Primer Pricing

[Tennessee_Ted]

I haven’t bought primers since I ordered a few thousand small rifle in early 2013.

I don’t remember what I paid for those, but I have a couple boxes from 2009 or so sitting around with price tags on them that read $33/1000.

Seems like everywhere now has them listed for about $60–$75 (and they’re all out of stock).

Did the price inflate thanks to the supply crunch over the last 18 months? Or is that what they were going for pre-pandemic/election?

 

[sisyphus]

Did the price inflate thanks to the supply crunch over the last 18 months?

yes. on the upside, a year ago you would have paid $200 for what is now an $75-95 box.

 

[Walkalong]

Folks have figured out we'll still pay too much for them, so it's going to be awhile longer before we find the new inflated bottom, much less what a new sale will look like.

 

[Walkalong]

yes. on the upside, a year ago you would have paid $200 for what is now an $75-95 box.

Not me. I'd quit shooting and wait them out first.

 

[reloaded_in_pa]

Not me. I'd quit shooting and wait them out first.

I hear many people saying that and I do understand the logic behind it. I personally haven't slowed my shooting but I'm comfortable with my supplies and you never know when this life will end so I keep doing what I enjoy. That said, if I do run low and need more primers, I'd pay the going rate to enjoy my hobby.

 

[Howa 9700]

Not me. I'd quit shooting and wait them out first.

To me, that is the most sane approach to take. Not knowing the future, it seems prudent to conserve a stash until such time as you know you can replenish it.

But as for the cost of primers, that also applies to ammo. Was in Walmart a few months back and in the big iron category, they had one single box of 308 Win......wearing a price tag of $39.99........$2 each time you pull the trigger. That is 2X to 3X what I can remember paying not that long ago.

Cost of primers is higher than before, but everything is relative.

 

[Random 8]

Let me peer into my crystal ball. The spirits are active tonight! They tell me they have no idea where primer prices will stabilize, and something about a Brandon character.

The wisdom of the elders who have lived through the Great Famine of 2012 says be patient child. Days of milk and honey will come again. Familiarize yourself with the precision shot. The mag dump shall be forbidden in these times of hungry chambers and empty hoppers.

In seriousness, I believe supplies and prices will stabilize. God knows when or where. Personally, I'm replacing what I expend for the most part to keep a stable 1-2 year supply in inventory. I've been fortunate to find substitute standard primers locally in small quantities for "old" prices to replace what I've used through the shortage. When I find something I use at "old" prices or close to, I'm a buyer. Actually a bit deep on powder now for that reason...call me a hoarder. I've also been concentrating a whole lot more on the supply of dirt cheap commie surplus ammo I bought some 10-15 years ago, and a whole lot less on rapid fire games with 9mm and 5.56.

If you NEED primers now, anywhere just south of a dime a pop retail seems to be the current fair market. Yes, this is due to politics/panic (mostly) and somewhat to COVID supply chain issues. Availability is improving but at inflated prices, so I wouldn't purchase more than immediate need at this time.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I will say it again, thank goodness I don't need to buy components at this time. (especially primers)

 

[n2omike]

Not me. I'd quit shooting and wait them out first.

There are enough new reloaders to take your place that you will never be missed by the manufacturers. If you choose to take yourself out of the hobby over a $0.04 increase in price per round, that will be your decision... and you are free to make it. Personally, I'm not going to put my life on hold over it. Good Luck

 

[gunlaw]

Let’s see what prices look like in a couple of months. Winter is on the way that should slow down demand. Less outdoor shooting. May help supply catch up.

 

[Palladan44]

Ammo "remanufacturers" are leading the market for ammo prices right now, even out competing steel russian stuff like "Tula" . These reman are US based and use the same primers us hand-loaders use.
The whole system is out of balance right now. And it takes time to recover. But it will recover. Primers are being bought up by reman companies (there are dozens of these across the US) Retail sale of components to hand-loaders are probably only the bottom 5% of the primer market, and the most expensive, and last in line for product unfortunately.

All this said I don't think primers of any kind will ever be less than 40$ per thousand retail, and that would be great if they were available at that price in a year from now. Maybe 50$ per thousand if they want to remain jerks about it

Unless there are any laws passed restricting ammo production (would be a cold day in hell long after I'm gone) our great capitalist economy will eventually reach the demand, then exceed the demand and then we will be paying fair prices again.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Buy a box at inflated Prices, get the itch out… scratch scratch scratch. Done, back to waiting.

 

[Hartkopf]

Walkalong has a theory and he’s sticking to it. I give you credit for taking a path and sticking to it. But...... unfortunately my theory is nasty inflation will punish all of us in every area we spend money. Do people realize their retirement accounts are down 25% or more over the last year? I always go back to the money supply being pumped to unrealistic numbers. A trillion dollars is hard to understand. A trillion seconds = 30,000+ years!


I really like Random 8’s reply. We don’t know for sure and I hope I’m completely wrong and Walkalong in right. But I continually need to top off my component supplies. I’m not stocking up but I’m still buying primers when I can find them. I’m also shooting quite a bit and not ready to slow down yet. The bright side, bullet prices are low.

 

[JFrank]

My primers are quite popular, plus hazmat fees take it to an uncomfortable level but if I want to shoot I have to pay up or get creative. I may slow down testing but I wont just give up.

 

[Blue68f100]

Right now I will keep doing what I'm doing. I'm welled stocked at this time, so I can ride it out for several years (4-5). When if comes to time to replenish my inventory Hopefully the market has recovered and stabilized. I will be buying bullets as needed, but these have always been available even though you may have to wait a few weeks.

I have other hobbies I can se to fill that void if need be. Fishing comes to the top of the list.

Now a neighbor of mine was not prepared as he should have been. He's been hand loading as long as I have, so he should of know. He always gave be a hard time when I was ordering primers and powder, 10-20k, 16+ lbs of powder.

 

[stillquietvoice]

There are enough new reloaders to take your place that you will never be missed by the manufacturers. If you choose to take yourself out of the hobby over a $0.04 increase in price per round, that will be your decision... and you are free to make it. Personally, I'm not going to put my life on hold over it. Good Luck

If it were only .04 ok but it's closer to .07 right now down from. 17 over normal pricing. I still buy occasionally, just to jeep supply stable.

 

[FROGO207]

When things were easier I stocked up and can comfortably keep shooting at pre covid levels for the next 5-6 years with relation to primers and propellant. Bullets can be purchased or cast. At that point I will scale back if needed. I also may re-evaluate after next years election. I can always slow down to weekly instead of 4 a week now. I fear the things that happend to ammo in CA coming soon to a state where you reside just to throw a stick in the spokes. Don't forget inflation either, our net worth is going down in value.

 

[Walkalong]

But...... unfortunately my theory is nasty inflation will punish all of us in every area we spend money. Do people realize their retirement accounts are down 25% or more over the last year?

Mine at work did 25% last year and is at 10+% this year. But yes, inflation is going to bite us in the ass, just no telling how hard yet. The good news is many economies around the globe are in bad shape, which helps us, but if we keep printing money like we have the last decade plus, and really ramped up the last four/five years, it will be bad, very bad, and will hurt those who can stand it the least.

That said, prices are artificially inflated right not, so it is time to hold off unless you just really have to have it. I bought some 450s because I didn't want to change my match load, even though I have (a lot of) primers which should substitute just fine (Wolf, Tula, Fed, Win, CCI 400). I paid $75 plus hazmat for 1K online, then $75 total for 1K locally. That's it though, I don't care what happens.

Prices will settle when people stop acting like they will never be able to get anymore and are stocking up at exactly the wrong time. The person who buys a couple K or so to keep shooting and they use them up? No hard feelings, I get it. The ones stocking up? *Sigh*

 

[Walkalong]

There are enough new reloaders to take your place that you will never be missed by the manufacturers. If you choose to take yourself out of the hobby over a $0.04 increase in price per round, that will be your decision... and you are free to make it. Personally, I'm not going to put my life on hold over it. Good Luck

2 cents on sale, 3 cents otherwise, at 8 cents plus now, so 5 cents plus. A very large percentage, which is how you need to look at it. I'm not getting out, I still have several thousand $14 per 1K sale primers, many $20 per 1 K sale primers, plus stock that is old enough I don't remember what I paid. Having been through this since the first one in 1994, I have stocked up every time there was a sale.

So, I'll be waiting patiently (or impatiently at times) to see where things settle out.

 

[reloaded_in_pa]

I agree 100%, now is not the time to stock up or replenish unnecessarily. Buying now to keep shooting isn't a bad thing.

 

[nettlle]

In the potential pre-Hillary era I stocked up on LPP and powder. I didn't have a 9mm at that time. My 9mm uses the same powder so I am good for a long time for LPP and 9mm powder now.

I have been paying $85.00 per K from Brownell's including S&H and have built up a decent stock of SPP now. I have both run out of primers and paid too much for primers. The pain of running out is more than the pain of the high prices for me.

 

[Barbaroja]

A bit of sunshine through the clouds fells, I just got a brick of federal small pistol primers this morning for $42 at sportsman’s warehouse. Quite the surprise to find. I think it was the universe telling me that I SHOULD buy that S&w 686 I was looking at.

 

[Skgreen]

I can wait.
Worse come to worst, I'll break out that case of 22 LR I rat-holed away.

 

[Mark_Mark]

A note of inflation: Walmart the Gold standard in Ammo prices, If they can’t sell it cheaper, it’s not going to be cheaper. Some Walmart stores well reloading components.

Walmart Ammo:
Shoot Shells was:$22 now:$34
CCI .22 standard was:$7.99 now:$12.50-ish
Fed Automatch .22 was:$11.80 now:$21

Yeah!

 

[bullseye308]

I hadn’t planned to be shooting 223 much at all other than the ammo I had loaded a few years ago, then I lucked into a 223 bolt I have wanted for years. I only had 1k of extra SRP so I did find some CCI400’s at academy recently for 6.99/100 with a limit of 4. Had a son with me and got 6. other than that I’ve never paid more than 24.99/1000 and have enough SPP to last 6-8 years which is 95% of what I’m shooting. It’s disgusting, but it is what it is and sadly you can either pay to play or whine from the sideline.