Is it worth saving your used 209 primers?

[Bill Jolliff]

For several years, I’ve been saving my used 209 shotgun primers for no particular reason except thinking they might have some value later on.

So, a couple weeks ago I took about 55,000 of them weighing about 95 pounds to the scrap yard to see what they might bring.

I got 10 bucks for them.

Some probably already know they are about worthless and for the ones that don’t know – don’t bother saving them unless you have some other useful purpose. Your mileage may vary.

[6pt-Sika]

I poured about fifty pounds of them inside a hollowed out tree stump . I’m
sure at some point someone will be metal detecting looking for civil war relics and I suspect the signal might make them deaf if they’re wearing ear phones

[edgarspencer]

It would not surprise me if almost everyone who reloads, saves their spent primers. I do. It gives me some ridiculous sense of accomplishment. I actually know someone who puts each one back into the cute little plastic trays the new ones come in. (yes, I used to save them too)
Indirectly, my spent primer collection gave me a great deal of joy. Back in 1996, I had one of those blue plastic water jugs that go on the the office cooler, full to the top of the neck, and another older, glass one, also full. I left them behind when I moved out the house I gave my ex wife in the divorce. I told her they were worth a fortune, and I'd be back for them, eventually. I knew, full well she'd try to sell them as soon as my brake lights went down the driveway. My son told me, about a month later, that she was trying to load them in the back of her car, and dropped the glass one in the driveway. I think you can get the picture. Still puts a huge smile on my face almost 30 years later.

[Woodcock survey]

I only save the box tops from the 1000 cartons and mark the number on them. I am at 90 now so i know i have loaded over 100,000 shells. So why do i still miss so many times.

Edgar that was classic. I have a son and grandson who are plumbers and they separate 2 metal pieces because left together they are almost worthless.I believe primers are in this category.

[J.B. Books]

I am pretty sure the short answer is no.

[Dean Romig]

Edgar - Whyinell were you on your brakes going down the driveway... second thoughts??





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[Bill Murphy]

I took about half of sixty some years of primers to a local metal dealer. I think I may have gotten twenty five bucks for them. When I took the other half about two weeks later, they wouldn't take them. I think they regarded them as explosives. They were stored in many cardboard 15 pound powder kegs. I got rid of the primers and the powder kegs in two trips.

[Craig Larter]

Amazing! I would never think of saving spent primers in a million years. I guess the old adage "one man's trash is another man's riches" applies.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

Amazing! I would never think of saving spent primers in a million years. I guess the old adage "one man's trash is another man's riches" applies.

I’ve got a five gallon bucket at the shop that’s almost full of spent primers . Which unto itself is no big deal , but unless I’m mistaken they’re pretty much all primers that've been knocked out of 8 and 10 gauge hulls .

[Bill Jolliff]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

Amazing! I would never think of saving spent primers in a million years. I guess the old adage "one man's trash is another man's riches" applies.

And I suspect all those empty boxes those primers came in are no good either. Shucks!