RL-26 Scarcity

09 July 2019, 07:53

phurley5

RL-26 Scarcity

Has anyone else been unable to find RL-26 lately. In working up loads for my new 6.5 PRC I found that powder excellent for most bullets. I only bought one pound to start with and now need more and cannot find it anywhere. Just wondered if anyone else was having the same problem. Good Shooting.

09 July 2019, 19:40

Blacktailer

Demand is still way over supply. I saw on another forum recently that one of the big internet stores got some in. They sold over 300lb in less than 24 hours and are out again.
I was able to get a pound at my local SW by calling them on a regular basis. The counter guys let me know when their next shipments would arrive and I would call back then. They set a pound aside while I drove down.

09 July 2019, 20:53

ZekeShikar

I have about 1 1/2 pounds left and use it in 2 cartridges currently but I can't find it anywhere.
When I hear of some, it's gone before I get there.

Zeke

09 July 2019, 23:03

JMJ888

I am seeing the same...have noticed that N560 is fairly similar but that isn’t much more available either.

I am afraid that if I do find some available and work up a load with it I won’t be able to find any again.

10 July 2019, 01:18

30.06king

Interesting thread. RL26 is quite popular here in NZ too. Currently this is one of my favourite powders for a couple of .300 Win Mag loads. Great accuracy with light pressure.
Availabilty here has been spotty although the importers have managed to include some on most recent shipments. It comes into dealers stocks and seems to sell out fairly quickly. With my favourite dealer I have a standing order for 2 lb. from each new shipment which so far has kept me going. I should collect my next order in a week or so.
Since our mosque murders this year there has been changes to the transport of firearms, ammo a d components. I suspect future supplies will become more delayed and disrupted.

16 July 2019, 01:39

phurley5

Thanks gentlemen for replying, the scarcity is real and may last a while. I have loaded some RL-25 for my next shooting session and my try IMR-8133 and Retumbo all which have been recommended by others. Good Shooting.

16 July 2019, 05:30

p dog shooter

I guess I will just have to survive with the 14lbs of IMR4831 and the 16lbs of H4350 and the 30 some pounds of surplus powder.

I most likely forgot about the keg of R15 and many lbs of IMR 4064

That are sitting on the self.

Of all the horrors.

Needless to say I learned to buy powder when I can.

16 July 2019, 09:52

30.06king

quote:
p dog shooter
one of us
posted 16 July 2019 12:30

Needless to say I learned to buy powder when I can.

Seems it's getting more and more that way here these days. Import shipments here becoming more random and less info on manufacturing runs for many powder types. For various reasons related to increasing shipping and security regulations, and demand in big use countries, availability here is ever more disrupted. Sometimes when popular powder grades sell out quickly it can take up to a year for replacement stock to arrive. Hence the reason I too have stockpiled some powder types and I'm not a massive user. The really high volume shooting guys must be very good at estimating how much they need to hold to keep them going for months at a time.

16 July 2019, 15:51

p dog shooter

I learned at fairly young age when a good deal on powder came by.

To buy all I could afford.

When I was very active in shooting P Dogs taking 2 or more trips a year I would burn up 16lbs or so a year. Just doing that let alone all the other shooting I was doing.

As we all know with every trigger pull the primer and powder goes up in smoke.

Shooting big magnums at less then a 100 rounds per pound it doesn't take much to burn it away.

50cal shooters get only 30 some rounds per pound.

16 July 2019, 19:38

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by p dog shooter:
I learned at fairly young age when a good deal on powder came by.

To buy all I could afford.

When I was very active in shooting P Dogs taking 2 or more trips a year I would burn up 16lbs or so a year. Just doing that let alone all the other shooting I was doing.

As we all know with every trigger pull the primer and powder goes up in smoke.

Shooting big magnums at less then a 100 rounds per pound it doesn't take much to burn it away.

50cal shooters get only 30 some rounds per pound.

I am in your camp PD; if I have a load that shoots well with a certain powder, I order 8 lbs, if only to get the lot the same, to say nothing of the convenience or cost (8 1 lb cans are a lot more than 1 8 lb jug).

17 July 2019, 01:07

Fjold

Too bad none of you are in Northern California, there's a guy trying to sell six one pound containers for $40 each in San Jose.

Saeed doesn't like links but it's on calguns.net in the "Private Reloading Sales" forum.

Frank

"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953

NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite

17 July 2019, 07:43

phurley5

I have on hand at least 8 pounds of 10 different powders and as many as 24 pounds of some as in CFE-223 and RL-22. I to beleave in shooting the same lot of powder when I establish my go to load in a rifle. When I started on the 6.5 PRC I bought a pound of RL-26 to try along with H-1000 and RL-25 I already had on hand in quantity. When the RL-26 proved the most accurate powder I started to find more and you know the rest of the story. It will be available sooner or later and I will buy enough to continue using it, meanwhile I have saved enough of the original pound to use in an emergency if needed. This PRC is amazing and very fun to work with. Good Shooting.

18 July 2019, 02:05

ZekeShikar

quote:
Originally posted by phurley5:
I have on hand at least 8 pounds of 10 different powders and as many as 24 pounds of some as in CFE-223 and RL-22. I to beleave in shooting the same lot of powder when I establish my go to load in a rifle. When I started on the 6.5 PRC I bought a pound of RL-26 to try along with H-1000 and RL-25 I already had on hand in quantity. When the RL-26 proved the most accurate powder I started to find more and you know the rest of the story. It will be available sooner or later and I will buy enough to continue using it, meanwhile I have saved enough of the original pound to use in an emergency if needed. This PRC is amazing and very fun to work with. Good Shooting.

Like unto your chambering, I use it in my 6.5 x 280AI with wicked results.

It's not like I'm "out" of powder as the cupboard is overflowing but I do want an 8 pound keg of Reloder 26 (or singles of the same lot) and will have it when found.

Zeke

28 July 2019, 05:14

phurley5

Good news, shot with RL-25 today and got almost identical same speeds and accuracy. I will keep hunting RL-26 and buy some when I find it but with plenty of RL-25 the pressure is off. Barnes 130 gr. TSX and 61.5 grains RL-25 3230 fps half inch group. 143 gr. Hornady LDX and 59.5 grains RL-25 at 3029 fps and half inch group. Sauer 100 with 22 inch barrel. Good Shooting.

29 July 2019, 09:19

30.06king

When I tried RL25 in .300 Win Mag it gave nowhere near the same fps as RL26. The RL25 was an old batch so I don't know if that had some bearing.
I expected my current order of 2 lbs. RL26 would be in may hands last week as my dealer finally received a powders shipment. Everything but the RL26 arrived. They now tell me it lands mid October

I might struggle to make the 2 lbs. I have last that long !

31 July 2019, 02:15

phurley5

Another shooting session confirms that RL-25 is just as good as it's new cousin RL-26 as far as speed and accuracy are concerned in my 6.5 PRC. Just glad I bought a good supply when I was using it for my .270 WSM's on the 140 grain bullets, as well as other loads. Good Shooting.