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No More Eagle Shot

6K views 57 replies 26 participants last post by  ShowMe 
#1 ·
I visited Guns Unlimited in Omaha today. They stock and sell fairly large quantities of reloading supplies. Almost any time I am there they have at least a pallet each of 7 1/2, 8, and 9 shot. For the last few years it has been Eagle Magnum from Peru. Today they had not a single bag of shot. They told me they will have some coming in a week or two. They also told me that shot is no longer being exported from Peru to the US. This happened without warning and the distributors are now looking for suppliers. They told me that they are aware of two manufacturers in the US. I did not ask (and hate to guess) what it will cost when they do get it.

The Hodgdon end of their powder aisle looked pretty bare and they said they do not expect more till May. The Alliant end of the aisle was nearly full and they say they have more in back. I got a jug of Promo and a jug of Am Sel. They had pallets full of Fio and W209 primers. As I recall these were about $115 and $129 per 5K. Not that any of this will be of use without shot.

Added 4/2:
Checked my receipt for exact numbers and found Fio/W209- $121/$129, Promo/Am Sel $99/118. Seems like powder is up around $20/jug from a year ago.
 
#2 ·
Lawrence and West Coast are owned by the same metal company
 
#3 ·
I noticed the Promo went up 10 bucks a jug compared to what was there five months ago. Ouch. I paid 88 bucks for mine at that time and bought two jugs. Feeling pretty good about it.

They sent me a text saying they had 9 thousand pounds of shot on Thursday (360 bags). On Saturday at noon there was none left.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like a huge load of Bull S**t to me. Not saying the Dealer didn't tell you that, but it doesn't even sound reasonable.

The only way Peru would stop selling lead to the US, would be that they have a need for all that lead themselves. There's no reason for that as far as can be determined at this time.

Their exports help with their economy, just as our exports help out own economy, and unless something has suddenly happened, the U.S. is on good trade terms with Peru. Additionally, Peru has vast deposits of lead. Stopping the production doesn't make any sense.

I have contacted my supplier and he will be looking into the matter. Were it true, it could lead to shortages and higher costs too. Anyway I think there is a huge possibility that this is false. I certainly hope so.

DLM
 
#7 ·
Just got an email from my supplier.

Eagle is filling their OEM contracts for the 3-4 months, then they will be shipping to the USA again. My supplier is buying up Lawrence to fill the void.

I have asked my supplier for my new Lawrence pricing. I hope to hear from them today.

Randy Wall
Big Guy's Shooting Supply
Houston/Pearland TX
 
#10 ·
D L Marcum said:
Sounds like a huge load of Bull S**t to me. Not saying the Dealer didn't tell you that, but it doesn't even sound reasonable.

The only way Peru would stop selling lead to the US, would be that they have a need for all that lead themselves. There's no reason for that as far as can be determined at this time.

Their exports help with their economy, just as our exports help out own economy, and unless something has suddenly happened, the U.S. is on good trade terms with Peru. Additionally, Peru has vast deposits of lead. Stopping the production doesn't make any sense.

I have contacted my supplier and he will be looking into the matter. Were it true, it could lead to shortages and higher costs too. Anyway I think there is a huge possibility that this is false. I certainly hope so.

DLM
Thank you for your insight. "Huge load of BS" we will see. Let us all know how much Eagle shot you see in stores in a few months.

Edited to fix typo
 
#12 ·
I have to agree with DLM. First, have a look at the spot price of lead over different time frames, particularly 6 months.

http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical_large.html#6months

Lead's been in a downtrend since around February 18th. So, if there were a sortage of the commodity, price would be higher. Second, I can see the manufacturer selling his output of shot to his contracts. Any business would do so, especially if the OEM's are selling output to the Gov't.

If we see higher shot prices and shortages, it might be because of hoarding through an increasingly paniced shooting community, not because the underlying demand for lead has increased significantly.

This shows once again that stripping away manufacturing in the USA for foreign suppliers has disrupted the balance of supply and demand. Will any US manufacturer step up to reopen or build new shot towers due to the increasing governmental regulations? Likely not. Welcome to the "new normal" of shortages caused by decades of indifference by our electorate.

Sorry to go here folks, but we all know what's happening.
 
#13 ·
Lionhead:
I too have the kitco site bookmarked. I periodically see the price come down and stay down for an extended periods. I wait for the price to drop at the reloading shop and it does not happen. Is the balance of supply and demand being disrupted? Of course! "Supply and demand" is a fundamental part of FREE enterprise and FREE markets. We have a government that does not believe in either one. They spend a good bit of their time and effort attempting to manipulate markets and the economy. They are quite proud of this. If one of the side effects of this is it that it becomes more difficult or expensive for "those evil gun people" to get reloadnig supplies I doubt that many in DC are alarmed (quite the opposite.)
 
#14 ·
The price of lead is only one component in the cost of shot, which has significant manufacturing and transportation costs included. The price of shot on the shelf at your local supplier will not fluctuate like the spot price of lead does. The shot manufacturer probably hedges the price of the lead ore it uses in order to stabilize the cost of the lead input. Lead is pretty toxic stuff and I suspect the shot makers have some environmental remediation costs as well. It's like the price of gas at the pump; there is some responsiveness to the price of crude oil, but there is a lot more that goes into it.
 
#15 ·
"Supply and demand" is a fundamental part of FREE enterprise and FREE markets. We have a government that does not believe in either one. They spend a good bit of their time and effort attempting to manipulate markets and the economy. They are quite proud of this. If one of the side effects of this is it that it becomes more difficult or expensive for "those evil gun people" to get reloadnig supplies I doubt that many in DC are alarmed (quite the opposite.)
Amen albatros; the Gov't is putting pressure on all gun owners to make it as difficult to obtain, keep, buy ammunition and/or reloading supplies. The manipulation in markets, commodity, stocks, bonds is now to the point of being blatant. Control of everything is what these folks are after.

Nebs, you're right of course, but look at the price of the standard lead-acid automotive battery. Those haven't jumped up like the reloading supplies percentage wise. The "invisible hand" of Gov't is becoming more visible as time goes on.
 
#17 ·
drsfmd said:
Nebs said:
Lead is pretty toxic stuff
Elemental lead really isn't unless it's in very, very small granules (dust) or vaporized.
Perhaps I misstated. What I meant to say was the process of making lead shot probably produces some stuff the folks at the EPA don't like.
 
#18 ·
Nebs said:
drsfmd said:
Nebs said:
Lead is pretty toxic stuff
Elemental lead really isn't unless it's in very, very small granules (dust) or vaporized.
Perhaps I misstated. What I meant to say was the process of making lead shot probably produces some stuff the folks at the EPA don't like.
Yeah it does. Ammunition.

Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire
 
#24 ·
The only way Peru would stop selling lead to the US, would be that they have a need for all that lead themselves. There's no reason for that as far as can be determined at this time.
Yes there is - someone else wants that lead more than we do - most likely China and India, whose rising middle classes want....CARS....and car batteries are worth more than shot pellets to the lead folks. China also uses a lot of lead in products they ship back to us here
 
#26 ·
I do not know for certain but kind of doubt much tin is used in making shot. Tin is generally mixed with lead to make solder. The alloy has a lower melting point than either pure metal. I believe the most common alloying element added to lead for shot is antimony. This makes the lead harder.
 
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