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I have been restocking my reloading supplies, I use WSF powder, claybuster 1 oz wads, win and cheddite primers, and 1 oz shot. my cost is now about $9 a box. double what it was before the pandemic. still cheaper then walmart

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3276 Location: NCWa

the biggest percentage change I've noted is in primers- the LGS has 209A "on sale" for $.08 EACH. That makes $2/box of 25 shells.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3487 Location: Illinois

It's not only the cost ---but---being able to roll your own/availability.

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 130

"my cost is now about $9 a box."......+/- a few cts, that's about what it costs me.

.....but---being able to roll your own/availability. Totally agree, It beats mowing the grass, weeding, & picking up the dog s.

Just came back from LGS. I'm trying to downsize a bit, have way too much of everything. Had 2 -8lbs jugs of Varget & imr 4227. Looked at the recent Natchez catalog & saw the varget @ $414. They weren't offering any 4227. Checked the Hodgdon site and they didn't have any but the listed price was $ 454. My local guy offered me $600 for both, which ironically i was thinking before i walked in, since i had purchased both back when for appx $400.
LG had w 209s at $105/k. Recently seen them in another mail order for $55 but after HM, tax, & shipping, probably came close to the 105. I passed.
Have been using Nobel 688s & Cheds w/o any problems......

Joined: 08 Mar 2022 Posts: 130

"my cost is now about $9 a box."......+/- a few cts, that's about what it costs me.

.....but---being able to roll your own/availability. Totally agree, It beats mowing the grass, weeding, & picking up the dog s.

Just came back from LGS. I'm trying to downsize a bit, have way too much of everything. Had 2 -8lbs jugs of Varget & imr 4227. Looked at the recent Natchez catalog & saw the varget @ $414. They weren't offering any 4227. Checked the Hodgdon site and they didn't have any but the listed price was $ 454. My local guy offered me $600 for both, which ironically i was thinking before i walked in, since i had purchased both back when for appx $400.
LG had w 209s at $105/k. Recently seen them in another mail order for $55 but after HM, tax, & shipping, probably came close to the 105. I passed.
Have been using Nobel 688s & Cheds w/o any problems......

here is what I bought, 8lb jug WSF, $320, 25 lb #8 shot, $52, 1000 win 209 $80, wads are $17 for 500. I like cheddite primers $50, but some of my rem hulls do not, so I have to use the winchester.

On the upside I do see Fed, Win & Rem primers coming down out of orbit and into the stratosphere. Still too high mostly, so I’ll be saving the ones I have for hunting loads. For targets it’s Cheddite or Fiocchi.

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1470 Location: Western WA

I no longer care what powder and primers I use. I simply buy whatever ever lowest cost shotgun powder shows up. Last time it was 700x and Cheddite primers. Before that it was Clay Dot and Nobelsport primers. Before that it was something else.

Why? Because after extensive testing with the Pressure Trace II strain gage system, I found it doesn’t matter a bit. As long as velocities stay at or below 1200 fps with 7/8 or 1 oz loads, the pressures are far below the most popular factory 16 ga load no matter what powder is used. That familiar box on the shelf at Wally’s can be H O T !

16 ga sits in a very sweet corner of the ballistic envelope. It can comfortably digest fast 12 powders like Red Dot, mid speed powders like Unique, and slow smallbore powders like Longshot and Steel.

Having said that, I am wary of any loads of 20 gr or more of any powder, notwithstanding claims of low pressure. Yes Longshot wants more than that, but who really knows if some of those foreign powders are actually slow or not. My testing has also shown that pressures can go nonlinear when 17 gr or more is used with many familiar powders. If someone showed up at my door with a hardware store 16 ga and a can that says shotgun powder, I’d simply say 14 grains of powder, 7/8 oz of lead, and have fun.

Bottom line - If you’re totally convinced low speeds are the cause of your missed targets, then by all means get in touch with Tom A and dial up your loads. But if the cost of powder and primers pinches you, then lower your sights and possibly save 30-50% by using modest loads of the stuff on the sale rack. Your 16 ga wont mind a bit.

B.

Joined: 22 May 2020 Posts: 335 Location: Ky

Hey Brewster, have you ever tested any of the latest 1oz ched Winchester factory loads?

Joined: 13 Oct 2015 Posts: 396

@Brewster, very interesting post. I love to see opinion like this, by someone who has actually SEEN the data and done pressure tests, as you have. Also, you're a brave SOB to post that lol... if you posted that at SGW, there would be a lynch mob with a rope driving to your house right now lol!
Best regards, Dave

I like the idea of going with what ever powder and primers are cheapest, I started with 17 gr of universal 1 oz with a vel of 1150, then went with 18.6 gr of wsf to get the same 1150 fps. breaks clays just fine without breaking my shoulder.

Joined: 24 Jul 2016 Posts: 574 Location: Ohio

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1470 Location: Western WA

I expect to be testing High Gun soon.
B.

~$9.00 a box for target loads is my cost also.

Joined: 21 May 2024 Posts: 90 Location: Eastern Tennessee

I’m still shooting off old powder and lead shot stock I bought at mom and pop, gravel roads over a decade ago so I can still claim around $4-5 a box as long as we aren’t talking steel or bismuth loads. The green dot and international are just about out (probably have another year before they go dry). I went a bit silly on my primer purchases back then and have supplemented anytime a major deal (less than $.05) a primer in today’s standards is offered.

My steel loads are still pretty cheap considering the price hasn’t really changed for that shot and I still have plenty of VP80’s and steel powder. I would say they cost me around $6-$7.50 a box.

I probably have a lifetime supply of 1-1/8 oz and 1-1/4 oz loads at that price range.

It’s Bismuth I didn’t invest in, the shot alone has those shells more in the $9 a box, but that will go up with the next purchase of shot.