Did the 2008 primer shortage spread to other items?

rajbcpa · January 14, 2013, 01:43 PM

I'm not trying to scare anyone but I've had trouble finding primers locally and on the Net for some time now. Recently, I have also had trouble finding powder and now used brass seems in short supply.

What is next - bowits too?

Did this same thing happen in 2008 or was that situation limited to only primers?

I'm just trying to guage what is likely to occur next and how long the situation is likely to last. Since the primer shortage has now caused tight supplies on other component items, I would assume the situation is likely to last a considerable period of time.

I think background checks are going to be imposed on ammo and components by Congress. That is easy fruit to pick by the grabbers....

rclark · January 14, 2013, 01:48 PM

I remember primer and certain powder availability problems. Never bullets (I shoot all lead). Brass I just order from Starline directly anyway. May be back ordered, but you get them evidently.

One of the reasons I did a 'bunch' of tests with different powders over the last couple of years. I can always fall back to another powder with known good loads in my guns.

hounddawg · January 14, 2013, 02:21 PM

like rclark said some powders as I recall. I don't think this one should last as long, by mid February it should be clear that Congress does not have the stomach to do anything and executive orders won't trump the Constitution.

LE-28 · January 14, 2013, 04:05 PM

I looked at 3 reloading supply sites yesterday and on two of the three sites I looked at, the loading presses are limited quantities left and out of stock also.

Cabelas was the only one of the three that was showing stock for presses.

Never saw that before.

Check out Mid South Shooters for loading presses. Yikes, I hope these companies are doing Inventory or something. It is that time of year.

Brian Pfleuger · January 14, 2013, 04:08 PM

It went way beyond primers. I ordered my reloading equipment right at that time. It took a couple of months for the press to be shipped. I don't recall exactly what was and wasn't a problem but it was a lot more than primers.

GTOne · January 14, 2013, 04:29 PM

The volume of orders has these guys swamped, even if they have what you want in stock at the time.

I had orders in at PV, Grafs, and Brownells all just before the craze hit(Like a week before Christmas, approx). They just showed up in the last couple days.

Anything .223 related, can be weeks or months delayed, now.

Beanie-Bean · January 14, 2013, 05:01 PM

rajbcpa,

If you're willing to spend just a little more, you can find primers. I was down to my last 3K of Small Pistol Primers, so I took a chance with Cabela's, who was showing "Backorderable" for CCI and Federal SPP. I added some to my cart, and then it showed 2-3 week delivery time. So, I thought that to be acceptable. That was last Mon or Tue. I am awaiting the UPS guy's delivery today (about a week or less) after I pulled the trigger on that deal.

Happy Shooting, man!

5R milspec · January 14, 2013, 05:51 PM

yes yes yes yes yes have i said yes enough

chiefr · January 14, 2013, 06:08 PM

I can remember several times we had buying frenzy as we currently have now. The first one was around 1993-4 when Clinton was POTUS. This 2008 election was far worse than the '92-4 panic.
It was 6-7 months after 2009 inauguration that powder & primers started to reappear. Handgun ammo, especially 380 was impossible to find and handgun sales were at an all time high.
I am not sure what to make of this years panic, but it is much worse. Now semi autos & supporting accoutrements have dissappeared. I noticed & heard of 22 semi autos dissappearing as well as ammo. 308, 7.62&39, 223 ammo -- gone.
Primers and powder, especially those that reload common semi auto rifles are out of stock. SemiAutomatic handgun sales are at record high..IMHO,it will take around 6 months before stocks reappear with retailers.

Misssissippi Dave · January 14, 2013, 09:16 PM

There is probably a large order for the military going on that needs to be filled. When this happens at the same time as a civilian panic does everything dries up. Small primers will be the first to go since they are used for most pistol calibers and small rifle is used for 5.56. The military goes through a lot of 5.56 ammo. The past re-election started the civilian panic. What is going on now about limiting anything related to guns, just adds fuel to the fire.

I don't know of any company that is so comfortable with the current economy that they are adding employees in large numbers. I'm certain those making ammo and related products are not going to take on more people and have to pay extra for insurance starting this year. Even working their current employees as much as possible it will take some time to catch up on orders already placed.

rajbcpa · February 1, 2013, 03:04 PM

Well a few weeks ago, I thought that there would be some relief by this time. I was completely wrong. Supply shortages are much worse now than only a few weeks ago.

.....the shelves of my LGS in NY are completely empty. Yikes, I have never seen that....

The media like CNN and MSNBC are driving this situation. They have TV shows on every night promoting gun control. This just scares people so they go out and panic buy. We need to have Peirce Morgan of CNN deported back to his gun-less UK.

I started stock piling very heavily last August but this ended completely many weeks ago.

TheNatureBoy · February 2, 2013, 08:10 AM

Ref. 2008 panic, I couldn't find IMR reloading powder (4064/4350) at the shops I usually purchased reloading components. Heres what I did. Any time I rode past a gun shop (especially one off the beaten path), I would stop by to see if they had any components. More often than not they had something I could use. Between West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina I must have purchased 6-8 pounds of Hodgdon powders and various bullets from these un-noticed mom and pop shops. It was during the panic that I began stock piling components.

amathis · February 2, 2013, 08:37 AM

I've been sitting on an FFL to make ammo for the past few years. I was contacted by a local gun shop yesterday. He wanted 100 cases of .223. With the lack of components, I just can't do it.

Brass prices have doubled if you can even find it, and Montana Gold where I get most of my bullets, is out of .223, and is at least 25 days out on existing orders.

I'd rather not talk about primers right now. . . . . . . hindsight is 20/20. In 08 I swore I wouldn't get pinched by another primer shortage and here I am.

It not only sucks for the home reloaders, but also for the small manufacturers.

That all said, I am optimistic that this drought in components will end late February or early March.

cryogenic419 · February 2, 2013, 10:48 AM

I seem to recall finding anything back in 08/09 being rather difficult. In my area it took about 6-9 months for most things to get back in stock and well over a year before you could walk into whatever store or website and find what you needed in stock everytime. Barring any new legislation I imagine it will probably be the same this time around.

The downside is the prices never really seemed to go back down to pre-election 08 levels. I'm betting when things go back to normal overall prices will be higher again.

Crankgrinder · February 2, 2013, 12:27 PM

back in 08 you couldnt find any ammo or components of most any kind this went on for a full year. I bought my first pistol in 09 (Px4 storm 9mm) bought 2 boxes of fmj WWB with it. shot one then held on to the other that whole time.

mmb713 · February 2, 2013, 04:08 PM

I just stopped by Sportsman's Warehouse to check on things. They have nothing on the shelves except a sign saying that due to shortages and high demand that primers, 9mm, 40 and 22lr are behind the gun counter. I didn't check to see if they had any though. They had almost no handguns. A few revolvers but semi-autos were gone except for a couple Tri-Stars/Caniks and some Beretta 92s. They were out of almost all powders too, just a thin selection of shotgun powders. Component handgun bullets were pretty much gone too. Starline is also backordered on just about everything and they've stopped taking orders on some cases; 9mm, 45 Auto, 357 Magnum, 40SW. I placed an order for bullets from Xtreme bullets last month and it is still in processing. They are so backed up that they have stopped taking orders and all of their bullets show out of stock for the moment. Gallery of Guns has almost no semi-autos in stock either. I read on another site that all Winchester, CCI, Remington and Federal primers are going to ammo right now. Homeland Security has a massive order right now and the Army is also restocking on ammo. Add in the panic buying and it is a perfect storm. I doubt this will clear up in the next month or two. I've read that this shortage may not clear up for another nine months. This too shall pass but in the meantime it's going to be slim pickings for a while.

January 14, 2013, 01:43 PM	#1
rajbcpa Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2012 Posts: 321	Did the 2008 primer shortage spread to other items? I'm not trying to scare anyone but I've had trouble finding primers locally and on the Net for some time now. Recently, I have also had trouble finding powder and now used brass seems in short supply. What is next - bowits too? Did this same thing happen in 2008 or was that situation limited to only primers? I'm just trying to guage what is likely to occur next and how long the situation is likely to last. Since the primer shortage has now caused tight supplies on other component items, I would assume the situation is likely to last a considerable period of time. I think background checks are going to be imposed on ammo and components by Congress. That is easy fruit to pick by the grabbers....

January 14, 2013, 01:48 PM	#2
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,622	I remember primer and certain powder availability problems. Never bullets (I shoot all lead). Brass I just order from Starline directly anyway. May be back ordered, but you get them evidently. One of the reasons I did a 'bunch' of tests with different powders over the last couple of years. I can always fall back to another powder with known good loads in my guns. __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

January 14, 2013, 02:21 PM	#3
hounddawg Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2009 Posts: 4,232	like rclark said some powders as I recall. I don't think this one should last as long, by mid February it should be clear that Congress does not have the stomach to do anything and executive orders won't trump the Constitution. __________________ “How do I get to the next level?” Well, you get to the next level by being the first one on the range and the last one to leave.” – Jerry Miculek

January 14, 2013, 05:01 PM	#7
Beanie-Bean Member Join Date: October 4, 2011 Location: Central TX Posts: 87	rajbcpa, If you're willing to spend just a little more, you can find primers. I was down to my last 3K of Small Pistol Primers, so I took a chance with Cabela's, who was showing "Backorderable" for CCI and Federal SPP. I added some to my cart, and then it showed 2-3 week delivery time. So, I thought that to be acceptable. That was last Mon or Tue. I am awaiting the UPS guy's delivery today (about a week or less) after I pulled the trigger on that deal. Happy Shooting, man! __________________ Ammo by Dillon and Hornady

January 14, 2013, 05:51 PM	#8
5R milspec Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 360	yes yes yes yes yes have i said yes enough __________________ life is great but its better when you can own as many guns you wish to own.for me I haven't bought enough yet.

January 14, 2013, 04:05 PM	#4
LE-28 Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2012 Location: North Carolina Posts: 759	I looked at 3 reloading supply sites yesterday and on two of the three sites I looked at, the loading presses are limited quantities left and out of stock also. Cabelas was the only one of the three that was showing stock for presses. Never saw that before. Check out Mid South Shooters for loading presses. Yikes, I hope these companies are doing Inventory or something. It is that time of year.

January 14, 2013, 04:08 PM	#5
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	It went way beyond primers. I ordered my reloading equipment right at that time. It took a couple of months for the press to be shipped. I don't recall exactly what was and wasn't a problem but it was a lot more than primers.

January 14, 2013, 04:29 PM	#6
GTOne Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2011 Location: IL Posts: 210	The volume of orders has these guys swamped, even if they have what you want in stock at the time. I had orders in at PV, Grafs, and Brownells all just before the craze hit(Like a week before Christmas, approx). They just showed up in the last couple days. Anything .223 related, can be weeks or months delayed, now.

January 14, 2013, 06:08 PM	#9
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	I can remember several times we had buying frenzy as we currently have now. The first one was around 1993-4 when Clinton was POTUS. This 2008 election was far worse than the '92-4 panic. It was 6-7 months after 2009 inauguration that powder & primers started to reappear. Handgun ammo, especially 380 was impossible to find and handgun sales were at an all time high. I am not sure what to make of this years panic, but it is much worse. Now semi autos & supporting accoutrements have dissappeared. I noticed & heard of 22 semi autos dissappearing as well as ammo. 308, 7.62&39, 223 ammo -- gone. Primers and powder, especially those that reload common semi auto rifles are out of stock. SemiAutomatic handgun sales are at record high..IMHO,it will take around 6 months before stocks reappear with retailers.

January 14, 2013, 09:16 PM	#10
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	There is probably a large order for the military going on that needs to be filled. When this happens at the same time as a civilian panic does everything dries up. Small primers will be the first to go since they are used for most pistol calibers and small rifle is used for 5.56. The military goes through a lot of 5.56 ammo. The past re-election started the civilian panic. What is going on now about limiting anything related to guns, just adds fuel to the fire. I don't know of any company that is so comfortable with the current economy that they are adding employees in large numbers. I'm certain those making ammo and related products are not going to take on more people and have to pay extra for insurance starting this year. Even working their current employees as much as possible it will take some time to catch up on orders already placed.

February 1, 2013, 03:04 PM	#11
rajbcpa Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2012 Posts: 321	Well a few weeks ago, I thought that there would be some relief by this time. I was completely wrong. Supply shortages are much worse now than only a few weeks ago. .....the shelves of my LGS in NY are completely empty. Yikes, I have never seen that.... The media like CNN and MSNBC are driving this situation. They have TV shows on every night promoting gun control. This just scares people so they go out and panic buy. We need to have Peirce Morgan of CNN deported back to his gun-less UK. I started stock piling very heavily last August but this ended completely many weeks ago.

February 2, 2013, 08:10 AM	#12
TheNatureBoy Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2007 Posts: 1,204	Ref. 2008 panic, I couldn't find IMR reloading powder (4064/4350) at the shops I usually purchased reloading components. Heres what I did. Any time I rode past a gun shop (especially one off the beaten path), I would stop by to see if they had any components. More often than not they had something I could use. Between West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina I must have purchased 6-8 pounds of Hodgdon powders and various bullets from these un-noticed mom and pop shops. It was during the panic that I began stock piling components.

February 2, 2013, 08:37 AM	#13
amathis Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Champlain Valley, Vermont Posts: 161	I've been sitting on an FFL to make ammo for the past few years. I was contacted by a local gun shop yesterday. He wanted 100 cases of .223. With the lack of components, I just can't do it. Brass prices have doubled if you can even find it, and Montana Gold where I get most of my bullets, is out of .223, and is at least 25 days out on existing orders. I'd rather not talk about primers right now. . . . . . . hindsight is 20/20. In 08 I swore I wouldn't get pinched by another primer shortage and here I am. It not only sucks for the home reloaders, but also for the small manufacturers. That all said, I am optimistic that this drought in components will end late February or early March.

February 2, 2013, 10:48 AM	#14
cryogenic419 Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2009 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 569	I seem to recall finding anything back in 08/09 being rather difficult. In my area it took about 6-9 months for most things to get back in stock and well over a year before you could walk into whatever store or website and find what you needed in stock everytime. Barring any new legislation I imagine it will probably be the same this time around. The downside is the prices never really seemed to go back down to pre-election 08 levels. I'm betting when things go back to normal overall prices will be higher again.

February 2, 2013, 12:27 PM	#15
Crankgrinder Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 917	back in 08 you couldnt find any ammo or components of most any kind this went on for a full year. I bought my first pistol in 09 (Px4 storm 9mm) bought 2 boxes of fmj WWB with it. shot one then held on to the other that whole time.

February 2, 2013, 04:08 PM	#16
mmb713 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2011 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 421	I just stopped by Sportsman's Warehouse to check on things. They have nothing on the shelves except a sign saying that due to shortages and high demand that primers, 9mm, 40 and 22lr are behind the gun counter. I didn't check to see if they had any though. They had almost no handguns. A few revolvers but semi-autos were gone except for a couple Tri-Stars/Caniks and some Beretta 92s. They were out of almost all powders too, just a thin selection of shotgun powders. Component handgun bullets were pretty much gone too. Starline is also backordered on just about everything and they've stopped taking orders on some cases; 9mm, 45 Auto, 357 Magnum, 40SW. I placed an order for bullets from Xtreme bullets last month and it is still in processing. They are so backed up that they have stopped taking orders and all of their bullets show out of stock for the moment. Gallery of Guns has almost no semi-autos in stock either. I read on another site that all Winchester, CCI, Remington and Federal primers are going to ammo right now. Homeland Security has a massive order right now and the Army is also restocking on ammo. Add in the panic buying and it is a perfect storm. I doubt this will clear up in the next month or two. I've read that this shortage may not clear up for another nine months. This too shall pass but in the meantime it's going to be slim pickings for a while.