By Joe Berk
If you reload, you know that one of the toughest things to find over the last two or three years has been primers. I was one of the lucky guys…I laid in a stock of primers and I came through the shortage in fairly good shape. Primers are available again, but good Lord, the prices are obscene.
Before the pandemic, primers typically cost about $35 per thousand. That seemed to generally be in line with the last few decades of inflation (when I started reloading about 50 years ago, a brick of 1000 primers cost about $7). Then the pandemic came along, and BAM!, primers are now selling for $80 to $125 per thousand. As a former manufacturing guy, I can tell you that is outright gouging by the manufacturers and distributors. There’s nothing that changed in the materials that go into primers or their manufacturing processes that could possibly justify the 300% to 400% price increase. The manufacturers and distributors are gouging their customers.
The price increase has attracted at least one new player to the US market (the Argentinean firm Aventuras). But even those are $79.95 to $95 per thousand. The manufacturers, distributors, and resellers know that we’re willing to pay those prices so that we can continue to reload, but it’s an outrage. My message to the primer supply chain is simple:
Shame on you.
Want to know how primers are used in the reloading process? Check out our series on reloading .45 ACP ammunition.
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Joe – Ammo prices have come back down a lot depending on where you buy. I have found some stuff online for pre-pandemic prices but a lot of local shops are still pricing it at about 30-40% higher than pre-pandemic. I think the you’re right – its a profit motive rather than based on cost of production.
I agree: Ammo has come down and prices are less larcenous. But primers are still outrageous.
The shooters who purchase thousands upon thousands of primers are who is to blame. As long as they purchase enormous amounts of primers, then the price will remain high. Alot of the volume purchasers buy the primers in hopes of turning a big profit at gun shows.
Purchase what you need, and no more, then the supply will go up and prices will drop. The second person to blame is Uncle Joe who is waging an unconstitutional war on the 2 nd amendment.
Probably true, Angel.
There’s nothing like a 2nd amendment scare to drive up gun sales. The manufacturers love it.
I’ve seen pictures of Obama in gunstores labeled “Salesman of the Year.”
Barry never took away anyones guns. It’s fear that sells a lot of guns. Such a terrible way to live, in fear.
Ah, very good, you considered price increases based on historical rates of inflation but you failed to calculate that the manufacturers’ greed has increased exponentially. Perhaps they should receive yet another big tax cut so they can give even more back to the people. LOL.
I don’t know if the price increase is from the manufacturers, the distributors, or the retail sales outlets. It would be good info to have.
A large number of primers are being used to initiate cartridges like the 7.62×39, 7.62×51 and 5.56×45 in a country in SE Europe.
Current demand across major suppliers in Western countries stems from a singular cause.