Nammo Vihtavuori Starts Primer Production in Finland

[Bill K]

Just glad to hear someone is going to produce and offer primers. Thanks for the information.
Let's see them on the market and also how much they will cost, then we can go from there on buying or not. Hopefully the price will be within reason.

 

[D-4297]

As usual with any foreign commodity that is involved with firearms ; We all know the Anti-Gun Totalitarians will have their hands all over this , as soon as they try to ship them into the country . If you look at all of the primers made throughout the world , am I the only one who finds it ironic that Americans cannot get their hands on the three or four best rated primers ? I hope VVT does well with this endeavor , and by the time they are ready to ship to us , WE have a massive change in Our Govt. to facilitate this .

 

[BCR1]

It was reported that Expansion Industries was opening a primer plant in Texarkanna.
Expasion's primer facility is actually in Texas. They had originally planned to start shipping primers in the Spring 2022.
From a company that carries them, their estimate is primers from Expansion will show up in Spring 2023. Apparently Expansion has rescheduled their initial shipping date several times.

 

[hpshooter]

I hope this current venture by Expansion Industries bears fruit. Past experience with Expansion Industries in Virginia cause me to have low expectations.

 

[Laurie]

Viht primers aren't new. When I started using its powders (only N140 and N160 available for some time) in the 1980s, the Viht loads data sheet quoted Lapua brass and the appropriate size Vihtavuori primer. I never saw them at the time, but getting on for 20 years later, I was involved in a local gunshop moving premises and several hundred Viht SRPs turned up amongst the long-forgotten odds and sods - which I promptly bought, out of curiosity if nothing else.

I did try them in the SR primers tests I reported on in Target Shooter online, but these particular ones were even more fragile than CCI-400s and Rem 6 1/2s and too many blanked.

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=2621

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=2662

I wondered if Viht had made them as Norma Precision made these items under contract for other manufacturers, but as you see on the sleeve, it does say 'Made in Finland', whilst that would be Sweden if Norma had got the job.

Incidentally, various people have said 'Lapua' re primers. That wouldn't be so, or at least unlikely. Whilst part of the same group (Nammo Oy), Lapua is a different division located in a different town and it's the Vihtavuori facility (company name and the town it's located in) that is the chemical / explosives bit of the outfit. So far as US imports go, all Nammo and SK products are handled and distributed by Capstone Precision a wholly owned Nammo outfit that also includes Berger Bullets. If our experience in the UK with importing primers is any guide, obtaining shipping space is the biggest problem as many ships' masters refuse to carry them.

I certainly look forward to their appearance here. We're in as bad a state for these products as US handloaders and paying even more. Russian Muroms kept us going in recent years as US supplies completely dried up, (that's 'Wolf' / 'Tula' on the west side of the Atlantic), but Vladimir Putin's 'Special Military Operation' (sarcastic laugh!!) put paid to that source.

Incidentally, the striking orange, blue and white branding was Viht's house style in the 1980s, also used on their (steel) powder cans, so that would date these primers from that era.

 

[Juppe12]

Laurie, Vihtavuori site did manufacture primers from 1930 to beginning of 2000. Their machinery just did run out and there was no interest upgrading production, so they ended rifle primer production.
But they have been manufacturing detonators and different solutions for artillery grenades still.

 

[jelenko]

Right, that's a picture of a box.
Just to confirm, they are not available yet.

 

[gunnermhr]

Ive been buying N120, 130, 133 and 150 on and off for the last year. Can’t say that for many Hodgdon powders. At least Vit is the maker unlike Hodgdon and vit prices have been pretty stable. Cudos for jumping into primers. Vista needs the competition, owning federal, Remington, CCI .is pretty close to a monopoly in my book.

We should be high fiveing them instead of the stream of snarky comments.

Not snarkey, just the facts, 133 has been like finding hens teeth in Central PA and we have a couple of the largest suppliers on the east coast.

I'd love to see them in the primer game, but I stand by what I said, meet the current demand first

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Not snarkey, just the facts, 133 has been like finding hens teeth in Central PA and we have a couple of the largest suppliers on the east coast.

I'd live to see them in the primer game, but I stand by what I said, meet the current demand first

I dont think powder production will be affected by a primer line going in

 

[urbanrifleman]

Only $250 per 1000.

 

[jelenko]

Only $250 per 1000.

Don't go and give them ideas!

 

[Laurie]

I'd live to see them in the primer game, but I stand by what I said, meet the current demand first

Well, they've doubled powder output over the last couple of years. Have Hodgdon's General Dynamics or ADI manufactured brands done so? Also, you may not have noticed, or maybe did but have forgotten, that we have the largest war taking place here in Europe for a generation or two consuming smallarms ammunition by the tonnes and seeing powders diverted from handloaders to military ammunition production. With a thousand Kilometre frontier with Mother Russia Finland is potentially in the front line if somebody doesn't stop the wannabe Adolf Hitler in the Kremlin. Just to add spice, Finland is a former Russian province and that man has publicly stated that his vision of the revived Russian Federation restored to its proper place in the world includes its reacquiring all of its former holdings. Frankly, if I were a Finn, I'd be surprised Vihtavuori is continuing to supply the handloading market, never mind wondering about increasing supplies to it.

Just remember before complaining too loudly about N133, that the USA doesn't produce a single pound of extruded handloading powder in a year. You're relying on Swedish, Swiss, Finnish, Canadian, Australian, and Czech factories to produce everything other than ball powders. Perhaps, you're complaining about the wrong people?

Just perhaps Nammo's interest in restarting primer production encompasses a desire to be self-sufficient in producing all components for a key national defence asset - ie complete cartridges? They make the cases, bullets and powders - only one thing missing. (I wish to God my country, the UK thought like this!)

 

[rfwind]

Go Finland! Over the past year and a half I've used VV140 because that's all I could get. I am well please with its performance. We can use more component suppliers wherever they are.

 

[perazziguy]

Well, they've doubled powder output over the last couple of years. Have Hodgdon's General Dynamics or ADI manufactured brands done so? Also, you may not have noticed, or maybe did but have forgotten, that we have the largest war taking place here in Europe for a generation or two consuming smallarms ammunition by the tonnes and seeing powders diverted from handloaders to military ammunition production. With a thousand Kilometre frontier with Mother Russia Finland is potentially in the front line if somebody doesn't stop the wannabe Adolf Hitler in the Kremlin. Just to add spice, Finland is a former Russian province and that man has publicly stated that his vision of the revived Russian Federation restored to its proper place in the world includes its reacquiring all of its former holdings. Frankly, if I were a Finn, I'd be surprised Vihtavuori is continuing to supply the handloading market, never mind wondering about increasing supplies to it.

Just remember before complaining too loudly about N133, that the USA doesn't produce a single pound of extruded handloading powder in a year. You're relying on Swedish, Swiss, Finnish, Canadian, Australian, and Czech factories to produce everything other than ball powders. Perhaps, you're complaining about the wrong people?

Just perhaps Nammo's interest in restarting primer production encompasses a desire to be self-sufficient in producing all components for a key national defence asset - ie complete cartridges? They make the cases, bullets and powders - only one thing missing. (I wish to God my country, the UK thought like this!)

To add, the powder manufacturers here( the US), are doing a p!ss poor job of even making enough ball powder (St.Marks) and flake type shotgun propellant (Alliant). You know, COVID, supply chain, so on and so forth.

 

[FNSafari]

It’s available powdervalley right now and has been on and off. You just need to check often and preserve.

Not snarkey, just the facts, 133 has been like finding hens teeth in Central PA and we have a couple of the largest suppliers on the east coast.

I'd live to see them in the primer game, but I stand by what I said, meet the current demand first

blee

 

[FNSafari]

To add, the powder manufacturers here( the US), are doing a p!ss poor job of even making enough ball powder (St.Marks) and flake type shotgun propellant (Alliant). You know, COVID, supply chain, so on and so forth.

And producing powder for our war fighters restocking the billions of rounds of 5.56 left in Afghanistan by you know who.

 

[TylerFromMS]

Lapua Brass
Vihtavuori Powders
Perkele Primers

I dig it. Looking forward to hopefully trying some.

 

[Ernest T]

It’s available powdervalley right now and has been on and off. You just need to check often and preserve.

blee

I just received 2 lbs today from PV.

 

[perazziguy]

And producing powder for our war fighters restocking the billions of rounds of 5.56 left in Afghanistan by you know who.

Let's Go Brandon! FJB!

 

[Tommie]

Competition improves the breed and lowers retail pricing. Bravo.