Which is It, ALL or MOST?

[6ShotsOr5?]

I’m confused about primers. There have been several articles or threads on various internet sources that said ALL currently made domestic primers are being used to make loaded ammo and NONE are being sold as reloading components; however some domestic primers are showing up in small quantities every few days on various supplier sites, Midsouth, Grafs, Midway, etc. If ALL are going for loaded ammo, then where is this slow trickle of primers coming from? Not a conspiracy theory, just pointing out that in this case ALL apparently means MOST.

 

[22DASHER]

They are using up as much as they can to make loaded ammo. Then the extra is going out to the reloaders and open market. That’s the last I heard and the way I understand it.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Your local shop buys from a distributor who may buy from a bigger one or direct from the manufacturer. The distributor came into stock one way or another, and most likely marked it up. So when you see powder at $50 a pound remember your local guy probably is making the same as he did at $30 a pound. He had to pay more to get it.

 

[Mark W]

What @Alex Wheeler said is exactly what the owner of a local shop told me. All of his suppliers have raised prices. He has to pay up or he doesn’t get anything. The old prices are gone until everyone stops buying everything they find and the supply chain fills back up. If things start setting on the shelves, the prices will stabilize and eventually begin to drop. We were taught about the laws of supply and demand back in high school and they still hold true today.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

One way to tell, if odd powders no one buys are still at $32 a pound and popular ones are at $50 a pound you know he had to pay more for them. If the dusty pounds went up too then he did it. Thats fine with me too. I really worry about local shops surviving this. Amazon wont be selling you powder or primers, EVER.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

You (@Alex Wheeler and @Mark W) are talking prices which is fine, just a bit different than the original topic, which was the ammo vs. component markets.

 

[D-4297]

Yup , covered it . Many LGS and suppliers are finding products where ever they can , and of course , the middle - middle man is marking up to take their "slice" ad the mark-ups get passed along . Two million new gun owners is a good thing , and two million more gun owners into the supply chain ? Not so much , if you reload . You know the manufacturers are going to always go for their highest profit margin , and we do have a extremist , radical , anti-gun Administration in the District of Corruption . And those left-wing HACKS are giggling about this , gleefully ....Here's a thought for everyone to consider . If you go to your local supplier , and find some primers on the shelf , and you have 8,000 at home . Either buy them for a shooting friend who may be getting low , and resell them for what you paid , or don't buy them at all . At current prices , I can't see anyone "cleaning" the shelf . But then , I try to be a decent person .

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Gotcha, thats speculation. They tell us what they want us to know. If they make more profit on loaded ammo and they have no surplus primers, it makes sense to not sell primers. I dont get any deals with this stuff. Im in it like everyone else. I also have no issue with people marking the stuff up. Remember they will sell out and be dry for a while. If you sell at last years price and cant get more, you go under. I am also assuming, as I dont sell this stuff but it makes sense to me.

 

[pirate ammo]

. If you sell at last years price and cant get more, you go under.

True, it don't matter if you paid 25 for it last year if you have to pay 35 now to replace it you have to mark it up now.

 

[john 800]

As far as the amount of primers getting on shelves as reloading components, here are my thoughts on that and when i say thoughts, i mean speculation from a reloader and shooter, without a conspiracy theory. Lets use my local sheeles as an example, how many primers do you think they sold in January of 2019? What is a normal monthly primer order for them?
My GUESS is that it is a smaller amount than most here would think, when i stop by in the reloading section there are usually others doing the same that is not normal, its rare in “normal” times. I would venture to guess what gets put on the market right now is closer to normal than many would think. For every shooter here who buys stuff in bulk, there are many, many guys who “normally” buy a few bricks every few years to load hunting ammo, right now all those guys are buying all they can along with those that normally buy in quantity each year. The amount of equipment and employees is finite and close to capacity under normal conditions.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Primers are hand labor intensive, in isolated work areas. No way to keep up with automated line work(ammo production) and component sales.

 

[emmett]

But where are the factory made ammo the primers are being used to make. I have not seen them in Arkansas or Tennessee. I suspect that they are being shipped and vultures are buying as soon as they hit the shelves or before and saleing them to us at crazy prices and we will pay what they ask, thus prolonging this drought. This addiction we have is spiraling out of control and if we don't get a handle on it soon we won't be able to afford the habit. Then what? I have enough components to make approximately 700 rounds for the main rifles I load for and a couple hundred for my 40S&W. If prices haven't recovered by then or components available I'll have to find a new hobby. Perhaps I'll brew beer so I can stay drunk and suppress my desire to shoot something.

 

[BigJohnson2]

But where are the factory made ammo the primers are being used to make. I have not seen them in Arkansas or Tennessee. I suspect that they are being shipped and vultures are buying as soon as they hit the shelves or before and saleing them to us at crazy prices and we will pay what they ask, thus prolonging this drought. This addiction we have is spiraling out of control and if we don't get a handle on it soon we won't be able to afford the habit. Then what? I have enough components to make approximately 700 rounds for the main rifles I load for and a couple hundred for my 40S&W. If prices haven't recovered by then or components available I'll have to find a new hobby. Perhaps I'll brew beer so I can stay drunk and suppress my desire to shoot something.

I think the 7,000,000 new gun owners are members of anqueefa and they have people in high places who can make sure they’re supplied first.