Old 10-12-2020, 18:13   #1
sfshooter
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Primers

Does anyone have a line on some small rifle or small pistol primers? I've managed to jump into this reloading game a bit late and find myself short of a couple of components. Primers and 9mm bullets seem to be exceedingly scarce. I have lots of brass and a fair amount of 77 gr 223 but have no primers nor any 9mm bullets.
A search of the stores in the big town turned up nothing, including powder. Ammo shelves bare in Cabela's and a local competitor. I spent a couple of hours online and did find powder I could use but no primers.
Thanks.
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Old 10-12-2020, 19:59   #2
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Components are as scarce as actual rounds. Check with Powder Valley first. Two suggestions - take advantage of any retailer that will allow backorders, and increase your knowledge base to take advantage of (use) whatever you can find in your cartridge of choice. When you can't find primary powders, stockpile the alternatives. Same goes for primers. You'll find most reloaders who were active during the Clinton and Obama panics have stockpiled components and have a well developed list of alternatives for their favorite loads.
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Old 10-13-2020, 17:46   #3
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Thanks Peregrino. I already had to research and find substitute powder. I heard primers are being auctioned on Gunbroker. I'll have to look.
I have had some reloading items passed to me from a long time ago but never really got the bug. Unfortunately I'm late to the game and find it a necessity now. I have been hording my ammo stash for some time but just got word today of upcoming training for a job so now I have to go polish my shooting skills. Oh well, play the cards you've allowed to be dealt to ya.
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Old 10-13-2020, 17:58   #4
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I might suggest you browse the Equipment Exchange on AR15.com.
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Old 10-14-2020, 14:31   #5
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The only primers I've found online the last two months have been a Canadian company who had lots of all kinds...unfortunately they don't ship to the US.

I was able to obtain 2400 small pistol, 200 large pistol and 100 magnum pistol primers from a contact on another forum who got them in an estate sale. He was even nice enough to sell the lot to me for $70.
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Old 10-14-2020, 21:50   #6
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I found some Hornaday 115gr fmj bullets today (bought a 1000 of them) in a ranch/sporting goods store in the big town. My internet search did not produce any in stock anywhere. Also heard one of their branches (3 in town) has some small pistol magnum primers. I wasn't sure if those would work but after some research realize that they will indeed work, just have to develop the load. I will be there as the doors open in the morning.
Paslode I will check out the AR15 sight. I was on snipers hide and there were some sales but gone quick. Thanks.
I did find quite a few primers available in Canada during my internet search but no, they don't ship to the US.
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Old 10-15-2020, 09:57   #7
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Reloading Components:

I was wondering if the components for Reloading were made in the U S A or are they out-sourced; It seems that all primers are "out of stock" everywhere in the U S A online and local stores. Sig Sauer has 9mm ammo for sale $1.00/round and a limit of 2000 total rounds per month. Waiting for Nov.4th to see what happens. With the U S Army moving to replace the 5.56 Nato cartridge with the 6.8 by 2022 there should be plenty of used 5.56 brass which could be cut to reload 300 Blackout in addition to the 5.56 Nato.
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Old 10-15-2020, 12:02   #8
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As per sfshooter, I'd recommend checking out the low trafficked, rural places for reloading supplies. There's an ACE Hardware a few miles out from my house that has historically had supplies when all the big box stores were sold out.

In line with TK's comments, I cut up 500 pieces of fired Lake City brass I picked up for cheap at a local gun show, to give me a base line of cases to start my experimentation with .300 AAC Blackout back when it was north of $1.50 a round. (2013 time frame) Super easy to do and fun if you like to tinker.

The common story I'm hearing from reloading suppliers and other ammo retailers is that they expect it will be next summer before we see any type of normalcy return to ammo stocks and availability for the civilian market.
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Old 10-15-2020, 13:53   #9
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My sources explained to me that reloaders are the last priority in the supply chain. At the moment, all brass, primer, powder, and bullet production is being consumed by the demand for loaded ammunition. We're not going to see components until the hoarding slows down and relaxed demand allows them to make it down the supply chain to the rest of us. The last time this happened it was almost 24 month from onset to normalcy.
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:14   #10
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If we ever return to "normalcy" I'll definitely be stocking deeper in reloading supplies.
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Old 11-02-2020, 07:29   #11
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I have a lot of primers, but you would have to pay hazmat which would not be viable for you IMO. You can reload primers, it is just a hassle unless you make a jig. There is a dry powder chemical mix formulation I've posted else where online back during the Obama admin to make your own primers but I'm not posting here in case it is against the rules. It should be legal to make almost anywhere here in the US.

As far as bullets, for handgun calibers it is best to cast your own bullets. For example, 9mm bullets can cost as much as 10 cents each. When you consider you can buy factory 9mm for 20 cents, primers are 3 cents, and powder is 2 cents, you are only saving 5 cents per round. In contrast a cast bullet costs a fraction of a cent to produce, meaning you save 15 cents per round.

You can get your lead from your range, take s shovel, dig up some dirt, sift in one of those chinese wire mesh strainers they use for frying dumplings, and throw the bullets in a bucket. Melt it down back home on a propane stove and sell the copper jackets for scrap (or save to use in home bullet plating).

Lee offers the most affordable casting equipment, a 2 cavity mold is only $20, a 6 cavity is $40, suggest the 6 cavity unless you are going to build an automatic bullet casting machine. MidwayUSA has the best prices. You should get a LEE bullet sizing die which is $20 per caliber.

The lead melting stove can be simply made by a hotplate. The rheostat on the hotplate limits the true max temp of the heating element, so take apart the hot plate, cut the wires and resolder them direct to the plug wires. Then if you want, splice in a light switch to the outlet plug to turn the hot plate on/off, or plug it into a power strip with an on/off switch. Place a metal cake pan on top of the hot plate and place lead in. Many casters worry about temperature but it is not an issue. Casting too cold is the only real concern. The hotplate is beneficial because the capacity is much larger than any commercial product catered to the consumer. This avoids casting only a few hundred bullets, then having to wait 20 min for more lead to melt and come up to bullet casting temperature.

Use some kind of carbon material to flux your lead to pull out impurities like dirt. I use motor oil and vegetable oil because it is cheap for me. It will smoke into vapors which you light and causes a fire. The fire blocks oxygen which allows you to stir the oil into the lead without the lead immediately oxidizing (oxidized metal does not bond to itself)

A spoon can be used to pour the lead, or you can fabricate a dipper from a spent CO2 cartridge.

For PPE, wear a plastic face shield, leather gloves, and a P100 respirator. Lead poisoning is actually unlikely with bullet casting provided you are doing it outdoors.

After you cast the bullets, they are then powder coated by tumbling in powder coat, strained, and baked in a toaster oven. These are then run into your bullet sizer.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. Unless you are paid an average of over $70 per hour at work, you will greatly benefit from bullet casting. Some surgeons in my area who make a solid 6 figure salary bullet cast, they don't buy their bullets. If you are not comfortable taking apart stuff, I can make the hotplate for you since you live in the US. Right now that it is cold and handloading supplies are non-existent, it is the perfect time to get into bullet casting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tom kelly View Post
I was wondering if the components for Reloading were made in the U S A or are they out-sourced
Nearly all powder and primers available to us are made in the US. Vihtavuori is Finnish as you might imagine. Some surplus unbranded powder you might find is often surplus from Spain.

Last edited by EETCI; 11-02-2020 at 07:35.
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Old 02-07-2021, 16:07   #12
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I just saw some large rifle the other day for 10 cents per primer. He had 900.

What you have to be careful of is getting old primers that have not been stored in air tight cans = ammo cans.

The main enemy (besides politicians) of primers if humidity,secondly oil, third is heat (don't leave your ammo in trunk of car in summer unless it is in Styrofoam cooler.
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Old 02-26-2021, 07:26   #13
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Old 02-26-2021, 14:09   #14
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There are 4 commercial primer manufacturing facilities in the USA. The Remington plant at Lonoke AR has been offline thanks to those idiots at Remington. It is coming back on line; but as previously noted pretty much all, if not all, production will go to ammunition manufactures for the next couple of years.
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Old 02-26-2021, 14:22   #15
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I have seen standard small rifle primers going for $250 per thousand recently.

Supply and demand.

It would have been a lot cheaper to donate to the conservatives running for office last November.

TR
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