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Primer Shortage

B y r o n

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 8, 2004
952
629
Western Kentucky
Has anyone else noticed that when primers are listed as available they are not Federal, CCI, Winchester or any other major recogined brand?
 
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CCI and Federal primers have been in stock at Target Sports USA for months.
I just picked up a thousand CCI 450’s from Powder Valley a couple weeks ago.
 
I've been able to find primers regularly. You just have to time it right and jump on it.

Varget on the other hand is evading me. I have gotten in stock notifications on it but have missed out the last few months.

Good luck
 
I was at my local Shiptons Big R store and they were out of all primers. I asked the gun counter guy when they would be getting them back in stock. He said that Vista the one that makes CCI was no longer selling primers to the civilian market any more and they would not be getting them in store any more.

I have no idea if there is any truth in this, hard to believe what some of these gun counter guys say most times.
 
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I've been able to find primers regularly. You just have to time it right and jump on it.

Varget on the other hand is evading me. I have gotten in stock notifications on it but have missed out the last few months.

Good luck
Same here. I’ve been using 8208 but prefer to keep that to my 223 only and get back on varget for 308 but I can’t find any.
Someone local to me posted 8# for $400 and sold it the same day, I couldn’t bring myself to pay that for it.
 
I was at my local Shiptons Big R store and they were out of all primers. I asked the gun counter guy when they would be getting them back in stock. He said that Vista the one that makes CCI was no longer selling primers to the civilian market any more and they would not be getting them in store any more.

I have no idea if there is any truth in this, hard to believe what some of these gun counter guys say most times.
Seems fishy, but I guess we'll see...........:unsure:
 
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Maybe the OP has been out of the country for a few years............ ?

Actually not. I've hit a few of the local gun shops and I am getting tired of being laughed at when I ask about primers. Besides, I've been loading long enough that paying these inflated prices or mail order hazmat fees is repulsive!

I do have a few stockpiled but don't wish to run them down to none.
 
Unfortunately if you want primers in the short term, you are probably going to have to buy online sounds like. As for the prices, I dont expect them to drop much any time soon. Hopefully if there are a bunch of them sitting in ship waiting to be unloaded somewhere we may see a glut but I seriously doubt it and dont expect to see them drop below 0.05-0.07 per
 
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Actually not. I've hit a few of the local gun shops and I am getting tired of being laughed at when I ask about primers. Besides, I've been loading long enough that paying these inflated prices or mail order hazmat fees is repulsive!

I do have a few stockpiled but don't wish to run them down to none.
These inflated prices and shortages are not going away. This is the "New Norm".
 
Vista ? Isn't RCBS part of that group ? Yeah it makes sense to not sell primers.
 
just got even dozen from two different stores in two different states, but yea they can be tricky to get especially if your out already . You just need to buy more when you see them to last you through to when you can get more even if it hurts a bit .
no powder or primer needed . also in .72 cal


or this one for shits and giggles
 
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I was at my local Shiptons Big R store and they were out of all primers. I asked the gun counter guy when they would be getting them back in stock. He said that Vista the one that makes CCI was no longer selling primers to the civilian market any more and they would not be getting them in store any more.

I have no idea if there is any truth in this, hard to believe what some of these gun counter guys say most times.
According to my Vista rep that's bull, they quit taking new orders last year because they were loading factory ammo with theirs and had a huge backorder list.
 
Unfortunately Vista owns 3 of the four primer producers. But the real issue is none of the manufacturers produce primers directly for reloaders use. They send surplus primers to the market.

According to my Vista rep that's bull, they quit taking new orders last year because they were loading factory ammo with theirs and had a huge backorder list.
Jason Vanderbrink put out a letter that stated no new primer orders would be accepted in 2022 back in January.
 
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I've been able to find primers regularly. You just have to time it right and jump on it.

Varget on the other hand is evading me. I have gotten in stock notifications on it but have missed out the last few months.

Good luck

I’d been posting in stock Varget in the “in stock” thread but kind of stopped. I can tag you in the next one



Primers are available if you’re willing to pay asking price. CCI BR2/4’s are like $160+ before shipping and hazmat most places. Even regular 200/400s are about $90+. They’re available online….if you can pay. They haven’t been available locally to me (middle of SC) in going on 2 years
 
Same here. I’ve been using 8208 but prefer to keep that to my 223 only and get back on varget for 308 but I can’t find any.
Someone local to me posted 8# for $400 and sold it the same day, I couldn’t bring myself to pay that for it.

I'd pay $400 in a second for an 8 pounder of 8208 if I could get it. Haven't seen a single pound for sale in 2 1/2 years.
 
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Has anyone else noticed that when primers are listed as available they are not Federal, CCI, Winchester or any other major recogined brand?
My local gun store just got nearly 100 bricks of CCI primers and a few others in everything but large rifle magnum! I paid $89 plus tax for a brick of small rifle primers. surematch firearms in Savannah Tennessee 731-926-3272A81A7513-0915-4ED9-B69F-5FF360F30802.jpeg
A81A7513-0915-4ED9-B69F-5FF360F30802.jpeg
 
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An acquaintance of mine just recently got so fed up with this shortage that he gave up on loading. I get it. This shortage has been going on for over 3 years, and still, personally, I don't see it getting back to normal anytime soon.
 
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They can’t come for your guns. They can limit and regulate ammo though. And we’re seeing it now. Soon? Ammo will be the new gold. It’ll cost a fortune to buy.
 
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I think most companies are making great money by putting their primers into finished manufactured rounds. Fewer of the primers hit the reloader's market making them scarce.
 
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I just checked my reloading room, I do believe he's right!

Long, long time ago, the person I learned reloading from told me to always stock up on primers and powders. They are always the first things to go in a time of crisis.
Back in the day, we only bought primers by the case. And I thought paying over 130 bucks was a lot for 5K primers. Seeing the current pricing of primers makes me sick. My last case of Wolf primers were 89 bucks per with free shipping since we bought like 50K at that time.
 
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All kinds of primers at Natchez right now. Bit pricey, but I also believe it to be the new norm. $96-$126 per 1K, 5K limit. I ordered CCI-41’s.
 
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All kinds of primers at Natchez right now. Bit pricey, but I also believe it to be the new norm. $96-$126 per 1K, 5K limit. I ordered CCI-41’s.
That’s bad enough but when you add tax and hazmat it is too much!
 
My local Sportsman's Warehouse got some primers in a few weeks ago and were selling CCI 400's for $5.10/100.
They wouldn't be selling that cheap if they weren't making any money.
Everybody is gouging. It's as simple as that.
 
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There is no such thing as price gouging. Its called Supply & Demand.

There has been no issues acquiring primers or power over the last 3 years. You pay the going rate or sit and spin.

$.10 primer in the big picture is nothing in the precision rifle game. Its by far the cheapest part of the recipe and the last thing to bitch about. Bullets are $.40-50 and powder is $.20-30 cpr.
 
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There has been no issues acquiring primers or power over the last 3 years. You pay the going rate or sit and spin.

You must not follow my posts very carefully on this website. I used to tech economics to undergraduates and I take every opportunity I can to point this out to people. There are two problems with the simplicity of your answer, however:

1. People believe that there is a such thing as "price gouging." Their threshold for this isn't necessary intellectual and maybe not even related to guns. In the world of gun related things, people have a fit when companies raise their prices. Because of that, stores use things other than market prices to limit people from cleaning them out, but the market price doesn't change just because I can only buy 200 primers. Eventually, as in now, the market prevailed and primers are available again, at market prices. But that doesn't stop scalpers from taking advantage of retailers who have (falsely) convinced them that not raising prices is some kind of public service. Those same scalpers do what you'd expect them to do when the price is below the market price--they buy up everything.

2. There has to be some for sale in the first place or there is no opportunity for markets to function (often driven by these increased prices, but outward shifts in supply are difficult for these products). I haven't seen a single pound of Clays, Varget, 8208 XBR, etc., for sale for years. I check around pretty regularly, and there is a good amount of powder returning to the retail market. But the really popular ones, especially extruded rifle powders, are just not available in any significant quantity. I would have paid $400+ a jug a long time ago for these powders, but there's nobody to take my money.
 
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One of the few items I stocked up on in the 80's and 90's.
No matter how much I shoot, I won't need any, ever.
Could use a few pounds of Unique tho, haven't seen it in years.
Oh, and more Bergers in 90 grain .224 plz :)
 
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There is no such thing as price gouging. Its called Supply & Demand.

There has been no issues acquiring primers or power over the last 3 years. You pay the going rate or sit and spin.
Sweet story . No such thing as gouging , now that's just bullshit . Liar .
 
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The prices suck, but I’m all for selling things for what people are willing to pay. Supply and demand. Should there be a cap on what you can sell your house for? Or are you happy if someone comes in and offers 50k over what it should be worth?
 
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The prices suck, but I’m all for selling things for what people are willing to pay. Supply and demand. Should there be a cap on what you can sell your house for? Or are you happy if someone comes in and offers 50k over what it should be worth?
I'm with you..... IF we had a free market. We don't have a free market, so all of the "supply and demand " stuff rings a little hollow to me.

When/If we get another pub (Like DeSantis) in the White house, the components will be back and at relatively cheaper prices. I was fortunately in position to stock up on ammo pre covid scam and used that to fund my purchase of loading components, but had to pay pretty high prices to get them. I will stock up on more ammo and loading components at the next good opportunity and avoid being in this position again for components. I would hope that we all will.
 
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If the government or whoever is controlling the supply of components, which I don’t believe they are. It’s still free market as far as what’s currently available to us. If there is 1 box of primers available to the world someone is going to pay significantly more than if there is 10,000 boxes available. Doesn’t matter why there is 1 box or 10,000 boxes.

Moral of the story in my eyes is it sucks but can’t fault anyone but our selves for not being more stocked up. I’m in the same boat of running out of supplies and having to pay way more than I want but it is what it is. I will be better prepared next time.
 
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You must not follow my posts very carefully on this website. I used to tech economics to undergraduates and I take every opportunity I can to point this out to people. There are two problems with the simplicity of your answer, however:

1. People believe that there is a such thing as "price gouging." Their threshold for this isn't necessary intellectual and maybe not even related to guns. In the world of gun related things, people have a fit when companies raise their prices. Because of that, stores use things other than market prices to limit people from cleaning them out, but the market price doesn't change just because I can only buy 200 primers. Eventually, as in now, the market prevailed and primers are available again, at market prices. But that doesn't stop scalpers from taking advantage of retailers who have (falsely) convinced them that not raising prices is some kind of public service. Those same scalpers do what you'd expect them to do when the price is below the market price--they buy up everything.

2. There has to be some for sale in the first place or there is no opportunity for markets to function (often driven by these increased prices, but outward shifts in supply are difficult for these products). I haven't seen a single pound of Clays, Varget, 8208 XBR, etc., for sale for years. I check around pretty regularly, and there is a good amount of powder returning to the retail market. But the really popular ones, especially extruded rifle powders, are just not available in any significant quantity. I would have paid $400+ a jug a long time ago for these powders, but there's nobody to take my money.
Why would I follow your posts or care what you have to say?

What clown school did you teach Economics?

The fact that you do not understand what market prices actually are, is just making you look foolish.

If stock is blowing off the shelves as soon as its put there, its not going for the Market price, which is actually the equilibrium price where goods are bought AND Sold. No one is selling primers for $40/K after they buy them.

There is no such thing as scalping. A large portion of any economy is people who buy something for X and sell for X+Y. Y is called profit. You know, the thing that makes business work? Words like scalping and price gouging just show pure ignorance of economics and how a healthy market place works. Its a good indicator the person using those terms is ignorant and uneducated.

No wonder most kids today are functional retards, when the people teaching them aren't any better. Where ever you got your degree from, you need to ask for a refund.
 
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Wait about 10 yrs when firearm regs get more stringent. You think $120+hazmat for a brick is expensive right now? I'll probably be $500 a brick. I can easily see components equating to gold. If anyone thinks that 20-25 yrs from now, you'll still be paying 2019 prices or even todays prices? You're delusional. Gold wont have shit on components or ammunition. It may drop a little but eventually crisis will happen and you don't find ANYTHING.
 
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