At what point will you start buying primers again?

[BBarn]

I won't need any for some time. I'll wait and see what the prices do in the meantime. At the moment, I'm not paying anywhere near the current prices.

Been buying a little factory 9mm ammo. It apparently uses cheaper primers since it's about 25 cents per round with new brass cases.

 

[JKP]

I bought 6k of fiocchi SPP on line. After shipping & hazmat they came to $77.25. That's the cheapest I've seen in a couple years. I have heard good reviews on these. I will try them out Monday.

 

[mcb]

I have heaps of pistol primers but I am almost out of Small Rifle. I will hold out as long as a I can. The last time I bough primers they were $45/1000 at Cabelas and I felt I was being ripped off.

 

[brewer12345]

I bought 6k of fiocchi SPP on line. After shipping & hazmat they came to $77.25. That's the cheapest I've seen in a couple years. I have heard good reviews on these. I will try them out Monday.

They work great.

 

[SingleActionAndrew]

When I can hold more

 

[AJC1]

That’s interesting, and definitely correct, but I’m going to call you out for avoiding the question. You oughta known someone was gonna say it.
Me, personally, I’m not nearly as hung up on price as I am on value and availability. I will start buying when it gets to the point I can’t load the quality of ammo I need for the kind of shooting I do.
For example, I’m out of WLP’s. There’s no load in my personal catalog that isn’t just as good (or really close to as good as) with either a Federal or CCI LPP. The WLP is a touch hotter and works just a touch better with the Accurate ball powders. So if I run low on CCI and WLP comes available, I’ll have to think about buying some, even if it’s not the best price ever. It’s going to be a just-in-time purchase decision.

I think trying to predict a time or price point is inappropriate and look to the driving factors. Vista will sell to the highest buyer and if they can get top dollar from the government in loaded ammo the price will stay high and availability low. This is my first shortage but I was aware of the previous due to my dad. Every time feels like the worst but it seems this is the longest.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I think trying to predict a time or price point is inappropriate and look to the driving factors. Vista will sell to the highest buyer and if they can get top dollar from the government in loaded ammo the price will stay high and availability low. This is my first shortage but I was aware of the previous due to my dad. Every time feels like the worst but it seems this is the longest.

I think the question is, what’s the price point where you, personally, start stocking up vs keeping up with your current shooting routine. For me, it’s not about the price, it’s about my supply. I’ll stock up when I get to the point where I can’t load my best stuff.

 

[WillyG]

I still have a decent supply of primers but I’m not using them very much because the replacement cost is so high. One of the online suppliers has them for $89/K with free hazmat over $99. Part of me wants to just suck it up and buy a couple of boxes so I can shoot them up but the cheap side of me wants to wait a few more months in hopes prices come down a bit more. I was paying about 1/3 this price just a few years ago and it pains me greatly to pay so much.

Yes, I know that prices on everything have gone way up, but not 300%. I just don’t want to believe this is the new normal, even though a part of me thinks that might be the case.

Ar what price point will you start stocking up again?

I bought a few boxes of 100 of Winchester small pistol primers at a Cabela’s in January for $8.99 a box, just to keep supplied. Seeing Midway post Federals today for $109 in stock made me say no. You have to wonder if prices will drop.

 

[joed]

I haven't bought primers in 10 years and I probably still have enough to last a few more years. I kept stashing them away when they were like $3.50 per hundred.

 

[AJC1]

I think the question is, what’s the price point where you, personally, start stocking up vs keeping up with your current shooting routine. For me, it’s not about the price, it’s about my supply. I’ll stock up when I get to the point where I can’t load my best stuff.

Mine is the price point I see sales and free hasmat and they want to move product. If that's less than 50 per k I'm stacking till my card is maxed out

 

[TEXASJD]

I been picking up small rifles when I see them at Cabelas, so I’m not using my stock. If they get back to 60per k I will put 50k more on the shelf

 

[gifbohane]

We all have to remember that Primers were completely unavailable at any price for the better part of three years (unless you wanted to take your pants down and buy them off a reseller on ebay.)

So, the first chance that I got to buy "made in USA" primers from a legitimate source in December 2022 I bought 10K. Even though I could have gone a year or so without the purchase. Paid over $500 for 5000. I took them because I could not be sure that they ever would be available again.

BTW I am still waiting since 2020 for Midway to notify me of some availability. Don' t need them now.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Right now. Especially if you can use them right away.

What makes anyone think they will go down from where they are at now?

 

[BBarn]

Demand. In times where primers of all types are readily available most places, the prices are lower. Been through these shortages twice before during the 1990s and again a about 10 years ago. There is hope. But as long as there are enough buyers of primers at current prices, they will remain high in price.

 

[Stefan A]

Being that I am relatively new, I never got to experience the cheap prices. So, I've been buying as needed. Certainly not stocking up.

 

[dannyd]

Purchased 12,000 in 2022 and will probably purchase 12,000 in 2023. Handloading and shooting only hobby I have.

We're primers less expensive 35 years ago when I started yes, but so was gas and my breakfast.

 

[JEBruns]

I’m almost there— it’s not below $50, but normashooting.com had SPPs for $67.50 this week. I’d just like to see in the 50’s

Same. I have a good supply and have not had to buy at the current prices. If I see CCI, Fed or Win in the $50's, I'll be buying again.

 

[kennedy]

just paid $67 plus tax at the local trap range for cci small rifle, they also had small pistol, but I already bought 5k of ginex for $80 per 1k at a gun show

 

[Ekyle]

If anyone is holding out for Winchester primers. I was told 2024 is when you might see some stock on the shelves. That is coming from Recobs target shop in Wisconsin.

 

[JDeere]

Stocked up before this mess during sales. I have plenty of most but ran low on SPPs so I bought a few thousand Winchester at 79 bucks shipped including hazmat. I'm not gonna quit something I love because of prices. Some will say that's giving in. If one waits for prices to come down you may be waiting a long time...

 

[bigpower491]

It is what it is. And the sad thing is the prices will keep climbing.
I've got enough to burn up most of the powder I've got...and more than likely there will be some left when they put me in incinerator.
Never know... in the future my missus will be giving the stuff away for pennies on the dollar......1000 for 5 bux, revolvers for 200(you know, what I "paid" for em), rifles for 250, all the loading equipment for a case of beer.....

 

[thirty-eight]

For me, it’s not about the price, it’s about my supply.

Same here. I've heard "demand exceeds supply" from component manufacturers too many times in the last three-plus years. With the current unrest worldwide, demand may exceed supply for a good long while. Still no sign of them on shelves out here in the boonies and I'm just grateful primers are available online, regardless of price.

It is what it is. And the sad thing is the prices will keep climbing.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I was almost out of small rifle. So i bought 5k. Also stocked up on rifle powders. I like to shoot. And since i got mu mini14 and now an AR. I burn up a lot of ammo. Im only going to live once. Might as well enjoy my time on earth.

 

[Targa]

I was of the mind set that I am done buying them until they get back to “normal” prices, unfortunately I think we are in the new normal. So the way I see it, for me anyway, I buy them when I need them or I sell all of my fun stuff and just keep my .22’s and a 9mm for self/home defense. Whatever the prices of primers, it’s a small price to pay compared to factory ammo.
My brother, who doesn’t reload, just picked up an Anaconda. His timing was very good because his birthday is coming up and I decided to buy him some factory ammo for the thing, two boxes and over a hundred dollars. If I took that hundred dollars and brought primers well you do the math on how many rounds that would have made…

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Another way to think of it. When gas went up in the 4-5 dollar range. Did we stop driving ? No we didn't. We may have cut back some. But we still filled up our tanks. If you want to shoot. You pay the price.