Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Large Rifle Primers (?)

Was in a local gun shop last week, had a good selection of primers.
Most were $100 per 1k.

BCR and Graf have been getting Sierras in pretty frequently this year. Not every bullet, but a lot of 22, 6.5, and 30.

I just loaded the last of my CCI 200’s. Still have 9 1/2’s and a couple others. The last 9 1/2’s I bought had a price tag of $22/1000. The Winchesters were about the same. I think I’m out of Federal regular large rifle too.
I have plenty large rifle magnums. Back when I was stocking up I shot more magnums that I do now.
I think I’ll hold off on buying more primers until the price gets a little more reasonable (hopefully).

There was an article quite a while back, I think in handloader that did a comparison of primers. At the time I wasn’t sure the validity of the comparison’s made. At any rate I wasn’t worried too much about having to change primers on loads I worked up. Now, due to shortages, I’d be interested in re-reading that article.

I haven't seen any on the shelves. Lot of small rifle and all the types of pistol primers but no large rifle or magnum rifle. As soon as I see some large rifle I will get at least 3 bricks which will keep me shooting my 308 until they put me in a coffin because these days I am a hunter and not a target shooter and a perfect day of deer hunting for me is when I fire one round.

We have a new war now, wonder if that will eat up a bunch of large rifle primers??

Fleet farm in Sioux City has them for about $8/100.

Not to be “Debbie Downer”, but with present world events, I don’t think that we’ll see a reduction in present pricing….likely just the opposite! memtb

It's indicative of how we humans have made ourselves dependent on increasingly complicated technology for our existence, and how we suffer when there's a hiccup in that technology. A couple examples would be primers and gasoline, both being necessary to "propel" our existence.

Primers are simple devices but require complex chemical compounds and mind boggling manufacturing techniques to ensure consistency and high quantities, something we can't easily do in our basements (and don't bring up "reloading" spent primers with match heads and such - if it really was viable we would all have been doing it since long ago). We depend on them as the very basis for our sport but are essentially powerless to control the technology that makes them, and the marketing and distribution compounds the issue.

Gasoline and all other petroleum-based fuels are products of technology that is basically simple (if chemistry is understood, which isn't me- I damn near flunked that class 50 years ago) but requires massive and complex refining facilities and distribution networks, not to mention getting it out of the ground and to a refinery in the first place. Again not something we can whip up in our kitchens. We are slaves to that technology too, and stocking up on a lifetime supply when it's plentiful and cheap is wildly impractical.

If primers went "poof" and disappeared from existence instantly, if the technology and distribution completely broke down (one or the other), we would all be hanging out on the "Knitting, Crocheting, and Quilting Campfire" next week. And we're pretty much powerless to control/stop that from happening. Stock the hell up the next time they're plentiful.

That's just two examples. I could go on all day citing a gazillion others. We enslaved ourselves by our own free will and unless you're one of the six guys in the country who lives completely 100% off the grid, rides animals 100% of the time, and hunts his meat with a flintlock rifle shooting powder he made in the shed out back and ignited by rocks he picked up off the ground, every manjack one of us is guilty of consigning our very existence to technology instead of our wits.

Am I advocating a return to 16th century living? Of course not. Just something to think about, an observation of how we humans can be our own worst enemy.

Where we can, prudence dictates we keep needful things on hand, enough to ride out fluctuations in supply (and the resultant price spikes like we have now). That’s not hoarding, just using common sense, and when others are dependent on us, being responsible. It may take a bit of sacrifice for those with limited means, but doing without a few coconut-frosted double no-fun chili lattes so you can continue to shoot, hunt, and protect the ol’ homestead is a good trade-off. Same applies to other stuff of course, TP, whiskey, and the other things that make life pleasant, or even bearable.

Just in Time Inventory is a foolish way to run a household, or pursue a hobby.

I bought 1000 Rem 7 1/2 this weekend for $6

I also got 1000 CCI BR4 for $6

I actually didn't mind paying that price for these primers.

Prior to covid, and a hip replacement, I was burning 100 to 120 rounds a month at PRS matches, and several hundred more a month in practice keeping tuned up for the matches. When the shortage came, (and the hip forced me out of competition) I pretty much quit shooting, only checking zero prior to a hunting season. I had stocked up on a LOT of components when Sandy Hook happened, and I'm still "living" off that stash now, but I just can't bring myself to burn up things I can't easily replace in the current environment.

Now, I am one of those guys that almost lives totally off the grid. The transition would be fairly easy for me. I do hunt a lot with a flintlock, and I don't spend much time in a grocery store buying "food". For me, it's saving money on the "convenience" of having someone else upstream do all the work. I like the lifestyle of being nearly totally self sufficient.

Wouldn't care much to live in the 1500s, but I'd be fine going back to the 18th century, always felt like that's where I belonged anyway. I believe we'd see an exponential drop in world population with the spoiled and unprepared starving to death and being killed fighting over the scraps of "convenience". I'm not necessarily opposed to that myself. Never really liked people anyway.

Bought 1900 CCI 200's about a month ago for $9.99/100 - not cheap but good for a year or so. Also saw the BR-2's at an Ace Hardware for $189/1000 - they a can keep 'em.

He who rules computer chip rules the world!

g

Only if there's electricity.

I’ve heard a couple times now that it’s distributors keeping prices jacked up at this point. I’d dismiss it as rumor, if one source didn’t work in the explosives industry.

If that’s the case, they’ll come down quick as soon as one of them smells demand slacking off.

I hoarded enough in ‘16 and snatched a few here and there since then I can go another year or so without buying any unless my shooting takes a serious uptick.

Be interesting to see what happens…

I have some of these and they work fine and have good reviews…


https://republicammunition.com/product/ginex-large-rifle-primers/

CCI were 95 with tax at Grice last Saturday. Limit 1000.

I walked into my little local mom and pop gun store yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see WLR primers on the shelf for the first time in well over a year...maybe two. I guess the logjam is breaking. Glad I had a stockpile and didn't have to worry.

Can you tell any difference between 210’s and 210M’s.

DF

I started shooting a lot of rounds that used small rifle primers. The 6.5 Grendel can do a lot of hunting for you.