Aliant powder shortage reasons

[grizzly416]

Who knows the real reason about the lack of aliant (reloader) powder

 

[yomomma]

why dont people google

Dated Aug 2014

Where the greatest amount of powder is going is for the manufacturing of ammunition for the civilian market. Companies such as Winchester, Remington, Speer/CCI, Federal Hornady are using most. Throw on top of that all the small remanufactured ammunition companies across the country and the demand for powder is extremely high. There are signs of an easing in this extreme demand. More ammunition is found on the shelves today than there was 8 months ago. Primer orders are dropping off. Finally, gun sales are way down today compared to recent times. Having worked in retail in the past, we saw similar situations with ammunition and primers. Those periods lasted a maximum of 18 months. We are currently into this about 18 months. If historical trends follow through, then we should be seeing an easing in this extreme demand soon.
Thanks,

Shoot Straight
DuaneVB
CCI/SPEER/ALLIANT POWDER
2299 Snake River Ave.
Lewiston, ID

An employee at Alliant Powder said “The OEM’s are using powder like a black hole in space sucking in all matter.”

What is the cause for this Gunpowder Shortage?

It seems as though the civilian gun owners looking to fill their storehouse represent the largest group of people grabbing all the ammunition and gunpowder as soon as it comes available. This drives the ammunition manufacturers (referred to as OEM) to increase their consumption of gunpowder in order to keep up with ammunition demands. I have heard many stories about the government causing the shortage, but according to the manufacturers, this is just not the case.

An employee at Alliant Powder said “The OEM’s are using powder like a black hole in space sucking in all matter.”

ATK Sporting Group, the makers of Federal, CCI, and Speer, had this to say: “Despite our consistent and dedicated efforts, there remains much speculation and misinformation regarding the availability of commercial ammunition. In one example, there are a vocal few who believe that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is buying excessive quantities of ammunition thereby restricting availability to the commercial market. Simply stated, this is a false and baseless claim. In fact, we do supply the DHS with a small percentage of ammunition in select calibers consistent with our contractual requirements. However, the commercial market receives the vast majority of ammunition produced to serve the needs of civilian hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts.”

This is not just a gunpowder shortage, all ammunition components are currently in high demand. Sierra Bullets said the following: “Our military and law enforcement business is not causing these shortages. The shortages are being caused by the huge increase in demand from the individual reloaders themselves and also by the OEM ammunition reloaders who are reacting to the same increase in demand for ammunition. We are seeing a lot of customers who decide (for whatever reason) that they need to have a few extra bullets tucked away for a rainy day. When they start looking for their favorite Sierra Bullets and do not find them, they grow concerned and look harder. Once they do find them in stock, they choose to buy double what they had planned, since they were so hard to find. This just compounds the problem for the next person trying to find those same bullets.”

 

[josquin]

"...We are seeing a lot of customers who decide (for whatever reason) that they need to have a few extra bullets tucked away for a rainy day."

This being translated means, "a paranoid populace, convinced that Obama is going to take their guns, is hoarding like there will be no tomorrow." I remember reading, the last time there was a serious shortage, of one guy in the US who went into WalMart, looked at a full pallet of ammunition and said, "How much for the whole thing?" He paid for it and had it loaded into his truck.

And it's not just Alliant. A few months ago I read an interview with Bruce Hodgdon, who said that they are running absolutely full out, and despite increasing output, still can't keep up with the demand. Hodgdon apparently don't have military contracts, so it's the private sector and commercial reloaders who are sucking it all up. He also suggested that the shortages would begin to taper off, but so far it doesn't look that way. I just looked on the MidwayUSA website under "Powders" (all brands.) In stock: 40. Out of stock: 143. Alliant only: Available: 4. Out of stock: 42.

At least it's unllikely to get any worse...

 

[G-Man_Quagmire]

This being translated means, "a paranoid populace, convinced that Obama is going to take their guns, is hoarding like there will be no tomorrow." I remember reading, the last time there was a serious shortage, of one guy in the US who went into WalMart, looked at a full pallet of ammunition and said, "How much for the whole thing?" He paid for it and had it loaded into his truck.

And it's not just Alliant. A few months ago I read an interview with Bruce Hodgdon, who said that they are running absolutely full out, and despite increasing output, still can't keep up with the demand. Hodgdon apparently don't have military contracts, so it's the private sector and commercial reloaders who are sucking it all up. He also suggested that the shortages would begin to taper off, but so far it doesn't look that way. I just looked on the MidwayUSA website under "Powders" (all brands.) In stock: 40. Out of stock: 143. Alliant only: Available: 4. Out of stock: 42.

At least it's unllikely to get any worse...

The price may continue to increase..... Hope not though.

 

[tuffbuff]

I heard/read something about military and/or police enforcement contracts. There also seems to be a lack of federal centerfire ammo as well, parent company that uses RE powders in there rounds I believe.

Been looking for 7RM 160 TBT for over year and a half.

 

[mg4201]

This being translated means, "a paranoid populace, convinced that Obama is going to take their guns, is hoarding like there will be no tomorrow." I remember reading, the last time there was a serious shortage, of one guy in the US who went into WalMart, looked at a full pallet of ammunition and said, "How much for the whole thing?" He paid for it and had it loaded into his truck.

And it's not just Alliant. A few months ago I read an interview with Bruce Hodgdon, who said that they are running absolutely full out, and despite increasing output, still can't keep up with the demand. Hodgdon apparently don't have military contracts, so it's the private sector and commercial reloaders who are sucking it all up. He also suggested that the shortages would begin to taper off, but so far it doesn't look that way. I just looked on the MidwayUSA website under "Powders" (all brands.) In stock: 40. Out of stock: 143. Alliant only: Available: 4. Out of stock: 42.

At least it's unllikely to get any worse...

It can't get any worse. I was speaking to a LGS today and was told that the distributors don't even have any.

 

[josquin]

It can't get any worse. I was speaking to a LGS today and was told that the distributors don't even have any.

Yep. Every time I look at Rusty Wood's powder list, most is "ON ORDER" except for black powder. I waited tor 18 months for some W231. He ordered 100 lbs. and got either 10 or 12. I got the last two. Higginsons is pretty much all "Out of Stock".

My theory is that Windy Wendy and The Coalition for Gun Control have set up a bogus ammunition manufacturing business and are secretly buying it all up so we can't get any, and using it as fertilizer. (Look for a large warehouse outside Ottawa with a suspiciously large and luxuriant green space.)

 

[curseyou]

I don think it is paranoid Obama haters at all. I think the gun culture and the the market has expanded. CCW was a door to bring a lot more people into the community. Also 20 years of war in the sandbox left military levels at a higher rate and these people also join ranges when done.

The market is fundamentally larger.

 

[scott_r]

Im finding alot more powder in stock now then in the past 12 months..either guys arent buying in my area or more stock is comming in?? dunno know but Im good for the next while.

 

[Figure 11]

It's getting better, and it won't get back to normal until people calm the hell down. When the very few ammo/component manufacturers see that there is steady demand and that it is actually being shot rather than stockpiled maybe they will invest in capital. Defence contractors are highly averse to spending their own money on machinery.

 

[209jones]

If production was geared to meet the peak demands of say 30,000,000 shooters for arguments sake, and over a pretty short period, like 2 yrs, the market suddenly doubles, to 60,000,000 shooters, where does that leave the manufacturers? And, the guy that used to buy 1 box of ammo or bullets at a time, now buys two, the guy that buys powder one pound at a time, buys two instead, the guy that bought 5 at a time now buys 10.
It is settling down finally, the stores in the US, are getting their orders filled better than they were, it will work its way up here over the next year. Things are starting to come thru to Canada. In the meantime, you do what you have to, and put in the research to get what you need, and pay the prices that are out there, or do without. The dollar kicked the prices up again this year, what was 36.00 powder two yrs ago is now about 45.00. It is what it is.

 

[mg4201]

If production was geared to meet the peak demands of say 30,000,000 shooters for arguments sake, and over a pretty short period, like 2 yrs, the market suddenly doubles, to 60,000,000 shooters, where does that leave the manufacturers? And, the guy that used to buy 1 box of ammo or bullets at a time, now buys two, the guy that buys powder one pound at a time, buys two instead, the guy that bought 5 at a time now buys 10.
It is settling down finally, the stores in the US, are getting their orders filled better than they were, it will work its way up here over the next year. Things are starting to come thru to Canada. In the meantime, you do what you have to, and put in the research to get what you need, and pay the prices that are out there, or do without. The dollar kicked the prices up again this year, what was 36.00 powder two yrs ago is now about 45.00. It is what it is.

I don't know what Calgary is like, but in Southern Ontario there is no powder to be had to load handgun rounds. I already had to back out of an IPSC black badge course because I can't get any powder to load the required ammunition. The powder manufacturers will kill sport shooting if they don't get of their asses and increase production. How long do you think new shooters will wait to get ammo before the move on to golf or some other thing? They don't have enough time in to remember when powder could be purchased easily.

 

[Canuck525]

I know guys who have pretty much stopped shooting and have moved on to other hobbies because it has became almost impossible to find loading supplies.

 

[tiriaq]

Here is something else to think about...
When C-42 becomes law, the 600,000 POL holders will suddenly be able to acquire firearms.
If only 5% of them buy a new gun in the next year, that is 30,000 units.
The racks in your LGS as well as the online merchants' inventory are going to be affected.