Folks,

Here in South-Side Virginia, it is getting harder and harder to find small pistol primers. I've checked with 5 shops today and nobody has any. Not a single one! Of any manufacturer!
I mainly load for 38's 357's 380's and 40's but it is getting impossible to get primers locally. I talked to two of the owners of the local gunshops today and they both state that the cost of the hazardous shipping fee is the biggest problem - along with only being able to order small quantities. (As in only able to order 3 or 4 boxes but having to pay the $25 bucks above the shipping cost.) From what i have seen, it looks like they are have just sold their inventoryand are not re-stocking primers but not sure. Is this a problem everywhere or just a local phenomena? One of the guys said that he thinks there is also a shortage of primers being made due to ...... well, that went off into a politcal rant that doesn't belong here. Amazing what you can hear in a gunshop on a Saturday morning!
Any thoughts?

I live down south part of NC Axton. There is a place around Advance that carries primers. The reloading supply I go to makes a trip there every couple of weeks. He can get Wolf, CCI, and some Winchester. Don't know if you're close to there, but might be worth a shot.

Thanks for the info BradNC,

I'll see if I can find them. I work in Reidsville NC anyway so, maybe not so far? Last primers that I've bought were from Rays Bait & Tackle - good place but even they are short on everything when it comes to reloading!

A1

All primers have been in short supply since 1/09! Small local shops can not order directly formt he manuf so have to use jobbers & jobbers are out of stock too. Your best bet is to place an order w/ one of the larger on-line shops like Graf's or PV & wait. It will take 4-6m now.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
All primers have been in short supply since 1/09! Small local shops can not order directly formt he manuf so have to use jobbers & jobbers are out of stock too. Your best bet is to place an order w/ one of the larger on-line shops like Graf's or PV & wait. It will take 4-6m now.

I ordered some small rifle primers in May 2009 and they just arrived this week. Good luck with the 4-6 month delivery date!

Some small pistol primers were available locally but they're probably gone now. They have a cache of large rifle bench rest primers but haven't been able to get in standard large rifle primers for quite awhile now. The powder's in good supply, but who knows how long it'll last. As far as bullets, well, forget it.

Brad and Axton, The place near Advance, NC is "Parks And Son" and they are distributors. They only sell to licensed FFL's and Gun Clubs as far as I know. Two weeks ago they had pretty much any primer in stock with the exception of Federal Match or Remington BR primers. They limited dealers to 10,000 of each. Axton, If you are in Axton,VA, give "R&D Sporting Goods" in Rocky Mount,VA a call. It's less than an hour from you straight up 58/220 to Rocky Mount. 540-483-0377. GHD

primers are back in force here in SE NY. When I ran out of WSP I switched to Fed Small Pistol.

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
primers are back in force here in SE NY. When I ran out of WSP I switched to Fed Small Pistol.

Yea, just picked up a brick of FED SPM last month

quote:

Originally posted by graybird:

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
All primers have been in short supply since 1/09! Small local shops can not order directly formt he manuf so have to use jobbers & jobbers are out of stock too. Your best bet is to place an order w/ one of the larger on-line shops like Graf's or PV & wait. It will take 4-6m now.

I ordered some small rifle primers in May 2009 and they just arrived this week. Good luck with the 4-6 month delivery date!

It is very dependant on brand. Federal & Win primers can be 12m. I understand CCI is shipping the fastest.

quote:

Originally posted by Axton1:
Folks,

Here in South-Side Virginia, it is getting harder and harder to find small pistol primers. I've checked with 5 shops today and nobody has any. Not a single one! Of any manufacturer!
I mainly load for 38's 357's 380's and 40's but it is getting impossible to get primers locally. I talked to two of the owners of the local gunshops today and they both state that the cost of the hazardous shipping fee is the biggest problem - along with only being able to order small quantities. (As in only able to order 3 or 4 boxes but having to pay the $25 bucks above the shipping cost.) From what i have seen, it looks like they are have just sold their inventoryand are not re-stocking primers but not sure. Is this a problem everywhere or just a local phenomena? One of the guys said that he thinks there is also a shortage of primers being made due to ...... well, that went off into a politcal rant that doesn't belong here. Amazing what you can hear in a gunshop on a Saturday morning!
Any thoughts?

I've seen some here at the local gun shows but the prices are about $38-$40/K where as before BHO, they were $22/K. Fortunately, I have about 6K in reserve. There was a time when they were going for $60/K.

I went into one of our local Gun shops here on friday and they had a large inventory of primers in all brands priced from $45-$80 a thousand.

I passed and if and when the primer prices ever do come down again, that's one place I will not be buying from again.

Man O man!

This just gets more discouraging every day!
And thanks for all of the replies - and GHD, you pegged me!
I'll give the Rocky Mt boys a call and see what they've got!

I just started back reloading recently - used to do quite a bit when I was younger.
Yannow, when you had some money, were single and it was OK to waste a few bills on ammo!
The idiots that have called themselves running this country have ruined southside VA - we were huge textile people - now we're huge unemployed people. I have been blessed to move around and find work in NC. I have a daughter that started college last year an a son that is 14 - prime age to learn some more about the shootin' arts! So I thought, I'll get back into loadin' - and then find it in a shambles!
I used to load a lot of shotgun shells with my dad - did a lot of bird hunting in the 70's 80's and shot a lot of skeet. (Lost him 4 years ago.) Had a good buddy that taught me how to reload pistol ammo when I was about 20. (early 80's) Used to go over to his dad's (who was in his 70's at the time) and load some rifle stuff. THat guy was awesome! It was like slogging through cold molassass to load anything with him but it was well worth it. I never saw him make a mistake and all his ammo shot better than factory. He did us the disservice of passing away before I could pick out all of his info - but he was 91 at the time and I don't hold it against him! OLD TIMERS ARE THE BEST! And he was a supurb trout fisherman.......
I'll get off the story book now, going to go to the tax preparers and see how far I need to bend over this morning. Then I'm going to call up the Rocky Mt boys and see if they got anything......

A1

I've been in 4 shops in the last two weeks...from a national chain to small mom & pop storefronts. All had small pistol primers in stock. Prices ranged from $29.99/1000 to $42.99. Interestingly, the big chain didn't have the best price. I bought 1K of the CCI #500 just on general principle. I conclude that your local shortage is just that...local to your area.