Seen a Hodgdon employee today

[hondo1892]

I seen a gentleman that work's for Hodgdon's today and was asking him about pistol powder. He told me that they are having a time getting powder to keep up with demand. He told me they can't get enough pistol or shotgun powder for the demand right now. I didn't know until today but they don't make any smokeless powder at all. They import it from Canada and Australia mostly. I know him through muzzleloading gun associations not modern firearms. We usually talk black powder not smokeless. He told me that 75% of the black powder they produce goes to the military. Sporting use is a very small percentage of sales for black powder. I keep looking for some titegroup every place that carries powder but so far nothing. Thought some of you guys might interested.

[horsesoldier03]

I found Titegroup yesterday for $35 a lb. Needless to say I kept walking, I have a lead on another store that supposedly has Titegroup in stock for $21 a lb.

[vancelw]

Titegroup is actually one of the few pistol powders I've seen in stack in the past 2 years. Some of the dealers at Tulsa actually had acceptable prices....some didn't.

[hondo1892]

Must be like houses, location, location, location. Haven't seen none around any of the shops in central Kentucky that I've been to. Not really any pistol powder to speak of.

[vancelw]

Last weekend was the first time I had seen ANY pistol powder in stock anywhere in two years...at any price.

Titegroup, H110, and very small quantities of AA#5. The #5 was repacked in #1 lb containers...looked a little sketchy to me

Some dealers were high (35 a lb) some were better (28 a pound) none were where we'd like it to be.

[Paladin]

I have seen small shops in WV off the beaten path that had everything (almost) on my last trip through a few months ago. Even ammo of every type up .50 BMG. Prices were average to high but they had most items even .380.

[Ysabel Kid]

Interesting. I had no idea they imported all their smokeless powder.

[SteveR]

I would worry about the importation of lead next. That will really slow things down even more. There are no more lead smelters in the USA. Only China now has them.

Steve

[Blaine]

I suspect the thing to do is to place it on back order, and see if they will hold it until it can all ship under one HazMat fee.....

[Griff]

I suspect the thing to do is to place it on back order, and see if they will hold it until it can all ship under one HazMat fee.....

+1. In more'n 1 lb jugs.

[Mescalero]

Mexico has lead smelters.

[Blaine]

I suspect the thing to do is to place it on back order, and see if they will hold it until it can all ship under one HazMat fee.....

+1. In more'n 1 lb jugs.

A couple of 8lb jugs of pistol powder would prolly hold me forever, plus, all the Blue Dot, and 2400, and some others I've bought up just to stash aside.....16lbs of H322 I can feed that Sharps forever. I really should organize that mess and see what I really have.

[SteveR]

Mexico has lead smelters.

Are they allowed to import to the US? Last I had hear the EPA and other letter agency's were only allowing China to import. I may be wrong, but that was last I heard.

Steve

[hondo1892]

What happen to free trade with Mexico?

[765x53]

Most bird shot now comes from Peru.
I would imagine other forms of lead could also be imported.

[harry]

I looked up the lead imports from Mexico, latest data (2010) was 30,000 metric tons.

[SteveR]

I hope none of the lead gets banned, I must have confused myself again, it aint hard. But,it would still be better if here in the US, we still had a smelter.

Steve

[Larkbill]

I thought the smelter in Glover, Mo. was still running.

[Larkbill]

Wow, gone since '03, didn't realize I'd been stuck here in the city so long. Used to fish near there all the time. Now all I do is work.

[pdentrem]

This morning I received into inventory a 67# lead ingot. Country of origin is USA. 99.99% pure for use in alloys we make for electronic industry. Not all users are Rohs so still have uses for lead.
Pierre

[KirkD]

It is true that powder is produced here in Canada, but for some lunatic reason I was told it is shipped in bulk to the USA where it is packaged in plastic bottles and then shipped back to Canada. As a result, we have no powder up here. If they are worried about the packaging plant exploding, we have a million square miles of wilderness. I can't see why they could not open up a small packaging plant here in Canada out in the sticks.

[hondo1892]

Kirk, my Hodgdon guy said the only plant they worry about blowing up is the black powder plant. Which happens all too often. Black powder is easy to make but very hazardous. Smokeless is the opposite. They don't even have any people in the black powder plant when the ingredients are being mixed. It's all remotely done.