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September 11th, 2011
Federal Ammunition has released a new type of small rifle match primer optimized for AR15s and similar semi-automatic rifles. The new Gold Medal® AR Match Primers, designated GM205MAR, have harder primer cups than the popular Federal 205M match primers. The harder cup is designed to perform better in semi-automatic actions that use free-floating firing pins. A Federal spokesman said that Federal’s “normal” 205M primers were not ideal for use in firearms, such as ARs, with free floating firing pins. Hence Federal designed the new GM205MAR primers. These are available now from major vendors such as Midsouth Shooters Supply, which offers the new GM205MAR primers for $35.22 per thousand.
Other AR-Friendly Primers
For quite some time, CCI has offered its #41 milspec small rifle primer for use in ARs. A CCI #41 primer is a ‘magnum’ strength primer, equivalent to the CCI 450 Small Magnum rifle primer. However, the #41 primer is made with a bigger gap between the tip of the anvil and the bottom of the cup, creating a slightly less sensitive primer. The #41 primer also has a thicker bottom on the cup than the CCI 400 primer.
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July 1st, 2011
 Powder Valley Inc., one of our favorite vendors of powder, primers, and other reloading components, is offering a great Independence Day Deal. If you order online on the 4th of July, you will get 10% off the cost of your entire order. That’s right — 10% off everything you order. But note, this is a one-day deal only. Orders must be placed via the web on the 4th of July, between the hours of 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
 Powder Valley 4th of July Sale
In celebration of our great nation and independence!!!
24 Hour Special Only — CLICK HERE
10% off entire order placed online on the 4th of July.
Order must be placed online between the hours of 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM EDT July 4, 2011. It is best to place your order using Internet Explorer. Only orders completed during these hours will receive a 10% discount. NO EXCEPTIONS! Note: this does not apply to Hazmat fees or shipping charges.
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June 25th, 2011
Graf’s is running a cool special right now on CCI and Federal primers. If you purchase any two (2) cases of primers listed below, Graf’s will pay the $25 Hazardous Materials Fee. One case of primers contains five, 1000-count boxes of primers. The discounted sale prices, plus the free Hazmat Fee, makes this a very good deal — provided you need a whole bunch of primers. Qualifying primer types are: CCI500, CCIBR4, CCIM34, FDGM155M, FD215, FDGM200M, FDGM205M. Note the Fed 205M (match) primers are on sale for $149.99 per case, which works out to $30 per thousand. Kick in the free Hazmat and that’s very competitive pricing.
To take advantage of this deal, you may want to bundle an order with one of your shooting buddies — or perhaps organize a group buy with other members of your shooting club. And here’s the good news — that FREE Hazmat will cover other items (such as powder) up to a total weight of 50 lbs. of hazardous materials. For example, let’s say your two cases of primers weighs 20 pounds (boxed) — then you’ll have 30 pounds of free hazmat “coverage” left.
Here’s the Fine Print
Note — These prices only apply to internet purchases. The offer is limited to ONE free Hazmat fee per order. All ordered items must be in stock. To qualify, orders must be able to ship via FedEx Ground.
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome submissions from our readers.
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June 24th, 2011
Bruno Shooters Supply is selling Federal 205M Small Rifle Match primers for just $27.95 per 1000-ct box. That’s a very attractive price — just a couple years ago, these primers were very hard to find, and were selling for nearly fifty bucks per box. Now Bruno’s has 205Ms available for immediate delivery at prices that are $10.00 – $12.00 per box cheaper than some other major vendors. If you prefer the 205Ms for your .223 Rems, PPCs, BRs and 6.5×47 Lapuas, here’s a chance to grab a good supply without breaking the bank. Note, however, that the $27.95/box price does NOT include shipping and hazmat fee. To order these primers, call Amy Bruno at 1-800-455-0350, or (623) 587-7641, or log on to www.Brunoshooters.com.
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome submissions from our readers.
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June 19th, 2011
Cabela’s Web Deals and In-Store Sales
Cabelas.com is offering a wide variety of Father’s Day web specials — we list some of the best deals for hunters and shooters below. Plus there are in-store-only sales at most Cabela’s retail outlets around the country. CLICK HERE for a list of stores, then click “Store Info” for the store nearest you. That will take you to a page where you can view the Father’s Day flyer for that store.
 Peltor Tactical 6 Electronic Muffs
Sale Price: $59.99, Reg. $74.99
Peltor’s new Tactical 6 electronic muffs respond within two milli-seconds, suppressing all sounds (including gunshots) over 82dB. But normal human conversation and range commands remain audible. Independent volume controls on each ear cup let you customize amplification while the stereo microphones enhance sound localization. The folding design stores easily in your shooting bag. The backband eliminates interference with a hat. The Tactical 6 weighs only 8.8 oz. It runs up to 200 hours on four AAA batteries (not included).
 2×4 Basics® Bench Kit (Lumber not included)
Sale Price: $79.99, Reg. $99.99
Build your own custom work bench for reloading, house projects or tool and gear storage. You determine the size — just add appropriate 2 x 4 lengths and plywood or particle board to the included legs to make a work bench up to 8′ x 4′. Only straight 90° cuts are required. Six shelf links let you add shelves to the bench or use them for a separate shelf system. Each shelf will hold up to 1,000 lbs. Comes with two work clamps and four multi-use hooks. All hardware is included. Lumber not included.
 Zeiss 3-9x40mm Conquest Rifle Scope
Sale Price: $399.00, Reg. $499.00
The sharp, bright Zeiss 3-9x40mm Scope is currently on sale at Cabelas (through 6/19/2011) for $399.00. That’s $100 off normal retail for this popular 1″-tube scope, which has been highly rated by owners. Zeiss Conquest scopes are nitrogen-purged and waterproof even with the turret caps removed. This 3-9 scope features long 3-3/4″ eye relief, multi-coated lenses, and a black matte finish. This is a very nice hunting scope. Be aware that the Zeiss elevation knobs rotate in the opposite direction of most domestic scopes.
Grafs.com Web Deals
As a Father’s Day promotion (good ’til midnight 6/20/2011), Graf’s is offering free shipping and handling on orders of $75.00 or more. (This applies to normal shipping fees but does NOT cover HazMat charges). Here are some of the hot deals right now at Grafs.com:
 CCI M41 5.56mm NATO-SPEC Primer (Small Rifle)
Sale Price: $114.99 for 5000 Primers; 24% off normal price
Some military-style semi-auto rifles lack firing pin retraction springs. To avoid the possibility of “slam-fires”, military arsenals employ different primer sensitivity specifications for military ammo, compared to commercial ammunition. CCI makes milspec rifle primers for commercial sale. These M41 milspec primers match military sensitivity specs. Use the same data as CCI Magnum primers.
 PRVI Partizan Bulk .22-Cal Bullet (50 grain or 55 grain)
Sale Price: $9.99 for 100 Bullets, 17% off Normal Price
If you are looking for ultra-low-cost .224-cal bullets for your AR or varmint rifle, these projectiles from PRVI Partizan should fit the bill. These are lead-core, soft-point, flat-based bullets, with a cannelure on the jacket. Two weights are offered at this low, $9.99/100 price. Order the 55-grainers, product Item #: PPB224SP50. Or, if you want a little more velocity from your load, try the 50-grainers, Item #: PPB224SP55.
 Dial Calipers (6″ stainless) with Hi-Viz display
Sale Price: $16.99, Reg. $21.99
This week Grafs.com is offering a set of Stainless Steel Dial Calipers for the rock-bottom price of just $16.99. These feature a dial display (with hi-viz face) with .001” markings. The calipers can measure items up to 6” long. While these units will never replace a fine set of Mitutoyo calipers, they are a handy as a spare set to keep in your range bag or vehicle. You can use them to measure targets, double check ammo load lengths, check for case-head growth, and do a myriad of other tasks. The stainless dial caliper come with fitted storage case.
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January 25th, 2011
Powder Valley has resumed its popular “Free Shipping/Free Hazmat” promotion with TulAmmo primers. These are Russian primers made in the same factory as the Wolf primers. TulAmmo (Tula) primers have the same manufacturer product IDs as Wolf primers and Powder Valley says the TulAmmo primers are identical to the Wolfs in performance.
Free Hazmat and Free Shipping with Order of 10,000 or More Primers
Here’s the deal. If you purchase at least 5,000 TulAmmo primers, Powder Valley will provide free shipping, but you still incur a hazmat charge. If you buy 10,000 TulAmmo primers (two) cases, you can get free shipping AND Powder Valley will pay the hazmat fee for your primers and up to 40 lbs. of additional total product.
Bryan of Powder Valley explains: “We discontinued this special January 1, 2011, but we have gotten so many requests for it we are bringing it back. We have had a tremendous amount of positive feedback regarding the Tula primers. So far we have sold over 20 million of the Tula primers. Feedback has been 100% positive.” Powder Valley plans to offer this special bulk pricing through the end of February, subject to product availability. So, when supplies run out the special deals may be halted. You should get your orders in soon, to take advantage of this deal. Terms of promo listed below:
TulAmmo Primer Specials for 5k and 10K Orders
FREE FREIGHT AND FREE HAZMAT: Order two or more cases (10,000) of Tula primers and Powder Valley will ship to you free. That’s right, no freight, no hazmat, no insurance. You can add up to 40 lbs. of additional product to your order. (Does not include media or shot)
FREE FREIGHT: Order one or more case (5,000) of Tula primers and Powder Valley will ship to you freight free (but you pay hazmat). You can add up to 45 lbs. of additional product to your order under the same hazmat charge of $25.00. Insurance is $0.50 per $100. (Does not include media or shot)
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November 20th, 2010
 Bruno Shooters Supply has just received a big shipment of 205 and 210 standard Federal Primers. Both the 205s and the 210s are now sale-priced at $24.95 per 1000 (that’s a good price). Large quantities are available.
The Federal 205 (small rifle std) and 210 (large rifle std) primers are still sold out at many other vendors. So, if you need Fed Primers, here’s your opportunity. Other Federal, CCI, Winchester and Remington primers are available — please call Bruno’s at (623) 587-7641.
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August 15th, 2010
Powder Valley, a major vendor of powder, primers, brass, bullets, and loaded ammo, has received some large shipments of popular powders including Hodgdon Varget and IMR 8208 XBR. Powder Valley also has the hard-to-find Alliant Reloder 17 powder in stock, in both 1-lb and 5-lb containers.
 Powder Valley Now Stocks Factory-Loaded Ammo
FYI, Powder Valley is now stocking quality factory-loaded ammo from Lapua, Hornady, Nosler, Prvi Partizan, and Wolf. If you’re looking for match-grade Lapua factory ammo or the Hornady .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .30-06 ammo, give Powder Valley a call at 800-227-4299.
Powder Valley Inventory Updates on Facebook
Powder Valley now posts recent product arrivals on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account you can link to the Powder Valley page to get the latest updates.
August 13
IMR 8208: Finished up the backorders on 8208 8#. We received in about 200 kegs from Hodgdon last week and have filled backorders that were placed prior to June 25.
August 12
Large shipments of primers received over the last couple days. Received 2 million Winchester, 1.2 million Federal, 1.5 million Rem and 6 million Tula. Also received large shipment of Winchester brass.
August 6
Varget 8-lb jugs have arrived. We won’t update the website until Monday. Facebookers go ahead and put your order in now and you will get first dibs.
August 2
Received in about 2 million Remington primers. Also, received a large shipment of backorders from Berger. We will be receiving about 125,000 Federal Small Pistol primers later this week and about 2-2.5 million in 3-4 weeks. We will begin listing these primers on the website August 3 so you can place an order if you would like.
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August 10th, 2010
 Young Entrepreneurs Launch LuckyGunner.com
What happens when two dedicated sport shooters, one of whom is an IT specialist, find they aren’t able to source the ammo and reloading supplies they need? Well, they start their own company! The acute ammo/component shortages of the past two years inspired the creation of LuckyGunner.com. LuckyGunner.com’s story is like most American success stories: a combination of hard work, entrepreneurial innovation, and some good fortune. The co-founders, both under age 30, successfully navigated the Obama-induced ammunition shortage, the Great Recession, and the normal challenges faced by all small-business owners to transform their idea into a shooting supplies website generating over $3,200,000 of revenue in its first twelve months.
 Among ammunition and component vendors, LuckyGunner.com is somewhat unique — it “doesn’t do back-orders”. Through an advanced “real-time” inventory system, everything that displays on the LuckyGunner.com website is guaranteed to be in stock. LuckyGunner.com also ships orders fast — normally all orders placed before 3:00 pm EST will ship that same day or on the following business day.
Extensive In-Stock Ammo Inventory
Most of the loaded ammunition carried by LuckyGunner.com is for handguns, but the company is building up its selection of name-brand rifle ammo in popular calibers: .308 Win, .223 Rem, .243 Win, 30-06, 7.62×39 and more. And of course LuckyGunner.com maintains a huge supply of 22LR and 17HMR rimfire ammo in stock. Hand-loaders will be pleased to note that Luckygunner.com has plenty of primers in stock, of all flavors: CCI, Federal, Fiocchi, Remington, Winchester, Wolf.
Frustrations with Other Vendors Inspired Creation of LuckyGunner.com
Luckygunner’s founders had themselves experienced the frustration of waiting long periods for merchandise: “We were already customers of other online retailers and simply realized that all our normal sources were chronically out-of-stock.” This frustration was compounded by the common industry practice of accepting orders for out-of-stock product and then notifying frustrated customers only days later that the order could not be fulfilled for several weeks or months.
A New Business Model Based on Fast Shipping with No Back Orders
LuckyGunner.com was created to “deliver the goods” without long wait times. One of the company’s founders told us: “We are built exclusively on the twin ideas of fast-shipping and not doing back-orders — ever. The Obama-induced ammo rush prompted us to open our online doors because we just couldn’t find what we needed on a regular basis…and when we did find what we were looking for, we couldn’t be sure that the [other vendor] actually had it in stock or just hadn’t updated their website. Hence, the on-site live inventory counter next to each product listing. So far, our customers have responded really positively to this focus on fast shipping with no back-orders.”
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December 16th, 2009
 Here’s a nice early Christmas present for precision shooters. Quantities of CCI small and large rifle primers (including BR2 and BR4) have arrived at many of the more popular vendors. Wolf primers are in decent supply and we’re starting to see Remington primers on the shelves. Federal primers are still very hard to find. Shown below are some available rifle primer inventories as of December 16, 2009.
NOTE: Product availability and pricing subject to immediate change. If you need primers, act quickly — this stuff may all be gone in a couple days.
Powder Valley
CCI BR4 SMALL RIFLE BENCHREST primers — IN STOCK at $37.00 per 1000 primers
CCI 400 SMALL RIFLE primers — IN STOCK at $24.00 per 1000 primers
CCI 450 SMALL RIFLE primers — IN STOCK at $24.00 per 1000 primers
CCI BR2 LRG RIFLE BENCHREST primers — IN STOCK at $37.00 per 1000 primers
WOLF SMALL RIFLE MAGNUM primers — IN STOCK at $25.50 per 1000 primers
WOLF LARGE RIFLE PRIMERS — IN STOCK at $25.50 per 1000 primers
Grafs.com
CCI BR2 LRG RIFLE BENCHREST primers — IN STOCK at $202.00 per 5000 primers
Bruno Shooters Supply
CCI BR4 SMALL RIFLE BENCHREST primers — IN STOCK at $59.95 per 1000 primers
CCI 400 SMALL RIFLE primers — IN STOCK at $44.95 per 1000 primers
CCI 5.56 SMALL RIFLE primers — IN STOCK at $44.95 per 10000 primers
REM 9.5 LARGE RIFLE primers — IN STOCK at $44.96 per 1000 primers.
WOLF SMALL RIFLE MAGNUM primers — IN STOCK at $26.95 per 1000 primers
WOLF LARGE RIFLE PRIMERS are IN STOCK at $26.95 per 1000 primers
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November 29th, 2009
Sinclair International has some nice deals for the holidays. And, through Monday 11/30/2009 at 11:59 pm, if your online order totals $200.00 or more, you can save an additional 10% using Promo Code SAVE10. Here are some of the good holiday deals.
Wolf Small Magnum Primers: $31.24 per 1000 primers
Wolf Large Rifle Primers: $32.25 per 1000 primers
The Small Rifle Magnum primers work very well with BR, 6.5 Grendel, 6-6×47, and 6.5×47 cases. The Large Rifle Primers are a good choice for 6XC, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win, .284 Win and 30-06. We list this product here, not so much because the price is the best, but because readers are constantly asking us “where can I get Wolf primers?”. If you need them, Sinclair Int’l has them in stock right now. (NOTE: Wolf regular Small Rifle Primers, which shoot great in PPCs, are still out of stock.)
RCBS ChargeMaster Combo, Scale and Dispenser: $299.99 (Reg. $328.40)
This is the device that created an electronic revolution in reloading. The latest generation of Chargemasters is more reliable than ever. If you make sure the unit is level in all planes, and you have good, uniform current, the Chargemasters will deliver very consistent charges. With H4350, a fairly long extruded powder, our tests showed that 48 out of 50 throws were within the claimed ± one-tenth of a grain (0.1 grain) spread. Sinclair’s $299.99 price is very good, and with the 10% off SAVE10 Promo Code you’ll pay $269.99, which is cheaper that both Midsouth ($279.99), and Natchez ($279.95)
Sinclair/Wilson Ultimate Micrometer Trimmer w/ Shark Fin, $134.95 (Reg. $145.00)
By most standards, this is the best manual case trimmer on the market. The micrometer on this trimmer effortlessly adjusts cutting lengths, so it’s easy to change from one cartridge type to another. Changing trim length on a Forster or Lyman trimmer is much more time-consuming, requiring you to fiddle around with set screws, and possibly replace pilots and collets. With a Wilson trimmer, you DO have to purchase case-holders for your cartridges, but that’s often cheaper than buying the pilots and/or collets required by other manual trimmers. Remember that a Wilson case holder will often work for a whole family of cartridges. For example a single .308 case-holder will work for a .243 Win, Rem 260, 7mm-08, or .308 Win.
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October 24th, 2009
We are often asked “Can I get more velocity by switching primer types?” The answer is “maybe”. The important thing to know is that changing primer types can alter your load’s performance in many ways — velocity average, velocity variance (ES/SD), accuracy, and pressure. Because there are so many variables involved you can’t really predict whether one primer type is going to be better or worse than another. This will depend on your cartridge, your powder, your barrel, and even the mechanics of your firing pin system.
Interestingly, however, a shooter on another forum recently did a test with his .308 Win semi-auto. Using Hodgdon Varget powder and Sierra 155gr Palma MatchKing (item 2156) bullets, he found that Wolf Large Rifle primers gave slightly higher velocities than did CCI-BR2s. Interestingly, the amount of extra speed (provided by the Wolfs) increased as charge weight went up, though the middle value had the largest speed variance. The shooter observed: “The Wolf primers seemed to be obviously hotter and they had about the same or possibly better ES average.” See table:
| Varget .308 load |
45.5 grains |
46.0 grains |
46.5 grains |
| CCI BR2 Primers |
2751 fps |
2761 fps |
2783 fps |
| Wolf LR Primers |
2757 fps |
2780 fps |
2798 fps |
| Speed Delta |
6 fps |
19 fps |
15 fps |
You can’t extrapolate too much from the table above. This describes just one gun, one powder, and one bullet. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) as they say. However, this illustration does show that by substituting one component you may see significant changes. Provided it can be repeated in multiple chrono runs, an increase of 19 fps (with the 46.0 grain powder load) is meaningful. An extra 20 fps or so may yield a more optimal accuracy node or “sweet spot” that produces better groups. (Though faster is certainly NOT always better for accuracy — you have to test to find out.)
WARNING: When switching primers, you should exercise caution. More speed may be attractive, but you have to consider that the “speedier” primer choice may also produce more pressure. Therefore, you must carefully monitor pressure signs whenever changing ANY component in a load.
Plenty of CCI-BR2 and Wolf Large Rifle Primers in Stock
If you’re looking for either the CCI BR-2 or Wolf Large Rifle Primers, Wideners.com currently has both in stock. The CCI BR2 primers (item CCIBR2) cost $42.50 per 1000. The Wolf LR Primers (item QQQLR KVB-7) cost $29.50 per 1000 OR $142.00 per 5000.
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