If primers are manufactured in China, that could explain a lot.

so What’s the prognosis , will stores ever have stocked shelves again ?

I talked to my local farm and home last week. They said they received 2 pallets of ammo overnight. It was gone in a hour. Same thing at a sporting goods store in the same town. It's the gold standard.

The stores that have ammo on the shelves are charging close to Gunbroker rates. LGS here is charging 10.00-14.00/box for 12 gauge target ammo. I didn't even look at the pricing on rifle ammo. Three weeks ago, I paid $65.00/thousand for primers there. A week later they were charging $100.00/thousand for primers. I think they raise their prices every time a box goes out the door.

I work at a big box retailer that doesn't quadruple their prices because something is temporarily short on stock. Every morning there are about a dozen people that come on, buy every single thing they can within thier limit set by the company and then leave. I know they are selling it. Some have quit thier jobs to resell ammo. Some sell on gun broker, others sell to gun stores etc. This does not only happen at our store, it happen at every single store that sells ammo. Until the pipeline gets full enough to keep these folks from setting the market, it will continue. It's not easy to fill such a large pipeline though and people that think manufacturers are going to build extra facilities for a temporary (even if it's a couple years) shortage have no clue.

Yes, people are buying it when they can find it. But all the retailers I've talked to over the last few days aren't getting any from their distributors.

I'm having a hard time believing that hoarders are cleaning everything out when retailers aren't able to get anything to begin with.

I stopped in at my local gun store yesterday and just happened to catch him as he was on the computer ordering stock. I asked him if he could order some Hornady (.30 cal.) 195 gr. ELD-M's... No dice. The only Hornady .30 cal in stock at his distributor was two 100 round boxes of 150 gr. SST... 2 boxes in their entire warehouse.

However he did score me a couple boxes of Sierra, so I'm happy.

In the video, Federal's CEO says they've produced more ammo than at any other time in their 99 year history... But the trucks must be dumping it in a ditch a mile down the street from the factory because it seems it isn't making it to distributors to sell to retailers.

It's the same with Lee... Their website says they've hired extra help, they're working OT, and they even have the office personnel out in the shop packing/shipping product... But BPS, Cabela's, Midway, Brownell's, Natchez, Midsouth, etc... have extremely limited supplies of Lee stuff, or none at all... And backorders are routinely "undetermined ETA."

It sure seems like somebody in the chain of manufacturer-distributor-retailer is full of crap... Or this is the most perfect of perfect storms ever in the history of chance and probability.

Inversely... It seems the shortage doesn't apply if you have a .300 Savage. I've seen more components and ammo for that chambering lately than I've ever seen before. Go figure. If I knew which powder they were loaded with I might be tempted to buy 'em, pull 'em all down, and reuse what I could to load for my .308

Mike

For anyone who has never WORKED INSIDE the firearms industry: it takes a lot of money and time to purchase and install equipment. Then hire reliable people and train. That's if they have room to expand where they are located. Include a building plan, permits, building time and start up, etc if the company that owns the ammo end gives it a green light.

Not to mention any down time, pandemic induced days off for workers who may have just been exposed to someone who tested positive. It's a domino effect. It's not one person out of work for 10-14 days or more, it could be 5 to 10 people.

Not all of those folks are selling it. We have a local box retailer like you speak of, with a line every delivery day. I have stood in that line many times on rain days and my brother has more often as he is working a job just down the street from that store and takes his morning break to stand in the line. Neither of us are selling anything, just getting our summer range ammo. Lots of other folks are also getting personal ammo. I do know of a couple of the fellas in that line that are indeed selling on GB or small gun shops, even picked one out at a gun show trying to double his money but please don't assume all are selling. You know what assumptions do.

I think we see the odd ball stuff , 16ga , 300 savage , because they were behind the crates of more common ammo and are now the only thing on the shelf

my local store has a bunch of boxes of 25-20 and 32-20

My timing must suck. I've been checking them and others intermittently for weeks and always come up empty. I did score some .22 shorts from BPI, though.

I have been looking for shotshell primers for a few months, I have a few thousand on hand but I shoot daily. I picked up 3 bricks of Win 209s in Chicago around Thanksgiving for $32.99/brick and that lasted me until Christmas. I make my rounds on the reloading sites daily. I got word that BPI had these primers in stock from a co-worker, and ordered a few boxes. Although, I don't normally use Cheddite primers, beggars can't be choosers. I for one am happy folks make a post here and on Facebook letting other people know who has components in stock. I've had to scale back how much shooting I do on a weekly basis because I can't get components to feed my habit. 2 weeks ago, Our Local Dunns Sporting Goods store raised the price of powder $3/lb. I needed a few pounds to maintain my supply and support my addiction. I couldn't get it online so I paid it. I was there last week, and they raised it another $4/lb (to a total of $7/lb in less than 2 weeks). I'll pass at that price.

I noticed your post on Shotgun World also. Have you experienced any primer pocket issues with Cheddites ?

It would be nice if I reloaded shotgun/pistol... I could get my hands on shotgun and pistol powder without too much trouble... Especially shotgun powder. Primers are hit or miss depending on location and day of the week... But I must admit I haven't paid much attention to supplies of 209's.

I'd say the gas gun calibers (.223/5.56, .308/7.62) and 9mm and 45 ACP are seeing the greatest demands and therefore being given priority for production... So the majority of raw materials are being fed into making components for those chamberings.

Who knows at this point.

Mike

I have never reloaded Cheddite primers. However, in times of need we all need to adapt. I have used factory primed Cheddite Hulls for both hunting and target purposes and they fired just fine. I have some Win 209's put away, but I may save those for my hunting loads. I'll use the cheddites for targets and set those hulls aside for European components. I've read a lot about them, and how after using a Cheddite primer a Win 209 will fall out of the primer pocket. We shall see.
During the last component shortage, I could only get unknown (to me) components. Not necessarily a bad thing as I found some powders what work exceptionally well in my rifles like RamShot. Since that last shortage, I have worked up loads with components I can use for multiple guns/calibers.

Right. That is what I have read also. I have a few thousand WIN, CCI, Fed 209A. I wish they were all uniform

The gunshop my brother works at was told not to expect any shipment of .308 .223 or 9mm for a few years. And other calibers and shot shells are not being made so they can focus on producing the 9mm and nato rounds. Also gun imports are anybody guess now that the US is under socialist rule. I know iv been waiting for a ruger shipment for quite awhile and every other Canadian firearm website is waiting as well.

next time you see this happening,i need you to smack in the head so i will see to!!!

I found some rifle powder I've never used and have no experience with... But I guess I'm to see how it works in my gun. It may be the greatest stuff ever, might be horrible. Just have to see.

Each of my rifles has a small spiral notebook that I use to keep notes on load data... When I run a ladder test I write down which combo grouped the best. If this mess ever subsides I should be well versed on what my guns like/don't like.

Mike

if we were living in a normal USA ,the words [i have to much ammo wound mean ] time to go to the range and have some FUN!!!