No primers on store shelves for over a year....

My LGS has large rifle magnum primers but you must buy a box of bullets for each pack of primers. They have Hodgon powder, IMR 4350, H4350 and IMR 4831 and I bought a pound of IMR 4350 for $41. I didn't know the price until I checked out or I probably wouldn't have got the powder. That's getting really close to price gouging.

Brownells had 1k bricks and 5k cases of CCI 450 small rifle magnum primers about an hour ago.
$249 for the case. $50 per 1k, not wonderful but not terrible either.

sage5907 said:

My LGS has large rifle magnum primers but you must buy a box of bullets for each pack of primers. They have Hodgon powder, IMR 4350, H4350 and IMR 4831 and I bought a pound of IMR 4350 for $41. I didn't know the price until I checked out or I probably wouldn't have got the powder. That's getting really close to price gouging.

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Not suggesting that you're implying this, but I can't stand the "LGS antics" during the panics.

"You can only get an oil change when you buy 4 new tires"

With all of our local Big R's closing down, the only chain store left that sells primers is Bass Pro. All other shops are "LGS" that have been playing games ever since this started.

I honestly do not expect to find sub $10/trays around here for some time and I can forget about finding a case anywhere for under $100.

Maybe this time next year.

Walkalong said:

Saw your post five minutes after you posted and they were already out

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I'm pretty sure they were out within about 30 seconds.

Walkalong said:

Saw your post five minutes after you posted and they were already out

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I saw and checked two minutes after his post and they were already sold out.

However, this primer situation seems to be improving slightly. Yes, they sell out pretty quick, but it seems like they are showing up more often than they were a few months ago.

A few weeks ago I was at my "local" Cabela's, about 70 miles away, and they had ammo at reasonable prices, and although they had no primers, they did say they are getting shipments of primers here and there.

chris

I was able to score an 8lb jug of shooters world match rifle on Tuesday afternoon for $214.00 OTD. Went back this morning and it had jumped $35 + tax. They informed me that they priced it wrong and that I got a bargain. I should have enough for my service rifles now.

Bill

SnowBlaZeR2 said:

I'm pretty sure they were out within about 30 seconds.

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It's interesting how regional the shortages are. Here in Dixie, Suwannee, Gilchrist, Alachua counties we're getting nothing. Not sure about East of Marion County, 2 hours+ is too far to drive for "might-maybe-could-be."

GeoDudeFlorida said:

It's interesting how regional the shortages are. Here in Dixie, Suwannee, Gilchrist, Alachua counties we're getting nothing. Not sure about East of Marion County, 2 hours+ is too far to drive for "might-maybe-could-be."

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It's been a very long time since I've seen primers around where I live (Illinois), probably pushing 10+ months. I've asked the people at my LGS(s) and all of the have said the same thing "Haven't received a shipment of primers since spring of 2020." Any primers they were selling was stock they already had on hand. I stopped by one last Fri and he stated he hadn't even received powder since last fall, not a single jar.

Then I see online where people are seeing it restocked at places...keep reading about "sportsman's warehouse"...but we don't have any of those here.


*EDIT*

Now...I'll admit that I really don't trust some of the people at my LGS. If it came to light that they were indeed getting small shipments, but choosing to flip them on places like Gunbroker for high $$$...it wouldn't shock me in the slightest.

I'll be honest, I find it hard to believe that they receive nothing and haven't for a year.

Typetwelve said:

It's been a very long time since I've seen primers around where I live (Illinois), probably pushing 10+ months. I've asked the people at my LGS(s) and all of the have said the same thing "Haven't received a shipment of primers since spring of 2020." Any primers they were selling was stock they already had on hand. I stopped by one last Fri and he stated he hadn't even received powder since last fall, not a single jar.

Then I see online where people are seeing it restocked at places...keep reading about "sportsman's warehouse"...but we don't have any of those here.


*EDIT*

Now...I'll admit that I really don't trust some of the people at my LGS. If it came to light that they were indeed getting small shipments, but choosing to flip them on places like Gunbroker for high $$$...it wouldn't shock me in the slightest.

I'll be honest, I find it hard to believe that they receive nothing and haven't for a year.

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I do know and trust the owners of the three LGS' I go to regularly. Only one even bothers with reloading supplies because the market is so small around these parts and I know for sure they're not getting anything in to flip. Neither is the local Bass Pro - whose halls I won't darken again - and neither is the Super Wally. I think it must depend on your market and how often distributors get orders that sets the priority. Why would an outfit like SportSouth prioritize a mom-n-pop that sells 1000 209 primers a year and less than 1000 S/L primers combined a year over a big-box store 100 miles away that sells 100K of every size per year? That's just bad business.

EDIT: To be clear, the sales manager at BP did tell me he has lines everyday of retirees and gun club shooters waiting for whatever dribs and drabs he does get in so if I want anything for reloading from there I need to quit my job and join the line. That's not his fault or Bass Pro's fault or anybody's fault, it's just a fact so there's no sense in my going back and asking them for something they're not going to have when I am able to go there.

The guys in my LGS's seem to be pretty straight forward.
Last Friday I was at Cabela's and the counter dude told me that they got a large shipment of primers on Wed, late in the day. Said they lasted until Thursday mid morning.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

EDIT: To be clear, the sales manager at BP did tell me he has lines everyday of retirees and gun club shooters waiting for whatever dribs and drabs he does get in so if I want anything for reloading from there I need to quit my job and join the line. That's not his fault or Bass Pro's fault or anybody's fault, it's just a fact so there's no sense in my going back and asking them for something they're not going to have when I am able to go there.

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This happened with Wal Mart during the last panic. Either their ammo was being set aside for local law enforcement, or campers were snatching it the second they'd get a delivery. I recall one of the local gun store owners getting Wal Mart ammo then sticking on his store shelves at crazy prices. I stopped shopping there and never went back.

Thankfully, I'm in a better state than I was during previous panics...so If I don't find a case of primers for 10-12 more months, I'm still ok.

...with as much 44 magnum as I shoot, it may be sooner that I need more LPP...

I stopped by a local supply store (gun show ammo and reloading supplier) and their powder went up about 10$ per pound, fired brass up about 10%, bullets and reloading dies were above retail, primers were 50$ limit 1, ammo was HIGH, 1.5$ to 2$ for hunting ammo, limits on ammo. LGS had 9mm fmj for 38$ a box, hunting ammo 2$, 1000$ basic ARs.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

It's interesting how regional the shortages are. Here in Dixie, Suwannee, Gilchrist, Alachua counties we're getting nothing. Not sure about East of Marion County, 2 hours+ is too far to drive for "might-maybe-could-be."

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Yeah, it's weird. My brother up in Ohio says "what shortage?"

I think we might start feeling it more, though. Academy said they aren't getting any more shipments of reloading components and are going to stop carrying them. Same for one of the LGS in the area.

Klaatu Barada Nikto said:

Brownells had 1k bricks and 5k cases of CCI 450 small rifle magnum primers about an hour ago.
$249 for the case. $50 per 1k, not wonderful but not terrible either.

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I was able to get 1K, they posted at 7:07 AM

Our piece of medical equipment shipped from Italy last year finally arrived. It sat in Canadian Customs for months and in a warehouse waiting for transport for more months but, now it's here. No wonder there are shortages of everything from tissues to medical gear to primers and powders when there are closed cities and bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo preventing transport! It isn't just primers, folks!

has anybody bought loaded ammo, other than .22?

SnowBlaZeR2 said:

I'm 2-0 on getting components cheaper after panics than before. The deals will come. People will have debt to pay off eventually, and they'll be looking at the primers and powder they aren't going to use.

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The occasional good deal from someone who gets hard up certainly happens. If you have buying power in a down economy, there are always deals. I got a pre-safety Marlin 1894 .44 mag and a 4" S&W 29-2 for $600 about 18 months ago. That was $600 for both. Definitely not a reflection of market price.

What I'm talking about is the normal wholesale and retail market. In 2012, you could buy WWB 100 round packs of 9mm for $11 at Walmart any time. When was the last time you saw brass cased 9mm for $0.11/rd on a shelf or website anywhere? Maybe post-2013 if you were buying 10k+ at a time. Maybe.

Got 2k more today from Midwayusa

Mark_Mark said:

has anybody bought loaded ammo, other than .22?

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I bought a 100 pack of .223 from Cabela's about two weeks ago. Price was just under $70 after tax. Not quite pre-pandemic pricing, but not terrible given the times we are in.

They also had 9mm and some other ammo, but I don't shoot 9mm so never thought to ask about the price.

ballman6711 said:

A few weeks ago I was at my "local" Cabela's, about 70 miles away, and they had ammo at reasonable prices, and although they had no primers, they did say they are getting shipments of primers here and there.

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chris

ballman6711 said:

I bought a 100 pack of .223 from Cabela's about two weeks ago. Price was just under $70 after tax. Not quite pre-pandemic pricing, but not terrible given the times we are in.

They also had 9mm and some other ammo, but I don't shoot 9mm so never thought to ask about the price.



chris

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Sportsman had green tip, 200 for $130... and 9, and everything else. Didn’t buy any of it. Too expensive

Mark_Mark said:

has anybody bought loaded ammo, other than .22?

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Not for several years but I have seen 9mm and .223/5.56mm reappearing on some nearby gun store shelves. It's pricey - $50/box for 9mm and I didn't even ask how much for .223/5.56mm. Don't wanna know. .32ACP and .38Spl are starting to reappear also but more slowly and at truly horrible prices - more than a $/round.

Keep in mind, gun wise where I live is a very small market and hand-loaders are far and few between. Hunters typically buy a box of rifle ammo a year if they can't stretch it to two years. Shotguns are a little different but that ammo never really vanished around here. #9, #8, and #7-1/2 shot for 12 and 20ga. got scarce briefly but 5 shell boxes of 0, 00, and #1 Buck for 12 and 16ga. were always available. The 3-ball Buck shells for 410 are nowhere to be found, though.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

Not for several years but I have seen 9mm and .223/5.56mm reappearing on some nearby gun store shelves. It's pricey - $50/box for 9mm and I didn't even ask how much for .223/5.56mm. Don't wanna know. .32ACP and .38Spl are starting to reappear also but more slowly and at truly horrible prices - more than a $/round.

Keep in mind, gun wise where I live is a very small market and hand-loaders are far and few between. Hunters typically buy a box of rifle ammo a year if they can't stretch it to two years. Shotguns are a little different but that ammo never really vanished around here. #9, #8, and #7-1/2 shot for 12 and 20ga. got scarce briefly but 5 shell boxes of 0, 00, and #1 Buck for 12 and 16ga. were always available. The 3-ball Buck shells for 410 are nowhere to be found, though.

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I picked up a 2 Walmart box of 12ga, was $23 each.

MachIVshooter said:

The occasional good deal from someone who gets hard up certainly happens. If you have buying power in a down economy, there are always deals. I got a pre-safety Marlin 1894 .44 mag and a 4" S&W 29-2 for $600 about 18 months ago. That was $600 for both. Definitely not a reflection of market price.

What I'm talking about is the normal wholesale and retail market. In 2012, you could buy WWB 100 round packs of 9mm for $11 at Walmart any time. When was the last time you saw brass cased 9mm for $0.11/rd on a shelf or website anywhere? Maybe post-2013 if you were buying 10k+ at a time. Maybe.

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You specifically mentioned the secondary market, and I was addressing that. I did better than $0.11 per consistently after the last major panic.

SnowBlaZeR2 said:

You specifically mentioned the secondary market, and I was addressing that. I did better than $0.11 per consistently after the last major panic.

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If you actually did, good for you, but I don't believe it, especially on the secondary market, because there really isn't one for ammunition when it's plentiful. Private party ammo sales of common cartridges are a thing when there's a shortage and they can turn a profit. Otherwise, people tend to just hang onto it, especially if they paid more than the current retail price. Same with components, the exception being when someone decides to get out of reloading. Likewise, there may be the occasional situation where someone sold the firearm they had in that chambering and no longer have use for it (or are making a package deal selling the ammo cheap with the gun), but being able to "consistently " find new, factory 9mm, 5.56, etc ammo on gunbroker or Armslist for less than wally world and major online retailers are selling for? Not so much.

People do often try to sell things they overpaid for during shortages after the fact to pay down debt, but I've yet to see a flood of below market price factory new ammunition from private party sellers following any of the panics over the last 20 years.