White River Energetics

[NZ_Fclass]

We have some primers from White River arriving soon. Anyone used these yet? Results? Thanks

 

[ebb]

Never heard of them . Where were they manufactured?

 

[SKWERLZ]

Never heard of them . Where were they manufactured?

Arkansas I believe.

 

[KMart]

Arkansas I believe.

Cabot Arkansas. A little NE of Little Rock

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

Isn't Sig somewhere around there?

Frank

 

[Walt Krafft]

Sig is in Jacksonville, AR.

 

[KMart]

Sig is in Jacksonville, AR.

Jacksonville and Cabot are next door neighbors on the same highway.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I had a very interesting day today. I have been supplying test equipment to several of the ammunition companies in Arkansas. While on a sales call to one of them, I was asked if I would like to see a new primer plant. Of course I said yes! Before anybody starts asking, no, this tour is not something they normally do. After driving a few miles we arrived at White River Energentics. It is brand new. Lots of dirt work was done, the buildings all have concrete floors that drain to a waste water recovery and treatment system. The mixing of chemicals is all controlled remotely with no humans present in the building while it is in production. Today was a down day for maintanence so I could be shown several of the off limit areas. I was amazed at the amount of tooling needed for each size and type of primer. They are currently making small and large pistol primers and small rifle primers. Soon they will make a run of large rifle primers. At this point they are only selling to OEM customers. I got a few small rifle primers to test. I wish them luck with the project. It is obviously a multi million dollar investment.

 

[jelenko]

Walt - Thanks for the info.
They must have broken ground many months ago - but we're only hearing about them now - different than Expansion Industries.

 

[bozo699]

I had a very interesting day today. I have been supplying test equipment to several of the ammunition companies in Arkansas. While on a sales call to one of them, I was asked if I would like to see a new primer plant. Of course I said yes! Before anybody starts asking, no, this tour is not something they normally do. After driving a few miles we arrived at White River Energentics. It is brand new. Lots of dirt work was done, the buildings all have concrete floors that drain to a waste water recovery and treatment system. The mixing of chemicals is all controlled remotely with no humans present in the building while it is in production. Today was a down day for maintanence so I could be shown several of the off limit areas. I was amazed at the amount of tooling needed for each size and type of primer. They are currently making small and large pistol primers and small rifle primers. Soon they will make a run of large rifle primers. At this point they are only selling to OEM customers. I got a few small rifle primers to test. I wish them luck with the project. It is obviously a multi million dollar investment.

Walt,
I was an electrician at ATK in Lewiston Idaho. It is a very interesting process, im glad you had the opportunity to tour the plant. I would be interested in seeing their equipment and process, im sure lots of things have changed since I was in the industry.
Wayne

 

[AccelR8]

 

[AccelR8]

It seems D&M's primary business is manufacturing equipment and consulting and they have White River Energetics to make sure their clients actually have a steady, ample supply of primers so they can actually manufacture ammo. Hopefully they can make more primers than their clients need so we can buy them too

 

[jelenko]

Hopefully they can make more primers than their clients need so we can buy them too

Absolutely.
Still, just supplying primers to their equipment customers increases the supply to reloaders simply because their customers are buying fewer primers from other sources.

 

[AccelR8]

...supplying primers to their equipment customers increases the supply to reloaders simply because their customers are buying fewer primers from other sources.

Maybe that's already working - I recently bought 2,000 "OEM only not for retail" small rifle magnum primers from a legit source, not a "are you sure these aren't stolen?" source! Perhaps the market is not so strained.

 

[Dimner]

I know it's waaaaay of topic, but these videos by mfgs always have such grandiose music it cracks me up. The same music if they just saved 500 orphans from an exploding volcano in the path of an asteroid and found the cure to cancer to boot. I'm in marketing so I guess I just notice these things more often, but man o man.... take it down 5 notches.

 

[Dimner]

Maybe that's already working - I recently bought 2,000 "OEM only not for retail" small rifle magnum primers from a legit source, not a "are you sure these aren't stolen?" source! Perhaps the market is not so strained.

Then again.... if it's "not for retail" can it be legit by definition?

 

[AccelR8]

Then again.... if it's "not for retail" can it be legit by definition?

Well...long time distributor-wholesaler near here bought them from the manufacturer. Can't move them in a reasonable amount of time. Needs to turn them over so offered for sale. I mean, they're his...just not in retail packaging so they can't go to Cabelas or whatever

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Just got the first couple of thousand

 

[Hudge76]

I’m pretty sure the primer plant is in Des Arc, not Cabot. They have a plant in Cabot and one in FL as well. I was born and raised in Cabot and know where they are in Cabot, and they are not making primers there.

 

[Walt Krafft]

An update on testing. The past few weeks, a couple of friends and I have tested both the small and large WRE rifle primers. We could tell no difference between them and the primers from other makers that we have been using.