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I have been living off gifted primers since I started reloading a couple years ago (thank you uncle-in-law ). The time has come to start making some bulk purchases. The best deal I can find online is 2.8 cents (for a 5k purchase). I am not sure if that is closer to business as normal prices or inflated hysteria prices. In other words, I am not sure whether to pull the trigger now or wait for a better deal as things calm down. Any thoughts?

I'm not anywhere close to an expert on the subject but it partially depends on the brand. For Winchester or CCI the going price in the store is around $34 per 1000. If I were making the decision and they weren't Russian, though many people report they work just as well, I wouldn't hesitate. Especially if they are in stock.

Larry

AndyC wrote:You didn't say whether or not you need to have them shipped to you... so like Larry, I'm wondering what brand they are and whether you've factored in shipping and HazMat fees.

CCI from Midway, so I would have to cover shipping and hazmat. With hazmat and shipping on one sleeve, it works out to the same as $34/box in-store. Unfortunately, there is a one sleeve limit, so you can't spread the hazmat and shipping out.

I am mostly curious about where prices have settled between panics. Right now I am just buying from the store to get by, but when I feel like prices have bottomed out again, I am planning on purchasing enough for a decade or two.

AlaskanInTexas wrote:

AndyC wrote:You didn't say whether or not you need to have them shipped to you... so like Larry, I'm wondering what brand they are and whether you've factored in shipping and HazMat fees.

CCI from Midway, so I would have to cover shipping and hazmat. With hazmat and shipping on one sleeve, it works out to the same as $34/box in-store. Unfortunately, there is a one sleeve limit, so you can't spread the hazmat and shipping out.

I am mostly curious about where prices have settled between panics. Right now I am just buying from the store to get by, but when I feel like prices have bottomed out again, I am planning on purchasing enough for a decade or two.

Possibly one of the reasons why there is a so-called shortage.

AlaskanInTexas wrote:CCI from Midway, so I would have to cover shipping and hazmat. With hazmat and shipping on one sleeve, it works out to the same as $34/box in-store. Unfortunately, there is a one sleeve limit, so you can't spread the hazmat and shipping out.

You can spread out the hazmat with your sleeve of primers plus lots of powder. Get a few DFW buddies to go in with you on a bulk powder purchase and your primer's share of the shipping cost can be quite minimized.

From a group buy perspective, too bad you are limited to 5k primers. I was involved in one group buy after the 2008 election where we bought well over 100,000 primers from Powder Valley.

Academy had Winchester primers, $3.99 today but they hide them so you have to ask.
WalMart had CCI but I couldn't find any help to get a price.

O6nop wrote:

AlaskanInTexas wrote:

AndyC wrote:You didn't say whether or not you need to have them shipped to you... so like Larry, I'm wondering what brand they are and whether you've factored in shipping and HazMat fees.

CCI from Midway, so I would have to cover shipping and hazmat. With hazmat and shipping on one sleeve, it works out to the same as $34/box in-store. Unfortunately, there is a one sleeve limit, so you can't spread the hazmat and shipping out.

I am mostly curious about where prices have settled between panics. Right now I am just buying from the store to get by, but when I feel like prices have bottomed out again, I am planning on purchasing enough for a decade or two.

Possibly one of the reasons why there is a so-called shortage.

It is all relative. 5k my be good enough for one shooter for a year or two, while 40k may only last a year for the guy next door.
I don't think there is a big price break for 5k-10k primers. I usually just grab a brick when I see them. Cabela's has had win small pistol almost every week for the last month or so, along with the smaller gun shops. I grabbed 5k primers last November and paid .05 and drove 7 hours round trip to pick them up. I needed them that bad.

Paying 32-35 a thousand at a big box seems cheap and easy at this point.

AlaskanInTexas wrote:I have been living off gifted primers since I started reloading a couple years ago (thank you uncle-in-law ). The time has come to start making some bulk purchases. The best deal I can find online is 2.8 cents (for a 5k purchase). I am not sure if that is closer to business as normal prices or inflated hysteria prices. In other words, I am not sure whether to pull the trigger now or wait for a better deal as things calm down. Any thoughts?

First, welcome to the world of loading ammo!
As to your questions, if I was low on primers I would buy some, enough to stay active. Then plan on a large purchase of primers and powder.

Here are some figures to help with planning
1 pound of powder = 7000 grains
8LB jug = 56000 grains of powder

Let us divide 56000 grains by various powder charges 3, 5, 15, 25, 50, 74. This will range from 38 specials to 300 Win Mag loads

56000/3 = 18667 rounds
56000/5 = 11200
56000/15 = 3733
56000/25 = 2240
56000/50 = 1120
56000/74 = 746

So if you buy an 8 lb jug of powder for 38 special 3gr loads you will need roughly 20000 primers to load that 1 jug of powder

Same for 45 ACP @ 5 grs you need 15000 primers for 1 jug of powder

357 mag class of cartridge @ 15 grs = 1.5 jugs of powder per 5000 primers

223 class cartridge @ 25 grs = 2 jugs of powder per 5000 primers

30-06 or 308 class cartridge @ 50 grs = 4 jugs of powder per 5000 primers

300 win mag class of cartridge @ 74 grs = 7 jugs powder per 5000 primers

From this information you can easily see that getting enough powder for pistol primers is not difficult, but keeping enough powder on hand for larger cartridges gets progressively harder.

I use this to balance my powder and primer stash and try to keep the two in balance, but I almost always wind up with more primers than I have powder to load, especially in rifle calibers.

So when you can get powder and primers under one hazmat fee do so. It helps with the cost, just try to balance the powder primer numbers so you are not flush on one and dry on the other.

Bullet buying and stashing is for another long winded post!

Good luck and get those primers before they are gone!

Hamourkiller wrote:First, welcome to the world of loading ammo!
As to your questions, if I was low on primers I would buy some, enough to stay active. Then plan on a large purchase of primers and powder.

Here are some figures to help with planning

Thanks for the rules of thumb - this will be helpful when ordering.

O6nop wrote:

AlaskanInTexas wrote:

AndyC wrote:You didn't say whether or not you need to have them shipped to you... so like Larry, I'm wondering what brand they are and whether you've factored in shipping and HazMat fees.

CCI from Midway, so I would have to cover shipping and hazmat. With hazmat and shipping on one sleeve, it works out to the same as $34/box in-store. Unfortunately, there is a one sleeve limit, so you can't spread the hazmat and shipping out.

I am mostly curious about where prices have settled between panics. Right now I am just buying from the store to get by, but when I feel like prices have bottomed out again, I am planning on purchasing enough for a decade or two.

Possibly one of the reasons why there is a so-called shortage.

I think it is actually the other way around. The shortages are caused when there is a panic and people with low inventories simultaneously try to stock up at a moment of peak demand. If people methodically stocked up whenever prices signal plenty of availability (as I propose to do), there would be less panic buying during moments of peak demand - those who are prepared can weather the storm by drawing down on their inventory until supply and demand restabilize.