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Primer Availability

ranger1183

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 18, 2006
3,105
14
Whitefish, MT, USA
http://blog.sinclairintl.com/2009/05/12/primer-availability-2/



Primer Availability

We have had a lot of concerned customers calling to ask about primer availability. Actually, our lines have been flooded with calls regarding the availability of primers as well as the availability of other components. The easiest and quickest way to check on availability is through our new website, whether you plan on phoning an order in, ordering off the web, or using some other means. The following is our view on the current primer situation. Basically, there has been a two-pronged drain on primer supplies for the reloading market.

The first driving force has been the huge demand for loaded ammunition through 2008 and continuing into 2009. The large primer manufacturers like ATK (which would include Federal and CCI), Winchester, and Remington are directing the majority of their primers into loaded ammunition. Ammunition sales are going through the roof as individuals stock up because of political concerns. The huge consumer demand for ammo is in addition to the demand from law enforcement agencies and our military to re-supply their own inventories. I know that smaller ammunition manufacturers have been impacted drastically by the primer shortage since their demands are higher than normal for primers that they have to obtain through Federal, CCI, Winchester, Remington, etc. Many of these smaller manufacturers have had to go to other sources to get quality primers. Because of this situation, some of them cannot keep up with their own ammunition production. Unfortunately, these smaller ammo makers can’t control their own destiny since they don’t have the capacity or tooling to make primers.

I mentioned that there were two factors impacting primer availability; the first factor is creating the second one. Since ammo demand has consumed more of the primer supply than normal, the quantity of primers on the shelf has declined at the box stores, the reloading companies (like Sinclair), and the smaller gun shops. With the fast communication via the internet, the word spreads quickly and the result has been consumers stockpiling and hoarding primers. Individuals are buying and keeping more primers in their own personal inventories and this has prevented some reloaders from having any primers at all. We normally see people buying 1,000 or maybe 5,000 primers at a time, now we are seeing customers buying 25,000 at a time.

The manufacturers are trying to react as best as they can, but their primary driving force is to keep a steady supply of primers going to the ammunition plants because they generate more revenue through this output than they do through the reloading market. A guy from CCI called the other day to order some items from us for his own reloading, and he reported that CCI has been running 24/7 and is still falling behind. They are adding two machines to their line to increase production (I don’t know what percentage gain this will give them). Federal told us a couple of weeks ago to not be surprised if we don’t see many primers from them until the end of 2009.

This is what we know as of today. Our current situation at Sinclair is that we are out of primers but are expecting some Wolf primers of all types sometime in June. We get a few Winchester primers every once and awhile but it might only be 30K to 50K at a time.

Eventually everyone will have enough stockpiled, manufacturers should catch up with ammo runs, and the supply on the shelves will hopefully return. This happened in throughout 1994, just not to this scale.

Best Regards,
Bill
 
Re: Primer Availability

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ranger1183</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...The large primer manufacturers like ATK (which would include Federal and CCI), Winchester, and Remington are directing the majority of their primers into loaded ammunition.

but their primary driving force is to keep a steady supply of primers going to the ammunition plants because they generate more revenue through this output than they do through the reloading market. </div></div>

Exactly- Two main reasons, and the second reason being the biggest!
eek.gif
 
Re: Primer Availability

I also agree and find my self doing the same thing.
YES I ADMIT IT
I was in a gun shop this morning and a store clerk walks by with 5K of cci 200 primers.
puts them on the shelf and walk away. price $40.00 / 1000 a year ago I would have screemed RAPE
Walked away in that I thought they were to much
Got to the car and rethought the time I last saw any large rifle primers for sale . its been 9 months
Walked back upstairs and bought the 5K for $218.00 out the door
Would you do differently???
Bill
 
Re: Primer Availability

I walked into a local store just the other day and they had six boxes of ammo for my new S&W that I had not shot yet. I bought two boxes and left four boxes for other people. Yesterday, some small pistol primers came online at Grafs and I bought 5K, the smallest quantity I could buy, and left a note for others on SH and The Firing Line that they were available. At least two others on SH were able to place orders.

A salesguy at Cabela's in Reno said that the shortage would be less severe if people bought primers and ammo the way they used to, by the box instead of by the case. It's a huge temptation to buy it all, I know!

I suggest that people buy just enough primers to last, say, six months or so and leave the rest for the next guy. Bill, I don't know whether I would have done it differently because I don't know how much you shoot and reload. If you can, leave some for the next guy, it might be me.

 
Re: Primer Availability

The only way I have been able to find primers over the last few months is to keep going into the gun stores and pray they have them at 40 per k (hardly ever happens) hope I can jump on some on line at 30 per k (less likely than above) or pay someone selling them at 65 per k on the Internet (even less likely then previous two because I do not like price gougers). Thankfully my dad had a k of LRM primers that I traded him a pound of powder for.
The way things are going I am going to become a gun collector instead of a gun shooter. I cannot even find ammo here in California. The local guns shops go to walmart every morning and buy all the ammo they put out and then put it on their selves for twice the price.
 
Re: Primer Availability

One EYE
I am done hope to shoot approx 6,000 rounds this summer and well set for that
I will leave some out on the shelf
Thanks for the comment your right

Bill
 
Re: Primer Availability

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: One-Eyed Jack</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I walked into a local store just the other day and they had six boxes of ammo for my new S&W that I had not shot yet. I bought two boxes and left four boxes for other people. Yesterday, some small pistol primers came online at Grafs and I bought 5K, the smallest quantity I could buy, and left a note for others on SH and The Firing Line that they were available. At least two others on SH were able to place orders.

A salesguy at Cabela's in Reno said that the shortage would be less severe if people bought primers and ammo the way they used to, by the box instead of by the case. It's a huge temptation to buy it all, I know!

I suggest that people buy just enough primers to last, say, six months or so and leave the rest for the next guy. Bill, I don't know whether I would have done it differently because I don't know how much you shoot and reload. If you can, leave some for the next guy, it might be me.

</div></div>

To most people, buying a thousand here or there online is not economical to do when there is a 20 dollar now 22.50 hazmat fee involved. To get your monies worth, people would have to buy in 5-25k lots and powder in 8lb multiples.

 
Re: Primer Availability

I've been doing the same(as saving for the next guy). I bought 2k win large pistol for 28.00 per 1000 today and left 3000 sit. I figure if I can keep 10000 per primer size on hand I'll just by to replace.
 
Re: Primer Availability

Same here leave some for the next guy. It will help us all out. I bought a 1000 210m and there was about another 7-8 1000 on the shelf.It was last weekend at Grafs in St. Charles for the 210ms. If anybody is here around St. louis Cabelas had A lot of Remeington small rifle and small rifle match primers and a lot of powder no Varget or R-15 but it looked damn close to they had almost every powder they carry there.
 
Re: Primer Availability

When is the sport shooting season? March to October. That is when all the matches start. High power, High power silhouette, IDPA, IPSC, bulls eye, at least in my state. The fact that manufacturers didn't anticipate this is Bravo Sierra! Something else is going on here people. When do you shoot PD's? May to October? Something is not right here.
I had some fool say "November is when the shootin starts". Most don't understand serious shooting. Matches, Prairie Dogs, come on...
 
Re: Primer Availability

I agree that the hazmat charge is the key, if you order on line you have to get the 5 k just to dampen the 22.50 and the $20.00 shipping this adds $8 to 9 $$ per thousand
When you in a local store like I was the cost comes out the same as buying them shipped

 
Re: Primer Availability

Talked to somebody at Federal the other day to try and get their perspective on when the situation might ease up. Pretty much got a ho..hum for an answer.

Maybe somebody in China will start to make primers.
 
Re: Primer Availability

Is wheat gluten corrosive in barrels?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mdesign</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe somebody in China will start to make primers. </div></div>
 
Re: Primer Availability

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: inode</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is wheat gluten corrosive in barrels?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mdesign</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe somebody in China will start to make primers. </div></div> </div></div>

No, but I heard melamine is....
 
Re: Primer Availability

You can't blame them on not ramping up production too much. If they were selling primers as fast as we could buy them now then they would be stuck in a few months or years when we hoard all up and them don't buy for 2 years as we burn down what we have on hand. Biggest downside is I can't introduce new shooters anymore because I can't reload any ammo for them. I want to build a 6mmX47 Lapua up badly but until primes come out I'm not ordering a barrel.
 
Re: Primer Availability

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Strickland</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: inode</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is wheat gluten corrosive in barrels?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mdesign</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe somebody in China will start to make primers. </div></div> </div></div>

No, but I heard melamine is.... </div></div>

Does this mean they won't be fortifying snacks, pet foods and other consumer food products with heavy metals and other industrial waste byproducts due to newly discovered uses in ammunition manufacture? For example, who'd have thought lead could be used for something other than children's toys and clothing?

Those zany Chinese are masterful...