Primer Nightmare

[762 shooter]

I got a shock today as I was doing some heavy duty 45 ACP reloading. I reloaded 500 rounds and went to get more primers from my personal stores and was out of Large pistol primers. What's the big deal you say? Just go buy some more.

I started thinking about what is the most important technical component of a round and it has to be the primer. I've spent years collecting brass, bullets, and powder and thought I had enough primers.

Think about it, say right now every component became unavailable as a retail item.

Brass........You save your brass so unless you lose it it is not a perishable item.

Powder........ Pretty technical stuff, but powder, black or smokeless has been in production for 4 or 5 thousand years and can be made out of accessible items.

Bullets........As long as there is a tire or roads or lead or fishing weights or fired bullets or lead flashing you will always have a supply of bullets.

But the primer?????? I guess someone might be able to make them but not as easy as the other components.

I'm not sure if this rant belongs here but I'm sure someone with better classification skills than I will determine that.

I just got scared and I know how to fix it. The last time I bought primers I paid $14.50 per thousand. Now at $30 per thousand they are still a deal.

Molon Labe

 

[Thernlund]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=113826




-T.

 

[RustyFN]

762 shooter go to https://www.grafs.com/ and http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/ and check out primers. I usually buy at Graf's because I get a discount there. You can buy 50,000 primers for one $20 hazmat fee and the last time I bought 50,000 the shipping was around $30. I go in with a couple of friends and we split them up.
Rusty

 

[Walkalong]

PV & Grafs are out of Winchester small and large pistol primers, although PV shows them in stock, or did a couple of days ago. Well, Grafs has some small pistol 1000 only, no 5000.

Anyway. Powder Valley showed them in stock when I ordered, but then emailed me they were out of stock, so I ordered 11,000 CCI primers from Grafs. My buddy The Bushmaster likes CCI primers, and that is good enough for me. I changed to Win instead of Fed a few years back only because the box was smaller and I could not tell a difference in pistol loads.

By the way. Welcome to THR.

 

[762 shooter]

Thanks for the links.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

762 shooter,
The link above for Powder Valley is probably you're best bet. They have Winchester and CCI Large Pistol Primers in stock. The Win LPP are $107.50/5000 and the CCI LPP are $112.50/5000. Even when you buy in bulk the prices are higher than we all think are fair.

There are many threads about Wolf primers being very good to use. Powder Valley has the the LPP in stock for $90/5000. If you buy just 5,000 Wolf primers the money you save over the Win primers will cover most of the $20 Hazmat fee. The money saved over the CCI primers will exceed the $20 Hazmat fee on a purchase of just 5,000 primers. I still have a lot of primers on hand but when I need more it will be Wolf primers I order if the price spread remains similar.

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

762 shooter,
The link above for Powder Valley is probably you're best bet. They have Winchester and CCI Large Pistol Primers in stock. The Win LPP are $107.50/5000 and the CCI LPP are $112.50/5000. Even when you buy in bulk the prices are higher than we all think are fair.

There are many threads about Wolf primers being very good to use. Powder Valley has the the LPP in stock for $90/5000. If you buy just 5,000 Wolf primers the money you save over the Win primers will cover most of the $20 Hazmat fee. The money saved over the CCI primers will exceed the $20 Hazmat fee on a purchase of just 5,000 primers. I still have a lot of primers on hand but when I need more it will be Wolf primers I order if the price spread remains similar.[/QUOTE]

+! on that! I just ordered 5,000 LPP and 5,000 small rifle magnum for AR-15 and they all seem to go bang! Just as good as the CCI's I used to buy. I got mine from Wideners though. Here's the link.

http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=278|284|737

 

[Walkalong]

Powder Valley is probably you're best bet. They have Winchester and CCI Large Pistol Primers in stock

I ordered 5000 WSP & 5000 WLP from Powder Valley the other day. They showed in stock, but they emailed me that they were out. They were going to email me when they had them in and I have not received word yet.

 

[762 shooter]

I ordered 10,000 CCI 300 from Powder Valley and still beat any store in my area.

Thanks for the heads up.

My brother walked into a store and they had primers the guy had had in stock for five or six years for $19.00/ k.

He walked out with 20,000.

I'm set for at least four years.

Molon Labe

 

[strat81]

Powder........ Pretty technical stuff, but powder, black or smokeless has been in production for 4 or 5 thousand years and can be made out of accessible items.

Good luck on developing cannister grade powder in your garage.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

762 shooter,
I'm glad you were able to get what you needed.

 

[762 shooter]

Strat81

Only after I go through my 40#'s I have on hand.

OK OK Primers and powder!!!

762