...any inside track where all the primers are? No ammo, no primers...what next?

The way it was explained to me, because of the pandemic and social distancing, the manufacturers are only running about one quarter capacity. My LGS says they are getting partial orders that were placed a while back. As the shelves started getting bare, those people who went in for one box, saw fewer on the shelve so they picked up three or four boxes instead of the one. After a week or two, we have a shortage.

What I have heard is that manufacturers are keeping for themselves to make their own ammo.... aside from that they are dust in the wind I check every day 3 times a day, all over to no avail.....

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This is the way....

I don't know at present if SR primers are any more available than SP, but if you can locate any SR primers, just use them instead of SP. Fortunately, I am one of those who stocked up on primers some time ago.

Sorry, I am no help. I have only purchased a brick of small and large magnum pistol primers in the past 18 months. The last time I bought pistol SP was about 5 years back when Cabella's had S&B primers for $22 a brick and then they applied a 10% military discount. I made 3 purchases of $325 a week for 3 weeks before they ended the sale.

Most likely was the slow down from the covid scare. Everybody is behind the curve. Things should get back to normal when companies start full production again.

I hope so Moe...I have enough for now but one never knows. I’m a single stage press low volume reloader compared to many here.

This shortage seems different than 2013/14. In 2013/14 (as I recall) primers AND POWDER were at least pretty much equally scarce - maybe powder was more scarce. I was starting reloading then and I recall having primers but not powder.

Now primers are gone, but powder seems to be very available. My key indicators are availability of H335 and HP-38. Both, for example, are in stock in 8 lb quantities at Powder Valley right now.

If I was a CCI, for example, and assuming selling loaded ammo is more profitable than just primers, I'd absolutely direct my primers to my ammo production lines.

The availability of powder (and bullets - one just has to wait a few weeks) aligns with the likely dynamic the shelves are bare because of all the new gun buyers needing ammo. I wonder what sort of inventories the average new gun person will think they need to have in order to not feel paniced. My guess is, by our standards, not much. Case-in-point: I have a good friend that is about to buy his first pistol. Me and another friend will help him out with some ammo in the immediate term. But I can't IMAGINE him thinking he needs more than a couple hundred rounds in house after he is able to buy his own. He'll practice a little and get comfortable, but he isn't going to shoot much. I just don't see these kinds of folks feeling like they need thousands and thousands of rounds to have on hand. (I'm not arguing that's a smart perspective......I'm just saying I could see this scenario unfolding with other new gun buyers.)

Have you watched a video on making primers? Appears they are in a room by themselves. Ammo plants are very automated these days so the social distancing thing is fairly easy to do.

Its similar to the 22 ammo shortage. They were cranking it out faster than ever only to still have a shortage. The shortage wasn't because of production but was due to people hoarding it. I agree with the statement that if someone sees it they will buy more than they need. That's how most all of these go.

I picked up 500 small and 500 large pistol primers today, the store would only sell me that much if I also got some powder. Since my one boy converted his 1911 to shoot 460 rowland I picked up a pound of longshot, that's the only powder that came up on the Hodgen's web load chart for the 460 rowland with 230 grain XTP. Now all the boys need to do is get the dies and some brass for what they want to put together and learn how to make their own, they both want more 9mm luger.

Anymore, if one does not stock up on ammo and reloading components at least six months prior to a national election, they haven't been paying attention.

This year, with all of the uncertainty from COVID and civil unrest, was sure to be even worse than usual. As a result, those who weren't prepared 9-12 before the election were left out in the cold.

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Only a cold warrior

Me too but I still grab some when I see them. Trouble is I rarely see them. At this rate I’m good for a few years but this shortage is making me nervous. Seems different this time.

...no guns if we ain't very protective of our 2nd Amendment rights!

Got caught off guard during the .22 shortage.

Now I have 8000 rounds of that stuff and only a single shot Crickett rifle to burn them all up...a lifetime supply.

So let's see, got lots of .40 caliber bullets, plenty of powder, and a few hundred small pistol primers.

Well I certainly can't be accused of being perceptive!

This shortage is a good thing in that I have been trying to get my 2 boys interested in reloading, with cheap readily available ammo their attitude is why bother. With 9mm going near $50 a box now their interested.

If history repeats it self this will pass. If you do this long enough you will see the signs. Last time I got caught was the primer shortage in the early 90's. Never again.
Just have to wait it out and keep looking.

Probably because I have really stocked up on powder because of the last shortage. Fortunately, I'm ok on primers right now, but there aren't any out there.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

...people saying that 9mm wasn't worth reloading. During good times I saved a little by reloading 9mm. During the shortage I can make all I want.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

So far my LGS has been well stocked with powder and usually has some primers, magnums more often than standards and rifle more often than pistol. Brands may vary. I usually buy a brick of whatever is available that day when I'm there even if I don't need it immediately. I'm not choosy, I take what I can get.

To this point getting powder hasn't been a problem at all and bullets are available online, I just have to wait several weeks for them and pay more than I'd like. Primers are the limiting factor so I want to stock up as much as possible on them.

It's really hard to say when the shortage will end. Some say after the election, while others say once a vaccine is available for the virus. I can think of reasons it will go on regardless of which way the election goes. I think it's going to be a long one.

With the way rimfire prices have skyrocketed I can reload 9mm for what I'd pay for .22LR factory ammo. As long as I can get the components I'll just shoot more 9mm and way less .22LR.

Funny, a few years ago my friends called me stupid for reloading 9 MM because it was so cheap and available. Who's stupid now ??

...I don't take anything for granted. Things can change too quickly.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

It IS different this time.
BAD TIMES ARE COMIN’

Imo, this doesnt go away soon. We might see some availability of sm primers this time next year, but that is optimistic. All primers are going into ammo & ammo is still in short supply. Expect prices to go up as well. We thought $30 was pricey, I expect $35-$40.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

For right now I am doing Ok. I have about 8 boxes of small pistol primers and 10 boxes of large pistol, and at least that many small rifle and large rifle. If push come to shove I can press the rifle primes in service for my hand guns I don't have a theory about the cause of the shortage or how it will end. I may have to invest in char coal and start drying urine.

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Carpriver.

This would make a good tee shirt to wear to the range. Heck. We were having threads about this just a few short months ago....

I was able to get a brick of SP and SPM primers on Saturday at one gun store Saturday and a brick of SP at Fleet Farm tonight. Maybe things might be loosening up again, a little.

Boxes of 100s or 1000s?? I lnow a few avid shooters down to 100s, not a good thing.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

At my current rate of shooting I have about a 3 year supply of powders and primers. I obtained a 9mm last year and didn't feel it was worth my time to reload it so I picked up a few extra boxes every now and then. 2020 arrived and things changed. I'm now set up to reload 9mm and I'm casting for it as well. Rather than using conventional lube I'm going the Hi-tek coating route. My tests of it so far have been good.

I got stocked up on primers just in the nick of time.
What's got me concerned is lead. All the usual sources have dried up.
For my everyday shooting I'm switching from a 148 grain DEWC to a 105 grain SWC in order to conserve lead. I've still got a good pile of lead in the shed but no need to waste it. I'm also switching to 95 grain bullets in 9mm.

Well, from these comments, first I’m glad I’m pretty well stocked up on reloading supplies and factory 9mm ammo, the one thing I shoot a fair amount but don’t reload (note I said “don’t” not “can’t”.)

Second, having celebrated over seventy trips around the sun, a “lifetime supply” becomes smaller for me all the time, but it also limits my wait time for “this too” to “pass.” Either things will break loose after the outcome of the election is known, or they will break down altogether. At this point, my crystal ball is pretty badly cloudy on this.

Either way, I believe I can keep shooting for a pretty long time. Now let’s see how much company I’ll have at the range.

Froggie

They are all someplace else.

Went in a local gun/pawn shop that keeps reloading supplies and walked out with this for $46.50 plus tax. Never paid that much for primers in my life but I have them. I wasn’t out but this sure makes me feel more comfortable.
After the election things will either get back to normal or take a drastic turn for the worse.

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Non-Expert Commentator

I'm doing OK. Some go back to the 70s'. The 5K boxes were picked up at Camp Perry a few years back.

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Always good to be stocked up. You never know when the next shortage is gonna be The Big One.

I agree with this and am using CCI 400 SR primers in my 40S&W loads, 100% succesfully and with NO apparent pressure changes.. I was lucky to find a fellow only an hour away from me who had 3K of CCI SP primers which I traded for and bought.. Added to my SR primers, I now have 10K!!!

Just mine the berms my friend. I have a guy sitting on 800# of pure lead ingots, free to him but the sweat equity. Lead is out there, just gotta go find it. Tire shops are pretty much done but lead is available any place shooters shoot.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

A Good start.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I've been buying reloading components a little here and a little there at discount prices for several years. I pretty much have a lifetime supply of pistol primers of all types.

I only have around 7000 small rifle primers though. Where I'm really short is .223/5.56 bullets. I only have around 2500 of those, and they are pretty much unobtanium right now - unless you're willing to pay 10-20 cents apiece for them. I'm not. So I'll have to make do with what I have until the supply comes back.

I bought a fair amount of 9mm back when it was 15-16 cents a round, even though I can reload it myself for around 10-11 cents a round. So I still have a few thousand factory rounds. At that price I figured it was worthwhile to save my components for a rainy day.

These days it seems to be raining - hard...

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

I just broke out my .308 FTR and the nice thing about that is I shoot very few rounds. After 24 I'm done. And that's for load development. After that I'll probably only shoot 10 -15 per session. However 24 rounds of .308 takes about 960 gr. of powder.
But the FTR does save a lot of primers.

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Support Fact Based Journalism.

I'm still working on primers from the President Clinton era. I agree with the above. The Covid 19 shutdown also put a hugh hurt on reloading components. Be patient and keep looking, you will find some.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I've got 600 GDHP, about 1000 coated bullets, plenty of brass, powder and primers, several hundred loaded up.. 800 factory Federal FMJ..

and I don't even own a 9mm gun right now..

...for calibers that you shoot often?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

My "stocking-up" for Clinton consisted of a brick of Federal 22 LR, wrapped in plastic and stuck away in the bedroom closet. I've since upgraded my efforts.
Back then I used to buy primers, a hundred at a time, from the LGS.

I see the shortage as pandemic + political uncertainty + civil unrest + rising crime = high demand for firearms, ammo and reloading components. Luckily I took advantage of a rebate on Winchester primers a year or so ago and ordered more than usual.

45acp
44spl
10mm
357/38
38acp
22lr............Enough for several years before I "have" to go looking.

But as we know, I always have an eye open for a deal.

Post Sandy Hook, when .223 bullets dropped back to normal pricing, picked up 10,000 55gr FMJ. Good target fodder.

Just a month or so ago, picked up 10K Federal Gold medal Match SPP. First time I had ever purchased Federal. Could not believe how large the packaging is for those primers. You could get 200 Shotgun primers in the space they have the 100 SPP's in. Then to make it worse, the primers are on edge like Remington. At least Remington puts them in much smaller packaging.

I’m heavy in LPP and light in SPP, so I placed a couple of ads in local gun classifieds to trade for SPP. So far, I’ve picked up almost 4K SPP trading one for one. I had a guy who only wanted CCI 300 standard LPP; sadly I only had 1K of those. I could have gotten 4K from him alone if I had the proper primers

I tried my luck trading at the Lakeland show this past weekend, but it seemed everyone was on the hunt for SPP.

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USS Brewton FF1086
DESRON 33

5000 LR
5000 SR
5000 LP
5000 SP


This is held in reserve. I buy what I need when I can.

CCI claims that they are running at capacity, but demand is outstripping supply. YMMV

I've heard a rumor (note: RUMOR) that there is a boatload of European mfg primers due sometime in the next month or so. Time will tell...

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Gun Control: POA=POI

Just got back from the range trying out my srp loaded ammo
using extreme 115 gr copper coated bullets with 6 gr power pistol, two out of thirty didn't fire on first try but did on second ,using my Sig 226
now to try them in my .357 sig rounds in my m+p 40 using a kkm .357 Sig barrel

Anytime I get a failure of the primer to ignite, my first thought is that I didn't seat the primer all the way to the bottom. Some brass makes it harder than others.