Primer Whiny Rant

[moxie]

The primer "shortage" seems to be abating with shelves filling up in gun shops and "in stock" appearing on the various websites. This is good news. The bad news is that the big price jumps we hoped might be temporary...aren't. I bought a 1000 each CCI large and small pistol the other day at a local gun shop. They were $33.95 apiece plus 8.25% Texas sales tax. Pretty good price compared to the internet. As an example, Natchez, which is usually pretty reasonable on most things, wants $34.68 for Winchester LP and $33.43 for CCI SP. To those prices, of course, one must add the big hazmat fee plus shipping. So no joy on the internet. The kicker came when I was putting the primers away. I found two boxes of primers I bought in 2003 at a local shop in Virginia. They were Winchester LP and SP, at $13.95 each. So there you have it, over 150% increase in price in 7 years. You'll hear lots of yada about higher fuel prices and lead prices blah blah. A 150%+ increase in 7 years on any product pure and simple shows gouging at one or more points along the line. I hope that people in the ammo business don't kill their golden goose. When reloading becomes nearly as expensive as the ridiculously overpriced (often 300%+ compared to 3-4 years ago) factory ammo we find today, it might be time to take up a new hobby.

 

[LiveLife]

A 150%+ increase in 7 years on any product pure and simple shows gouging

I think it's more of supply and demand. Increase in factory ammunition price pushed more people into reloading, which in turn increased the demand for primers used for reloading. Like many of us, once people get into reloading, they hardly give it up - so the demand for primers will remain high and even continue to grow.

Yeah, I doubt we see $13/1000 price anytime soon.

 

[Maj Dad]

Double Whammy

I think that with the military's increased need for primers (large ammunition contracts) and our own paranoia about about Obama & Co. has made this possible. I used to buy a few thousand primers at gun shows or wherever as I needed them, but I admit I bought about well over 20,000 last year. Supply and demand is always the driver of end pricing, and we surely drove the demand side. Kind of like the great toilet paper shortage of 1973: some comedian on Johnny Carson was joking about a non-existent TP shortage causing people to subscribe to NY Times et al. for TP. All a joke, but all over America people flew to the store and bought every roll in sight. I visited my retired parents in rural OK and they had an entire closet filled with TP. Local stores couldn't keep it in stock, so a real shortage came about based on hoarding, all from a comedy routine. Good thing we had a supply of Sears & Roebuck catalogs...

 

[RustyFN]

Heck just two years ago I was buying the same primers for $16 per 1,000. I don't expect any prices to go down until stores are getting them a lot faster than they are selling them. It is still hard to find them on the internet but once the market is flooded again ( if that ever happens ) hopefully we will see prices go down some.

 

[Rokman]

Natchez is a pretty good source for reloading stuff, but I watched their prices go way up on primers to the point of major dissapointment. I have only been handloading for approximately 2.5 years and I think I started buying pimers from Powder Valley for about $24.00-$25.00 per thousand. They haven't jacked their price up that much, but they don't have very much stock yet. I really love my new hobby and hope the prices level off since I didn't get into it in the good ole days of cheap components.

 

[oneounceload]

You'll hear lots of yada about higher fuel prices and lead prices blah blah. A 150%+ increase in 7 years on any product pure and simple shows gouging at one or more points along the line. I hope that people in the ammo business don't kill their golden goose.

And what was the price of anything back then? Fees go up, taxes, utilities, costs, labor, etc. It isn't gouging - no one is FORCING you buy the product, you will not die from starvation without them. It is business, supply and demand as mentioned previously. Too many rants by too many folks who NO idea how business works or the costs associated with running a business......If it is so profitable, start your own primer business and undercut everyone else to get the marketshare.

I've only been loading for 30 years, so I don't have the OLD time prices, but there was a time I bought primers by the 100 and they were $2.00 - that would be $20/1000 today - and that $2/100 was over 20 years ago

 

[Rokman]

I've only been loading for 30 years, so I don't have the OLD time prices, but there was a time I bought primers by the 100 and they were $2.00 - that would be $20/1000 today - and that $2/100 was over 20 years ago

That really puts things into perspective. My buying Rem 7.5 primers for $27.00 doesn't seem that bad. Buying the same pimers at Bass Pro for $35.00 doesn't give me warm fuzzies.

 

[TonyT]

One local store sells them for $29.99/M plus tax when available with a 2000 primer limit. Another store has lots of stock at $39.95/M with no limit.

 

[EddieNFL]

As an example, Natchez, which is usually pretty reasonable on most things, wants $34.68 for Winchester LP

$25.00 at PV.

Learned long ago to order before I needed to and order more than I thought I would need. During the great scare of '09 I waited five months for one shipment. $23 and change per K of 71/2s (including HAZMAT and S&H). Never in danger of running out.

Been accused of hoarding, but I didn't have to change my habits. Even helped a couple of friends get through the lean times. They both have since laid in a good stock.

 

[jcwit]

Prices go up and up. A few years ago a box of Cheerios was $ .69, find it today for less than $3.00 you better feel lucky.

Heck I remember paying $ .16 cents for a gal. of gas, got an old electric bill for a month for $4.26, yes that was a month for a household, and we had television.

Primers at $30.00 a thousand isn't bad in todays world.

 

[qajaq59]

It's called inflation. And by the time my great grand children start shooting they'll need a wheel barrow full of money to buy the primers. That is, if they are still allowed to own guns.

 

[oneounceload]

Your best bet is to order 50,000 primers at a time - if that's too much, get a few friends together and go in on the deal. Same with powder - too many rants whining about 25/lb powder. Buy 8# jugs and some of those prices drop to $14/lb.

When I lived out West, we bought shot for our target guns by the pallet (a ton) - cut the cost by 1/3 to 1/2 over single bag retail

Bulk buying pays off

 

[atblis]

Prices are coming down. Be patient. Saw CCI 400s/500s for $24 per 1k.

 

[420Stainless]

Someone opened a new shop in the area and I walked into it about a month ago. Went to look around - he had about average prices on guns with mostly low price point stuff. Look up on a shelf and see Wolf SP and SR primers. Thought this is great, finally a local shop with some primer stock. (The week before I had actually purchased the first I've seen in the area in almost a year). Looked at the price and it was marked at $6.90 per hundred. I asked how much for 1000 and he said $65. Without saying anything I put them back on the shelf, but I guess my facial expression triggered his next question. He said "No one else has them, where else you going to get them at any price?" I just said I'll wait until the prices come down. I was afraid to tell him that I just purchased Winchester and CCI for less than half that price the week before. Figured he go buy all the stock and mark it up to $75. Even at $30 - $35 per thousand I'm glad to see them coming back.

 

[evan price]

There's a local shop in town with Federals advertised for $29.95/K in stock.
Prices will come down again, as people stop buying them, but it will be slowly and will never go as low as it was.
I still remember my first "big" order from Powder Valley, 8# of Titegroup and 5K Wolf SP primers for $200 shipped including hazmat. Thought that was high.

 

[Roccobro]

Prices will come down again, as people stop buying them

Bingo.

Justin

 

[BsChoy]

I just bought 1000 CCI large pistol primers locally for 39.99. Same store 2 years ago was 10.00 cheaper....oh well what r you gonna do?

 

[oneounceload]

I asked how much for 1000 and he said $65. Without saying anything I put them back on the shelf, but I guess my facial expression triggered his next question. He said "No one else has them, where else you going to get them at any price?" I just said I'll wait until the prices come down.

Supply and demand free-market economics at its very finest - you decided what you wanted to do with your money - you went elsewhere

 

[atblis]

Supply and demand free-market economics at its very finest - you decided what you wanted to do with your money - you went elsewhere

And probably tell other people to go somewhere else too.

 

[oneounceload]

Yep, and when that guy is sitting on them and can't move them, he'll have two choices - hope for someone to buy at that price, or put them on sale to clear them out. But if other folks have no problem paying is price, you won't have any leverage in that regard. Inventory carrying costs being what they are, a SMART business person turns his inventory as fast as he can. Others, like Gander and wally world, put a rice on it and never change it until they replenish stock