ammo & primer shortages seem different

H

hotcha45

New member
What has struck me is that the situations with the ammo & primer shortages seem markedly different. Ammo seems to be the classic high demand/inelastic supply situation. Ammo trickles in and is bought off the shelves in a trice. Primers, however, seem to not be reaching the distribution system at all. None reaching the dealers and, it appears, not reaching the wholesalers/distributors. Primer shelves have been bare for months with the dealers telling me they can't get any. Every distributor I have tried has zero stock and quit taking back orders some time ago.
Where have the primers gone? If you assume they are still being produced for retail sale as opposed to going to the ammo makers.
 
I dunno. Are ammo makers top secret? Is it some sort of inpenetrable mystery like Willy Wonkas chocolate factory? I have not seen much posted about people actually talking to the makers and getting hard answers or insider info on this stuff, it is like everyone is speculating on what goes on inside the CIA. Maybe I missed it. I am tired of hearing lots of guesses and moaning about it. I want to see something concrete unless someone can prove the situation is totally opaque and all we can do is pray or wait.
 
I think we're in the "it's a conspiracy" stage of the ammo (and primer) crisis. Same thing has happened at some point with various gasoline shortages. Inevitably, people begin to believe that dark forces are acting in concert to achieve a nefarious result. Then, again, it just may be a consipiracy . . . . :confused:
 
One contributes to the other,after all,ammo manufacturers need primers to make and sell ammo that they are backlogged on,so they have no primers left to sell...
 
From a guy who works in a gun shop:
5-1-09: Primer Frenzy. So we got in 3 pallets of ammo and primers. Still, it was just a smallish slightest fraction of what we have on order, but hey... we're happy to get what we can get. Federal Primers. Tons of them. You know how long they lasted? They didn't. You know how if you start feeding seagulls, pretty soon you got a crapload of seagulls and you can't even throw a french fry and expect it to hit the ground? That's how it was with the primers today. I'd put a sticker on the 100 count pack, and thats it. Gone, done. I almost lost a hand.

I set some aside for my own purchase Monday after I get my paycheck. I had to fight for those.
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http://www.madogre.com/News.html
 
I have no doubt that manufacturers are diverting primers normally released to the reloading network into the manufacture of ammunition.

Loaded ammo brings a far higher profit than components, and there's greater demand for loaded ammo than there is for components.
 
Remember money is the most important thing to a business. If you guys had a business and had an opportunity to capitalize and make a ton of extra money you would too. Why would you put the same time and energy into something to make less money?
 
That is what I think also. The manufactures are sucking up the great majority of the primers, and what was out here was taken by new reloaders. Seems to me are getting a LOT more people reloading since the prices went up:confused:
 
Me thinks that since October 08' and the mad rush to get guns and ammo before the election has caused a tidalwave of panic. Everyone is scared that Obama will put a restriction on everyone like a liscense to buy reloading material and ammo. Therfore the buying panic.
 
Me thinks that since October 08' and the mad rush to get guns and ammo before the election has caused a tidalwave of panic. Everyone is scared that Obama will put a restriction on everyone like a liscense to buy reloading material and ammo.
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I think that's how it started, but I think we're in a second phase of the panic right now. IMHO the initial politically-driven group has been joined by 2 other groups:

1) People who didn't initially panic but have started reacting simply out of fear that they won't have anything to shoot in 2-3 months. I'm one of them. :(

2) People who are trying to profiteer from the panic by reselling what they buy. :mad:
 
The owner of the local gun shop I buy my reloading components from had a conversation with a rep from CCI last week. He said they are cranking out primers 24/7 but almost all of those are going into the companys ammo production which is also running 24/7.
VL
 
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