I picked the wrong side

Greglc

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PrinceGeorge, BC
Started reloading some 357, been buying powder over last 10 years, I count my titegroup, which is what I'm using right now, wow, I have 18 pounds. Primers, not so much, 200 magnum. So as I haven't bought anything for a few years, I paid roughly 40 bucks each, pound of powder or 1000 primers. So I go to check prices, thinking maybe I should sell some powder, nope, it's only 34 bucks a pound now, but I do still need to buy primers, holy f#$k, 80 bucks a 1000. Did I ever pick the wrong one to stock up on.
 
Yeah plus sp magnum are a bit tough to find to boot. They are out there but unless it’s local it’s prb a few more $$$ for shipping them to you.
 
Just a year ago I would hesitate to pay over $40/k for primers. Not looking forward to the next time I have to buy again.
Titegroup shouldn't require mag primers. Maybe time to do some testing with regular if you have those?
 
I look at a jug of powder, divide by the number of grains per throw for the load I use it in, and think of it as enough for so many hundred or thousand rounds. Then I look at bullet and primer supplies that count each, and figure what'll stop me first and what I need to buy more of. And I'm not buying overpriced powder if primers are what's going to stop me first.
 
Was just online looking, worse than I thought, some as high as $99.99 per 1000, i actually found one place with a price of $168.00, 9 out of 10 places out of stock. At least I'm good for brass and bullets. As for not really needing magnum, yes I have about 6000 reg primers I could use, but I'm also loading some full power win 296 loads, which will need them, and this titegroup load is for riffle, so like to give it that little extra, and load data calls for them.
 
Titegroup is the exception for cheap powder. All the other powders have gone up as well. Not as much as Primers but as someone mentioned, I believe that's just the year we're in. It wasn't too long ago when rifle powders suitable for long range mid power 308, 6.5, 30-06 rounds was hard to find and prices jumped like crazy. Try to find Varget anywhere in the last 6 years?

At that same time not long before Covid started Federal had a promo with mail in rebates on PRIMERS!!! I think it was December 2019.... Anyway, I bought as much as I could afford for $35/1000 of all types at that time. Still at that same time I couldn't find 2400, Bullseye, or Unique powders.

If the US elects a Republican Pres and we get over Covid enough that people aren't dying, ammo and reloading supplies will come back down. You'll see it in the form of stock returns, then sales, then mail in promos, then price reductions. Hard to believe but I've seen it with my own eyes. It can happen.

Ammo prices will do the same accept for mil surplus, that's a completely different supply model. It gets released in batches no matter what the political situation is in North America. Typically, once it's gone it's gone. Price just go up from there.
 
Not really sure if we are seeing the real current pricing on primers or the distributors and a few of the stores are taking a bit of advantage of the situation, thinking perhaps there is a bit of both going on. I see where for example the S&B primers which were all over the place at 4.99 and 5.99/c have pretty much disappeared,but there is one place I noticed that still has stock, which I doubt is new stock, at 6.99 and 7.99/c now. And I don't understand the pricing model on the "match" or "BR" primers, WW was first I saw this summer, @ 11.99/c, price suddenly reduced a couple of wks later to 9.99, bit later a new batch of CCI showed up @ 9.99, then they went up again to the 11.99 mark, meantime the rest of the Vista "match" primers, Fed & Rem, are at 9.99 now. Vista had 3 price increases in the last 18mos that I saw, all 15% ea on primers, not honouring old order/pre ship date pricing, and some shipments I've seen recieved by people now, at up to 12mos from order, earlier in the year were 8-9mos to ship. And at present Vista will not take new orders on primers, period.
Just going to have to adapt to the situation or do without, for quite a while. I would expect that an order placed now, if they were accepting them, may not deliver til somewhere in 2023. Hopefully the distributors or vendors have enough orders in to get us thru 2022.
 
I look at a jug of powder, divide by the number of grains per throw for the load I use it in, and think of it as enough for so many hundred or thousand rounds. Then I look at bullet and primer supplies that count each, and figure what'll stop me first and what I need to buy more of. And I'm not buying overpriced powder if primers are what's going to stop me first.

That's actually a good idea for keeping the stockpile of different components "balanced".
 
Primers were always the cheap part of loading, and I guess in a way they still are.

But as mentioned, gone are the days when I would tack a case or two of 5000 on my orders are think nothing of it.

That being said, I still add 5000 on my orders whenever I can. The price of powder/primers/bullets never goes down, only up. Buy in bulk and stack it high.
 
The smart move has always been to load up on primers which take up very little space.

You have many choices with powder, brass can be reused, and bullets can be cast - primers, not so much.
 
Try Hummasson website https://hummason.com/
They are in Ancaster

Price list for Dec 2021 has most primers at $59/1000

I have no idea what they have in stock.

I dont think they ship (i could be wrong)

Their powder is very reasonable as well..maybe make a phone call as they do not keep powder on site
You have to order it for a specific pick up day.
 
In town yesterday looking for small pistol primers they only had bench rest small rifle, I said I’ll take 1000 she said they are $20.00...per 100. I decided to pass I’m not out yet.
 
Been surfing the net, would be appear that primer prices are going a little crazy as dealers get new inventory in. Prices appear to be about doubling over what they were 2 years ago. Best to buy now.

Picked up 20k Federal Gold Medal in various sizes last week at “old” pricing which was less than current standard pricing on Winchester/CCI etc. Doubled my inventory and should keep myself the kids shooting for the foreseeable future. As Andy said, best component to load up on.
 
Bought some large pistol primer for 6.99/100 on North Vancouver Island. That's current price it seems.....7/8/9 per 100.

If you shoot, in any volume the only solution is reloading. Consumables are the limitation, powder, primer, projectile. Reloading equipment and brass is common on the EE. Perhaps obscure brass would take time. Powder and primer being shipped....at all....is becoming a issue. Projectile still relatively available on EE and retail, shipping cost is then the issue.

If you find consumables, buy enough to last two years, hold your nose if you must but buy. Perhaps if the US Republicans take control of the house or senate in the Nov 2022 elections, neutering the Biden anti gun agenda, the demand will plateau, give another year for supply to build up. Will we see prices of 40-50/1000 for primer again, imo doubtful.
 
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