Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles RUMOR - Federal Primers - RUMOR

I heard today from a fairly reliable source that the fine folks at Federal Cartridge Company are producing so many cartridges that they are using ALL the primers they can make for cartridge production - and they are buying some more from the folks at CCI!
I have not seen Federal BR Primers on a store shelf in so long that it scares me.
What scares me is I have dozens of Rifles tuned/handloaded with Federal BR Primers - both small rifle size and large rifle size!
It would be a BIG hassle to "adjust" all my Rifles and loads to another brand of primer.
Shudder to think of it even.
I hope this is one rumor that is not true but like I said its been so long since I have seen any Federal Bench Rest primers on a shelf I wonder if this rumor has a basis in fact?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I haven't been able to buy Federal primers here in BC since Jan. Been hearin all kinds of b.s about it to. One shop owner whom I call b.s. Bill said we were going to invade mexico and the govt was hoggin all the primers rotfl!!! Canada invading anybody hahahaha

VG you know I switched to Wolf primers awhile back. That was after using Federal 205M's for a number of years. They are working great and I've had to make zero changes to many of my loads. My feeling is Federal is done in my book. Oh and the Wolf primers are around $15 cheaper than the Federal ones not something to sneeze about. So for nearly every 1K of primers I use I just bought 2/3's of a pound of powder.

VG, for about two months now, one of my local shops has been getting a regular weekly shipment of primers and ammo - from Federal. He's charging $50/1000 for the Fed Gold Medals, and getting it.

Other folks can have my share.

I heard similar a month or so ago at a local shop. The dealer I talked to said the war was taking a large part of them and both ammo and component hoarders were scarfing up the rest.

The same shop a week ago though had a couple dozen bricks of CCI mag primers in all flavors LP, SR, LR, with a few cartons of Rem 6 1/2 9 1/2 and 7 1/2. Prices were not real good though $34-$54/1000. I have not see a Federal primer in a year around here. I don`t doubt CCI is helping them with primers for ammo production, they wouldn`t be the 1st company to something of that sort, concidering they are both owned by the same parent company anyway.

The "war effort" comment is a bit dated. It was true about two years ago, as the ever-behind-the-power-curve government sought to fill its empty ammunition stocks with massive orders. That just about ended any primer supply to retail, but there was still lots of inventory and product in the pipeline. But the pipes emptied with the past election.

Ammunition/component companies have three production priorities: government contracts, their own ammunition production and all others - in that order. We are among that last group of "other."

They are all shipping what they can, but the pipe isn't full. The small ammo companies, plus the hoarders and the scalpers who placed multi-million primer orders are first in line for what flows. So there is precious little left for us hobby reloaders.

It IS beginning to ease up. Take heart.

Just bought some Federal small pistol primers locally back in late June/early July. Same gun shop had a bunch of Federal primers of different sizes in stock just about 2 weeks ago.

He was limiting to 500 of any type to customers when I bought them. Now, he will only sell if you buy powder/bullets.

Oh by the way did you hear David Tubb just won at Camp Perry with yes Wolf primers.

Eat your heart out Federal.

May be coincidence, but I JUST got a PR email. The first paragraph:

WINCHESTER AWARDED DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CONTRACT

Winchester� Ammunition was recently awarded a contract by the Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security to supply a maximum of 200 million, 40 cal. rounds over the next five years.



That contract alone will suck up some 40 million SP primers a year, not to mention brass and bullets (the powder impact would be minimal, naturally.)

Now you see how the left is trying to control component sales. They have no need for 25% 10 % that much ammo.

I have heard good things about Wolf primers too. Haven't seen Federals lately.

The local cabela's has had a couple of boxes of Federal primers on the shelves for a while. Not sure what flavor, as they have a limit of 100 primers per customer, and a box is ~$5, while bricks are just over $30, so I probably won't be buying anything that I'm not completely out of there, until that policy changes. There are federal primers on the shelves; CCI, remington, and magtech are more common though...

Hawk_Driver: I am happy there are some Federal primers down in your neck of the woods.
But in the five NW states I regularly peruse I have not seen a Federal BR Rifle primer on a shelf of a store in MANY MANY months now!
I see some being "scalped" here and there at gunshows and small gunshops but a legitimate store with human prices of recent - absolutely not!
Sounds like your gunshop owner is TRYING to disburse his Federal primers to REAL reloaders and not hoarders or scalpers.
Good for him.
And plan your purchases of Federal primers to preserve your future needs.
Thanks for the info from down south.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Bucktail: If those $30.00 a brick Federal primers are 205M's or 210M's I would buy all they had - for my own use.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

RockyRaab: Yikes - more demand for primers by the gov.
Oh well - "I'll get by".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

RockyRaab: I agree with your prognosis and will abide by your words of encouragement!

Your quote: "Ammunition/component companies have three production priorities: government contracts, their own ammunition production and all others - in that order. We are among that last group of "other."

They are all shipping what they can, but the pipe isn't full. The small ammo companies, plus the hoarders and the scalpers who placed multi-million primer orders are first in line for what flows. So there is precious little left for us hobby reloaders.

It IS beginning to ease up. Take heart".

My heart is slightly less troubled by your learned advice!

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

They're limiting us to 100 primers/visit, so you can't buy a brick.

Bought 3K 210M's off the shelf of my local about a month or so ago and got 2K last week of Winchester Large Rifle Primers and 16 lbs of Varget. He has a few K's of CCI in SR & LR in Mag now. They trickle in, gave 32 for the 210M's and 26 for the WLR 127ea for the 8lbs of Varget. Got all kinds of powder just aren't seeing a lot of primers I want and don't really need any. Rumor was just a while back the Federal was putting in a new primer line and it was "from a good source"!

Brunos got in a bunch of Federals this week.

Hard telling what's left.......

Aalf: I "mosied" on over to Brunos web site and of the 14 (fourteen) categories of Federal primers 12 (twelve) were NOT IN STOCK!
The 2 (two) categories that were instock were $49.95 per 1,000 or 5 cents PER PRIMER and that is before the exhorbitant haz mat fees and shipping are "figgered" in!
So I would be looking at 7 to 8 cents per primer delivered - thanks but, NO THANKS!
As far as I am concerned Brunos is to be considered a scalper along with many others!
Thanks for the "tip" though.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy