Finally: New Primer Manufacturer Coming Online

[Ben B.]

I'll try a new brand of primers if the price is reasonable. I'm not out of primers yet, but probably will be in another year or so.

 

[VanceInWA]

I'll try a new brand of primers if the price is reasonable. I'm not out of primers yet, but probably will be in another year or so.

That's my perspective as well. I keep track of my primer stock and now down to 6,151 (various sizes). Stocked-up supply has seen me through the market aberration so far, but it's starting to feel a bit light and won't last. I'm totally open to trying a new brand and testing results, but of course won't be jumping at a price of $130 (or more) per brick as quoted by oremike.

 

[oremike]

Hopefully their price comes down to to what the other American made primers are.

 

[BAJ475]

About two years ago, you could buy all the primers (and ammo) you wanted for reasonable prices.

There were multiple warnings here and elsewhere, to buy cheap and stack deep.

I am given to understand that ammo component manufacturers are running 24/7 to meet demand.

Whose fault is it that a person doesn't have what they need?

Whose fault? The government's because they restricted or blocked the import of foreign, mainly Russian - Wolf & Tula, primers. I did buy cheap and stacked deep but it was mainly luck not foresight. My goal was to minimize my costs, including hazmat fees, so I bought in 10 to 20K quantities when there were good sales.

 

[The Heretic]

Whose fault? The government's because they restricted or blocked the import of foreign, mainly Russian - Wolf & Tula, primers. I did buy cheap and stacked deep but it was mainly luck not foresight. My goal was to minimize my costs, including hazmat fees, so I bought in 10 to 20K quantities when there were good sales.

Then you were wise and paid attention

Or you were lucky.

I've had no problems picking up Ruskie ammo on the private market.

 

[Local Loader]

Whose fault? The government's because they restricted or blocked the import of foreign, mainly Russian - Wolf & Tula, primers. I did buy cheap and stacked deep but it was mainly luck not foresight. My goal was to minimize my costs, including hazmat fees, so I bought in 10 to 20K quantities when there were good sales.

They didn't block just Russia import they blocked all primer import from Canada, Mexico and all other foreign locations.

 

[WillametteWill]

Proof is in the pudding. If Olin and Vista had not failed the market,

Perhaps a different perspective here; they didn't fail their market, their market shifted to manufactured ammo for all the new gun buyers to become hooked on their brand. This is just good business. I don't like it as a reloader, but I understand it as a free market capitalist.

As others have said many times in these threads, including me, this was the most predictable ammo / component shortage in the history of ever. It was a train wreck in very slow motion beginning in early 2020. I do have sympathy for folks that are new to firearms or who were not in a position to invest in stock at the time.

 

[P7M13]

From a statistical perspective, there's a 50:50 chance Lone Star will bite the dust in their first five years.
I think I have enough to last me through that trial period. By then, their product pricing should reflect market conditions.
This thread seems destined to the locked pile, so I will add my 2¢ rather than the pithy "IBTL":
To all those who think Olin and Vista screwed you, get over it.
If you don't have enough, your own lack of preparedness got you in this pinch.
Capitalism works, governments will meddle, and shenanigans are an integral part of capitalism -- why do you think our illustrious Representatives and Senators do so well?
If you think any of this would work better under price controls or other restrictions, we're all in for a good reaming.

 

[Ben B.]

I freely admit that I had no idea that Covid would be such a big deal or that it would last so long. In 2019, I decided to turn all my components into loaded ammo, and nearly did load em all. In Dec 2019, those empty primer shelves made me nervous, and I restocked in the nick of time. But I was expecting primer shortages to last until sometime in 2021.

 

[BAJ475]

Then you were wise and paid attention

Or you were lucky.

I've had no problems picking up Ruskie ammo on the private market.

Lucky. I stacked up 5 to 6 years ago when I was paying between 2 and 2.5 cents per primer and the high end was only for CCI 41 primers.

 

[po18guy]

Horrible governmental entry barriers are the opposite of capitalism.

As judge Andrew Napolitano states: Regulation means "to make regular"
So they are restrictions and not merely regulations. Always happens when you give humans power over other humans.

 

[po18guy]

I'll try a new brand of primers if the price is reasonable. I'm not out of primers yet, but probably will be in another year or so.

Ya know, if everyone would have stocked up and stored in times of plenty...
What comes after "times of plenty"?

 

[VanceInWA]

They didn't block just Russia import they blocked all primer import from Canada, Mexico and all other foreign locations.

I don't know if there has been active governmental blocking of foreign made primers or not, but the lack of same in the American marketplace certainly seems to point that direction. For example, while I don't personally go for Wolf or Tula primers, Fiocci primers from Italy have been totally missing in action as well. If the "big excuse" peddled by Olin and Vista fanboys is that the massive influx in new U.S. gun buyers forced Olin and Vista to allocate all their primers to ammunition production, then how exactly did that sink primer imports from overseas countries like Italy, Russia, Serbia, etc.?

 

[po18guy]

Fiocchi is a NATO supplier, and it seems that much production capacity has been sucked up in Europe. They make ammo in the US, but primers seem to be sourced in Italy. Bear in mind that an EU edict from Brussels could stop ammo exports from EU nations. A rather fragile situation, what with world politics.

But what am I talking about? For the next few years, we're pretty much sunk here too.

 

[Local Loader]

I don't know if there has been active governmental blocking of foreign made primers or not, but the lack of same in the American marketplace certainly seems to point that direction. For example, while I don't personally go for Wolf or Tula primers, Fiocci primers from Italy have been totally missing in action as well. If the "big excuse" peddled by Olin and Vista fanboys is that the massive influx in new U.S. gun buyers forced Olin and Vista to allocate all their primers to ammunition production, then how exactly did that sink primer imports from overseas countries like Italy, Russia, Serbia, etc.?

I tried before to order some CCI primers from Canada just last year and was told the US barred any import of primers. Same goes for Aguila and Rio primers as well from Mexico.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I tried before to order some CCI primers from Canada just last year and was told the US barred any import of primers. Same goes for Aguila and Rio primers as well from Mexico.

Pure capitalism.

Not.

 

[2ndtimer]

If the Lone Star brand of primers (or whatever their final name will be) truly intends to charge $130 a brick then it will be interesting to see how long they last in the market. Seemingly, would not be too difficult for Olin and Vista to obliterate them with price cutting. However, the idea that they will merely be a forwarder instead of manufacturer of primers seems curious, for a couple reasons. First, because they have purchased a former ammunition manufacturing facility. Second, the owner of the parent company, Richard A. Smissen of Expansion Industries, was interviewed by the Texarkana Gazette newspaper (the facility is located outside of Texarkana) and quoted as saying, "We have invested $100 million into the site so far." That seems a pretty steep up-front investment for a business that will be forwarding freight as opposed to manufacturing. He also indicated it will be a fully modern "production facility" and indicated they've set a goal of hiring 400 people by year's end. To put that hiring goal in perspective, I was involved in development of a new 1.5 million square foot distribution center for intake and shipping of overseas products here in the Portland-Vancouver area. It employs fewer than 15% of the people planned by Lone Star because the facility is both brand new and fully automated. So again, it seems curious to hear that their intent is to just forward product that is manufactured overseas.

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but I will believe the "new primer factory in Texas" story when I see their products online and on shelves of retailers. I did some research, and it appeared that the local news article misquoted the company spokesperson. The company did not invest $100 million. (I seriously doubt the company has ever had anywhere close to that), but that the site they had acquired had had over $100 million invested in it (as a former federal government munitions manufacturer). The only positive in that regard is that it can be reopened under the existing zoning/prior use approval and can be licensed to manufacture the products planned. Also, consider the substantial start up costs of construction and don't expect a new company to immediately offer any significant price cuts. Far more likely that they plan on riding the wave of $80+ primer bricks to recoup start up costs. I hope I am wrong, as we would all like to see sub $50 bricks of primers of all kinds on shelves again. Of course, most of us would also like to see the current President and Vice President out of the White House, too. And that's not happening anytime soon, either.

 

[oremike]

I'm going to tip toe lightly here, but it looks like the property bought (at least part of it) is a super fund Haz-met site. So it's not out of the realm of posabilities that the 100 million spent was yours and my money to clean up the mess left by the distructive ordnance disposal.

 

[BAJ475]

They didn't block just Russia import they blocked all primer import from Canada, Mexico and all other foreign locations.

I did not know that. What I observed was that the Wolf and Tula primers I was getting at very good prices, were no longer available.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'm going to tip toe lightly here, but it looks like the property bought (at least part of it) is a super fund Haz-met site. So it's not out of the realm of posabilities that the 100 million spent was yours and my money to clean up the mess left by the distructive ordnance disposal.

I'm pretty sure the $100 mil was their money to invest. If in fact they chose a prior superfund site to build on it probably had something to do with busines.