Once Fired Primers?

Gather App
Guns.com Vault
$3.80 a pound! I’ve got at least 2 one gallon bags full that I’d sell for half that….
 
$3.80/lb is crazy talk!

I took 101 lbs of fired primers to a Local scrap yard in August when I was cleaning/organizing the basement and got $20 for the lot. Most were 209's, so it was treated as copper mix.
 
I have all my fired primers. My plan has been to one day recycle them but they take such small space to store that I haven't done it yet.

I can only estimate how many I have, I do not care to actually count them. I would estimate my supply at around 200,000 or more, probably not under that.

I would love to sell them!
 
Back in my much younger days, I reloaded some fired primers using cap gun caps. They worked but too much effort was required to make very many. Are caps for cap guns still made? I haven't seen them for ages. I have never attempted to keep my fired primers, they just go out with the trash.
 
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The scrapyard where I sell salvaged brass buys spent primers and pays at the same rate as regular cartridge brass. Last time I sold anything, about two-three years ago, it was $2.00 per pound. A plastic 24 oz. coffee container holds about 14-15 lbs. of used primers.

I couldn't imagine going to the trouble to "make" primers despite the cost of commercial ones.
 
rockquarry said:
The scrapyard where I sell salvaged brass buys spent primers and pays at the same rate as regular cartridge brass. Last time I sold anything, about two-three years ago, it was $2.00 per pound. A plastic 24 oz. coffee container holds about 14-15 lbs. of used primers.

I couldn't imagine going to the trouble to "make" primers despite the cost of commercial ones.
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It would have to be a "no other possible option" situation for me to reload fired primers. That scenario is certainly possible. But then what would you reload them with? I do have some materials I could improvise with to make priming compositions as I have some expertise in explosive chemistry, having worked in the industry for some time.
 
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Hmmm, I'll have to weigh that 5 Gal bucket of spent primers I have in my shop. It has a good amount of 209 primers so it will get a mixed metal price. The bucket is about 3/4 full.
 
Check with scrap yards before you attempt to sell spent primers. Some will buy them, most will not; at least that's been my experience.
 
When I left Md in 2004 I gave all my spent primers and 3 tons of lead to a friend. He told me about 3 years ago that he took mine and his primers to the scrap yard and got brass prices for them.. Mine were 20 years worth...he had almost 400 pounds. I didn't know they bought them. Mostly shotshell primers. He made shot out of the lead. Labor intensive but worth it with the price of shot these days
 
Warren Sear said:
Reloading primers by hand will quickly make $100 per thousand seem very cheap!
Click to expand...

And they're corrosive. But, I like having the option if all else fails. I have the materials on the shelf if it comes down to it.
 
Shouldn't be too hard to make a priming compound...but messing with explosives at my age is a little nervous work...when a teenager and immortal...NO BIG DEAL!!. It's a wonder I made it this long. Way back all those years I did reload primers...CCI sold 'em though
 
???

AlHunt said:
It had to happen. Here's a place offering Fired Primers for $3.80/lb:
Assorted Fired Primers | US Reloading Supply

Remember a few years back when some of us were figuring out how to reload fired primers?? It's definitely doable.
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Not trying to start an argument, here.
Jack O'connor once said "Few primers can be used a second time." I subscribe to that opinion. It's like reloading .22 Long Rifle...sure you can, but...Why?
 
DWalt said:
It would have to be a "no other possible option" situation for me to reload fired primers. That scenario is certainly possible. But then what would you reload them with? I do have some materials I could improvise with to make priming compositions as I have some expertise in explosive chemistry, having worked in the industry for some time.
Click to expand...

You'd have laid in a few of these kits. You could also reload your spent 22 rimfires with it.

Prime-All Repriming Compound – Sharpshooter 22LR Reloader

It might not be pretty, but you'd be able to shoot.

I hope it never comes to it ..
 
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sniper said:
Not trying to start an argument, here.
Jack O'connor once said "Few primers can be used a second time." I subscribe to that opinion. It's like reloading .22 Long Rifle...sure you can, but...Why?
Click to expand...

It's an interesting thing to do and not a bad skill to have in your skill set.
 
My local scrap yard will take them. I don't bother with shotshell primers, they're steel.
 
I probably have 50 or 60 lbs. of primers in my basement and roughly 50,000 of them are Cheddite 209's that are mounted with a copper seating ring. With a bit of work I expect that I could make up some inserts to punch the primer cups out of the seating ring with my Rockcrusher but good heavens that would be an extremely tedious task. So one fine day I'll just load the whole lot into my car and sell it as mixed scrap.
 
Another golden opportunity to SAVE BIG MONEY. I reload, I cast & lube lead bullets, and now I can reprime primers. My gun /shooting hobby is expanding.

$500 worth of books, materials, and stuff to reload primers using an incredible volatile mixture with the potential to remove fingers or cause severe eye injury. What is the STRONGEST way to express NO and not get dinged? Please carry on, there is nothing to see here.

What does SideCar Flip think of this wonderful plan?
 
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