when I was young my dad reloaded. I do remember Alcan, did they make powder too?
Are the cans of powder squaty, kinda square with rounded edges? I think they were red, yellow, and maybe black. I was like 10 yrs old then, and I'm 69 now, so my mind can be a bit hazy.Yes.. According to info I found online, a guy in Illinois was upset the ammo producers wouldn't sell components to reload ammo, so he started importing components, selling them under the Alcan name. He started with shotgun components, (primers / powder / wads) then added rifle & pistol. components as hs business grew. Very popular in the 60's -early 80's. Supposedly the components came from Bofors, a munitions company in Sweden .
S&W actually bought Alcan & kept selling components under than name until the early 80's. One story I read was the Bofors plant had a fire that destroyed it & that ended the Alcan line.
.I believe I have some of their powder too.. Don't recall where I got the primers or powder, but I know I've had it for years.
If/ when I find it, I'll post another pic ..
I must be thinking of another powder. I remember those cans though. My dad had a Herters turret press, and also a Herters shotgun shell reloader. Man I wish I had them now. He was supposed to send me his reloading stuff after he moved to Texas, but it never happened. I miss him.View attachment 28467
This is what I found in my stash.. I'd read online that they sold their powder in 8 oz., rather than 1 lb. containers... guess that's true.
A cardboard body with metal top & bottom.
I think it was during the Clinton years, primers became very scarce and expensive. I was starting competition shooting at that time, having to stop because there was no ammo and no reloading components. .22 ammo was non existent unless one wanted to pay scalper prices.I tried some of the Alcan primers from boxes in my 1st post..they worked fine. Loaded a batch of 45'swith them. Tried them @ my range, all worked, had no misfires.
During one of the 1st primer shortages I experienced, I ran out of primers, and eventually found some Fiocchi. They worked just as well as my usual CCI's, Winchesters, or Federals. Thought it was strange that they were packaged in trays of 150 instead of 100, as I recall.
After getting caught w/o primers, I made steps in the future that the same issue wouldn't happen to me again.
Eventually, primers became available. When a seller would put them on sale, or offer free Hazmat with X amount purchased, I'd buy a supply.
Did this several times. I'm not a high volume shooter, but enjoys hooting when I want, as much as I want, in whatever caliber I own..
I made it a point of building up my stash of components in the cals. I own. After 1 shortage, I bought some Tula primers..they too worked as well as any other brand. Haven't tried S&B primers.. but I would, if needed.
I recall using some alcan power in pistol loadsView attachment 28467
This is what I found in my stash.. I'd read online that they sold their powder in 8 oz., rather than 1 lb. containers... guess that's true.
A cardboard body with metal top & bottom.
I fired a ton of Alcan shotshells.I recall using some alcan power in pistol loads