Yeeeoooowwww!

[3006guns]

Being tied up with other projects for a few months, I haven't been looking at reloading supplies or gear. Today I looked for primers: out of stock. Bullet molds: out of stock. Powders: REALLY out of stock.

This is a synopsis of virtually every supplier I could find, i.e. Graf's, Midsouth, Midway, etc. etc.

In short, nobody's got anything and pretty much everything can't be backordered.

I saw a video wherein the president of one of the cartridge companies was trying to squelch all the conspiracy theories. He flat out said he was tired of "hate mail" and ongoing rumor mongers, and that they were NOT filling secret government orders, etc. As he spoke he walked through their plant where fresh, new cartridge cases were tumbling into large wheeled carts, then off to be loaded. Hundreds of workers could be seen in the background, working furiously.

I can understand the ammo shortage.........new shooters, guys stockpiling...........but where are all the reloading components going??

[M-Tecs]

The reloading component shortage started with Covid. All the people staying at home loaded a lot of ammo out of boredom. After that the riots and politics made for record sales of everything coupled with between 8 and 10 million new gun owners the supplies dried up . Primers are the hardest to find. Did see an online auction for 1,000 small rifle primers. It sold for $1,188.00 plus shipping.

[Winger Ed.]

The ammo plants are running, and from watching the videos, its pretty impressive how much is coming out of them.

However; divide that production by all the normal sales, plus the millions of new gun owners that want it,
its actually more of a trickle.

When the stores get some in, and the first person walking by snatches up all of it-- that doesn't help much.

[slim1836]

The reloading component shortage started with Covid. All the people staying at home loaded a lot of ammo out of boredom. After that the riots and politics made for record sales of everything couple with between 8 and 10 million new gun owners dried up the supplies. Primers are the hardest. Did see an auction that 1,000 small rifle primers sold for $1,188.00 plus shipping.

Show me that kind of money and I would have to let loose of some. I'll buy caps and rebuild as needed after all my loaded ammo is used up. I'd gamble the market will be better by then.
Slim

[405grain]

This is the third shortage that I've been through. I learned after the first one that when times are good, that's when to stock up against the leaner times to come. The old saying "Buy cheap, stack deep." really is good advise. It may take awhile, but these shortages will pass. Once they do and things are more normal, buy extra stuff, a little at a time, so that you'll be prepared when something happens. Plan ahead and you'll have peace of mind when times are hard. As for now, all most people can do is wait. And as for those that take advantage and price gouge, euphemistically speaking: in the future their barn will fall down and none of their neighbors will come to help.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I’ll gladly sell all the primers I have now for over $50k!!!! Please and Thank you!!!! Lol

[dtknowles]

I would sell too I guess except for the shipping issues.

Tim

[kevin c]

I have a good stockpile of reloading components, accumulated over years. But I put it together so I could shoot when and as much as I wanted. Yes, I've helped out a few people with primers and brass, and may do more of that, but not to the point where I will have to change how much I myself shoot. I'd rather shoot than have the money.

[Stephen Cohen]

I expect the shortages to effect Australia shortly as we have seen a rise in cost of components already. I expect the shortages to raise the cost quiet a bit when it is all over, as by them all suppliers will know what price the market will stand. I have a good supply of Primers and will get a couple jugs of powder I am low on. As others have said stock up when one can is always a good idea. Regards Stephen

[Teddy (punchie)]

Items are still around have to shop.

Have found some things, right now I would say j-words are if you looking for a deal the hardest to find.

Powder all 32 and up.

Primers if you find them 37 to 42

Bullets for say 22'2 $28 per 100
30's $32 per hundred and up

Brass .30 to .60 for common stuff.

God Bless, Be Safe !!

Teddy

[jonp]

I would sell too I guess except for the shipping issues.

Tim

Tim, for that much I'll drive them where they need to go.

[jonp]

I saw some Accurate 4100, Nitro 100 NF and a few others like Blue on closeout one place. Never used any so didn't get it. Now is when forums like this come in handy to find powders not normally used in handguns tried out and the results posted. Powders like Steel, 20/28 etc.

[onelight]

I would sell too I guess except for the shipping issues.

Tim
At $1188.00 a 1000 you could hand deliver any where in the country and make money :)

[dverna]

I would sell too I guess except for the shipping issues.

Tim

Tim,
I was in the same situation. There is a training class to get HazMat certified and I was planning to take it. But a member here suggested I place an ad in the state gun organization web site and it worked. I am not asking GB prices but I am not dealing with shipping one or two thousand at a time either. I have sold most of my inventory (had a lifetime supply) for $90/1000 for Wolf to $120/1000 for Winchester. (150k+ primers sold to 4 buyers). All gone in about 10 days.

My biggest sale was to a competitive shooter and I had another sale to a place that remanufactures ammunition. If there are any small companies making ammunition in your state that is a good place to start . BTW, when I placed the ad, the minimum order was $1000. I did not want to deal with guys looking for a couple of thousand primers. They will be the whiners and complainers. Every one of my buyers was thrilled and two wanted more. I could have sold another 100k.

In hindsight, I could have charged a bit more but at least I am done with it (last delivery is next weekend). Some of the money has gone to fund a new toy (high end PCP gun and the stuff to use it) that will give me a new challenge and insulate me from .22 shortages in the future. Some will be put away to buy back when prices drop back down. I kept about a 4 year supply of primers and powder as my safety net. If the SHTF, I will reduce shooting CF and it will last longer.

Some of the members here will think I should have tried to help the "little guy" who wants 1000 primers. Well I did....indirectly. I have put over 150k primers into my local market. One guy was smart enough to pool orders from his gun club and they all have primers. Two of the other buyers are now out of the market as their needs are met. The sale to the ammunition company will not influence the "little guy" who reloads, but gets more ammunition to shooters who need a few boxes of ammunition. None of the primers and powders I sold went to "hoarders".

[Hickok]

I learned a valuable lesson when Clinton was in office. Primers started to get scarce.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!":bigsmyl2:

[Burnt Fingers]

Use one, buy two.

I will admit that the CCP virus screwed up my plans. I had planned on having a certain amount of primer stock on-hand by May/June. Due to the CCP virus the supply dried up a couple months early. It let me a couple cases short.

Oh well, my club is allowing 22 LR in our defensive pistol matches and I have around 50K of that on hand.

[Conditor22]

Local forum selling powder for $50 and primers between $80 and 250 (for spp)

People even trying to trade 1 of their spp for 2 of the primers they want:holysheep[smilie=b:

[wwmartin]

I learned a valuable lesson when Clinton was in office. Primers started to get scarce.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!":bigsmyl2:

When Clinton was in office primers were $65 a case of 5000. I still have and use small and large rifle that I bought at that time .

Bill

[Shawlerbrook]

I have a good supply of everything. Between Clinton, Obama and Cuomo, I learned my lesson long ago. I do believe in the new shooter, new gun owner theory to a point, but how many first time gun owners dive into reloading ? I think this Covid thing has affected raw material supply chains and labor. I also think that the reloading component makers are busy supplying the ammo manufacturers rather than us shadetree reloaders. If Georgia goes bad next week you ain’t seen nothin,!

[gpidaho]

The reloading component shortage started with Covid. All the people staying at home loaded a lot of ammo out of boredom. After that the riots and politics made for record sales of everything couple with between 8 and 10 million new gun owners dried up the supplies. Primers are the hardest. Did see an auction that 1,000 small rifle primers sold for $1,188.00 plus shipping. At even $1,000 a brick I'd not only sell all my primers I'd drive them over to the buyer. Then, I'd buy a new jet boat and fish and river run instead of shooting! Gp

[tankgunner59]

WE have more than one thing affecting the availability of all components. First, I read just the other day there has been an exponential rise in the number of internet searches on "Reloading ammo", so a lot more reloaders or at least people wanting to start reloading. I can attest to it here as I have fielded questions from friends I would never have thought would ever want to reload.
Second, You have a record number of "new" gun purchasers/owners. The numbers I have personally seen are between 7 and 9 million new purchasers in three months from March - June 2020. According to the info I read each of these buyers were buying 100 rounds of ammo with each gun purchase.
Third, you still have folks like us who were, and are still, trying to purchase our "normal" amounts of ammo/components. WE all, like new owners, want to keep our shooting habits supplied.
Fourth, I have read from several sources that the component manufacturers are first working to supply the ammo manufacturing chain with components to re-supply the ammo shelves, and they make more profit selling to manufacturers than to reloaders.

IMHO, all we can do is what is suggested above, continue to shop and watch for our components and buy whenever you can. Even if it's something you don't need perhaps you can trade for what you need. Right now I have an ample supply, that is to say, I could always use more, but I can sufice for a good while with what I have on hand now. However, I am always watching for more.
Keep the faith and may God Bless all.

TG

[jsizemore]

Local shop has a shelf full of powder. 231 and H335 was $35/lb. Power Pro 2000-MR- $45/lb. Lots of 209 primers at $35/1000. 3 primer flats and 6 powder cases were empty when I got there just before closing at 3pm. I don't see me being desperate anytime soon. The place opens at 9am 6 days a week and every parking space is occupied and there's a line out in the street everyone of those days. Free masks and sanitizer at the door. 2 1 gallon jugs of sanitizer empty on the counter.

[dtknowles]

Tim, for that much I'll drive them where they need to go.

I guess when the weather gets nicer if we still have supply problems it would be a good excuse for a bike ride.

Tim

[dtknowles]

At $1188.00 a 1000 you could hand deliver any where in the country and make money :)

I can stay home and make money, how do I value my time off? When I work I take home more than $500 a day but that would mean the ammo I loaded the other day cost me more than 50 cents a round. Save money reloading? Make money selling my stash? I just want to have fun. I stopped selling brass because it was more work than it was worth to me. I leave brass on the ground for others (not the best stuff) and if I bother picking some up it goes to the scrap yard (the scrapper says he has a customer for ammo brass).

I might deliver some primers but only if it would seem like a fun trip.

Tim

[dtknowles]

Tim,
I was in the same situation. There is a training class to get HazMat certified and I was planning to take it. But a member here suggested I place an ad in the state gun organization web site and it worked. I am not asking GB prices but I am not dealing with shipping one or two thousand at a time either. I have sold most of my inventory (had a lifetime supply) for $90/1000 for Wolf to $120/1000 for Winchester. (150k+ primers sold to 4 buyers). All gone in about 10 days.

My biggest sale was to a competitive shooter and I had another sale to a place that remanufactures ammunition. If there are any small companies making ammunition in your state that is a good place to start . BTW, when I placed the ad, the minimum order was $1000. I did not want to deal with guys looking for a couple of thousand primers. They will be the whiners and complainers. Every one of my buyers was thrilled and two wanted more. I could have sold another 100k.

In hindsight, I could have charged a bit more but at least I am done with it (last delivery is next weekend). Some of the money has gone to fund a new toy (high end PCP gun and the stuff to use it) that will give me a new challenge and insulate me from .22 shortages in the future. Some will be put away to buy back when prices drop back down. I kept about a 4 year supply of primers and powder as my safety net. If the SHTF, I will reduce shooting CF and it will last longer.

Some of the members here will think I should have tried to help the "little guy" who wants 1000 primers. Well I did....indirectly. I have put over 150k primers into my local market. One guy was smart enough to pool orders from his gun club and they all have primers. Two of the other buyers are now out of the market as their needs are met. The sale to the ammunition company will not influence the "little guy" who reloads, but gets more ammunition to shooters who need a few boxes of ammunition. None of the primers and powders I sold went to "hoarders".

I get it and think what you did was more than fine. God, if I sold a 1000 primers to someone and they whined about me gouging them I would be wicked upset. I have the primers, pay my price or look someplace else. I have not bought a primer since the shortage started so don't call me a gouging hoarder.

I guess I will just keep my primers, I don't need the grief.

Tim

[725]

Normalcy bias lulls many into the thought that they just have to hang on for awhile and it will return to abundant supply albeit with unknown increases of price. This next administration has other ideas.

[sparky45]

Powder Valley got a shipment today; bet it's all gone by tomorrow.

[GregLaROCHE]

The reloading component shortage started with Covid. All the people staying at home loaded a lot of ammo out of boredom. After that the riots and politics made for record sales of everything couple with between 8 and 10 million new gun owners dried up the supplies. Primers are the hardest. Did see an auction that 1,000 small rifle primers sold for $1,188.00 plus shipping.

This just about sums it all up.