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When was the last time you saw primers on the shelf?

Ffjmoore

Ffjmoore

Sergeant of the Hide
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Minuteman
Jan 3, 2019
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Behind enemy lines comifornia
Just wondering how long since you have seen primers on the shelf. Also trying to keep a pulse on when this shortage is over.

I check 3 stores pretty regularly, sportsmans warehouse, a hardware store that has pretty good selection of components and a gun shop that sucks.

I bought 300 cci 400 in June from sportsman. Nothing sense.

I bought 1000 large rifle magnum from the hardware store August/September ish. There was 2 boxes on the shelf and that was it.

2 weeks ago the shity gun shop had limited primers at price gouge prices. Only allowed to buy 200 of what they had at 9.99 per 100. I think that was somebody's personal supply they were using to get people in the store. I won't be shopping there any more.

I have a few buddies who want to get into reloading but can't find primers. One buddy went all in and bought everything to reload and then paid $125 per thousand + shipping for primers just so he could start reloading!

It's nuts out there, so has anybody found primers for sale? It's been 5 months for me since I have been able to buy anything (other than magnum) from a store.
 
I check a local reloading shop by me that normally stocks a huge inventory. Last time I saw primers there was... I want to say between m
id September and early October. It really went nuts when it was like T-30 Days to the election.
 
www.runnings.com

Winchester® Large Rifle Primer

This is a 100 pack of Large Rifle Primers. Not available for sale in: CA, CT, DC, GU, HI, IL, MD, MA, VI. Available for in-store pickup only in: NY.
www.runnings.com www.runnings.com

In store pickup only. Another store in SE Pennsylvania that has them, but pickup only.
 
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Ffjmoore said:
Oh I have primers but I always but a box if they are on the shelf. They have not been in good supply here for at least 1.5 years.
Click to expand...

I feel like it started evaporating online around March and locally a few months after....power valley had an interesting blog post on their website the other day about the current primer situation go check out.
 
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Huskydriver said:
Who didn't buy 5k at a time before the election year lol?
Click to expand...
I didn’t
I bought 10k

let’s see, election with openly anti gun Presidential and VP candidate, made up and highly promoted pandemic, Rioters and looters supported by media, politicians and local government.

Umm,,,yea,,, time to stock up.
 
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I hate to be a smart a#@ but my LGS had primers at regular prices Friday , CCI and FEDERAL.
Sorry
 
Last week I bought 1K each of CCI LR,SR, & LP. Left 5K large pistol on the shelf at my Sportman's Warehouse in Missoula. Bought 200 Federal LR mag the week before. Also just picked one 1 lb container of Rel 26 a couple days ago. Just dumb luck I guess. Hopefully not.
 
Pry about 4 weeks ago I saw some LP and LR here in Billings, Bought 0. Really have what i need so i have not been out to the local stores often searching, I know they also had RL 15 16 and 26 as well as 8lb H335.
 
Still see them occasionally gotta hunt for them though and when you find some buy as many as you can haha
 
I think the big question is where are all the primers that are being produced? Going towards factory ammo then to law enforcement or the military? At what point does this crap end? Are we seeing the end of reloading?

To those gun shops that are gouging us, stand by. As reloaders we should remember what stores screwed us and NEVER do business with them again. Cheaper Than Dirt comes to mind. There must be a price to pay for taking advantage of customers in times of need. Like the stores that charge $10 for a bottle of water when a hurricane is due to make landfall.
 
I thought Cabelas was over the top at $3.99/100. I'm glad I bought primers by the carton when I did.
 
Unfortunately for us who handload/reload we always take a backseat to the ammo production companies during periods of panic buying. A lot of people have short memories on this subject and/or just never learn. Panic buying has become the new norm as we fight harder and harder to retain our 2nd Amendment rights. All you can do is keep your eyes and ears open for the components that are trickling through, and wait for things to get back to normal.
 
Fortunately I stocked up a couple years ago and I'm sitting on a good amount of primers. In fact I bought primers for calibers I don't even own just to be on the safe side. I may end up trading those to another reloader.

I've seen zero primers locally or online.

Also: Cheaper than Dirt is a scumbag organization-no gun owner should ever spend their money there.
 
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I'm a RSO at a local shooting range so I'm going to see if attendance drops down due to the shortage of components. So far I'm looking OK as far a components are concerned but if this shortage continues I'll be reassessing how often I shoot. If the component supply dries up formal shooting competitions are going to be hurting.
 
I walked into Sportsman's the other day and they had primers! They were all large primers. Large rifle, large pistol, magnum rifle, magnum pistol. I ended up with 3k large rifle. I didn't "need" them as much as I need small pistol so I posted an ad and the next day traded 2k for small pistol. That pretty much made my week. Now if they could start stocking powder....
 
I scored some yesterday at Academy. I think they are hitting the shelves more than we think they are, it's just when a person sees them, they buy them all up at once, whereas previously they may have not bought any or have just bought 1K or 2K. Or the person buys them all up for them and their friends because their buddies need them too.
 
Last time I stopped in a couple weeks back. They get a few in stock and its gone as quick. They had a lot of ammo in, less than a quarter the normal stock, but they been dry.
 
I was able to add like 7k LR, 6k SRM, and 2 or 3k SR primers over the summer from my local gun store. Also got lucky and found 1k SP at an out of the way gun store in August. Since then the store has had a pretty decent selection of powder on the shelf, but the only primers in the last couple of months were a brick of 209 shotgun primers, which I almost bought just on principle.

Now that I think about it I should have bought all the Federal SR Match primers he had at 60/k when I had the chance. Passed because at the time the price was a little rich for me...
 
Yesterday at Cabelas. They had all the sizes and flavors a reloader could want. 😁
 
LP only. $5 per Hundred, limited to 2 boxes in North Carolina LGS.
In western Kentucky, same price, but the LGS had all sizes except .50 Browning. Natchez and others, have nothing but .50 Browning.
 
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