What on earth is happening with supply of primers?

Can anyone tell me? My only source of primers is the Naturabuy site *France) and all I see is a bunch of profiteers selling them in bags of 50 for as many Euros, or people selling them for 26 Euros for 250... and when you scroll down to the bottom he page, you find that the shipping charge is another 26 Euros! Will this situation improve, or is my hobby to be made ufeasibly expensive on account of the profiteers on Naturabuy?

The problem is the same in Australia.
The australian dealers say the Americans are hoarding everything. The Americans say the military is buying everything.

I think that Biden allowed the Millions of $'s into several Gov. Departments to purchase everything to keep it out of the market. Since when does the IRS n D Human Services need almost $200,000,000.00 ? Nothing but a run around to stop anything involved with the Firearms industry.

They were in short supply here in the States but it's slowly improving. You might try making your own with one of the cap making kits mentioned on these boards. Center fire primers are so expensive I can buy factory 9mm cheaper than I can reload it.

It's been tough for 3 years now to get perc. caps any where close to me. I would have to drive 250 miles one way to get nos of a brand i don't use. I went to a flintlock while waiting on Caps to get back on the market.

This has been going on for three years.

And it's why God invented hording.

Buy'em cheap and stack'em deep.

smokepolehall said:

I went to a flintlock while waiting on Caps to get back on the market.

Click to expand...

If the problem persists, , this may be the way forward for me.

Please delete, duplicae post.

Whitworth said:

They were in short supply here in the States but it's slowly improving. You might try making your own with one of the cap making kits mentioned on these boards. Center fire primers are so expensive I can buy factory 9mm cheaper than I can reload it.

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I actally have one of those on order, the problem is they use match heads powdered and compressed, as an igniter. Whilst I have no problem with this as such, one or two pople have said that match head stuff is potassium Chlorate, which is more corrosive than other materials. Needs must, though!

As I understand the issue, CCI is the only producer of percussion caps in the US and they only do it seasonal - meaning whenever they want to. The market has been hot for regular primers for some time now and they stayed with making those. We are a very small part of their market. Supposedly they produce most if not all of the other brands of caps. The caps are produced on the same machinery that regular primers are made on and they have to shut down, do a little machinery conversion and then make our caps. The good news is someone talked to them at the Shot Show and they stated they would produce some caps soon.

My understanding with the RWS caps is that due to the war in Ukraine, they are only producing primers for military ammo at this time.

Thank you for all answers, at least I am clearer now. Just ordered another box of 250... for 50 Euros! That leaves me with 500 to be going on with. If I stay off my revolver this should keep me going for a while. Lets hope my primer making kit comes up to scratch... still awaiting delivery. I am however amazed that there are not more people making these and that all of us seem to be dependent on one factory!

Sir Boniface Harrison said:

Thank you for all answers, at least I am clearer now. Just ordered another box of 250... for 50 Euros! That leaves me with 500 to be going on with. If I stay off my revolver this should keep me going for a while. Lets hope my primer making kit comes up to scratch... still awaiting delivery. I am however amazed that there are not more people making these and that all of us seem to be dependent on one factory!

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If possible, convert all of your rifles to musket nipples.

There is no shortage of musket primers

64Springer said:

If possible, convert all of your rifles to musket nipples.

There is no shortage of musket primers

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Ah! How would I do this? Would it involve tapping out my thread to acommodate a larger nipple, or are there one which have the same thread size and diameter but a larger nipple? My rifle is an Investarm Hawken .45. This may seem a silly question, but I am still relatively new to this.

Sir Boniface Harrison said:

Ah! How would I do this? Would it involve tapping out my thread to acommodate a larger nipple, or are there one which have the same thread size and diameter but a larger nipple? My rifle is an Investarm Hawken .45. This may seem a silly question, but I am still relatively new to this.

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A lot of musket nipples will have the same threads as the #11 nipples. I would thinks it's a slam dunk to find one for your Investarm Hawken. TOTW has a zillion nipples to choose from.

The only problem is some of the hammer/cap/rain shrouds aren't big enough to clear the musket cap diameter.

I solved this by opening up the hammer/cap/rain shrouds on my hammers.

64Springer said:

A lot of musket nipples will have the same threads as the #11 nipples. I would thinks it;s a slam dunk to find one for your Investarm Hawken.

The only problem is some of the hammer/cap/rain shrouds aren't big enough to clear the musket cap diameter.

I solved this by opening up the hammer/cap/rain shrouds on my hammers.

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Many thanks. On examination, there would not seem to be a problem with the hammer. Thanks again!

BruceHH said:

As I understand the issue, CCI is the only producer of percussion caps in the US and they only do it seasonal - meaning whenever they want to. The market has been hot for regular primers for some time now and they stayed with making those. We are a very small part of their market. Supposedly they produce most if not all of the other brands of caps. The caps are produced on the same machinery that regular primers are made on and they have to shut down, do a little machinery conversion and then make our caps. The good news is someone talked to them at the Shot Show and they stated they would produce some caps soon.

My understanding with the RWS caps is that due to the war in Ukraine, they are only producing primers for military ammo at this time.

Click to expand...

I have been told there is currently no national distributor for RWS caps in the US and no one is in the wings to do so.

It's the pits on the caps, i do have musket caps n nipples for my T/C. I am just stuck on my 1860 Army, only have 70 #10 caps left. Reckon i will just keep on shooting my rock sparkers

Sir Boniface Harrison said:

I actally have one of those on order, the problem is they use match heads powdered and compressed, as an igniter. Whilst I have no problem with this as such, one or two pople have said that match head stuff is potassium Chlorate, which is more corrosive than other materials. Needs must, though!

Click to expand...

If the match heads don't pan out the prime all or same chemicals should work in those empties.
Probably going to destroy them first shot though.
Or get a die and some aluminum cans and get whacking.

Our local store has them hanging on the wall, I just bought 400 for $36.00 That price has gone up but they are available. Of course we have three Walmart within 5 miles
North central Arizona

Sir Boniface Harrison said:

Can anyone tell me? My only source of primers is the Naturabuy site *France) and all I see is a bunch of profiteers selling them in bags of 50 for as many Euros, or people selling them for 26 Euros for 250... and when you scroll down to the bottom he page, you find that the shipping charge is another 26 Euros! Will this situation improve, or is my hobby to be made ufeasibly expensive on account of the profiteers on Naturabuy?

Click to expand...

Forget Naturabuy, which is a den of thieves, and not just for primers, but for everything else too, I don't even understand why you can buy there...
Ten days ago, I bought a thousand CCI primers in a small seaside gun shop for a hundred and fifty euros, hardly more than before the shortage.
Look elsewhere, and stop at all the small gun shops in the towns you pass through on your way to work or elsewhere.
There are still plenty of stocks everywhere: in Absurdistan (perhaps Macronistan for you), BP shooting, is in constant decline, in this fact, a lot of gunsmiths who had stocked up, haven't sold.
The Internet is convenient, not tiring, but not as effective as research...

You mustn't forget that FLINT and MATCHLOCK are the future of percussion...

PS: sur les fusil, il reste la possibilité de modifier les cheminées pour utiliser des quatre ailettes et là il y a du stock à pas cher...
-- on rifles, it is always possible to modify the nipples to use four-fin primers for Sharps and muskets and there's stock low bargain price ...