Primer Shortage?

[Mike357]

Has anybody else noticed a shortage of Primers in retailers at the moment? Hannams quoted 4-6 weeks for pistol Primers this morning. Didn't have any last month either.

Thanks to Dromia for having supplies, picking them up next week.

[ovenpaa]

Urgh... we seem to get this quite often.

I buy primers by the thousand and then replace them when stock drops below 300. I/we have 4 primer type/makes in the house and they will number around 1000 right now so time to stock up again soon. I have read on other forums of American shooters buying 10K primers at a time and I know of a couple of UK shooters going down the same path with reloading consumables.

Personally I cannot afford to buy enough stock for our next 5 years shooting in one hit and if others do then people will hear of low stocks, panic buy and we will end up with empty shelves and inflated prices.

Makes me wonder how many UK shooters actually apply for a licence to hold more than 5Kg of shooters powders.... :?:

[Sim G]

Makes me wonder how many UK shooters actually apply for a licence to hold more than 5Kg of shooters powders.... :?:

Sssshhhhh......

[ovenpaa]

Being a black powder shooter the FEO turned up one evening to present me with an advisory notice on storage of powders, so I proudly showed him my purpose built robust lockable wooden chest for storing powders and primers, he admitted I was the first person he had met that actually had the correct storage provision and I showed him the inside with the dividers so he knew exactly what I was storing and how. He did not comment on the number of tubs and nor did I

I know commercial people such as RFD's need a certificate to store >5kgs (Including primer content and loaded ammunition) I seem to remember it is around GBP100 but I have never been sure if we as private individuals need to pay for the certificate if it is for non commercial use. That is of course assuming we would ever exceed the 5kg limit!

[Alpha1]

Vitavouri comes in 1KG tubs you only need to have five different powders of different burning rates to take you to the 5KG mark. I better go check how much I actually have.
I wasnt aware you needed a licence to keep over 5KG un less you refering to black poder.

[rox]

Vitavouri comes in 1KG tubs

The 3.5 Kg tubs can be much better value, almost as good as buying by the 20Kg. Harder to get hold of, though, and usually only available for the most popular rates.

I wasnt aware you needed a licence to keep over 5KG

I don't think it is too onerous to obtain one (apart from the fee), e.g. no minimum building separation etc.

..

[Sandgroper]

From BASC

http://www.basc.org.uk/en/how-to/guns/h ... inners.cfm

The law is fairly relaxed. You do not need a shotgun certificate to buy the components, though some suppliers may ask to see it. There is a limit to the amount of propellant you can keep – 5kg, and this includes the weight of primers as well, since they too are explosive.

There are no special legal requirement for storage other than keeping the powder well away from any source of heat. Otherwise normal health and safety rules apply.

also from

http://www.reloading.pwp.blueyonder.co. ... eguide.pdf

8. Storing Nitro-cellulose based powders.
Nitro-cellulose propellants are usually hazard type 3. No separation distance applies for stores of
powder less than 25kg*. A home loader does not need to comply with the ACoP paragraphs 410 -
420 i.e. does not have to store nitro-cellulose propellants in a partitioned wooden box so long as he
is storing LESS than 25Kg.
* However your premises must be registered with the police for storage of nitro powder over 5 kg as per the
amounts listed below in sections 10 & 11.

[ovenpaa]

Lets take a hypothetical shooter, he is a reloader as well. He is licensed to hold say 1000 rounds each of .223/.308 and .303 plus 1500 rounds of rim fire. He keeps a mix of small and large rifle primers and needs 5 different powders for a mix of projectile weights (Notice the use of the word projectiles and not heads )

So theoretically he could be holding 1500 rounds, plus 1500 primers, plus 8kgs of powder and lets not forget the 500 odd shotgun cartridges he has under the bed...

is it just a matter of advising the police or is he going to have to pay for the storage, and equally as important has he told his house insurers? Our Insurance broker knows we have firearms in the house and the chap at the other end of the phone did pause for a moment before asking if we kept them locked up LMAO...

[Christel]

Don't forget that if there are two shooters in the household then the 5 kilo max still applies, it is not per person, it is per household.

[Robin128]

Re the limit to the amount of propellant you can keep – 5kg, this includes the weight of primers as well, since they too are explosive.

http://www.basc.org.uk/en/how-to/guns/h ... inners.cfm