Primers: Where They ??

[kbm6893]

I'm sick of the whole mess and the excuses. Nearly 3 years into this. The primer companies are seeing what people are willing to spend and $75 a brick will be the new normal price if this mess ever stabilizes. A friend of mine at work mentioned thinking about getting into reloading. I told him not to bother. It will take him years to even break even at his shooting rate and the cost of equipment and components.

 

[MDF4]

A few weeks back I was on PV's site looking for N320, which they had, and SPP Servicious aventura primers which I've never used for $79.99++. I don't really need any primers at the moment but thought I'd give them a try. They had good reviews with a couple FTF but no other negatives. We'll see.

 

[cracker57]

the last I found were $73/1000 out the door, I bought 1000. When I find them cheaper than the last purchase I buy. when I see them for $65/1000 I will stock up. Then I will hope I was a dumb guy and say wow I paid way to much when I bought for $65.

 

[shil]

I just purchased Federal SPP for $89.95/1000 from Cabelas in Hamburg Pennsylvania and from my local LGS I purchased Federal LPP also for $89.95/1000 . Picked them up so there was no shipping or Hazmat fees. Not inexpensive but I'm new to reloading and pretty much have to take what I can get. Both places limited purchases to one brick of 1000 primers .Even with the primer prices being what they are I can still reload .38 special , .357 magnum and .45 ACP for less than .25 per round using my own brass. That's less than half what I can purchase those rounds for at present.

I would grit my teeth and pay that much for Federal LPs........if I could find any.

 

[2ndtimer]

Don't know if it is a fluke, or maybe a light at the end of the tunnel, but was thrilled to find Winchester small rifle primers at Sportsmen's Warehouse the other day with a price of $4.51 per sleeve! I took a picture of them, but can't recall how to post it here.
I never thought I would see primers for less than $5 per 100 again! Limit was 2 per person, and I got the last two (for a buddy that prefers Winchester). I was stoked, and hoping this is the beginning of a trend!

 

[Racer X]

If you look at 2019 prices and todays prices on other products, primers should be down around $45-50 per 1K. But primers aren't potatos or synthetic motor oil and have some unique dynamics.

 

[teletech]

Actually, the government started hoarding ammo when Joe was vice-president. I think I read they were buying over a 10 year supply on top of the 4 year supply they already had. This even included .357 Magnum ammo.

IF indeed the government is buying a lot of ammunition, then that means a better chance we get a deal on surplus in a decade or two.

 

[teletech]

I saw $65/brick as a show a couple months back and they were slow to leave the guy's table. He said he'd bought like a half-million primers, so we are still being held ransom by speculators and hoarders.

 

[HappyJack]

This is just plain crazy at this point. I figured they would be inching down in price by now but it seems they are holding at the high prices or even going up a bit. I do have a Sports Authority near me but they have not had any back in stock. No Sportsmans Warehouse anywhere close. I am in driving distance of PV and they have them in stock for $100 ish a thousand. But that is just too much to pay when loaded ammo has come down so much. I can find reloaded 9mm for 16.5 cents a round and just silly to pay a 10 cents for primers to load them myself. There has to be more to this. Maybe we are seeing the end of individual reloading. I sure hope not and hope prices start dropping soon and availability is strong.

 

[max503]

To sum up this whole primer shortage thing - I smell a rat. Sorry if I'm being Cpt. Obvious.

 

[Nevada Ed]

A lot depends on when you stocked up and what supplies you need.

Right now, I can load 50, 38 special with factory Hornady lead at $22.00 a box.

The $104 a box for primers, is killing me.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Natchez Shooters Supply has primers and free hazmat right now for orders over $100. Doesn't take much to get there since primers are $89/K and more. Pass.

 

[kbm6893]

To sum up this whole primer shortage thing - I smell a rat. Sorry if I'm being Cpt. Obvious.

Yep. They're holding back supply to get people happy to pay $85 a brick when it settles. No way is this shortage anything but intentional. I'm sure they didn't plan it this way but when the shortage happened and they saw what people are happy to pay they changed their business model.

 

[rosewood]

Yep. They're holding back supply to get people happy to pay $85 a brick when it settles. No way is this shortage anything but intentional. I'm sure they didn't plan it this way but when the shortage happened and they saw what people are happy to pay they changed their business model.

I hope your are wrong, but I am starting to think u may be right.

 

[Skeet 028]

Bought 7 thousand at Scheel's..averaged under 70 a 1000. Bought them to replace the old ones I am using. If they get cheaper I'll just average the price as that is what we do anyway. And I got some LPPs which I haven't seen for a good while now...I still think the price will eventually stop at 50-60 dollars

 

[Taco_Revolvo]

It's the speculators

As long as the speculators can still buy everything available at 100 dollars per brick and then turn around and sell for 120-150, this will keep happening. I know when we need them we need them, but these guys hawking them for 300 dollars per brick online won't stop until they can't get buyers.

 

[kbm6893]

But there's nothing available. People on here post pictures of 10 bricks on a big box store shelf like Academy and act excited to see them. They show up on Midway's site and before you can put your credit card on they are out of stock. Some websites have them for super inflated prices. More than 3 years into this now. They're not being honest with us. Why wouldn't they store a ton and sell a certain amount at three times the old price until they couldn't do it anymore, and then release the lion's share after they've milked us for everything they can, and then put the new price at $75 a brick and we'll be happy to pay it?

 

[Skeet 028]

I feel that primers will be more available fairly soon. Prices are coming down except for the real scalpers. But I fear we have let the manufacturers know how desperate we are and prices will not drop to previous levels. I also feel there are many calibers of ammo out there...while not obsolete...will not go back to previous levels of manufacture and prices will not come down on them...standards like 35 Rem 300 Savage and others as they have small market shares

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I feel that primers will be more available fairly soon. Prices are coming down except for the real scalpers. But I fear we have let the manufacturers know how desperate we are and prices will not drop to previous levels. I also feel there are many calibers of ammo out there...while not obsolete...will not go back to previous levels of manufacture and prices will not come down on them...standards like 35 Rem 300 Savage and others as they have small market shares

Oh so true, they now know how much many reloaders will pay.

This also goes for ammo, especially 22 LR ammo. Not so long ago we could get a brick of 22s for $9.99. Once they saw some shooters would pay up to $150/500 we were forever in bad shape. I know inflation will never allow $10/500 again but $25 is probably fair but I also doubt that will happen. Oh well, we all have to suffer for the panic buyers. (ammo, primers and powder too)

 

[kbm6893]

Oh so true, they now know how much many reloaders will pay.

This also goes for ammo, especially 22 LR ammo. Not so long ago we could get a brick of 22s for $9.99. Once they saw some shooters would pay up to $150/500 we were forever in bad shape. I know inflation will never allow $10/500 again but $25 is probably fair but I also doubt that will happen. Oh well, we all have to suffer for the panic buyers. (ammo, primers and powder too)

Yep. They're in the business to make as much money as possible, and after three years of people seeing $150 a brick they know $80 a brick will feel like a good deal. Can't blame Covid anymore. They've stooped to blaming Ukraine since we're sending ammo over there. We were in a war for 20 years, and surely expending hundreds of times the amount of ammo on training and in combat than we are sending to Ukraine and prices were low and supply was plentiful. Can't blame new gun owners anymore, either. They used every excuse in the book to justify their actions but it all comes down to greed and counting on the public to be stupid.