Primer availability?

[MK20]

I am starting to see components coming back in stock such as bullets and brass. At decent prices too. I have a bunch of powder. I would like to buy some components at these prices as they are pre pandemic. However...

My pinch point at this time is primers. I have some, but I don’t want to back stock a ton of components and not have primers. I have heard that Remington is coming back online and that other manufacturers are building new primer facilities.

What is your (hopefully informed) opinion on when primers will be somewhat available again?

Any insight or is it still a complete unknown?

 

[dzander]

The problem is retailers, for the most part, aren't limiting quantities a person can buy so people buy 5000 primers at a time then sell them for 10 times the price what they should be and people pay it. Smart retailers keep a tight rein on this. Retailers are gouging also because they can.
At a local shop I bought 1000 cci 450's a couple weeks ago for $35.00
I also bought 2 pounds of H4895, $31.00 a pound. This shop puts out a email when there getting product in and limit the primers to 1000 and powder to one 8# or two 1#. Also they don't Ship. Some local shops in our area are selling 100 primers for $7.00 to $11.00 a hundred. They likely buy from the same wholesaler. Unfortunately as long as people keep paying stupid prices the problem will persist. Find a good local shop to deal with and give them your business.

 

[Mauser06]

Primers are always the bottle neck. Biggest reason is we don't have any independent primer manufacturers. We get their excess and when ammo is selling as quick as they can make it, we aren't getting Primers.


I think its ever so slowly improving....but I think we have a while before we can simply buy whatever we want when we want it.

Availability seems to be getting better and prices seem to be coming down. I've watched guys post ammo on here that guys literally laugh at their prices...meanwhile a month or 2 it would have been sold in seconds. I've noticed stuff on several forums not selling like it once was.

Haven't checked GB lately but last time I did it appeared that the primer prices are sliding too. Still selling for way more than normal...but a good bit lower than they were moving for.

Once guys stop buying the stuff for crazy prices, the sooner this ends. There is a lot of panic buying going on. But there's also a lot of people going around every day buying everything they can fine and putting it online for profit.

With the current climate, I don't see the situation going back to "normal" till the climate improves.

 

[MK20]

Yeah. I don’t expect to get back to normal but I won’t pay stupid prices.

There is a guy local to me who is trying to sell 1 lb pistol powder jugs for $100 a piece.

Fuck him.

 

[Strykervet]

I noticed that too. Thinking about buying some components for the first time in a long time...

Got my primers last summer when they were rare still but not gouged... If I'd known that'd be the last time I'd see 10k for $300 I'd have bought 100k of each kind.

 

[jlficken]

You just have to pounce when you find them.

I got 5K Remington 7 1/2's yesterday but they were $53/K shipped and a couple months ago I got 5K Winchester #41's for the same price.

Back in October I was able to grab 15K Winchester Large Pistol for $38/K which was nice.

 

[LRRPF52]

The problem is retailers, for the most part, aren't limiting quantities a person can buy so people buy 5000 primers at a time then sell them for 10 times the price what they should be and people pay it. Smart retailers keep a tight rein on this. Retailers are gouging also because they can.
At a local shop I bought 1000 cci 450's a couple weeks ago for $35.00
I also bought 2 pounds of H4895, $31.00 a pound. This shop puts out a email when there getting product in and limit the primers to 1000 and powder to one 8# or two 1#. Also they don't Ship. Some local shops in our area are selling 100 primers for $7.00 to $11.00 a hundred. They likely buy from the same wholesaler. Unfortunately as long as people keep paying stupid prices the problem will persist. Find a good local shop to deal with and give them your business.

Every retailer in my area, and there are dozens, limits how many primers and boxes of ammo you can buy.

Scheels had primers for $64/1000 last month with 2 days spread out during the same week where the shelves were packed to the top with them. They limited it to 1/customer.

Cabellas, Sportsmans, and other LGSs have been zero for primers every time I’ve gone by so far this year. I got a few 100pc boxes from Cabellas last year.

I was shocked to walk into Gunnies in Orem a few weeks ago and see them crack open a case of H4350. I reached into the box as soon as the clerk labeled them, and 7 other hands reached in with mine and it was gone faster than it took for me to type this.

 

[Rookie]

Brownell has small pistol primers