Sources Drying Up?

[Shotgun693]

The biggest gun shop in San Antonio, Dury's, is going to stop selling reloading components. It's an bother and hopefully not the start of a trend.

[tobnpr]

There is one shop, a half-hour from me, that sells reloading supplies.
I only go there when I need a pound of powder, or a box of bullets that I forgot to order online.

Nice guy, but pricing is outrageous. $28+ for a pound of Varget. But, if I screwed up on an online order and need a pound, it's cheaper than paying the hazmat fee for pound or two of powder.

I don't know how he stays in business.

I order everything online.

I wish there was one that sold supplies at a competitive price, but there isn't.

I'm assuming yours is?

[khest]

Well if Dury's not selling reloading I know that Powder Horn and Nagels still do. Though how Nagels does I dont know

[Hook686]

tobnpr wrote:

There is one shop, a half-hour from me, that sells reloading supplies.
I only go there when I need a pound of powder, or a box of bullets that I forgot to order online.

Nice guy, but pricing is outrageous. $28+ for a pound of Varget. But, if I screwed up on an online order and need a pound, it's cheaper than paying the hazmat fee for pound or two of powder.

I don't know how he stays in business.

I order everything online. ...

hmmmm keep ordering online and he might not stay in business, then you will have no choice but to pay that hazmat fee for one, or two punds of powder. Strikes me as penny wise, but dollar foolish in the long run. So Varget is $25 on midway. That shop charges $28. Midway charges $24.99 plus $27.50 Haz Mat plus $9.99 Shipping fees. As I said, it sounds penny wise, but dollar foolish.

[er775]

I have to travel about 100 miles in either direction of where I live to find a store to buy reloading supplies, I try to get everything I need at the store but if they dont have it then I will order from on line, except powder and primers, refuse to pay the shipping charges, I dont get what the big deal is, whether its haz mat or not it still ships on the same plane, same truck, same driver brings it to my door, theres no guy showing up in a special armored vehicle wearing a haz mat suit, only diff is the box it ships in has a red haz mat logo on it. ( sorry just venting, maybe Im wrong, but still hate paying the fees )

[tobnpr]

So Varget is $25 on midway.

And I get it for $19.99 @ Graf's, or $20.55 at Powder Valley.

Midway is priced "right" for many things, smokeless powder is not one of them.

I also have 7% sales tax at the local shop, that I don't online.

He's also some 20-25% more on bullets, too.

Like I said, for small orders, it's cheaper to pay the sales tax, avoid hazmat, etc. and buy locally. But on larger orders, it's far cheaper- and way more convenient- to just order online.

[oneounceload]

or $20.55 at Powder Valley.

Midway is priced "right" for many things, smokeless powder is not one of them.

That's because Midway buys their powder from Powder Valley and has it shipped to you

So 20.55 plus 27.50 hazmat plus 15 shipping equals about 63 for a pound of powder that your local guy sells for 28 plus 7% tax, or about 30 bucks. Remember, he has to pay hazmat as well as shipping.

You'd be better off buying 2 8# jugs at a time with 50,000 primers - about the max for one hazmat fee

[Hammerhead]

The trend seems to be LGS's selling powder and primers only because we are ordering everything else online.

[oneoldsap]

Another part of the problem is the plethora of bullets available now days . The LGS can't stock them all , but can add what you want to their next order , which works fine if you aren't someone who requires instant gratification (adult) . If we don't support the local guy , they can't stay in business , and won't be around to supply that emergency item that we all need now and then ! The convienience of buying local , from someone you know , is worth a few bucks . Don't sell out your neighbor for a few sheckles , it's bad business ! My local guy is getting ready to retire , and I know I'm going to miss him when he does . Wish I could find a way to buy him out . Anybody got a spare 1/2 Mil. laying around not returning any profit ?

[oneounceload]

Wish I could find a way to buy him out . Anybody got a spare 1/2 Mil. laying around not returning any profit ?

Called bank loans; otherwise, if you really want to do this, approach your current owner and see if he will do some form of "rent to own" for example where you pay him off over time

[m&p45acp10+1]

My guess if they are not going to be selling reloading stuff it is because they are not selling enough of it. They may have decided to fill that space with something that sells more, and makes a higher amount of profit per square foot. It is called being in buisness to make money. Of all of the LGS's only 2 sell reloading stuff. One is kinda high on their stuff. The other is outrageously expensive. They are not in buisness to give people bargians. They are in buisness to make money selling things. If things do not sell then they do not make money.

[viciouskitty]

I buy my powder and primers from powder horn, theres a great bunch of guys there and the prices are reasonable. They probably carry what you need. Nagels is just overpriced and those guys are not that friendly, always been rude to me i guess cause I'm young but I'm still a serious customer and I buy a lot.

[jmorris]

I am one who believes in supporting local business up to the point they bend me over. All of the little guys that were fair have closed up and the rest don't care. I fixed my problem, and for a few friends by becoming a dealer for some of the products we use the most. From that I can tell you places like Powder Valley will always beat a local shop.

The prices they sell Berrys bullets, for example, is very close to "dealer price" when I contacted Berrys to see what kind of order (again as a dealer) I would need to place to get the prices they gave PV. They said they could give me the same price on an order of $325,000 or larger.

You have to make a living and the big online outfits can make .$25 on a million orders and clear $250,000. While the local guy is trying to get $50 out of 5000 folks to make the same money.

[GTOne]

I am one who believes in supporting local business up to the point they bend me over.

Same here, my LGS seems to think they are selling gold. They are also on the curt/rude side.
My other choice is Gander....ha.

So, PV, grafs, occasionally other online guys, they get all my money.

[serf 'rett]

Sources Drying Up?

Nope - almost non-existent would be closer to the facts. Local “gun” store has much more clothing than guns and many more guns than reloading supplies; as in, I’ve never seen 9mm or 40S&W bullets there. Even driving an hour to Little Rock doesn’t make the situation much better.

It's pretty much mail order from here in the boonies.

[William T. Watts]

I buy nothing from Fort Thompson or Gandermountain, I just came from Fort Thompson, LP primers were 49.99 + tax, "no way"!! I should mention I will be in Ohio in two weeks, Fin Feather and Fur in Ashland will beat his price $15.00 per 1K.. William