Primers, Powder, and 9mm

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Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby hard h2o on Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:02 pm

I work at The Worlds Foremost Outfitter.

On Friday after close one of the firearms guys asked who knew about gun powder. I stepped up. We had a couple of boxes of powder (Accurate and IMR). I got their early Saturday morning and stocked it. By the end of the day the display was severely depleted.

I ended up with 4 packs of large pistol primers a 1# jug of IMR Target, and a 1# jug of 4451. I did not want to be greedy.

This morning at 10am someone stocked 25,000 rounds of 9mm. By 2:00 it was gone. I was able to squirrel away 3 boxes. A friend stopped by the store and I gave him 1 of mine. I had not purchased them yet. So I only ended up with 2. Limit is 5 but I was again trying to not be greedy.

I some of you guys were able to stumble on some of that.

A few days ago we got tasked with stripping the firearms counter of their sizable stash. They claim that they need it for new purchasers. The size of their cache mad me think it might not have all been going to customers. Someone got a nice surprise when checking our ammo shelves the next morning.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby crbutler on Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:06 am

They probably could sell more than a few firearms by saying something like buy one of X and you can buy 5 boxes of 9mm/.223 at regular (pre riot) prices.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby smurfman on Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:54 am

I work at a much smaller competitor and it the same for us except the quantities are smaller. 5,000 rounds of 9mm disappear in an hour or two once someone notices it. 45 ACP and 380 ACP last about as long though amounts are usually less.

Everything we get ends up on the shelves to be sold, an employee caught setting aside product for themselves or others will be fired as has happened in other departments. One can't even buy on lunch break as it is a paid break so we are still on the clock. It sucks for those wanting something but unable to purchase it until their shift is done.

The problem selling guns is not having the guns rather than ammo. We can go a week or more between gun shipments and when we get a shipment, quantities tend to be one or maybe two of an item if lucky. Many brands and models are just plain unavailable and have been so for weeks. If we have it, a pistol under $500 will sell quickly and the buyer will hope to find or already have a line on ammo from elsewhere. If it is over $500 it sells slower though the buyer tends to already have some ammo on hand. It's pretty much the same for ARs, if we have them they will sell whether there is ammo on the shelves or not.

Our ammo prices have risen over this time but not as much as some. Most of the cost rise has been due to increases from our distributor (and probably from their source) with the percentage of profit per box actually decreasing though not by a huge amount on a per box basis. Setting aside 5 boxes of ammo per handgun and 5.56 would also take up a sizable amount of high demand inventory and selling that amount at a lower than current price would affect profits a bit too. It is a nice thought but in today's world with poor resupply the economics do not back it for many.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby BigDog58 on Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:22 am

Check out these GB Auctions for Primers

Check out these Gunbroker Auctions and what the bids are for CCI #550 Small Magnum Pistol Primers. These are for One 1000 Primer Brick

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876032083

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876210629

Auction for 5000 Small Pistol Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/875868198

Auction for 5000 CCI #41 Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876397649

Here's a 5000 Large Pistol Primer Auction https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876219928

8000 ea. Federal Small Pistol Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876250627 Starting Bid is $1500.00 (No bidders yet)

A few weeks ago, I saw an 8# Jug of Varget sell for $385...some people are Eff'n Nuts :doh: Or have more money than they have sense
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby hard h2o on Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:27 am

I was there early to shop. We can shop as long as we are off the clock and not in our uniforms. Lunch breaks are fine because we punch out. Just have to change shirts or cover up.

Some here might set aside small things or amounts but the rule is no personal shopping on the clock. For black Friday or other such sales we are not allowed to set aside or save anything. Strictly off the clock shopping for that stuff.

I get asked very often in person or on the phone "do we have 9mm, .223, 5.56, .40, .45, .38, .357...ammo for my glock, ammo for my pistol, buckshot..." When I have checked and know we do not I answer. People think I am lying even though I am the guy stocking the shelves, I check the warehouse and bring out all we have, I have been asked 20 times that day and I can answer that quick because I know. They want me to check in back or give them some that we saved for ourselves. I have checked in back and no we do not have any.

I also do not know what ammo you need for that pistol your dad or grandpa just gave you. If it is black or blue or silver I still cannot tell over the phone what you need. Look at the barrel, Take a picture and bring that in and I will show you what we have. I will also get you a case, lock box, cleaning gear, and eye and ear protection. It is funny the number of people who think they can just buy a gun, load it, set it in a nightstand drawer and they are protected. You need to shoot those things and maybe practice a little.

I work in the hunting department adjacent to firearms. If you do not like the answer that the firearms guy gave you or you think he disrespected you or was rude do not come to me for a second answer. I am going to send you back over there. They know our inventory. I have been asked to move over there and I think I will soon but until then I am not answering firearms questions.

When I do give you alternatives to the ubiquitous buckshot for a shotgun defense load that we do not have feel free to ignore my suggestion and go with the #9 target loads.

I do not believe we have changed our ammo prices. When you can sell everything you get why raise the prices. Our prices might be a bit higher than the big box stores on ammo anyway.

If you want a real nice H&K AR we have one in stock that is very nice and a bit on the spendy side. If your taste runs to high end ARs stop by.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby hard h2o on Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:31 am

BigDog58 wrote:Check out these GB Auctions for Primers

Check out these Gunbroker Auctions and what the bids are for CCI #550 Small Magnum Pistol Primers. These are for One 1000 Primer Brick

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876032083

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876210629

Auction for 5000 Small Pistol Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/875868198

Auction for 5000 CCI #41 Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876397649

Here's a 5000 Large Pistol Primer Auction https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876219928

8000 ea. Federal Small Pistol Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876250627 Starting Bid is $1500.00 (No bidders yet)

A few weeks ago, I saw an 8# Jug of Varget sell for $385...some people are Eff'n Nuts :doh: Or have more money than they have sense


We are not supposed to sell 1000 count bricks of primers. Doesn't stop people from bringing them out and setting them on the shelf. When I see them I open them up and shelve them singly. If you run a price on them from us it will ring up more per 100 if you scan the 1000 count box than it will if you scan the 100 count. Talked to a guy the other day who had just bought a 1000 count from us. I told him to watch out for that.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby Rip Van Winkle on Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:31 am

BigDog58 wrote:8000 ea. Federal Small Pistol Primers https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876250627 Starting Bid is $1500.00 (No bidders yet)

A few weeks ago, I saw an 8# Jug of Varget sell for $385...some people are Eff'n Nuts :doh: Or have more money than they have sense

$1500 for primers and he couldn't even post the photo right-side-up. :roll:
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby hard h2o on Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:54 am

And then we have the magazines. We do not stock every single capacity of magazine for every firearm in existence or has been ever made. We probably do not have in stock at any given moment every magazine for the firearms we sell. It is a shame that someone bought a S&W Shield and also bought the last 2 magazines we had in stock. Please feel free to look through the ones we have. Open the packages and leave them spread about for me to clean up later. Do not pay attention to the clearly marked packages and god forbid you should ask for help.

The holster aisle is a thorn in my side as well. People feel the need to trash the packaging, open them up, leave them scattered and unsaleable... The packages are marked pretty well with what firearm they fit or a range of firearms or sizes.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby andrewP on Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:08 am

hard h2o wrote:We are not supposed to sell 1000 count bricks of primers.


I have never bought primers less than a 1000 count brick at a time, and when retailers break them up into 100 count sleeves and won't sell the bricks whole, I get annoyed and shop elsewhere, because that's just a pain in the hind quarters.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby Holland&Holland on Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:17 am

hard h2o wrote:And then we have the magazines. We do not stock every single capacity of magazine for every firearm in existence or has been ever made. We probably do not have in stock at any given moment every magazine for the firearms we sell. It is a shame that someone bought a S&W Shield and also bought the last 2 magazines we had in stock. Please feel free to look through the ones we have. Open the packages and leave them spread about for me to clean up later. Do not pay attention to the clearly marked packages and god forbid you should ask for help.

The holster aisle is a thorn in my side as well. People feel the need to trash the packaging, open them up, leave them scattered and unsaleable... The packages are marked pretty well with what firearm they fit or a range of firearms or sizes.

I don't understand why they are opening the holster packages. They aren't pulling out their carry gun and trying them are they?
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby smurfman on Sun Aug 23, 2020 12:11 pm

Holland&Holland wrote:
hard h2o wrote:And then we have the magazines. We do not stock every single capacity of magazine for every firearm in existence or has been ever made. We probably do not have in stock at any given moment every magazine for the firearms we sell. It is a shame that someone bought a S&W Shield and also bought the last 2 magazines we had in stock. Please feel free to look through the ones we have. Open the packages and leave them spread about for me to clean up later. Do not pay attention to the clearly marked packages and god forbid you should ask for help.

The holster aisle is a thorn in my side as well. People feel the need to trash the packaging, open them up, leave them scattered and unsaleable... The packages are marked pretty well with what firearm they fit or a range of firearms or sizes.

I don't understand why they are opening the holster packages. They aren't pulling out their carry gun and trying them are they?


For the same reasons they open up packages of ammo (or any other packaged product) that are clearly labeled and have not changed since their development. Putting the item in a clear package doesn't prevent this phenomena from occurring either. I would list the ones I can think of but it would take up more time than I care to devote to the subject.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby crbutler on Mon Aug 24, 2020 2:25 pm

I can think of one reason why. Never done it myself, but maybe I should.

Back when I brought some ammo at Cabelas in Owatonna.

.416 Rigby. This was like $20/ a round.

I get home there are 18 rounds in the box.

Turn around, drive back, with the receipt and tell them what happened.

They point out their sign about no returns/refunds on ammo.

Last goddam time I brought ammo there... and that was back when it actually supposedly cared about customer service.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby westhope on Mon Aug 24, 2020 3:02 pm

When my wife worked in customer service Cabela's (before we were married 15 years ago) they also had the sign "No return on ammo".

Occasionally they would let employees (or their spouse/boyfriend) in the back room to buy the "returned" ammo at about 10 % or less of the price on the tags. I did this a couple times. I got a lot of ammo that way.

They have gotten stricter on their return policy because it was taken advantage too often by customers. My wife had several crazy stories of customer returns for items that supposedly were never removed from the box.
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby Holland&Holland on Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:34 pm

crbutler wrote:I can think of one reason why. Never done it myself, but maybe I should.

Back when I brought some ammo at Cabelas in Owatonna.

.416 Rigby. This was like $20/ a round.

I get home there are 18 rounds in the box.

Turn around, drive back, with the receipt and tell them what happened.

They point out their sign about no returns/refunds on ammo.

Last goddam time I brought ammo there... and that was back when it actually supposedly cared about customer service.


.416 Rigby is expensive for sure but $20 per round? What load were you shooting? I’ve seen over 200 per 20 but 400!!! Dang!
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Re: Primers, Powder, and 9mm

Postby crbutler on Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:24 pm

370 grain Northfork solids. They were superior ammo loads that Cabelas had. I did round the price up.
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