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The change occurred with the 1986 FOPA which did a lot to reign in the ATF which had been like a rabid dog off the chain since the passage of the 68 GCA. The FOPA did a lot to restore seriously curtailed gun owner rights , allowed the importation of surplus which had been almost all but shut off after 1968 and allowed gun owners to mail order ammunition and reloading components.

Prior to that time you had to go to the gun store and the dealer had to keep a log of how much ammunition he sold . I do remember it well and yes during those times it was largely cheaper to load your own ammo than it was to buy it in a lot of instances. That did not really change until FOPA was passed.


I hear a lot of people who were not alive during that time bemoan Reagan signing FOPA into law cause we lost the ability to buy new machine guns , but what most people honestly do not understand is that we gained more than we lost with the passage of FOPA and the Hughes Amendment
Thanks, I know someone had mentioned this before but I could not remember the when. When I started to roll I rolled everything I shot as price and the hassle of buying. Not long after they started letting us order I stopped bothering with a few things like 9mm. Still have what I need to do it again if needed but it's so cheap to just buy it I don't bother. If I get down to the last case of 9 before price drops I will have to start again. Nice to know the stuff is there.
 
Thanks, I know someone had mentioned this before but I could not remember the when. When I started to roll I rolled everything I shot as price and the hassle of buying. Not long after they started letting us order I stopped bothering with a few things like 9mm. Still have what I need to do it again if needed but it's so cheap to just buy it I don't bother. If I get down to the last case of 9 before price drops I will have to start again. Nice to know the stuff is there.

in the late 90's early 2000's I all but stopped reloading in it's entirety because I was able to buy surplus 5.56 and surplus 308 for roughly $100 delivered . When you can buy loaded ammo for a dime a round it really doesn't make sense to load it. During those days I was just loading small batches of hunting ammunition. Even then I had a propensity to pull bullets from surplus ammo , and use my own bullet after checking charge consistency.
 
The local Bass Pro had large rifle primers. Max purchase was 2 @$8.99ea. Grrrrr.

Notice--Reloading Primers.
Due to increased demand, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's is limiting reloading primers that can be purchased to 1 brick or 10 sleeves per item.
 
The local Bass Pro had large rifle primers. Max purchase was 2 @$8.99ea. Grrrrr.

Notice--Reloading Primers.
Due to increased demand, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's is limiting reloading primers that can be purchased to 1 brick or 10 sleeves per item.
Not to worry. Soon the shelf there will be full, the stuff will be on sale and no one will buy any of it.
 
$8.99, were those benchrest primers?
Not bench rest primers. CCI #200.

CC_LargeRiflePrimersNo.200_R.jpg
 
What's the latest on primer prices? Have they been sitting on retail shelves yet?
If you sign up for Discord, you can get notifications on when primers are in stock. Best bet is to check Natchez, Midway, or Brownells at 9am EST for updates.

Keep in mind that most of the big stores are limiting purchases to 1k/customer for primer types. Add hazmat, tax, and shipping and you're looking at adding $50 to the price.
 
If you sign up for Discord, you can get notifications on when primers are in stock. Best bet is to check Natchez, Midway, or Brownells at 9am EST for updates.

Keep in mind that most of the big stores are limiting purchases to 1k/customer for primer types. Add hazmat, tax, and shipping and you're looking at adding $50 to the price.
I think primers in the classifieds here are right at $100/k commonly.. no hazmat/shipping if picked up in person.
 
There is a big spread between what they charge for Hazmat too. I've seen upwards of $40 just for that but this morning's Midway drop was $12.50 hazmat. Most seem to be around $20
and some have codes for free shipping. But at the end of the day, it's around 90-110 for a single brick.
 
There is a big spread between what they charge for Hazmat too. I've seen upwards of $40 just for that but this morning's Midway drop was $12.50 hazmat. Most seem to be around $20
and some have codes for free shipping. But at the end of the day, it's around 90-110 for a single brick.
Personally, I think the hazmat charge is just another way to make a profit. FedEx only classifies hazmat if it's over 100 lbs. Under that, they don't care.
 
It's definitely getting better. I've picked up 3,500 from Sportsman's, Coastal and Midway in the past 3 weeks (including 1,000 spp from Midway this morning). Been paying just at $50 locally per k and about twice that with Hazmat fee online. Averaged out, that puts me at $3.75 per box of 50 when reloading for primer costs and with other components purchased at pre Kovidcrap prices, I'm good with that.

Blazer brass at under $19 / box is more than I would like to pay but it's out there and generally in stock so I think the lowering of ammo prices will help primers along as well.
 
Personally, I think the hazmat charge is just another way to make a profit. FedEx only classifies hazmat if it's over 100 lbs. Under that, they don't care.
Perhaps that is the case, but the last box I received had all kinds of Hazmat paperwork, stickers, more paperwork, etc. attached to the outside. They are obviously having to do more than stick it in a box like usual.
 
Personally, I think the hazmat charge is just another way to make a profit. FedEx only classifies hazmat if it's over 100 lbs. Under that, they don't care.
I do not think that is correct... I am well stocked on most sizes of primers that I reload and I considered selling some on Gunbroker earlier this year when prices for 1000 were often selling for more than $300. I did some research regarding shipping primers legally via UPS, FedEx, or USPS and you can not just ship primers via FedEx like you were shipping a book... At least not legally.
 
I do not think that is correct... I am well stocked on most sizes of primers that I reload and I considered selling some on Gunbroker earlier this year when prices for 1000 were often selling for more than $300. I did some research regarding shipping primers legally via UPS, FedEx, or USPS and you can not just ship primers via FedEx like you were shipping a book... At least not legally.
The point I was trying to make is that the FedEx driver does not care about the shipment being hazmat until the weight exceeds 100lbs. He doesn't change his hazmat placard to something different nor does the driver need to be hazmat certified. I got this information from a former FedEx driver, so the rules may be different between UPS and FedEx, but I kinda doubt it.
 

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