bananaman
Member
Bought a Hellcat at Cabelas the other day. Just for grins I went to see if they had any Small Pistol Primers. They had CCi's at $154.99 a box. Just can't believe people would pay that! I sure didn't. {Not desperate} Bob
Once again SPP
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Funflyer
Member
Lots of stores and online sellers taking advantage of buyers. This would change if people would do as you did and simply refuse to buy them. I was in Sportsman's last week and they had lots of Remington and Fiocchi SSP's. Though they were limiting buyers to 2 packs, both brands were priced reasonably at or under 5.5¢ per primer. Others are still ripping off customers with 8¢ to over 10¢ per primer.
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I hate it when some local stores list low cost supplies on the net
and when you go down to the store they are out of stock, but
they do have some higher priced items, still.
I call sometimes but never get anyone to answer the phone.
Last call to Lowes, on a lag bolt question was a 22 minute, no department answer.
When you get to the store, sometimes there is no workers in the area.
Just the sign of the times.
and when you go down to the store they are out of stock, but
they do have some higher priced items, still.
I call sometimes but never get anyone to answer the phone.
Last call to Lowes, on a lag bolt question was a 22 minute, no department answer.
When you get to the store, sometimes there is no workers in the area.
Just the sign of the times.
I just went to a small guns show in Turlock (CA). One guy had all sorts of different primers, different brands, for $80 as brick. They were not mobbing his table, but he was moving some of his merch.
I am afraid this is going to be the new normal price... I fondly remember $12 a brick...and thinking that was expensive....
DWalt
Member
In years not so long ago, many gun show tables had a few odd older packs of various primer sizes and brands priced in the fifty cent to dollar range each. I would always buy them, and accumulated a large primer inventory that way over many years. And I still have some of them left even today.
I believe that is unlikely that any of us will see primers priced below a nickel each ever again, even if by some miracle inflation can be controlled, and barring a repeat of a 1930s type of depression.
I believe that is unlikely that any of us will see primers priced below a nickel each ever again, even if by some miracle inflation can be controlled, and barring a repeat of a 1930s type of depression.
kbm6893
Member
How long do you think they can blame the ammo shortage, Covid, or Ukraine? Over three years into this and I still haven’t seen a primer on the shelf. If my local guy does get it in, he’ll for sure be price gouging. I saw him sell a box of UMC 9MM range ammo yesterday for $17.50 for 50 rounds.
I have probably 3 bricks left of SPP and probably 2500 cases already primed. Haven’t loaded a round in over a year. Just disgusted by the whole situation.
I have probably 3 bricks left of SPP and probably 2500 cases already primed. Haven’t loaded a round in over a year. Just disgusted by the whole situation.
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The Sportsman's in Denver had the same deal. I haven't seen primers at that price in a few years, so bought 2. I think prices are coming down, but there is a lot of backlogged demand.
DWalt
Member
I still haven’t seen any information about that new Expansion Industries primer manufacturing facility in Texarkana which was supposed to come on line early this year. I have always believed there was something phony about it. I guess it is time for another information search.
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I did a search on Expansion Industries, no recent news releases that I could find, and their website and Facebook pages appear to be dead. In some other forums, it has been reported that there is no activity at the site, and there are no employees. It seems like an implosion to me, could be a fraud to milk gullible investors. Do any readers have additional information? If anyone has doubts about how reputable an organization Expansion Industries is, do a search on Richard A. Smissen, apparently the owner.
The most recent information about the new Fiocchi primer plant in Little Rock is from 2/23. It seems that construction had not begun at that time due to the presence of unexpected wetlands on the site. Projected production start is now 1Q25. So no immediate source relief is to be expected from Fiocchi. (Personal comment: Unexpected Wetlands? That is very nearly unbelievable. Didn’t anyone from Fiocchi bother to have a geotechnical inspection made of the proposed site before a final location decision was made so they didn’t need to build in a swamp?)
It does seem from what information I saw that imports of foreign-made primers are increasing. It’s about time. I saw reports of Turkish made primers now being sold in the US for less than six cents each. Bring ‘em on.
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I did a search on Expansion Industries, no recent news releases that I could find, and their website and Facebook pages appear to be dead. In some other forums, it has been reported that there is no activity at the site, and there are no employees. It seems like an implosion to me, could be a fraud to milk gullible investors. Do any readers have additional information? If anyone has doubts about how reputable an organization Expansion Industries is, do a search on Richard A. Smissen, apparently the owner.
The most recent information about the new Fiocchi primer plant in Little Rock is from 2/23. It seems that construction had not begun at that time due to the presence of unexpected wetlands on the site. Projected production start is now 1Q25. So no immediate source relief is to be expected from Fiocchi. (Personal comment: Unexpected Wetlands? That is very nearly unbelievable. Didn’t anyone from Fiocchi bother to have a geotechnical inspection made of the proposed site before a final location decision was made so they didn’t need to build in a swamp?)
It does seem from what information I saw that imports of foreign-made primers are increasing. It’s about time. I saw reports of Turkish made primers now being sold in the US for less than six cents each. Bring ‘em on.
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ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I know this goes without saying but me too. I remember not so long ago being upset when primers hit $20/K. Then they creeped up to $25/K and that was bad IMO. About 2 months later I was at a gun show and several dealers were selling primers @$20/K if you bought 5K. Well, locally they were starting to go over $25/K so I jumped on them. I will tell you I didn't buy only 5/K. All I will say is, I'm still using them and I'm not running out in the foreseeable future.
I wish I could say I saw the shortages coming but truth be told I was being cheap so I bought A Lot of primers @$100/5K and I'm very grateful I did!
All the primers were that price, large and small rifle plus large and small pistol. Magnum primers too.
I truly feel for those who are trying to start reloading today. I'm not sure they will ever be able to walk into a store and just buy what you want.
The other day, our local BassPro had primers for $89/ 1000.
leadhead2
Member
I've been using small rifle primers in all my 9mm's and .38
special for a while now with nary a problem. I shot 50 rounds
of .38 special yesterday in a Taurus 856 snub nose and they
all fired, even in double action. There's no difference between
them and spp except for the harder cup on the srp.
If your gun will fire them, then use them. I have a good supply
of srp but am running very low on spp. So, I'll use the rifle ones
till the price comes down.
special for a while now with nary a problem. I shot 50 rounds
of .38 special yesterday in a Taurus 856 snub nose and they
all fired, even in double action. There's no difference between
them and spp except for the harder cup on the srp.
If your gun will fire them, then use them. I have a good supply
of srp but am running very low on spp. So, I'll use the rifle ones
till the price comes down.
DWalt
Member
I doubt SRPs are any more available or cheaper than SPPs. Most everyone is using SRPs for handgun loads if SPPs are not available and SRPs are.
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leadhead2
Member
Yea, Your probably right. I haven't bought any primers in years.
I just happen to have a large supply of srp on stock, and I really
don't see any difference.
I’m in the Denver area for a business trip this week. As I was driving to the hotel yesterday afternoon, I passed a Sportsman’s Warehouse. For the heck of it, I decided to check and see if they had any primers. They only had SPP, CCI and Fiocchi. Two trays per customer per day at a little less than $.06 per primer: $5.71 for the CCI’s and $8.40 for the 150 per tray Fiocchi. No way to get them home, but if I could, I would make daily trips there and grab as many as I could. In talking with the salesperson, he said they were pretty regularly getting LPP Magnum also, but none in stock at the moment. His prognostication was that things were getting better and slowly coming back.
At out large local retailer Winchester SPP were for sale at 65/K but just raised the price to 71/K. The CCI are all 100.00 plus, not sure why the CCI's are always so much higher.
DWalt
Member
As I mentioned earlier, I saw references to Turkish-made primers now being sold here for less than six cents each. And that they seem to work fine. Also VV primers are appearing, but no mention of pricing. Maybe it is finally time for a primer price war. Just let the free market work. What I don’t understand is why the numerous foreign primer manufacturers took so long to invade the US market. But I continue to believe that the floor will be around a nickel.
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