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AMP,
Your info may be a bit off.
Remember that the canister market is a secondary/surplus/waste market at best.
Radford is a rocket/mortar plant, so that is pistol/shotgun powder. ATK lost the contact to operate that facility, and is now run by BAE. Since the G brought in GD to get powder output up to snuff during the last series of sandbox wars, I suspect the ball powder comes from St. Marks.
That part not withstanding. Here is who makes what:
General Dynamics (American company that makes all Canadian-made IMR rifle powders, all Winchester Ball powders, some Accurates, and some Hodgdons)
ATK (American company that apparently makes all American-made Alliant powders)
Thales (French company that owns ADI, makes all of Hodgy's "Extreme" rifle powders, plus some IMRs)
Rheinmetall (German owner of Nitrochemie. Makes Reloder-17. Don't know about other commercial powders)
Groupe SNPE (French State-owned. Makes all Bofors (most of the Reloder line, and the Norma line), Vihtavuori, and Ramshot powders via their Eurenco layer)
Remember that GD recently totally redesigned the Quebec facility, which hurt production. Thales also brought GD to Australia in a J.V. to help them with production. The only people who build powders, are part of the military industrial complex that Ike warned us all about, long ago...
This "shortage" of all things that go bang, seems to me a perfect storm. An obvious need is not being met and there is an obvious way to make a lot of money. I'm talking of a venture capitalist coming along and creating a new manufacturer to fill that need.
I still get the feeling no matter what the ceos of the corporations or snopes "if they are to be believed" print ,,,The government is buying way to much ammo.
Primers have been easier to come by than powders, even though the selection is not there. I was visiting my brother in Nampa, Idaho last week and went to a couple of gun shops. One shop had mostly Federal primers in pistol and rifle, both large & small, but no magnums and no benchrest. Powder selection was extremely limited with but a couple different types that I never use. Here on the left coast the primers I have primarily found are Remington. I'm kind of indebted to Bill Clinton now for my buying habits. Ever since the primer scare of the early '90's I have not passed up an opportunity to buy a little powder and primers here and there, even if I didn't need it at the time. I have on hand what I will need for some time to come, and I have limited my shooting to maintaining a certain skill level. Fun plinking is out of the question.