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It's like a teeter-totter: As the panic buying side goes up, the amount on store shelves goes down, and vice versa.
Something else is happening at the same time as the overall shortage exist. We have some stores locally that are getting in primers at least on a semi-regular basis while others are getting almost nothing. The supply chain is not working well for Bimart, Fisherman's, etc. Sportsmans on the other hand has seemed to have done ok considering the overall shortage. Are the buyers at Bimart and Fisherman's falling down on the job?
 
Something else is happening at the same time as the overall shortage exist. We have some stores locally that are getting in primers at least on a semi-regular basis while others are getting almost nothing. The supply chain is not working well for Bimart, Fisherman's, etc. Sportsmans on the other hand has seemed to have done ok considering the overall shortage. Are the buyers at Bimart and Fisherman's falling down on the job?
What's coming in today was ordered last spring according to the BiMart manager at Orchards.
They probably never guessed things would get this crazy.
 
What's coming in today was ordered last spring according to the BiMart manager at Orchards.
They probably never guessed things would get this crazy.
I had no idea orders would need to be put in that far ahead. Has anybody seen Federal primers at Bimart in recent years? The local bimarts I visit mostly seem to carry CCI and Winchester primers. Since Federal has seemed to be the most frequent brand being resupplied at Sportsmans maybe bimart is missing out because they don't sell much of that brand?
 
Forgot to add that the Sportsmans employee told me they are starting to announce on their facebook page when primers and ammo are going to be stocked on shelves. I don't do facebook but I was able to view this with out a facebook acct. Here is an example of announcement from Jan 20th:

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82nd store page: https://m.facebook.com/SportsmansPortland/
 
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I think we're under estimating the magnitude of this. The future of the nation is in the balance and we're discussing the availability of primers. The cause of which is a much darker cloud that could destroy much more than we can imagine. Sport shooting is over for at least the next four years.
 
I think we're under estimating the magnitude of this. The future of the nation is in the balance and we're discussing the availability of primers. The cause of which is a much darker cloud that could destroy much more than we can imagine. Sport shooting is over for at least the next four years.
I think people's dramatic over reaction is the cause of this "dark cloud" and the panic buying. Things could be a whole lot worse.
 
Something else is happening at the same time as the overall shortage exist. We have some stores locally that are getting in primers at least on a semi-regular basis while others are getting almost nothing. The supply chain is not working well for Bimart, Fisherman's, etc. Sportsmans on the other hand has seemed to have done ok considering the overall shortage. Are the buyers at Bimart and Fisherman's falling down on the job?
Suppliers tend to have favorite retailers - those who purchase their entire line of goods and not just items that are in high demand or have limited appeal across the board. In the 70s, when S&W M29s were scarce, John Jovino and Co. allotted the few they would receive to their biggest buyers, as nothing would be gained by distributing them to small buyers who were interested only in the M29s and would not purchase other products or purchase them consistently.

Additionally, primer makers are loathe to increase production beyond their comfort level, as quality would suffer and one bad batch of primers will ruin their reputation for years ahead. The flip side is that a huge investment in primer making machinery will not pay off once the demand drops and machines fall idle. There are many other factors, but the market is made of humans buying and selling, and they are fickle - that trait producing scarcity.
 
I would be happy to see more foreign primers coming in. Cabelas carried S&B for awhile and they were great, cheap too. But I haven't seen them in years. I wish I would have bought more when they were $20 a brick. Is this shortage a worldwide problem? Are we not letting in shipments of primers from overseas? Did all the expert foreign primer makers die of Covid? We haven't had any large scale shoot em up wars for some time where are all the military primers. The goverment should tap in to the Strategic Primer Reserves to help ease the supply crunch.
 
Something else is happening at the same time as the overall shortage exist. We have some stores locally that are getting in primers at least on a semi-regular basis while others are getting almost nothing. The supply chain is not working well for Bimart, Fisherman's, etc. Sportsmans on the other hand has seemed to have done ok considering the overall shortage. Are the buyers at Bimart and Fisherman's falling down on the job?

National chains have been able to get some stock, local shops and regional chains seem to be getting less. That makes sense to me, you have to service your biggest customers first. One of the biggest stores near me, that is way better in terms of staff knowledge and selection than the national stores, is not a chain, just two locations. They've had a harder time getting stock than the Sportsman's 5 miles away. Who knows if this plays out the same way everywhere, but that is what I've observed in my location.
 
National chains have been able to get some stock, local shops and regional chains seem to be getting less. That makes sense to me, you have to service your biggest customers first. One of the biggest stores near me, that is way better in terms of staff knowledge and selection than the national stores, is not a chain, just two locations. They've had a harder time getting stock than the Sportsman's 5 miles away. Who knows if this plays out the same way everywhere, but that is what I've observed in my location.
I would think cabelas and bass pro would have more pull than Sportsmans but Cabelas hasn't had nearly the supply coming in as Sportsmans. Maybe Sportsmans primer buyer has something to do with it.

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National chains have been able to get some stock, local shops and regional chains seem to be getting less. That makes sense to me, you have to service your biggest customers first. One of the biggest stores near me, that is way better in terms of staff knowledge and selection than the national stores, is not a chain, just two locations. They've had a harder time getting stock than the Sportsman's 5 miles away. Who knows if this plays out the same way everywhere, but that is what I've observed in my location.
The comments from Federal support your "hunch" as they've said they are catering to their biggest clients and orders first.
 
May I make a suggestion? How about not announcing to the world when you see primers, powder, ammo, etc. at a location. I know people like to help out but it also alerts the vultures that are flipping all of this stuff. There are enough people loitering around these places waiting to pounce.
 
May I make a suggestion? How about not announcing to the world when you see primers, powder, ammo, etc. at a location. I know people like to help out but it also alerts the vultures that are flipping all of this stuff. There are enough people loitering around these places waiting to pounce.
The vultures already know, they don't look to us for leads. The average joe doesn't and they are the ones who can benefit from the announcements here.
 
The vultures already know, they don't look to us for leads. The average joe doesn't and they are the ones who can benefit from the announcements here.
+1
I appreciate it when forum members alert other members to firearms supplies.. I also do not think many scalpers are getting their leads on ammo from these threads... The more options members have to purchase ammo, the less likely they will pay scalper prices.
 
During the last time around, with .22 ammo, I remember someone telling me in detail about how to pick up lots of ammo. It involved the usual things like bot programs and carefully timed daily routes to all the usual stores. That's how you find ammo, he said; anyone can do it.

It reminds me a little of guys on a reloading forum some years back, talking about how to accumulate lead wheel weights. They went into detail about how to take buckets with your name and number to every tire shop in town, bring doughnuts or pizza every week, and tell them how you give any proceeds to kids' programs and such. Anyone could do it and soon you'd be the guy and have all the scrap lead in town.

I replied and told them that I had been to just about every tire shop around, and completely struck out. Every single place I went to told me sorry, they already had a guy. He brings them pizza and doughnuts, and buckets with his name and number on it, and he does it all for the kids! (True story, by the way)
 
On the subject of shortages. Does anyone (or do YOU) see a reoccurring theme here?

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And the threat of....
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And today we actually got this (though the news predicted his WIN really early in the cycle).....
joe-biden-2-thumbs-up.jpg

Rrrrrright......so blame it on Covid and whatever else (if it makes you feel better).

Aloha, Mark
 

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