Primers buying guide?

[mpd]

I've got a couple questions out there for everyone.

1 where can you buy primers locally? I know pro firearms and Gander Mountain sell primers. I wasn't sure if there were other local sellers in the area that wanted to post their own shop. If you're local and you sell pistol primers please post on here.

2 where are some the best places to buy primers online? Also when you buy primers online is there a hazmat fee? I know buying a set of a hundred primers at Gander Mountain cost 3. 99 for one package. Roughly for a thousand primers that's over $40 including tax. Can buy it online be cheaper?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[jwh20]

Profire usually has them as does Indiana Gun Club.

I've purchased most of mine at the Indy 1500, usually you can get a box of 1000 for $20 or so.

You can order online but you'll want to buy a bunch so that you can spread that hazardous material fee out over a larger number of primers. Otherwise you'll be paying a LOT more per primer.

 

[Grelber]

Graf & Sons - Small Pistol


Not sure it is a best place but it is a good place I think. As noted above, best to buy in large quantity, I think you pay the same hazmat fee for the first primer as you do for the first 50,000. I usually try to get together on an order with friends so shipping & hazmat is not so much of a bite.

Made an order a month back, & even with the shipping & hazmat we saved about $30 per box of 5000 compared to what I saw off the shelf. Have not found pistol primers anywhere near $20 / 1000 so if you can get the pricing noted above that would be killer.

Addendum - checked my notes & my last primer order was from these folks http://www.powdervalleyinc.com . One note, signature is required on delivery.

 

[87iroc]

Cheapest I've seen at the 1500 in the last year is 27.50? per thousand. Gander is about 40 bucks per 1000 if you buy them there.

Atterbury sells them for about 35/1000.

Putting that in perspective...that's a variation of .0275 per primer to 4 cents per primer...so not a huge fluxuation. It just adds up when you look per thousand rounds.

I haven't bought any online...but sometimes folks will do a group buy(I know NWI did last year) and you can buy up to like 50k primers or something before a second hazmat fee applies...so you can lump purchases together. I'm not sure I've seen great deals online vs what you'd get them for local(hazmat fee kills it basically).

 

[jwh20]

Made an order a month back, & even with the shipping & hazmat we saved about $30 per box of 5000 compared to what I saw off the shelf. Have not found pistol primers anywhere near $20 / 1000 so if you can get the pricing noted above that would be killer.

That was the "or so..." part of my post. I checked and I did buy two boxes of primers, one LPP and the other SPP for $24.95/box + sales tax. Not quite "killer" but a lot better than Gander's $40/box.

But you are correct, the HAZMAT fee is PER CONTAINER, so it's a one-time charge for as many boxes of primers as can be shipped in one box.

 

[Drail]

When you see someone selling primers at a show, ask them what their price is for a case (5000). On reloading supplies quantity is the only way to save. Shipping kills any chance of saving.

 

[Vamptepes]

Plainfield Shooting supplies also sels them.

 

[tnek13]

Cabbalas just had them on sale at 20% off don't know if it is still on. Oak wood Gun Club usually has a bunch. Blythes has some usually but not always. Mail order is not a deal as Hazmat runs $25.00+ the cost of the primers or powder.

 

[blkrifle]

$20/1000 @ powder valley and wiseners. group buy to save on shipping and haz mat. I think it is 35000 per haz mat. $22/23 per 1000 delivered to the terre haute area.

 

[mpd]

$20/1000 @ powder valley and wiseners. group buy to save on shipping and haz mat. I think it is 35000 per haz mat. $22/23 per 1000 delivered to the terre haute area.

Thank you I appreciate the offer... but I'll have to pass at this time.

 

[Leo]

Yes, there is HazMat on primers. Since hazmat allows 50 lbs, the best way is to order about 45 lbs at a time, so the shipping is spead over a lot of pieces. $27.50 plus about $15.00 is pretty high for a couple thousand, but divided over 25,000 is a lot less significant. If you don't use that many in a reasonable amount of time, sometimes ordering with a friend helps too.

Grafs does have a sale on Winchester primers right now, $140/ sleeve. That is a pretty good price these days. I know they often have the off brand imported stuff cheap, I just do not follow the prices on stuff I do not use.

 

[17 squirrel]

Crackshot in Anderson has Winchester primers on the shelf... I believe they were 34 bucks a thousand.

 

[Gluemanz28]

I buy from Grafs. 25-50k at a time just as others have said. They run them on sale from time to time and that is the time to buy. I think a guy has some for sale right now in the classifieds for around $140 per case for CCI SPP.

 

[rlw9337]

Profire Arms and Supply Rockville Rd on west side.
Widener's reloading and shooting supply. There is a Hazlet charge. Typically need to buy 5k to offset the Hazlet. Also buy during Indy 1500.

 

[BeDome]

Seems that the only way that I have found to benefit from online ordering is to "buddy up" with a couple of friends and order a years worth or something. Hazmat fee is the same as a box of 100.

 

[oldpink]

If you buy via online or mail order, the hazmat fee is unavoidable.
It's a Department of Transportation regulation, nothing to do with retailers trying to skin you for yet more money.
The fee applies to all primers, powder, and liquid cleaning chemicals over one quart.
Curiously, primed cases and loaded ammo aren't classified as hazardous materials and don't require the fee.
The hazmat fee will apply to each shipment, so it would definitely be best to order enough primers to last a long time, and it would definitely not hurt to add powder to the list to economize even more.
You'll also need someone to be home to accept the delivery because regulations require a signature for hazmat shipments.
Buying locally will definitely be better if it's very close to you and if the price isn't marked up too much, but brick-and-mortar stores that sell reloading components are not very common these days.
One other thing: Don't buy ultra-cheap primers
Buy quality.
Think Winchester, Remington, Federal, or especially CCI.
I've loaded thousands of rounds primed with CCI and hundreds of rounds primed with Federal, and I've never had a single failure with either.

 

[mpd]

Appreicate the insight.

I knew that the hazmat is nothing to do with the company selling rather the government. I'll probably agree most everyones advice I'll probably stick to buying local or hitting gun shows to store up.

If you buy via online or mail order, the hazmat fee is unavoidable.
It's a Department of Transportation regulation, nothing to do with retailers trying to skin you for yet more money.
The fee applies to all primers, powder, and liquid cleaning chemicals over one quart.
Curiously, primed cases and loaded ammo aren't classified as hazardous materials and don't require the fee.
The hazmat fee will apply to each shipment, so it would definitely be best to order enough primers to last a long time, and it would definitely not hurt to add powder to the list to economize even more.
You'll also need someone to be home to accept the delivery because regulations require a signature for hazmat shipments.
Buying locally will definitely be better if it's very close to you and if the price isn't marked up too much, but brick-and-mortar stores that sell reloading components are not very common these days.
One other thing: Don't buy ultra-cheap primers
Buy quality.
Think Winchester, Remington, Federal, or especially CCI.
I've loaded thousands of rounds primed with CCI and hundreds of rounds primed with Federal, and I've never had a single failure with either.