I wonder what the price will be when . . .

[Denver Dick]

At some point, and I don't know when that will be, the gun stores and supply places like Midway USA, Graf & Sons, and Natchez will have a good supply of primers again. At that point, many, many folks are going to look around their houses and garages and realized that they have 10,000, 20,000 or 30,000+ primers. I just wonder what the price will be for a box of 1,000 when a hundred or so of these guys start coming to the gun shows with 5,000 or 10,000 each to sell.

It won't matter to me because I stocked up on all the primers I will need for the next 15 years while they were still $15.99 to $18.99 well before the November '08 election. However, the above scenario will make for interesting gun shows to attend.

 

[epj]

I wonder too. The price of lead dropped by about 2/3 (so I have read), yet the price of commercial cast bullets has come down little or none. There no longer seems to be a shortage, but prices are still pretty high.

 

[Ron H.]

Sir, FWIW, I doubt that many primers in individuals' hands (as opposed to dealer inventory) will reappear on the market after the supply situation sorts itself out. Some will, certainly, but I just don't see a glut coming.

Even 50k primers don't take up much space, they have an almost infinite shelf life, the long-term political trends don't look good for us, and primers (unlike bullets) would be hard to make at home. So primers will remain a high-value item that's not much trouble to keep. Bottom line: Lots of people will sit on their primers literally until they die. Then some may hit the market--unless children, siblings, shooting buddies, etc. get to them first.

About the only way I can see private primer stashes hitting the market in quantity is if prices stay sky-high and the economy keeps getting worse for a long period. Then some will probably come out as people struggle to meet their bills. Otherwise, I don't see people selling, and certainly not selling at low prices.

JMHO, FWIW.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[imashooter2]

There will be a few guys that fall on hard times and have to sell some primers or ammo to buy Christmas presents for their kids or pay the mortgage. But by and large, the "hoarders" are just folks like myself that have seen the hard times and are determined never to be caught short again. They won't sell, and in fact will buy more to replace what they use and maintain whatever they have decided on as an acceptable buffer.

 

[TSQUARED]

If the US government keeps printing money at the rate it is doing now the US $ will devalue relative to other world currencies and then the price of commodities will shoot up again.

My local dealer is ca 30 miles away so I always purchsed primers (SP & LP) 5000 at a time and restocked when my supply was at ca 1000. I purchased my last batch of 5000 primers nine months ago for $110 per 5000 and expect that prices in the relatively short term, 1-2 years, will drop down to that level before going up due to the decreased value of the US $.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I hope we all remember those dealers that jacked up prices during the shortage. They will never get any of my money for primers!

How about those folks that sold 100 for over $100 on gunbroker? I guess the buyers deserve it.

I'm like Denver and stocked up at the beginning of last year simply because I had the money. I have enough to last several years I hope!

 

[Wayne02]

Sir, FWIW, I doubt that many primers in individuals' hands (as opposed to dealer inventory) will reappear on the market after the supply situation sorts itself out. Some will, certainly, but I just don't see a glut coming.

I agree. Same way with all the ammo that people purchased, I doubt you will see much of it back on the market except for a few isolated instances.

 

[NKJ nut]

I wonder too. The price of lead dropped by about 2/3 (so I have read), yet the price of commercial cast bullets has come down little or none. There no longer seems to be a shortage, but prices are still pretty high.

The lead prices did drop but only for a short time. In the last few months our supplier has raised the cost by over 20 cents a pound. They base their price to us on the monthly average for lead, tin and antimony as traded on the London metal exchange. We can end up paying more or less for the same ingots sitting on the floor of the foundry's warehouse. It used to be that it was just based on that days results on the LME. As crazy as the markets have been they decided to base the price to us on monthly averages. Then they add on their fee for processing it. Consequently bullet casters have to find a price that they can live with everyday. I don't think customers would want prices going up and down every day or every month. I hope this explains the position commercial casters are in.

I am not sure what the price of primers will be when all of this shakes out. Right now I'd just like to see a steady supply of primers. All too often we can't get any at all. As with most things lately it seems that we can get about 10 percent of what we need to take care of our customers needs.

 

[magnum12pm]

The price of everything goes up much faster than it ever goes down. The price of raw materials and such has little to do with retail price. It really is all about what the market will pay for a product. The more demand rises the price follows it until people refuse to pay. The primers are like a gallon of gas, it seems people will buy no matter the cost, for now anyway.

 

[epj]

The lead prices did drop but only for a short time. In the last few months our supplier has raised the cost by over 20 cents a pound. They base their price to us on the monthly average for lead, tin and antimony as traded on the London metal exchange. We can end up paying more or less for the same ingots sitting on the floor of the foundry's warehouse. It used to be that it was just based on that days results on the LME. As crazy as the markets have been they decided to base the price to us on monthly averages. Then they add on their fee for processing it. Consequently bullet casters have to find a price that they can live with everyday. I don't think customers would want prices going up and down every day or every month. I hope this explains the position commercial casters are in.

I am not sure what the price of primers will be when all of this shakes out. Right now I'd just like to see a steady supply of primers. All too often we can't get any at all. As with most things lately it seems that we can get about 10 percent of what we need to take care of our customers needs.

Thanks for the lesson in lead alloy economics. Seems to be a lot more complex than just the spot price of lead. From the price list on your website, which seems to have been stable since 2007, your prices are a good 20% below the customary prices I'm seeing advertised. Good job! We have to keep in mind that vendors have to ake a living too, and I doubt anyone is getting rich casting bullets. The substantially higher prices of bullets has driven me back into bullet casting after a 30 year hiatus. Unlike the past, I now find it an enjoyable hobby. However, I still can't make my own primers!

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Primers are starting to appear again here in central Pa. What used to be $22.00 a thousand is now $29.00 a thousand. I hope they go down to pre-panic prices but I think it's going to take awhile.

 

[magnum12pm]

Primers are starting to appear again here in central Pa. What used to be $22.00 a thousand is now $29.00 a thousand. I hope they go down to pre-panic prices but I think it's going to take awhile.

I would like to get some for 29 bucks, that seems like a deal. I just paid 35.99, then they said that price is wrong, it should be 37.99. But we will let you have them for the price that was on the shelf. They then changed price on the shelf.