at $24 (or $26) per 1000. That's $14 per 1000 cheaper. 2000 primers would be break-even. Last time I bought, like 2 years ago, I bought just 2 pounds of powder, W748 and Benchmark, 1000 SP, 1000 LP and 1000 LR primers. It was like $65 cheaper than the local price, not including sales tax, which would have added another $12 or so. After hazmat and shipping, I saved at least $40, and that's a much smaller order than a lot of guys are ordering.

 

[4runnerman]

OK, With all this i will have to dig deeper into this and see if i can save some money. If everyone is saving my math has to be flawed some where.
Thanks for the tips all

 

[dickttx]

You HAVE to buy in bulk to make it pay. I only use HP38 and it takes 10K of primers for 8# of powder. So that is how I buy.