New Primer Plant Approved for Indiantown, Fl.

[Dio]

I'm currently using my last brick of SPP....
Ahh, the good old days!

[Longfellow]

The free market doing what it does. Great news.

[Bmi48219]

The free market doing what it does. Great news.

As consumers we have some inkling why primers (and most everything our hobby requires) suddenly became so scarce and / or expensive.
The (pandemic-inspired?) run of firearm purchases tightened up ammo supply resulting in more components going to ammo makers and less for us
Hoarding and /or buyers with some foresight
Raw materials prices went up
Shipping costs went up
Lockdowns and expanded unemployment benefits led to a worker shortage
Biden’s ban on Russian ammo imports
Federal agencies (FBI, IRS etc.) also placed what seemed to be big orders

It seemed, just as most of the above issues were being taken care of, the conflict in Europe increased demand for ammo & primers again.

To be sure primer and powder prices have dramatically increased. The above reasons have brought this on us, and we can also assume few in ammo manufacturing and distribution are upset about increased prices and profits brought on by real and contrived shortages.

I’m just waiting for Mr. Executive Action to redefine who is an ammo manufacturer and thus subject to ATF regulations, inspection, additional taxes, fees and licenses. He is already expanding who must use or become an FFL.
If disarming the public is the end goal, knowing who produces ammunition is essential.
This administration will do anything they can to build up the registration data base.

[Idaho45guy]

I finally was able to buy small pistol primers by the case for the first time in 3 years.

Expensive, so could only afford one case, but they were available and no restriction at Black Sheep sporting goods...

Attachment 311809

[kentfielddude]

I see the price of primers is slowly comming down. Scheels in reno nevada has small rifle primers for $74/1000. Not the $30/1k they used to cost but if you really needed them its better than $100+/1k I've seem them online for.

[snowwolfe]

Yeah, they should have enough money after gouging the retail consumer 3 to 4 times…or more, over the old priced standard retail mark from three years ago to build to build four more plants. You all know manufacturers are still going release primers in limited quantities and keep them marked way up regardless…it’s the American way. It’s the same BS back in the day with Harley Davidson. I worked for HD for four years back in the late 90s early 2000s when supposedly there was a one and a half to two year wait list for a motorcycle. That company knew how to sell and market!!!…because our, and every other HD dealership, had brand new Harleys in just about every model sitting on their showroom floors that were never bought or spoken for. It was just a massive sakes gimmick HD got away with to drive prices up through the roof. As soon as people get sick of waiting for them and stop buying the prices went way down. I remember when I worked there they were selling 10-year-old bikes for five to $6000 over brand new retail! Now you can buy a used Harley A few years old for and where from half to about 2/3 less of what they sell for new. People got sick of paying The stupid prices, and waiting and stopped buying so they had to start giving them away. It’ll never happen with primers because they’re cheap to begin with, and the average person can afford a brick or two. By the time people stop getting other people to buy them for stupid amounts of money on GunBroker and other places they’ll sit around forever and eventually the prices will drop, but I don’t see that anytime soon because you’re still way too much hoarding going on and people are freaking out over them. I guess if I own the business and I figured out a gimmick to magically increase my profits by 3 to 5 times overnight I’d be doing the same thing. That’s what’s going on now as far as I’m concerned. It’s not really a shortage it’s a sales gimmick now. That’s why you see primers on the shelf in limited quantities. It’s called working smarter than harder. Just think if you had a company that you could eliminate 3/4 of the jobs, not having to pay insurance and benefits to all those employees, run a skeleton crew, and make 400 to 600% more profit! That’s what’s going on right now folks in my opinion and nobody’s gonna change that in my mind. You watch…that plant will be up and running for two years and there still will be a mysterious primer shortage. I mean, come on. How many primers does the average reloader need once they get their hands on them. Realistically, I already have about 20 bricks or maybe a little less right now. And that will probably last me for a long time. I think the biggest issue is people are just buying and trying to hold them to try and make a profit. Mainly big businesses, because the average person isn’t going to buy a warehouse full of primers and sit on them to make money. But I think once the average handloader has about 20 bricks in their possession supply and demand will probably slow down pretty good except for the guys that are trying to buy them and sell them on GunBroker and small businesses to keep your lights on.

Amazing, you managed to make that long post yet contributed nothing to the topic.

Good on the company for trying to open a new plant. The more reloading components on the market the better we all are!

[farmbif]

Jeff Bartlett has small rifle primers $350/5000. with so many online scams its always best to shop with trusted sources such as Jeff or powder valley, midway, mid south, Grafs, ect
new factory breaking ground, there is no telling how long till we actually see boxes of the products available for purchase and testing.

[45DUDE]

There is a $100.000.000 plant set for opening in Hooks Texas <Part of the old Lone Star Ammo>with over 400 workers. Wilson has built an ammo plant in Clarksville Texas--Red River county<bought out Lehigh Ammo> and a new primer plant in Lamar County set to open this year.

[yovinny]

There was an oversupply in 2016 /2017........i bought 5000 cartons for whats being quoted for 1000 now.....I wasnt a hoarder,just buying cheap when I saw them advertised .

Was that when things came back after the second big scare under Obama ?
If so, that would actually be the last time I bought any primers, at $79. Per 5K CASE...

[460S&W]

Thanks OP for sharing the plant news! It’s good to hear that things are going to keep loosening up in the future!

[Bmi48219]

Thanks OP for sharing the plant news! It’s good to hear that things are going to keep loosening up in the future!

Let’s hope so. Just read last night 16 nations have committed to ramping up ammo production (I guess all types; artillery, and firearms) to help supply Ukraine. Pretty sure that will affect primer availability for guys like us.