Federal primers

Here's some, L.P. and shotgun only but you didn't specify what you're looking for.

Midsouth is currently offering $15 hazmat with a 5000 primer order.

Your search is as good as mine. I just use CCI and Winchester primers, they are available.

I have some large pistol and large rifle I will part with..

Two full cases of large pistol, not sure how many rifle.

Send me a message if interested.

muleman11 said:

Where are they?

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Which are you looking for?

I happen to like the 210M for rifle, which seem to be the most elusive. I've managed to find them for sale once or twice a year. When they pop up you have to be quick. Luckily I've gotten my inventory up to about 7k

Other varieties are available more often, but still more rare than Win and CCI.

Watch the component for sale thread at the top of the forum and check the usual reloading supply sites and you'll find them

Yeah they use them for their ammo first. Reloaders get what they do not need. I do not depend on REM primers as supplies are so spotty as of late. I prefer CCI first and WIN second with all the others after that. That said at least there are reasonable quantities of primers available again.

Not to try to start internet rumors but I was talking in-person to the owner of a large distributor of all things shooting about 3 weeks ago and he told me he has several hundred cases of Federal Small pistol primers on backorder from last fall. Not sure what that means. It could mean that he has immediate homes for most or all of the primers when he starts receiving shipments. It could also mean that those shipments could be received this week or it could be next year. It is possible that the supply/demand could evaporate tomorrow or next year.

What I can say about it is that there have been scant shipments to distributors of Federal SPP for many months. I'm starting to get a little worried about it and I have 16k of them. If I could I would buy 10k today.

Believe it or not, I found 3000 Fed 215 LR Magnum Match primers at the local Cabela's. Thought I'd seen a ghost. Read the label a dozen times to make sure they were real. Shared a 1000 for a friend who has some magnum rifles. I never have depended on Federal Primers as they have never been available locally. I only load for one magnum rifle, a 300 Weatherby. Remington and CCI primers for all my other reloading.

My supplier orders direct from Federal, since he has a manufacturer's license (FFL Class 7). He has 500,000 Federal primers on backorder right now, and I had to furnish him 10,000 out of my stash to fill an order just last week.

The problem with Federal, at least with my supplier, is that there isn't any advanced notice as to when they're shipping him primers. He'll get a call that X number of primers have been shipped, and they're COD. That's hard on a small supplier, but what he has to deal with to continue to be able to order from them.

Hope this helps.

Fred

ArchAngelCD said:

I just use CCI and Winchester primers, they are available.

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Note that some people set up revolvers or DA/SA semi-auto pistols with lightened springs that will only run with 100% reliability with the famously easy-to-pop, soft-cupped Federal primers. This is typically for some sort of gamer gun where they are chasing really low trigger pull weights and where they don't have to be concerned about the gun "eating" a wide variety of ammo... they're going to tailor it to one specific load and then make/shoot tens of thousands of it.

Evidently this provides just enough demand to often leave the Federal SPP's in short supply, but not quite enough to induce another manufacturer to come out with a soft-cupped specialty small pistol primer... perhaps because such primers might need the distinctive/bulky packaging of Federal primers for safe transport.

I have read that federal says that the bulky packaging they use is because there primer compound is a much faster burning compound than other US primer manufactures and as such they need to be packaged differently to prevent chain fire in case one were to go off due to the package being exposed to fire.

Well, whether it's softer cups or a more sensitive priming compound, something makes Federal SPP primers easier to ignite. Which is good for making lightly-sprung guns go bang, but rough for keeping trucks and warehouses from going BOOM. Thus the bulky packaging.

I merely conjecture that perhaps this packing requirement is what prevents another primer manufacturer from attempting to create similarly-sensitive primers to meet the temporary-but-recurring shortages of Federal SPPs.

The Fed primers are easier to ignite. The instructions on my Lee 1000 press says to use only CCI or Win primers - which basically means use Federal at your own risk.
They sure work well for guns with light or old hammer springs though.

Federal's priming compound uses a finite amount of nitroglycerine. They, like just about every other primer manufacturer, have had an explosion in their primer plant at one time or another. Lake City Arsenal just had one a few weeks ago, with fatalities.......... Sure, their packaging takes up more room on the shelf, but their primers are first rate, as demonstrated by the demand for them, and the resultant scarcity.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Found them today at lgs for 4.4 cents each lots of 1000 or 5000. Did not buy them. I paid 3.75 cents on last batch.