New primer prices

I reload .357/38 spl. 18 months ago I bought 600 SPP at Bass Pro Shop in Gurnee, IL. I thought that would hold me over until the next time I needed some. Everybody is losing on this shortage. Reduced range time, no R&D on my side. I'm just keeping my home defense loads at home (500 rounds mixed). I have plenty of powder and bullets but less than 200 SPP. I shoot a 19-3 and have had a blast loading mild to wild. My last batch was made for my gal who enjoys this revolver. .38 Spl. Acme H Tek coated 148g WC.DBB, 5.6g IMR Red. No sqibs, recoil or issues of any kind. So I wait so I can reload what I shoot at the range.
 
Primers at $1 each.........

That guy must really like to load ammo............

if he is hoping to make a profit, I would be happy as a clam, to see the prices start to drop and have him caught, holding the bag.

I can say a lot of things but I don't want to raise my blood pressure or let this get to me.
It will pass.
 
I reload .357/38 spl. 18 months ago I bought 600 SPP at Bass Pro Shop in Gurnee, IL. I thought that would hold me over until the next time I needed some. Everybody is losing on this shortage. Reduced range time, no R&D on my side. I'm just keeping my home defense loads at home (500 rounds mixed). I have plenty of powder and bullets but less than 200 SPP. I shoot a 19-3 and have had a blast loading mild to wild. My last batch was made for my gal who enjoys this revolver. .38 Spl. Acme H Tek coated 148g WC.DBB, 5.6g IMR Red. No sqibs, recoil or issues of any kind. So I wait so I can reload what I shoot at the range.

Can I get a check on this data?
 
It IS free enterprise. If you feel that it's taking advantage, so be it. If you were to sell your primers for a good price, say $80 per K, is that gouging?
So you sell them for $80 per K and the purchaser now goes out and sells them for $160 per K, is that gouging?
There are many circumstances that can dictate the price, among them might be how hard up a person is that is doing the selling. If the "gouger" hasn't worked for months due to the Pandemic and needs rent money or food for his kids, you don't think that guys going to get all that he can to feed his family?
There are many other instances that lend themselves to the stated "gouging", many that have similar stories, a true need.
Not everyone is "gouging". But even at that, it IS free enterprise!


Exactly!
You HAVE to eat, you don't HAVE to shoot. Everyone on here LOVES Capitalism, until it costs THEM money!
 
Yes, the seller can charge whatever he wants.
No, I as the buyer do not have to buy at the stated price.


So maybe he has been out of work. Maybe he is just some guy taking advantage of people that are in panic buying mode.


Either way, it is a free market. You (in general) are free to purchase at grossly inflated prices, and the rest of us (in general) are free to shop wisely and not pay insane prices.
 
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It seems like I remember a primer shortage way back in the 90's, I believe. I can't recall the reason, but I knew a few fellows who bought many more than they would ever need and after the scare, they tried to sell the primers for what they paid for them. They had no luck. Can someone refresh my memory as to what caused that shortage and when it was.

It was after the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City. The (false) rumor was that the feds required the primer manufacturers to change to a compound that had only a couple year shelf life.
 
You would think guys that are into loading would have several thousand primers on hand. When they saw another panic coming - stock up. No doubt the people buying at crazy prices are the ones driving the market.
I hope they choke on them. I’ve got no sympathy for the buyers and I don’t blame the seller one bit. I know people who where complaining about crazy prices on ammo and components. After a while when prices climbed past high to ridiculous, these same people decided ( very quietly ) to sell some of their stash at 1000% price. Some people got no sense of priorities and are caught short every time one of these panics come along.
 
You would think guys that are into loading would have several thousand primers on hand. When they saw another panic coming - stock up. No doubt the people buying at crazy prices are the ones driving the market.
I hope they choke on them. I’ve got no sympathy for the buyers and I don’t blame the seller one bit. I know people who where complaining about crazy prices on ammo and components. After a while when prices climbed past high to ridiculous, these same people decided ( very quietly ) to sell some of their stash at 1000% price. Some people got no sense of priorities and are caught short every time one of these panics come along.


More than a few of us are sitting quietly content having learned from the past...

The Preacher
 
Whether or not I "HAVE" too shoot depends on other people. The ability to defend and protect me and what's mine has always been a top priority for me. Ammo is a necessity! Larry
I feel that way too. I guess we could go a good month without having to go to the store. We buy canned goods by the case and bulk amounts of other foods. By same token I have never been so low on ammo that I worried about impending attack. I hate to have to engage in gun battles that shoot up precious ammo not to mention the paper work that you have to go through after each battle. Therefore I like to keep the killings to the minimum.
 
I still can't believe that a virus caused a panic on firearms related stuff. Plus toilet paper, and bottled water, but those recover quickly. I have seen the panics of the past 40+ years, but never one that wasn't driven by political pressure. People are funny things. I guess if I needed money, and there are plenty who do, I'd try to sell my personal stash at a show, or just put a price on it and see what happens. Being that I really didn't want to see it go. It's odd seeing partial boxes being sold. You know, that box with 23 rounds still in it, that you sold the only gun you had in that caliber in 1995. $25, please.
 
It's odd seeing partial boxes being sold. You know, that box with 23 rounds still in it, that you sold the only gun you had in that caliber in 1995. $25, please.

It's funny you'd bring this up...the partial boxes for sale amuse me.

It's like when there's a scene in a post-apocalyptic movie where some high plains drifter walks into a shanty market somewhere and when he asks for ammo, they hand him 5 random bullets.
 
So what is a "fair" price on some of this stuff? Even before the shortage I was thinking about decreasing my inventory just a bit. I have more of some things than I will ever use. I stocked up on some things knowing I was going to retire eventually and wanted to be set. Well, I am there. At the same time I anticipated some calibers that never happened.

I have a case of M-193 Centurian .223, sealed

2 bricks of 1,000 CCI 200 large rifle primers,

1 brick of 1,000 CCI BR-2 large rifle bench rest primers

I could easily part with a bunch of 22 ammo as well. I didn't realize it was in short supply once again.

What a crazy world we live in.
 
I got caught with my pants down, but I'm not out. Maybe 1100 primers left, but I already primed 2000 cases of assorted calibers, and I already have thousands of loaded rounds, so I'm still in the game. If or when this panic stabilizes I'm going to make sure I have 10,000 primers of every size I use on hand.

None of the shops near me have seen one primer in a year. I have no Sportsman's Warehouse or Bass Pro shops near me, and I'm not going to stand in line every day for hours to MAYBE get them. I'm just not playing this game.

But I'm sure the new normal price will be closer (if not over) $50 a brick.
 
I got caught with my pants down, but I'm not out. Maybe 1100 primers left, but I already primed 2000 cases of assorted calibers, and I already have thousands of loaded rounds, so I'm still in the game. If or when this panic stabilizes I'm going to make sure I have 10,000 primers of every size I use on hand.

None of the shops near me have seen one primer in a year. I have no Sportsman's Warehouse or Bass Pro shops near me, and I'm not going to stand in line every day for hours to MAYBE get them. I'm just not playing this game.

But I'm sure the new normal price will be closer (if not over) $50 a brick.
Not if many other reloaders do as you and buy 10,000 primers of every type they use. It'll be another "dry" year!
 
I find them at 7 - 9c with a 100 count limit.

It went up 3c from December though I am still very thankful I found some.

On other hand it also costs me about 1 hour of driving, and 10 min of standing in line witnessing the 2020's departure from the norm still going almost as strong.
 
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