Opened A New Box Of Primers

Primers from a Dear Friend

I - too - tried to hoard primers, but shot most of them up........right up to retirement.

Then, a long time friend & shooting buddy who had several years on me "bequeathed me" a princely number of "sleeves" of primers.

I intend on - eventually - shooting all of them up and the ones I have shot, I make it a point to look skyward and talk to him. He is long gone, but he was a great man - that truly enjoyed our kind of "noise therapy" !

Tom "carelesslove" Love
 
Late '60's age wise here...I got slapped in the face with my pants down when the Clinton era primer shortage happened. When they became available I said, "Never again". I was ready for the O era shortages, and by the time Co vid and the current administration had their effects on reloading components and ammo I was pretty much flush and merely topped off my inventory as I used it when a great deal was to be had. Right now I'm feeling pretty comfortable with components but I do see a drastic negative issue coming in the very near future when it comes to reloading components.
 
In Jan. 2008 I lost my job and turned my "Strategic Stockpile" of 400 pounds of lead and about 60 K of primers into money. About 6 months later I started rebuilding my primer pile. I ordered Federal 205M, 210M, & 215M along with Win SSP & LPP. (plus a few K of Rem 7 1/2 & 6 1/2) I would order a 5000 carton at a time. When the "Current" shortage started I was pretty caught up at 65K.

I feel sorry for the people that had just started reloading and couldn't locate primers. I have no pity on people that went through the last shortage and never stocked up! I warned many reloaders I knew, and I posted on here. The only vocal people told me I was crazy/wrong/misinformed. In addition to this the Federal factory rep warned that Federal was going to reformulate the primer compound again. (Last time was in 1996-to meet a new foreign standard, think Lapua ammo-and their primers weren't right until about 2001)

I'm sitting on a little over 70k of metallic ammo primers and 12k Win 209 and 3 or 4 k other shotgun primers, plus bout 2 K assorted Berdan primers. I'm thinking I'm very close to my lifetime supply. (I may be shy on handgun sizes, depending on if the grandkids start shooting much.

Ivan

We all have those- “well I didnt think this would happen, could I have some of yours?” friends.
 
We all have those- “well I didnt think this would happen, could I have some of yours?” friends.

I had a "friend"who came to me when the 9mm ammo was short..Said he needed 10 boxes..I had 'em that I had bought just before the drought for 6 bucks a box. I did not buy them to sell and told him no. He actually begged me to sell them to him for 40 dollars a box...I had to do it. I gave him a few extras. Don't know if he learned...He asked me for 6mm Rem a few days ago...Take anything he can get
 
76 here. I was pissed at myself because I didn't think covid would have anything to do with reloading. By the time I realized it it was too late. Had to cut my shooting in half for about two years. Not again.
 
I am kind of a weirdo so take this for what it is worth.

We have a recycling center here in my town. We take the stuff in, they sort it and dump it into their truck and haul it off. I didn't them seeing what I was doing assuming they knew what a primer box looked like so I quit recycling the little and big boxes the primers come in. I take the boxes and cut them up into small rectangles and write on the white side to label coffee cans of brass on the outside and I put another on the inside with info like date and not sized. I also put these in my cast bullet cans with date and size. I use strapping tape that covers the card and then tape it to the from of the coffee can or to the inside (facing up) of the cover for loaded ammo.
 
I just turned 70. I only have 7,000 LPPs. What’s supposed to happen?

🤔
 
I had a "friend"who came to me when the 9mm ammo was short..Said he needed 10 boxes..I had 'em that I had bought just before the drought for 6 bucks a box. I did not buy them to sell and told him no. He actually begged me to sell them to him for 40 dollars a box...I had to do it. I gave him a few extras. Don't know if he learned...He asked me for 6mm Rem a few days ago...Take anything he can get

It's too late for you but this is the reason I generally don't discuss how much of what I have on hand.
 
I'm still using those old Remington primers that came in the wooded trays
SWCA 892

I was given about 5or 600 in the old trays by an old friend. He owned a 1st year Highway Patrolman which he gave to his son...who doesn't reload...he had a Lyman Tong tool and a bullet mold he gave me. It was all packed up in a military tool box from a B-29 Bomber. He was a crewman on them during WWII. I have to go dig that out. There is half a vial of Mercury in that tool box too. He used it in his work
 
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