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Posted: 4/20/2009 6:11:09 PM EDT
so let me guess,the powder industry cant supply use powder now either,what is the excuse for this as we heard all the excuses for primers
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Quoted:
The only real excuse is that people are buying enough to last them twenty years. Two years ago, you didn't see hoards of people clammoring to buy 20,000 primers (or 20 pounds of powder) at any price. 2 years ago bama wasn't president either. 
Many who remember the AWB of the 90's, bought like mad men after the election. |
it's there but mostly you have to order it.i quit looking in stores for reloading supplies, when they do get it in they gouge you pretty good. i have an order due in tomarow from NATCHEZ, placed the order on-line this past sunday. if this shit does calm down remember to support the ones that didn't screw you and f**k the ones that did.
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They cannot magically increase production rates to match demand. Some of the raw materials are also in short supply. Like nitric acid which starts out with the Haber Process to make ammonia which is then reacted endothermically with oxygen to make nitrogen oxides which then are reacted with water to form nitric acid. All processes take energy which has been increasingly expensive. Then the same thing is done with sulfur to make sulfuric acid. Now these two acids are used to make nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine for the base components. This again takes energy. Then these are purified, mixed with other chemicals, formed, reformed and finally smokeless propellent is made. Then it has to be tested, blended and tested again before packaging. Most of their products are bulk packed for the majors. Just a few select lots become cannister. Guess who gets top billing? Packaging costs, commercial bulk users recycle packaging, We use disposables. Look at what happened in the past 20 years. Olin sold out to General Dynamics who now run Primex/St. Marks. IMR is now owned by Hodgdon who also markets cannister Winchester Ball Powders, ADI-made (Benchmark, Varget, most of the Extreme line) etc. The only other manufacturer is ATK with SOME of their Reloder line. Western Powder and Accurate are both imported, made overseas. |
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Here is an interesting chart from ADI about their powder equivalency. I have not cross-checked every one, but most listed under the ADI originate in Australia, and the U.S. brands are just Australia powder repackaged here. So why doesn't Australia ramp up production in response to increasing demand and increasing prices? Who knows for sure?
http://www.adi-limited.com/handloaders-guide/equivalents.asp |
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Quoted: Here is an interesting chart from ADI about their powder equivalency. I have not cross-checked every one, but most listed under the ADI originate in Australia, and the U.S. brands are just Australia powder repackaged here. So why doesn't Australia ramp up production in response to increasing demand and increasing prices? Who knows for sure? http://www.adi-limited.com/handloaders-guide/equivalents.asp Because Australia is having the SAME problems as us. Powder is concentrated energy. It also takes energy to put the oxygen (in the form of NO2) into propellents. Now not all Hodgdon propellents are ADI sourced. Trailboss, Varget, Benchmark, H322, H4198, H4227, Varget, H4895, H4831/SC are ADI. HS-6, H335, BLC-2, HP-38, H380 and most sphericals are made by Primex/St. Marks in St. Pete FL. Most Hodgon extruded are ADI. The MSDS tell all. Now why IMR chose to bring Trailboss over instead of Hodgon puzzles me. But I don't really care, it is a GREAT target propellent for lead bullets in most auto pistols. And my clean favorite since it is nearly impossible to over-pressure in .45 ACP. |
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Well, demand is what it is, and though we'd like to see manufacturers "ramp up" production to meet our demands, they may not be able to, for whatever reason, whether it be manufacturing capacity, availability of raw materials, etc. etc.
It is getting wierd. I'm used to just strolling into my favorite local funstore and grabbing the powder I need. This last lb of Titegroup I got a while back, I did have to wait a week for it. They had nothing. On their advice I started calling every day, and as soon as it came in, I snagged it. Glad I did too. It was the only one they had. 
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