I was in a shop in Birmingham a few weeks ago and they had a huge stock of primers and other reloading components. My friend, Dan, introduced me to the shopowner and I was grateful to find a source. Yesterday, Dan calls and asked if I had any small rifle primers I could part with, maybe one or two cases of 5000? Apparently his shop has sold out and can't get more. I offered to pick some up at the gunshow in Mobile today. Got there about 09:45 and they had sold out of everything except two boxes of large pistol primers (at fifty bucks a box, no less!). SO Jerry and I decided to drive to the Florida gunshow that was going on in Pensacola and stop by Styx River Shop along the way: they always have plenty of primers. Styx river had 500 small rifle primers; 500. They had no large pistol or rifle primers and no small pistol except for one box of magnum. When we got to the gunshow in Pensacola, primers were on the top of the list. Plenty of powder, bullets and cases but guess what? Not one damned box of primers. I have enough to last me for several years unless I keep trying to help out my less fortunate friends. I think I am just going to respond to all future requests for ammo with an offer to shoot who-ever they are pissed off at and just keep my bullets.
Why don’t you just reuse the primers that you take out. The only thing wrong with tem is they have a dent in them and the priming compound is burnt up? The dent can be fixed and you can make your own priming compound.
I have had the best luck in out of the way places. Last week, I wend to a small town hardware store which literally has 4 guns in stock, and 10-15 boxes of ammo. I noticed an old can of Win WST on the shelf, so I figured they had reloading supplies. I asked the elderly lady working if she had any primers.... she didn't know what those were, so invited me behind the counter to look. They had 1000 Fed premium large rifle magnum match primers, 2000 rem BR small rifle, and 1000 rem large pistol, all manufactured since 2004. I cleaned them out, and the lady seemed pleased and surprised, since she said no-ones' bought anything from the gun counter in over a year. In a tackle shop 35 miles from the nearest town, I found 4 lbs of RL-22, as well as another 1000 LR primers. The big stores, where everyone goes, and the gun shops are all cleaned out, and have been since november.
To make a long story short, here in Scottsdale, Az., there's a MFGR : "DILLON'S". 2 deputies watched as a truck drove in, and a passerby drove in and bought the entire pallet load of thousands of primers. of all varities/sizes. I wrote to Mark Dillon, personally, but it was answered by a "clerk". I was told the deputies were mistaken. Dillon's has never ever had $8,000.00 woth of primers...(yeah right!) They not only have billions of dollars in Gov't contracts for the DOD, as they MFG the GE minigun in one shop....They are one of the leading reloading components companies around. So, it sounds fishy, and I have no doubt that there are a lot of "back-door sales" happening. It is strange though that there is such a shortage, and it is well known that most companies are producing 24/7 today, to keep up with the demand.... I have heard 'only rumors' that there are large groups of individiuals that are buying up all reloading primers, brass, and powders they can obtain.... If that is the case, then the individual buyer/s is/are going to be on the short end of the stick!
I have never heard of doing this but if you are sure that it can be done, please tell me how? Widners (one of the largest reloading suppliers) has stopped taking back-orders and are completely out of primers except for shotgun.
Tongue in cheek, why bother taking them out in the first place? Put a small, flat faced punch in them from the open end and iron out the dimple. Then drop a spot of primer mixture in with a LOOOONG eyedropper. (I don't have a recipe for primer mix --)
TM-31-210 Primer pp 110 & 111 Powder pp 11-13 & 25-27 Priming compound pp 68-70 Also see pp 121&122 Everyone on this list should have this book if you do not get one ASAP.
sunday and monday i went on a quest for a close relative to obtain .380acp and 30-30 ammo. I also had my eyes open for any primers, win 748 powder etc etc. I was shocked to say the least to see the near empty shelves. i put a couple hundred miles total on my car. this was not a quest for quanity, just enough for them to be able to load their weapons, and then get to my place if and when the SHTF. i had to hit 11 stores and pawn shops to get the .380acp and 30-30. I had to pay a serious premium on both. i did stumble on a deal at a super walmart. 333 rd boxes of winchester 22LR 36 gr. hollowpoints at $9.97 per box. they had 3 cases of 10. I probably should have bought all 3 but i felt i should give someone else a chance. I bought a case. that now puts me over 13,000 in 22LR. i only have about 4000 primers for my primary defense rifle and pistol, and hope that lasts until more primers become available. this whole primer shortage seems a little fishy. i may have to go to black powder percussion and then flintlock after i run out of caps. how the hell did we get to this point.
I am researching investing into the production of primers. A primer is nothing but a press formed cup and an anvil with a tiny bit of explosive compound and the tooling cannot possibly be that complicated. I cannot find a commercial source of the dies needed but we will not allow that to be a problem as long as we have a PE on staff. I do not understand, with a shortage like this, why hasn't the small business enterprise stepped up to the plate and pinch-hit? Is capitalism really that dead?
Been saving all those I decap when I reload...... JIC. Been thinking the same - it ain't rocket science.
I keep hearing that all the manufacturers are working 24/7 to meet the current demands.... Now, I may be a bit long in the tooth, but I am not senile! Somethings' wrong here! There is nearly nothing coming here, west of the Mississippi! Well, to Arizona anyway! I know of at least 2 dozen people out there and some work, some don't, all are scouring the state from top to bottom east to west...a few OLD powders and some primers have been located....hardly any at all though. As far as cartridges, forget it. Brass, uh uh. Even the Deputies here that reload, are having a helluva time finding any brass, powder, primers and Nothing in the basic calibers they use and are required to carry! (9mm, .40, .45, .223) 4 local Walmarts here have not received any shipment's from Federal, Winchester, Remington. From 12 gauge to .22 lr. Nothing on the shelves. Now that smells of the distinct aroma, of somebody or some agency, slowing, or stopping the flow of commerce to the state. The very few stores that have any ammo at all, are severly GOUGING everyone that walks into their stores! (Cabella's is one) Now, I have no idea of what tooling would be required, but it would be simple and easy to make! (I say that as a machinist, and ex tool maker) You can even reload .22 lr, the trick is in reseating the bullets. Just remove/straighten the crimped edging and insert a liquid primer compostion/compund, dry, insert powder, insert and crimp lead cast bullets. ( there are a number of primer type of compunds that can be made and some purchased, from fireworks companies eg: skylighter.com ) As for the larger caliber handgun and rifle primers, they'd be a lot easier to handle for sure. Even a small press, fabricated from steel/or/ angle iron and a hydraulic jack, would be the most expensive tooling needed. An easily made "fixture" that could hold up to 20 or more primer cups, would be easy to make, to press out and reset the firing pin depressions. Use of brass pins to do so, lessens the risk of cracking or over stressing the primer cup itself. Steel would last longer, but you'd have to keep really close tabs on the pressures you generate. You'd need a liquid filled pressure gauge in your system. Recently, I was looking into small 3/4 to 1 lb tumblers.... The resources for those are drying up fast too! My use is NOT for tumbling brass.....however. I can make my own black powder when/if I have to. I've been working with black powder since I was 11. Finding the ingredients is not as easy as it was some years back.... I know where to get it, and it's cheap. I'd suggest buying some books from fireworks companies, and getting any chemicals you can right now! Bill
Hmmm,... it appears for all intents and purposes, that I may have ruffled some feathers with an email request for info. on making a primer cup composition... But, nonetheless, I will keep searching!
