Primer and powder shortages

[wworker]

I went to a gunshow today looking to buy primers and powder. The dealer that sells the reloading supplies had a requirement that a buyer would have to purchase powder along with the rationed 1000 primers.

So I asked for W231, but was told by the dealer's helper that W231 is not being allowed by the government to be shipped to distributors.

What's up with this?


I also asked for Titegroup, but that was just plain sold out. I was able to buy Titegroup at a local gun shop, but they didn't have any W231 either.

 

[Remo-99]

So I asked for W231, but was told by the dealer's helper that W231 is not being allowed by the government to be shipped to distributors.

More than likey just an unfounded rumor, as to why it's supply is outstripped by demand, and is just hard to get stock on w231.

 

[jcwit]

I HOPE someday CHANGE will come and we can all return to normal!

 

[Walkalong]

They are more full of stuff than a Christmas turkey. I would not buy from them. Primers are scarce, and many are over charging for them, cause they are getting it. Powder is iffy some places, but it is getting better.

Don't do business with anyone using scare tactics. F*** em, and remember them later.

 

[Bush Pilot]

Find a different dealer, that guy sounds like a joke.

 

[wworker]

For those of you in other states, we in Virginia plan on making a change to the governor's office in about 2 weeks. Keep your eyes on Virginia.


On the powder situation, I know that rumors fly, but it's been about a year now for the primers being nearly extinct, but the spreading of shortages is affecting powder now.

This is disconcerting.

 

[rfwobbly]

Here in Georgia W231 is very scarce, but all the dealers are full up on HP-38!! All size cans are easy to find. Figure that one out.

 

[nulfisin]

Plenty of HP-38 in Chicago(!) suburbs

Of all places. Don't know about the Win 231 and don't see how it's relevant as long as the other stuff is available.

 

[distra]

Things are loosen up a bit here in CT. I picked up small pistol primers (Winchester for $36/1000) at the local toy store. There was plenty of powder, large and small pistol & rifle primers. 209 primers are also readily available as well as shotgun powder (Clay's, RedDot, Unique etc.).

 

[rfwobbly]

Everyone keeps saying the on-going war has dried up supplies, but no one has any Vihta Vuori powders. Explain that.

 

[helg]

The only known to me shop, which uses the primer restriction policy like you said, is tntreloading. It is silver hair cashier man and a woman that takes orders. This weekend they are at Richmond gun show, according to their web site.

I used to buy Win231 from the tntreloading few months ago. Never heard of the restriction.

 

[rodregier]

The W231 availability claim sounds bogus to me. No press release on it from Winchester Powders.

http://www.wwpowder.com/press.html

Vihta Vuori powder is imported from Finland, not US domestic production. With a long pipeline to the mfgr, "sudden" higher demand exhausting US stocks probably means the refilling of the offshore pipeline would take longer.

 

[BsChoy]

Not trying to thread steal but I walked into my usual powder dealer to get some one shot lube...Lo and behold on the shelf behind the register was some large and small pistol primers and some small rifle primers. Well I lit up like a kid on christmas and asked how much for 1000. He say 7.99 per 100 and 70.00 per 1000!!!! I can order them (when there in of course) for 25-30 per k and it would still be cheaper with the hazmat fee!

 

[wworker]

70.00 per 1000

That's definitely price gouging.

I was lucky to buy most of my primers when they were costing in the $25 range before the scarcity began.

I should have bought more.

 

[Ky Larry]

I have plenty of primers(so far) but powder and bullets have been scarce this past year. Things are definately improving. A local shop had Re-15 for $23.00last week. First I've seen in a year. They also had a good supply of Hodgen and AA powders. Could this be the beginning of the end of the silly shortages and panic buying ? Lets hope.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

primers of any sort/type are in short supply here and WW has little in ammo except .40sw.
at the big fun show in greenville, sc 3 weeks back only 1 vendor had primers @ 36$ no sr's. 1 brick limit. powder was available

 

[sfc_mark]

I went to an (almost) local shop yesterday - Magnum Products in Graniteville, SC. As nice a guy as you could ever meet, and he had nearly everything in stock I could want.

He doesn't carry mass quantities of any one item, but he has product wall to wall and floor to ceiling. He had every powder I asked about on the phone, even Win 748 (!). Mostly 1 lb containers of powder, but an amazing selection.

The primers were a bit on the high side ($40/k), but he has Win, Federal, Federal BR & CCI in everything but SR Magnum.

Looks like I picked a bad time to finally start reloading, but in the past two weeks I've managed to get everything I need for 9mm, .38 spl, .357, .30-30, .45 lc, .223 and .380.

Between my son and I, we've loaded up .45 lc, .223 and 9mm so far - we'll see how it goes next trip to the range.

 

[longdayjake]

Not trying to thread steal but I walked into my usual powder dealer to get some one shot lube...Lo and behold on the shelf behind the register was some large and small pistol primers and some small rifle primers. Well I lit up like a kid on christmas and asked how much for 1000. He say 7.99 per 100 and 70.00 per 1000!!!! I can order them (when there in of course) for 25-30 per k and it would still be cheaper with the hazmat fee!

I would straight up tell this guy that I would not be going into his store any more. You have to be completely dishonest to look a customer in the eye and say you want 300% profit on anything gun related. Selling them for that much on gunbroker is one thing, but at a store where you have to look your customer in the eye is another thing entirely.

I have a store here in town that I buy guns from on occasion. The owner often tries to sell things to me for much more than they are worth. I look him straight in the eye and call BS. I have told him not to show me guns that are marked way over price. Now when I go in there and ask him to show me a gun he "quotes" a price and ignores the price tag. I have personally seen some gun ignorant people buy guns for $100 to $200 more than they are worth. Once I saw a guy buy an inland m1 carbine in extremely poor condition for $800. He had offered to sell the same one to me for $600 which was still over priced.

 

[freakshow10mm]

but was told by the dealer's helper that W231 is not being allowed by the government to be shipped to distributors.

This is a classic example of a dumb ass not knowing the basics of supply and demand economics and trying to cover up his lack of intelligence. Next time you see him, wiener punch him.

 

[greyling22]

every place I have gone in in texas has had powder for $20 or less all this past year. the only shortages I ahve seen were with primers, military caliber and handgun ammo.

 

[ilmonster]

Was at local Cabela's a few weeks ago and they had all manner of powder, including Win. 231 in 1# bottles. Don't know what your guy was smoking. They also had factory ammo in every caliber and most types (RN, JHP, LSWC, etc.) unlike the beginning of summer when they had no handgun ammo. It appears things are getting better, slowly.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Saw primers for $12 per hundred at a show about six months ago. I laughed and kept going. Now, things are getting back to normal. You can get pretty much anything you want now.

 

[something vague]

Things have loosened up a bit here in Maine as well. There are still some shops that are gouging the hell out of primers. I have yet to see the $70 mark but see $56-$60 on a regular basis. I wouldn't ever pay that and tell them so when I ask about stock. As for the original post, tell that guy he's part of the problem not the solution. Stating B.S. lines that have no basis about the shortage situation does absolutely no good. I would love to have that guy try and tell me that line of sh**. I would never do business with them again and would tell him why as well. I wish more of us would stick up for our fellow reloaders/shooters against the groups of people trying to take advantage of us and create scare tactics to intimidate us. Enough is enough.

 

[ants]

but was told by the dealer's helper that W231 is not being allowed by the government to be shipped to distributors.

See, even the little guys think it's funny.
Good golly.



It's no wonder the assistant is an idiot. His boss has a policy of...

a buyer would have to purchase powder along with the rationed 1000 primers.

 

[Mags]

how much for 1000. He say 7.99 per 100 and 70.00 per 1000!!!! I can order them (when there in of course) for 25-30 per k and it would still be cheaper with the hazmat fee!

My used to be favorite shop has always had primers throughout the shortage for 3.99 per hundred so about 40 bucks a 1000. Well now that I can find primers everywhere locally for about 41.99 per thousand I go to that shop and ask for some LR primers the clerk says they are now 5.75 per hundred! That's 57.50 per thousand! I told the clerk that price negates any value for me since I can order them for 29.99 and pay the 20 bucks for HAZMAT and still come out less than his 5.75 per hundred. The clerk tried to argue how they were going up but I don't buy it they are still 29.99 online and they should order enough tp negate the HAZMAT charge all together. Very sad they decided to charge that much as they have been my favorite mom and pop store for sometime.