I'm Running Low

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leadchucker

New member
I'm running low on W231. I had planned to pick up a pound or two at the next local gun show. :( Yeah, you can stop laughing now. :mad:

Seriously, any chance of finding any anywhere?
 
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Adamantium

New member
W231/HP38 online? I doubt it. Something in the same burn range that meters well, absolutely. Are you willing to switch powders and what are you reloading for?
 
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GP100man

New member
WW231/HP38
IMR 700X
Hodgdon`s CLAYS
" " Titegroup
Alliant Bullseye
AA#2

Out of these fast powders Titegroup meters as good as 231 ,but just a tad faster burnin.
I have consistent throws with a lee AD with 700x .
 
M

Misssissippi Dave

New member
It depends of what you are loading as to a good sub to get you by for now. On line purchases of some powders can be found. It will still take a while for them to show up at your door.

In the future, it might help to keep stocked a year in advance of what you plan to shoot. Once things settle down and components are available again, I suggest purchasing a little extra of everything you need to reload. Also put in orders a little more often. Eventually you will get up to the point of having a years stock on hand. Generally that will get a person through these crazy times. I also keep some factory ammo on hand to supply me with brass.

This past year I tried a few different powders for the calibers I reload for. I wanted to see if I could find a better load and to see what I could switch to if I couldn't get the powder I prefer for a while. Now it is paying off for me. I have a little of the other powders I tried that work. I hope I have enough of the powders I prefer to use.

As long as you have primers you should be able to get some type of powder to load just about anything. You would have to work the loads back up again. Bullets should become available first. Powder next and primers last. Just the reverse of how they disappeared.

For me, I have reduced the number of rounds fired per range trip. I have also cut the number of range trips per month in half. This should let me stretch out my resources until I can get more supplies.
 
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leadchucker

New member
All I'm currently loading are 380 acp, 9mm Luger, 40 S&W, and 45 acp. W231 has been a perfect "one and only" powder for every load I've wanted to work up in those calibers. Of course HP38 would be fine too. I might try Bullseye, 700X, Titegroup, or maybe Red Dot, if I could find them. I haven't seen any of those around either.

It's not practical to pay hazmat shipping for a couple of pounds of powder anyway. I was hoping to find something at one of the gun shows coming up in Feb. I guess I'm in for a rude awakening.
 
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m&p45acp10+1

New member
I advise against using Hi-Skor 700x or 800x while it does give higher velocity it meters terribly. I still have most of a can of 800x from 4 years ago. I save it for when I have nothing else available. The last thing I want to do is hand weigh each charge for hand gun ammo.
 
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Adamantium

New member
You may well find it, but not for the price you remember.

It was hard not to come out ahead ordering online even before the big rush on supplies. I did the math for my area and at $100 worth of reloading supplies hazmat and shipping was cheaper than the local mark up. Back then primers were $35 per 1000 and powder $20-28 per pound.
 
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m&p45acp10+1

New member
So far as I have seen at the local shop, and at Cabela's there was no shortage of powders. Though Cabela's shelves were picked clean of primers. Not a single box, or sleve in the store. They are still waiting on thier order that was put in on Thursday after store inventory was done. The worst part is I was wanting to buy a Lee Classic Turret Press. There is not one that I could find available anywhere. That is online stores, and searching shops, even the high priced ones.
 
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Charley345

New member
IMR 700-X meters perfectly in my lee perfect powder measure on my turret.

Well maybe I'm not picky enough, when I say perfect it varies from 3.5gr to 3.6gr using disk hole #53
 
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leadchucker

New member
I guess you mean the Lee Auto Disk measure. That's what I have.

And it doesn't deal well at all with Unique, so I guess 700x is out.
 
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reynolds357

New member
I tried titegroup one time. It was a humid, still day. I had to stop and let the smoke clear so I could see how to finish emptying my 21 round magazine. Zip has almost identical burn rate as 231 and it burns clean. Its kind of like a semi-smashed ball and not quite a true flake so it meters very well.
 
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hounddawg

New member
Might try one of the Ramshot, Accurate, or Vihtavouri powders. A lot of people still have them in stock I used a pound of VV a couple of years back but switched to 231 myself for the price difference. My 223 loves Ramshot TAC never tried their pistol powders though
 
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m&p45acp10+1

New member
I forgot to mention. If you are using cast bullets then Bull's Eye gets my thumbs up. I love using TiteGroup with jacketed, and plated in 9mm. For cast I have not had good results from it.

When the time comes if I can get it I will go to one of the Accurate powders. I use AA#9 in my .41 Mag, and .357 Mag loads with great results with cast or jacketed bullets, and it shoots very clean as well. Though it is a magnum load powder. I may look into some AA#5 when I get low on Bull's Eye. (Bought an extra pound of it when I had some extra cash a while back, so it should last for a good while.)
 
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Jim Watson

New member
Powder Valley is in pretty good shape on AA powders and has almost all Vihtavouri. Hodgdon, Winchester, and IMR, not so much, although they do have 700X.

I have loaded a good deal of pistol ammo with 700X because I have always kept some for 12 gauge. But it is aggravating with uneven metering from RCBS, CH, and Dillon measures. Maybe I should have adapted a Lee.
 
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Daggitt

New member
What kind of prices are they Charging for a pound of rifle or pistol powder at a gun shop or Cabela's ? I was lucky. I had a pretty good supply and have not darkened the doors of yon gunstore since the craze kicked in. What's it like out there in that brave new world ?
 
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leadchucker

New member
There's a gun show about fifty miles away next weekend. Maybe I'll find something there.

FWIW, I noticed that the price sticker is still on my last bottle of 231. I paid $26.95 for it. I dread to see what another bottle will cost if I find any. :eek:

Thanks for the replies.
 
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