Pursuing the same interests for a lifetime would help get into that sort of depth of inventory. I have some of that depth in pistol powders and primers, but getting serious about rifles is too recent an interest to have gotten in on the good old days there.
POWDER WENT BAD
- Thread starter Ganderite
- Start date
I generally buy about enough of a powder for a barrel's life on a given gun in the safe. Some consolidation of cartridges has helped there too. Didn't buy it all at once, some was every payday, some was once a month, some was if it was on sale, same with primers, bullets, brass. What's leftover from various cartridges over the years, leaves me with a nice variety all said and done. Also usually experimented with at least 3 powders per gun and a few bullet weights, as shortages like this do occur, always nice to know what the alternatives are if necc. In 45 yrs, only tossed 2-3 lbs due to deterioration, one more that wasn't full, because it was a recall.
If you dealt directly with Hodgdon, you could go to their Nebraska outdoor storage facility and pick up 1000-pound containers.
The powder was packed in wooden crates, on skid bars, tar paper lined, containing either four 250-pound pressed paper bins, or ten 100-pound pressed paper bins. They also had 50-pound and 25-pound containers, all under "hayshed" type covers.
Those were definitely "golden days" for hand loaders
Many stores in the US and for a while, even a few in Canada would put out the 100-pound bins with a scoop, allowing anyone who wanted to purchase powder to use scoops, provided by the store to take it out of the bins, and put it into bags at $1 per scoop. Even at those dirt-cheap prices, they made a profit.
There was a time when it was next to impossible for commercial companies to make reasonable profits on hand-loading powders.
Mostly because they couldn't compete with the giveaway prices of thousands of tons of surplus powders available from WWII/Korea/Viet Nam, etc oversupply and later when the ammunition was broken down for component salvage, these items were often sold for just enough to cover the cost of breaking them down. Delivery costs were on the bidder.
It may all sound fine, but remember, those were not "canister grade" powders and did not come in convenient-sized containers for most people.
The average hand loader buys a pound or two, or maybe a keg of any given powder at any time. The same goes for components, such as bullets and primers.
That's the most expensive way to purchase.
Arranging bulk orders, even at a local gun shop, can make a huge difference in price as it goes down as quantities go up.
I'm not saying you will get a great deal because you buy two kegs instead of one, I'm talking about 100 or even 1000 kegs at a time.
This really isn't feasible for most folks as they don't have the storage or distribution capacity to handle such large amounts.
I used to do bulk buys for several different LGS at a time, then make a few phone calls, arrange US export permits, especially if the components were coming from dispersal auctions, then drive down, collect it all, do the customs routines, and the odd time other government agency inspections, then break it all up to fit the orders and deliver it.
By the time all of this was done, I could make a lot of money, for the time, but it could only happen with large bulk shipments.
There wasn't any money dealing with the guys who wanted "in on the deals" and they only wanted 5 pounds or less of powder.
My minimum orders were 250 pounds per type offered.
Usually, the stores purchasing these components put them up for sale as "loss leaders" to draw customers into the store. The odd time folks were putting them into small containers and taking them to gun shows, which weren't nearly as prolific back then, as they are now.
So, if you're looking to get cheap for the time components, be prepared to purchase substantial quantities. But, factor in the regulatory conditions of the present time, as well as distribution costs.
When I was doing this, it was relatively easy. The people looking into this trade weren't biased and they weren't worried about a "terrorist" lurking in every shadow. I quit doing it, just like many of the others who have quit, because it became so tedious not to be worth the effort.
I liked doing it and met some incredible and even famous people along the way, such as Elmer Kieth and Parker O Ackley.
Those days are long gone.
I haven't seen "surplus" powder, military, proprietary, or canister grade over supply for at least ten years.
If someone has a source for those powders, posting them would be appreciated by many.
The powder was packed in wooden crates, on skid bars, tar paper lined, containing either four 250-pound pressed paper bins, or ten 100-pound pressed paper bins. They also had 50-pound and 25-pound containers, all under "hayshed" type covers.
Those were definitely "golden days" for hand loaders
Many stores in the US and for a while, even a few in Canada would put out the 100-pound bins with a scoop, allowing anyone who wanted to purchase powder to use scoops, provided by the store to take it out of the bins, and put it into bags at $1 per scoop. Even at those dirt-cheap prices, they made a profit.
There was a time when it was next to impossible for commercial companies to make reasonable profits on hand-loading powders.
Mostly because they couldn't compete with the giveaway prices of thousands of tons of surplus powders available from WWII/Korea/Viet Nam, etc oversupply and later when the ammunition was broken down for component salvage, these items were often sold for just enough to cover the cost of breaking them down. Delivery costs were on the bidder.
It may all sound fine, but remember, those were not "canister grade" powders and did not come in convenient-sized containers for most people.
The average hand loader buys a pound or two, or maybe a keg of any given powder at any time. The same goes for components, such as bullets and primers.
That's the most expensive way to purchase.
Arranging bulk orders, even at a local gun shop, can make a huge difference in price as it goes down as quantities go up.
I'm not saying you will get a great deal because you buy two kegs instead of one, I'm talking about 100 or even 1000 kegs at a time.
This really isn't feasible for most folks as they don't have the storage or distribution capacity to handle such large amounts.
I used to do bulk buys for several different LGS at a time, then make a few phone calls, arrange US export permits, especially if the components were coming from dispersal auctions, then drive down, collect it all, do the customs routines, and the odd time other government agency inspections, then break it all up to fit the orders and deliver it.
By the time all of this was done, I could make a lot of money, for the time, but it could only happen with large bulk shipments.
There wasn't any money dealing with the guys who wanted "in on the deals" and they only wanted 5 pounds or less of powder.
My minimum orders were 250 pounds per type offered.
Usually, the stores purchasing these components put them up for sale as "loss leaders" to draw customers into the store. The odd time folks were putting them into small containers and taking them to gun shows, which weren't nearly as prolific back then, as they are now.
So, if you're looking to get cheap for the time components, be prepared to purchase substantial quantities. But, factor in the regulatory conditions of the present time, as well as distribution costs.
When I was doing this, it was relatively easy. The people looking into this trade weren't biased and they weren't worried about a "terrorist" lurking in every shadow. I quit doing it, just like many of the others who have quit, because it became so tedious not to be worth the effort.
I liked doing it and met some incredible and even famous people along the way, such as Elmer Kieth and Parker O Ackley.
Those days are long gone.
I haven't seen "surplus" powder, military, proprietary, or canister grade over supply for at least ten years.
If someone has a source for those powders, posting them would be appreciated by many.
- Location
- sudbury, ontario
Ya and now a day you post a pic of anything over the new rules …and the rcmp or local cops come knocking on your door … careful what you post on line big brother is always watching
I got out of it and now if I go to range and shoot 2-3 boxes of factory ammo that’s lots for me in a year
I got out of it and now if I go to range and shoot 2-3 boxes of factory ammo that’s lots for me in a year
