What's the cause of the primer shortage?

[Bulletski]

As we all know there's a shortage of SP & SR primers. But what's the cause?
Is it just hording or is it due to something else?
During the Obozo years, the same thing happened and it was suspected by some that government hand in it, but "apparently" it was just due to hoarding.

Same this time or different?

 

[Ks5shooter]

Panic buying.

 

[buck460XVR]

Same this time or different?

Same old, same old, sky is falling, tin foil hat, hoarding.

 

[Encoreman]

Yea and yesterday I saw on a gun auction site 5,000 winchester small pistol primers go for $750.00 + $20 shipping. That is correct, $0.154 per primer. I would just quit reloading until I could find them at a reasonable price. People doing things like this make me wonder why the ammo companies don't charge us more, because some in this group are IDIOTS!!

 

[plodder]

Yea and yesterday I saw on a gun auction site 5,000 winchester small pistol primers go for $750.00 + $20 shipping. That is correct, $0.154 per primer.QUOTE]
Gee, do they want to buy any more at that price?

 

[Legionnaire]

With the pandemic, it wouldn't surprise me to know that production is off. A lot of people have been at home either sick or under a shelter-in-place order. That has to affect the upstream supply chain. Talking to some friends at church today who are looking for a new washer and dryer; there are few to be had because production has been off.

 

[doubleh]

People are panic buying and production has slowed or stopped on nearly everything.

 

[Megawatt maker]

Primers can be had at LGSs and the local Sportsmans warehouse. They dont have everything of every brand, but you can find what you want to you look around town.

Only thing I need, ran out of, and cant find local (ordered them from Midway, but they limit you to 1000) is CCI #34s.

Ya, I know, some say they are just repackaged CCI large rifle magnums, but I've found that to be not true.

They give me very consistent velocity with my pet load on 7.62x51. They do better than 210m and 215m. I've tried all three...like the CCIs.

Anyhow, I'm in central PA. If someone wants to do a road trip...

 

[jmorris]

People buying more than they need is likely why you can’t find any.

People running out of them is because they didn’t buy enough of them when they were plentiful.

So it’s really as much their fault as the others.

If I never buy any more, people will likely have to do something with ones left after I die. This allows me to walk buy almost empty shelves and leave the over priced crumbs to those less fortunate and restock my supplies when things are sane again. That said, I haven’t been in need of any since last century, when I learned the lesson others are just now learning.

 

[earlthegoat2]

There is a correlation between 223 and 9mm being the most popular rounds and the fact they use SRPs and SPP respectively.

As I said in another post, in the absence or unobtainability of the best option, in this instance, loaded 223 or 9mm ammo, they go to the next best thing which is reloading for 223 and 9mm which require said primers.

Its some wacky form of trickle down economics.

My question is why are Mossberg 590A1s going for over $1000 on GB? Im glad I bought mine in Feb for 400 OTD.

 

[Robert]

People buying them. Let's take a break from all the shortage stuff...