- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
From The American Rifleman On Line . . .
One maker described demand for primers as "insatiable," and that firm reported record primer production already for 2009 but still can't keep up with demand. Primers are in extreme demand, and it's difficult if not impossible to quickly and radically increase primer production due to the nature of primer manufacture. Trust me, if you have ever seen primers being made, you don't want them to hurry.
In conversations with representatives from various mail order companies that specialize in ammunition, we were told that as soon as they unload a truck (not a box, but a truck), the ammunition is entered into their systems and is, literally, gone, often in mere hours. Ammunition is flowing steadily from makers through commercial channels, and it is being delivered to retail outlets. Some larger storefronts have ample supplies, but that can change in a matter of hours.
One of the most in demand calibers is .380 ACP, for which new firearm designs increased interest exponentially. At the Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly, Va., in April there wasn't a box of .380 to be found by the final day of the show. The surge demand in .380 ACP caught forecasters at the ammunition companies flat-footed. Anecdotes indicate some new firearms buyers have been purchasing a handgun based upon what the dealer had in ammunition on the shelf.
How deep is the current demand and how long will it last? No one knows. At the time of this writing, ammunition was starting to become more available, but primers were being bought in quantity whenever found, and some outlets were "rationing" them to regular customers. One prominent maker of reloading tools told us that on its most expensive progressive press, orders so far for this year are double production last
One maker described demand for primers as "insatiable," and that firm reported record primer production already for 2009 but still can't keep up with demand. Primers are in extreme demand, and it's difficult if not impossible to quickly and radically increase primer production due to the nature of primer manufacture. Trust me, if you have ever seen primers being made, you don't want them to hurry.
In conversations with representatives from various mail order companies that specialize in ammunition, we were told that as soon as they unload a truck (not a box, but a truck), the ammunition is entered into their systems and is, literally, gone, often in mere hours. Ammunition is flowing steadily from makers through commercial channels, and it is being delivered to retail outlets. Some larger storefronts have ample supplies, but that can change in a matter of hours.
One of the most in demand calibers is .380 ACP, for which new firearm designs increased interest exponentially. At the Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly, Va., in April there wasn't a box of .380 to be found by the final day of the show. The surge demand in .380 ACP caught forecasters at the ammunition companies flat-footed. Anecdotes indicate some new firearms buyers have been purchasing a handgun based upon what the dealer had in ammunition on the shelf.
How deep is the current demand and how long will it last? No one knows. At the time of this writing, ammunition was starting to become more available, but primers were being bought in quantity whenever found, and some outlets were "rationing" them to regular customers. One prominent maker of reloading tools told us that on its most expensive progressive press, orders so far for this year are double production last
