Reloading Has Got $$$$$$

It’s easy to find the high prices. It takes time and patience to find the low prices.
I’ve seen people post about getting primers recently for $50-60 per 1000. Powder can be had for less than $30 a pound quite often. Just need to be diligent about looking and be ready to jump when you find it. If the powder you want is expensive, consider a less expensive substitute powder.

I not only seen primers at $16/100. My buddy got a pad for us at that price. I’ve paid $45 a pound for powder.

I was glad to buy primers at $100 a brick though winter before last.

I paid $99 out the door for 209 primers. not going to lie, it hurt bad

Guess I have it good, I paid 7.99/100 for CCI 400’s and 34.99 for Ramshot TAC recently and thought that was bad.

Well here we go down the rabbit hole,

I still search a few times a week although I’m good.

Seems primers are $79/1,000 unless it match primers.

Powder, $40 a lb or more unless you buy 8lbs.

I’ve seen some “deals” where you could get powder fir $32 a lb if you bought 8 lbs.

then shipping, HazMat, you are over $40 a lb.

Powder and primers are one thing, start following the cost of reloading tools.
Prices have gone up and some of the used stuff has gone thru the sky.

Gentleman we are in inflationary times, it’s not just reloading components. That ride to the store will cost you double what it did last year. If you stop for lunch on the way back that is more too. Next comes the recession. Just the way it is.

I've seen the high prices at auction. Midway, Natchez, Brownells have got me annoyed on their primer pricing as my local Brick and Mortar is in the $6-8 range depending on type, but people are buying them as fast as they come in, free market and all that so I can't fault them too much. I so far refuse to pay either the auction or online prices there. I'm not "out" yet. One online dealer is still not raising prices at a sickening rate. It's not CFE223, but fills a similar role. https://recobstargetshop.com/product/win-748-8-w7488bp-rifle-powder/ This item has remained in stock for a week or more now, which I consider a very good portent. In the mean time, I'll continue to shoot my "other" ammo and save first line components for first line applications, favoring substitute standards and old random stuff for casual shooting.

Yeah, its expensive if you are new to the game or were not prepared. Fortunately I was stocked up and only have bought one set of dies at inflated prices. I did wait 6 months for a special order barrel.

If you are close to academy sports. Tula primers are 2.99
https://www.academy.com/p/tulammo-small-pistol-primers-100-pack?sku=small

Keyfer 55 said:

What is the high price you have seen on
Powder and Primers?? I seen Hodgdon
Cfe 223 at $ 51.99 a pound Primers
Were $14 a 100 count.

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That's why you buy powder by the keg and primers by the limit, hopefully it's 2 bricks or a case when you find them.
Plus why would you only buy a pound? That's only like 270 to 280 shots of 223. I pick up at least 400 223 brass in addition to whatever I shot (usually always less than 100 shots if 223) any time I go to the indoor range.
Oh and don't buy cfe223 everyone wants it, it's probably the highest demand, most over priced powder of them all right now.
If you are loading heavier bullets like 69gr use leverevolution. I have seen kegs at retail price from time to time.
Buying over priced powder by the pound, gougey primers by the 100 and probably over paying for name brand bullets by the 100 from the same place you better off buying ammo and just saving the fired brass to load later.

Mark_Mark said:

During a recession, do things gets cheaper???

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They certainly can. “Short Sale” is what your looking for. All of these loans being made to people that can’t even pay them back during the good times = deals to pick up when the hard times come. As banks unload the debt.

That’s how we bought our last home. A commercial builder married to commercial realtor on hard times at the beginning of Obama’s first term. After purchase, the first trip was to the tax office to have the appraisal lowered as we could prove what we paid and how long it was on the market.

At this point we have a little over 215% increase in value over these last 13 years. As things tank this time, values will fall again. And that’s with a product they can’t make more of.

Mark_Mark said:

WOOOO! nice

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Thy probably haven't had them in stock since the beginning of the plandemic. I would expect the price to update substantially if they come back in stock.

Random 8 said:

I've seen the high prices at auction. Midway, Natchez, Brownells have got me annoyed on their primer pricing as my local Brick and Mortar is in the $6-8 range depending on type, but people are buying them as fast as they come in, free market and all that so I can't fault them too much. I so far refuse to pay either the auction or online prices there. I'm not "out" yet. One online dealer is still not raising prices at a sickening rate. It's not CFE223, but fills a similar role. https://recobstargetshop.com/product/win-748-8-w7488bp-rifle-powder/ This item has remained in stock for a week or more now, which I consider a very good portent. In the mean time, I'll continue to shoot my "other" ammo and save first line components for first line applications, favoring substitute standards and old random stuff for casual shooting.

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That's pretty impressive. Last keg of that bought was in 2016 or 2017 and I think it was $196 before tax.
To me it loads rifle lengths:
69gr 2nd best
62gr the best
55gr 1st or 2nd choice depending on what kind of 55gr loads I'm looking to make

N555 said:

Thy probably haven't had them in stock since the beginning of the plandemic. I would expect the price to update substantially if they come back in stock.

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I go into the closest Academy to me from time to time, when I am in town. There was one trip that the only thing they had were CCI primers at $5/100.

Their prices have gone up but the stuff that stays on the shelves is also the most expensive “flavors” too.

That said, IIRC The Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works quit importing Tula primers well before this last panic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more sanctions an such. So we might not see them back in stock very soon.

jmorris said:

I go into the closest Academy to me from time to time, when I am in town. There was one trip that the only thing they had were CCI primers at $5/100.

Their prices have gone up but the stuff that stays on the shelves is also the most expensive “flavors” too.

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$5 is a good price

I passed on them but I am sure someone else needed them more than I do. I stocked up at $99/5000 and free shipping to store for pick up to wiggle out of Hazmat fee.

jmorris said:

I passed on them but I am sure someone else needed them more than I do. I stocked up at $99/5000 and free shipping to store for pick up to wiggle out of Hazmat fee.

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What brand was $99 per case and who ships them to the store for free ship and haz?
Last time I saw them "cheap" around $128 or $124 per case and that was before shipping and hazmat in 2018. And I didn't buy any.

For what it is worth, I have been on the Midway "Notify me list" for CCI primers for over two years. I have never gotten any email notification that they were available.

I wrote to them saying that I was surprised that I never rose to the top of the list for notification.

Got what I consider to be a form answer telling me to put my name on the "notify me" list.

In my little part of Wisconsin, if you are not willing to go 30-90k over the asking price of a house, you might as well stay home.
Cost me 96 bucks yesterday to fill up my truck, the cost at the grocery store has at least went up by 30%, the price of primers is way down my list of concerns.

Compared to most on here......I would be considered a low volume shooter. For years and years, content to rely on factory ammo for all shooting needs. Then a couple years ago, found myself sitting on fewer than a couple boxes each of ammo for the guns I cared about. Asked myself what if that condition became permanent? Didn't like the answer. So a little over a year ago, decided to resume reloading again so as to assure myself a source of ammo.......at least for my lifetime. Have managed to accomplish that......but again, I am a relatively low volume shooter. But by being patient and vigilant, have managed to accumulate primers, powder, bullets and shot.......enough to keep things running hot for a long, long time. Important to me as I see guns as tools.......purpose is to shoot stuff what needs shooting. Rarely if ever shoot just to be shooting.

So a related question for others.......if what you have now....ammo or components....... is all you are ever going to get......if things dry up and don't ever come back.......would you shoot it all up or save it? Not trying to be judgemental......just curious. Do you see shooting as a hobby and if ammo is gone it's gone and move on?

I've noticed walmart has completely stocked up on dies, presses, calipers, scales etc etc. Only powder was rl22. They had very little for the last 2 years. I saw ammo in there last week. 5 dollars for 50 cci standard. 18 for 300 22lr bulk. 40 dollars for a brick of AA 12 guage. So it's coming down at least. I haven't bought a reloading supply other than 500 460 Smith xtp 300 GR in probably 5 years.

Since covid started I have bought 2 boxes of Aguila 250 rounds at 17 dollars for gifts and 1 pack of 22 rat shot (which was stupid high at like 12 bucks but oh well I don't need much of that)

Before and just as covid started I stocked up on ammo. Cheapest ammo I've seen. Quit reloading because shooting loaded ammo was about as cheap and saved my supplies. Ill start back when needed.

For you newer shooters. Save up now. Buy it when it's cheap. These cycles repeat over and over. Don't be the idiot paying 30 dollars for a Pmag or 200 for a brick of 22.

On a positive note, when ammo is high guns tend to be cheap. Anyone who was buying guns back 2000 will tell you that. Seeing Beretta, Sig, Hk etc prices now is amusing. And functional AR for 400 bucks. Shotguns for 200-400.

gifbohane said:

For what it is worth, I have been on the Midway "Notify me list" for CCI primers for over two years. I have never gotten any email notification that they were available.

I wrote to them saying that I was surprised that I never rose to the top of the list for notification.

Got what I consider to be a form answer telling me to put my name on the "notify me" list.

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I bought cci primers off there multiple times over the last 2 years, unfortunately.
Only reason I ever saw them was I was working night shift and I would check every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at about 3am midway USA local time and about once a month they would have some.