so I have a place that sells reloading supplies about a half hour from me. Not really a gun store as they don't sell guns. These guys are great and get primers once in a while and they don't gouge on the price. The last 1000 I bought were 50 bucks out the door, while I know this is higher than"normal" I don't consider it gouging.
There were none on the shelf on my last visit and talking to the guy behind the counter he said they have no idea when or how many they get in. He also said that their distributor told them they will not be taking any more orders for the next 18 months. He said he was glad they already had 1 million ordered.
not sure what to make of this.

I m afraid it will be at least 18 months before the ammo manufacturers leave enough surplus primers for reloaders to buy some.

American ammo manufactures do not have excess primers for the secondary market, all primers are consumed internally to make ammunition. European manufacturers; ammo, powder, bullets, and primers; are in Covid trouble with reduced workforce and socialist government payments to stay-at-home workers.

Nitrocellulose is in a world wide shortage because of high ammunition demand. Military ammunition contracts are filled first, then civilian ammo contracts, and finally reloading components to the little people. It is called "Trickle down reloading" similar to the economic theory. Patience is all we have.

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S&WHF 366

That's disheartening. I'm not out of primers, but I don't to get to the point I'm about to be out of primers. I was hoping that primer supply would improve by the end of 2021.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

This primer shortage is the 4th since Clinton was elected and certainly was expected by most serious reloaders who have been in the game a while. I suspect most of us reloaders have multiple years worth of primers purchased in times of plenty(as recent as less than 2 years ago.). I do feel sorry for the new reloaders. They are screwed.

And your Store and his Distributor with a 1 million primer order is probably just one of the millions of enterprises that have placed large bulk orders for primers. Every reloader is planning on getting a 5K count cases of primers in every size / type they use when supplies become available. This is a self-generating shortage for everyone.

As a collective group we need a 2 month supply in our hands for a 1 year period of time. This meets a "rolling" immediate demand that is manageable. The 'crisis' will pass, production meets the market needs, and we won't see permanent sky high component prices or a crash in demand when the consumer has a 3 year supply and current production goes unsold. Unfortunately Reloaders are panic buyers -- before, during, and after the storm.

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S&WHF 366

That's just 1k boxes of 1k. Not outrageous if you expect them to show up over the course of several months. In our store we would sell those in about two weeks.
$50/1k is a "good" price in the current market.


Maybe. The Russian ammo ban is going to double the demand on domestic manufacturers. This ban is only for one year as of now but who knows.

I am not sure that Russia puts out half the ammunition I see in my area. Are you stating that it does in yours?

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Front sight and squeeze

Good buddy of mine works for a company that sells metal to companies that use it to make structural components. They are not taking new orders until at least after the first of next year. Reason being, they can’t get help or raw materials, and the companies that supply them can’t get help or raw materials. Not sure why anyone thinks ammo would be special . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

If by "in my area" you mean the US ammo market, then yes.

Stopped by my local sporting goods/gun/pawn shop. Some ammo available, cheaper than Cheaper Than Dirt's prices, but pretty much average with what I'm seeing in more reasonable websites. Some powders available, but no primers. I asked about the primer supply, they have had no primers for months and their supplier is saying it will likely be 18 months before primers are available. They were also out of 7.62x39. They had some, but it was all gone 2 hours after the ammo import ban on Russia was announced.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I was in Sportsmans yesterday and the counter guy was steering a Panicky Pete away from an SKS towards a .308 AR somethingorother because “all 7.62x39 ammo is gonna get banned. Its a Russian caliber!”

We have met the enemy, and he is……

Oh nevermind.

I did buy some American Eagle .38 Special at near-normal prices.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Well I guess there is not really a problem.........................

since I don't get a deer tag in Nevada except for evey 6-7 years

and have eight 30-06 left !!