Heads Up!

[CT_Shooter]

Ginex, a Bosnian manufacturer of Primers, has paused hiring and expansion plans because of cancelled USAID grants and uncertainty about tariffs on imports to the USA. Ginex’s marketing manager said that high tariffs had been especially disruptive for the ammunition industry. He said, “The problem is that the U.S. is the biggest market and they consume more than they produce.”

According to the article, "America produces only around 2 percent of the primers that domestic companies need to make ammunition".

The United States’ appetite for guns has long provided a steady market for Gorazde’s main industry — the weapons factories built when Bosnia was part of Yugoslavia, a multiethnic communist state that imploded into war in 1991.

Now, the tariffs announced by Mr. Trump for almost all of the United States’ trading partners — including tiny Bosnia — have reverberated around Gorazde.

Ginex, a local company that makes ignition devices used in ammunition, known as primers, has stalled expansion plans as it figures out what the tariff will be on its exports to the United States. Will it be 35 percent, as initially announced by Mr. Trump on April 2? A temporary revised rate of 10 percent announced a week later? Or something else?

“It would stop all our exports,” said Demir Imamovic, Ginex’s marketing manager, referring to the initial tariff hike. Even the revised rate of 10 percent — more than double the previous rate — risks scaring off American customers, he said.

Demir Imamovic, Ginex’s marketing manager, said that high tariffs had been especially disruptive for the ammunition industry. “The problem is that the U.S. is the biggest market and they consume more than they produce,” he said.

The company has postponed its plans to increase its work force to around 1,100 from 850 to meet demand from American ammunition manufacturers, he said.

Shooters World, a South Carolina company that sells gunpowder and primers to American ammunition manufacturers, said it imported 20 million primers from Ginex in October but canceled a shipment planned for April, partly because of the tariffs.

Under Fire From Trump’s Tariffs, Ammo Makers in a Balkan Valley Hunker Down - The New York Times.pdf

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[Mags]

I think the tariff will most likely affect factory ammo. Not so much reloaders. The only primers I have access to are all made is the USA.

Top companies in the United States that produce primers:

Federal Premium Ammunition: This company, which is based in Anoka, Minnesota, produces a wide range of ammunition products, including Winchester primers for both rifles and handguns.

Remington Arms Company: Remington Arms is one of the oldest and most respected names in the ammunition industry. They produce a wide range of ammunition products, including Winchester primers for various caliber firearms.

Hornady Manufacturing Company: Hornady is an American manufacturer of ammunition, bullets, and reloading equipment. They produce Winchester primers for both rifles and handguns.

CCI (Cascade Cartridge Inc.): CCI is an American company that specializes in producing small-caliber ammunition, including Winchester primers for various caliber firearms.

Fiocchi of America: Fiocchi of America is an American subsidiary of the Italian company Fiocchi Munizioni, which specializes in producing ammunition, including Winchester primers for different caliber firearms.

White River Energetics: Des Arc, Arkansas. WRE supports a wide range of domestic and international clients in defense and sporting markets through the manufacture and distribution of primers for small caliber ammunition.

[CT_Shooter]

I think the tariff will most likely affect factory ammo. Not so much reloaders.

Agreed. Though even higher prices for factory ammo might inspire more people to consider reloading as an alternative, creating a higher demand for components.

[Steve51]

Well! You learn something new every day.

I had no idea so many companies made primers for Winchester. I always thought when I bought Winchester primers, they were made by Winchester.

I have always bought CCI, Federal, Winchester, & Remington primers. The Winchester primers I have bought are not silver like the other 3 brands i buy. They have always been more copper or bronze colored.

I really miss the "good ole days"

[Rifletom]

Well! You learn something new every day.

I had no idea so many companies made primers for Winchester. I always thought when I bought Winchester primers, they were made by Winchester.

I have always bought CCI, Federal, Winchester, & Remington primers. The Winchester primers I have bought are not silver like the other 3 brands i buy. They have always been more copper or bronze colored.

I really miss the "good ole days"

Thinking those copper/bronze Winchester primers were made by Remington. Well, as long as they work.

[Mags]

I think the tariff will most likely affect factory ammo. Not so much reloaders.

Agreed. Though even higher prices for factory ammo might inspire more people to consider reloading as an alternative, creating a higher demand for components.

I'm not so sure that people not already reloading would be inspired to start reloading from scratch. This topic gave me an excuse to update my cost of reloading spreadsheet. What I found is that if someone doesn't already have the brass, reloading costs are somewhat on par with the price of factory ammo for some calibers while reloading other calibers costs more than factory ammo today (tomorrow could be a different outcome). Disclaimer here: This is specific to the calibers and components I use to reload.

In general what I found. Assuming the new reloader does not have the brass to start with.
.
.30-30 reloading, price per round, is roughly on par (within a few cents) with buying the least expensive factory ammo. For this caliber the new reloader could buy either new brass or factory ammo for the brass and it'll be a wash. Once enough brass is on hand the reload cost is about 1/2 that of the least expensive factory ammo.
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.223/5.56, without brass on hand, it's about 20c per round more to reload than to buy the least expensive factory ammo. So, buy factory ammo for the brass. Once the new reloader has enough brass on hand it's about 15c per round less expensive to reload.
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45auto, without brass on hand, it's about 20c per round more to reload than to buy the least expensive factory ammo. So, buy factory ammo for the brass. Once the new reloader has enough brass on hand it's about 10c per round less expensive to reload.
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45colt. 45 colt factory ammo is crazy expensive. I used to buy Grizzly 250gr RNFP for about $30 for a box of 50. Now it's slightly more than $72. Other brands are in the $50s and $60s. Still quit a bit more than the old $30ish prices. Without brass on hand, buying new brass and reloading it is about 1/2 the price per round of the least expensive factory ammo. So, buying factory ammo for the brass is to be avoided. Once enough brass becomes on hand, reloading is about 1/4 to 1/3 the price per round of the least expensive factory ammo.
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380auto, without brass on hand, it's about 30c per round more to reload than the least expensive factory ammo. So, buy factory ammo for the brass. If the reloader has brass on hand, reloading their fired brass is on par with the cost of buying the least expensive factory ammo. At least for now it's not worth the time and effort to reload 380 unless it's done for the fun of it.
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That's my findings for components I use. It does not factor in the cost of tools needed to do the reloading steps. That's another level of reloading $$$ overhead. I just don't see anyone not already reloading being inspired to get into it under current conditions. Except for maybe 45 colt.

[BigAl52]

Ill add 9mm to Mags list along with 20 ga shotgun shells. I did exactly what you just did Mags this last winter. Most of my reloading anymore is for calibers that make it worth while. 357 is another one thats crazy expensive.

[CT_Shooter]

I'm not so sure that people not already reloading would be inspired to start reloading from scratch.

You're probably right about the financial incentive to start reloading.

I discovered that I didn't record the cost of the .357 ammo I bought when I started shooting, so I can't compare those with my reloading costs, but it might not have been any different than your updated analysis.

A little more than a decade ago, I invested a total of $440 in reloading equipment. I haven't ever had to buy brass, so my reloading costs have been limited to the other components. I made and still make my favorite round for 22 cents. I'll need to shoot a lot more than I do to outlive my inventory, which is sorta a good thing.

Costs Per Round .357 Mag.JPG (71.69 KiB) Viewed 2642 times

[North Country Gal]

Great info, guys. Thanks.

I'm not too worried about centerfire ammo, since centerfire is a very distant third for our shooting, way behind air gun and rimfire. This new round of tariff war with Europe had me worried this morning when I read the news, because European pellets are the only high grade pellets in the air gun world. That's mostly what we shoot, so I inventoried our pellet supply and we're actually doing good on our pellet supply.

We also have a good inventory of rimfire ammo, but not sure how all of this will affect rimfire ammo.

[Mags]

I'm not so sure that people not already reloading would be inspired to start reloading from scratch.

You're probably right about the financial incentive to start reloading.

I discovered that I didn't record the cost of the .357 ammo I bought when I started shooting, so I can't compare those with my reloading costs, but it might not have been any different than your updated analysis.

A little more than a decade ago, I invested a total of $440 in reloading equipment. I haven't ever had to buy brass, so my reloading costs have been limited to the other components. I made and still make my favorite round for 22 cents. I'll need to shoot a lot more than I do to outlive my inventory, which is sorta a good thing.

Likewise I have a good healthy inventory. Most I bought quite a while back. So my actual reload costs are quite a bit lower than for someone new starting out.
For a comparative perspective, if you had to replace that pound of Universal you paid $29.84, it would cost us about $55. The WSPM primers now run about 8 to 10c each. The Hornady 158gr JHP are now about 34c each.