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Ouch! The Price of Ammo Has Gotten Painful!

22K views 178 replies 65 participants last post by  Iamfarticus  
#1 ·
Has anyone else noticed that ammo has absolutely skyrocketed lately? Not too long ago I was able to buy 1,000 rounds of .223 for less than $300. Now its $615 and up if you can find it.

Any guesses when it will come down?

I have no doubt that today’s prices will look good if Biden wins in November.
 
#2 ·
I think the smart-alec response would be "nope haven't noticed...cause I don't need any"

but in fairness, yeah, it's crazy prices, and it's a moot issue when all the usual shopping sites are "out of stock" anyway.

I pat myself on the back almost weekly for having stocked up over the past couple years and even into January.

I've been able to focus on food, other supplies. instead of chasing ammo.

when will it relax?...guess that depends on November...
 
#3 ·
Keep in mind our ammo, especially NATO rounds come from all over the world. Serbia, Germany, Taiwan, etc. The supply chain is damaged due to Corona. This is not just in this country.

My concern is that this gets much worse before, or if, it gets better. There are a lot of new shooters out there. Not all shooters have had the chance to stock up.
 
#5 ·
Not to be too smart myself, but are you just noticing? Stores around here have empty shelves of all the "normal" calibers. Has been that way a while. People looking for ammo to shoot their toilet paper hoard with I guess.

I am sitting on plenty, but I am keeping my eye out for stuff I can pick up for family and friends that didn't listen when I told them to buy a 1k round case and sit it on a shelf. Bought my limit of 5 boxes of 9mm a couple weeks ago at BassPro. Just luck that I got there right after they stocked the shelf. Guy said .380 was gone in 5 minutes. Good thing with places like that is thye don't raise their prices quickly. Was still pre-panic pricing for brass cased. Got a 40rd box of 7.62 also. Probably should have bought a few more of it since no limit, but I only have so much room and my ammo closet is bursting as is.
 
#9 ·
.60 a round for Blazer Brass 9mm 124g...is as high as I have ever seen that particular brand go for.

For 4 years I have been telling people to get what you need to last a life time. Spare parts, spare magazines and cases of ammo/reloading supplies.

There are a bunch of 1st time gun owners, who are driving the prices right now and the gun industry is making a mknt off of them. The price crunch is start I ng at the wholesale level. For years they watched the final market in times like these and felt cheated on 30% mark up. That .60 a round of BlazerBrass costs CCI .05 to make. Sold to the wholesaler at .08-09, sold to the LGS/Distributor for .12-.15 and to the end user for around .20 a round or $10ish for a box of 50.

The price of ammo is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Expectations of .50 a round for NATO calibers SHOULD BE EXPECTED. Blame the wholesalers, LGS and 1st time buyers...I am seeing 9mm GOLDDOTS for 65 bucks(50rds)locally. That is almost double the price from 3 months ago.
 
#14 ·
the last cases of 9mm that I purchased was back in January, to feed a new christmas present. At that time, I was able to get CCI brass loose box 1,000rds from Palmetto for $169 with FREE shipping AND CCI rebate of I think it was $40?..might have been $20..can't remember.

other deals on 5.56 include a fist full of magazines. The industry was all but giving stuff away.
When I realized how bad this time around was going to be, I grabbed more on the front edge before price and supply issues hit.
I was at more than my imaginable full mark, when one of my LEO friends called..his wallet wasn't quite ready to purchase the last case that our local cop shop had in stock..so I told him I'd split it with him..and the shop told us that this would be the last of it for a while..they were right...prices were already rising sharply but we got the LEO pricing...now even that has dried up. but yeah, the days of blazer brass $8.99 /50...gonna be a while coming back around...sorry for you new owners..but hope you can find enough to deter the front yard zombies when they come to call....look for us old guys to pick up the larger fight..we're prepared for it. :thumb:
 
#12 ·
Ammo manufacturers much like grocery stores have a JIT system (just in time delivery), they don't stock a bunch of ammo, they figure out about how much of each caliber they need to manufacturer and ship it to distributors so nothing is sitting on the floor. The JIT system is currently broken because of worldwide events, then you have roughly 2 million people new to shooting, riots, election etc which has effected the ammo supply chain all at once.

When it comes back will depend on the election, virus, riots and how many more newcomers there are to shooting.
 
#18 ·
This is why I got into high powered PCPs a decade ago. Rimfire ammo was scarce during the Obama gun rush so airguns became my plinkers. Then they became my hunters when I got into large calibers. Then I got into casting my own bullets and pellets and stocking up on what I needed to keep my air suppliers working. I’ve probably shot less than 200 firearm rounds over the past 5 years not counting handgun. All I need is for my rifles to stay zeroed and after that my firearm ammo stays in storage.
 
#19 ·
I did same,but on a much smaller level,I have a couple .177 airguns for plinkers,and a .20 cal and a .22 cal that do fine on small game my farthest shot with airgun for game was 47 yards according to range finder,my old Redbone had squirrel treed,I shot him the squirrel of my back porch with nothing on but my skivvies, so I could get back to sleep.
 
#20 ·
The prices you're seeing are the "new normal" so I suggest folks get used to it. This is the same dialogue frequently cropping up here and other gun discussions. Some claiming "gouging" but those buttercups need some remedial "capitalism 101" courses.

Prices of guns and ammo have essentially doubled, more or less. I'd suggest they are now closer to what "normal" would be, truthfully. We had many years of very "good" times and I regularly strongly suggested to others to buy, buy, buy during those "golden years."

There were huge run ups on gun and ammo production, running day and night, throughout Obama's two terms. Those companies were cranking out product, and the surplus inventory meant low margins and low prices. And they paid a penalty with many companies suffering serious financial troubles and bankruptcies over it. Profits were so low that Colt stopped selling ARs to the public, for instance. I think it was Remington that filed for chapter 11, and others I can't recall.

I think of it like the massive inventory of WWII era guns an ammo. Companies were figuratively giving away guns and ammo to move them. I remember seeing ads that a free spam can of ammo with every rifle purchase, etc. Tens of millions of rifles, and probably billions of rounds of old ammo moved in a couple decades. Now, those rifles are 3-10x what they sold for and the ammo is all being shot up and soared in value.

Much like all the surplus guns that dried up, I doubt we will see a return to $350 AR15s, $300 AKs, cheap mags and ammo... etc. If we do it won't be until Trump wins, the virus cools off, the rioting is tamed, and we have 1 or 2 more conservatives on the SCOTUS... All that won't happen until, I'd estimate, at least 2022 or 2023...
 
#32 · (Edited)
The prices you're seeing are the "new normal" so I suggest folks get used to it. This is the same dialogue frequently cropping up here and other gun discussions. Some claiming "gouging" but those buttercups need some remedial "capitalism 101" courses.

Prices of guns and ammo have essentially doubled, more or less. I'd suggest they are now closer to what "normal" would be, truthfully. We had many years of very "good" times and I regularly strongly suggested to others to buy, buy, buy during those "golden years."

There were huge run ups on gun and ammo production, running day and night, throughout Obama's two terms. Those companies were cranking out product, and the surplus inventory meant low margins and low prices. And they paid a penalty with many companies suffering serious financial troubles and bankruptcies over it. Profits were so low that Colt stopped selling ARs to the public, for instance. I think it was Remington that filed for chapter 11, and others I can't recall.

I think of it like the massive inventory of WWII era guns an ammo. Companies were figuratively giving away guns and ammo to move them. I remember seeing ads that a free spam can of ammo with every rifle purchase, etc. Tens of millions of rifles, and probably billions of rounds of old ammo moved in a couple decades. Now, those rifles are 3-10x what they sold for and the ammo is all being shot up and soared in value.

Much like all the surplus guns that dried up, I doubt we will see a return to $350 AR15s, $300 AKs, cheap mags and ammo... etc. If we do it won't be until Trump wins, the virus cools off, the rioting is tamed, and we have 1 or 2 more conservatives on the SCOTUS... All that won't happen until, I'd estimate, at least 2022 or 2023...
People claimed the prices after Sandy Hook , etc were all going to be the "new normal". Those predictions were all wrong. While ammo did naturally increase in price over the years it always dropped back to relatively low levels from those crazy high "new normal" prices..
 
#21 ·
I was fairly well stocked up before this last price spike, but probably needed a few hundred rounds of 9mm to make up for what I've shot over the past year. I do have a .17 cal. air rifle that I might start using more often.

If Biden gets elected, then I think all the warnings about the new normal are likely correct. It is even possible that we might not be able to purchase any more ammo ever again unless the right wing insurrection finally wins out.

Ammo regulation, pricing, and taxation is the backdoor way of doing gun control so if the Socialists win you can bet on an "assault" weapons gun ban and perhaps even a forced registration (that I have no intention of doing) for all semi-autos. Also, it might also be likely that all magazines over 10 rounds might quickly become unavailable. I hope I'm wrong, but that's my best bet.
 
#23 ·
The commie leftists are going to riot worse when Trump is re elected, then they're going to start getting shot in the streets.

The right is going to start shooting leftist commies if they riot over losing or if the left steals this election through massive election fraud.

You'd better be prepared for war either way it goes.
 
#25 ·
I hit my goal on numbers to have in-stock at the house, years ago. My group has been sitting on a few pallets for almost a decade, so the BOL is fully-stocked.

I haven't shot my own ammo in years, so it hasn't been noticeable for me yet. The dept is still waiting on 750k from Federal that was ordered in Feb, but we still have the rest of our 2020 order in. Federal is saying they are hamstrung by lack of primers because Covid - they apparently come from Brazil and France.
 
#26 ·
Just got a text from a neighbor.

They have a few guns (I've cleaned them) but little ammo.

I recommended them getting ammo in the past.
Last week they (like most newbs) were finally going to do so...

As a fallback I suggested they get .22 as I have "a" .22 revolver like theirs and most of the skills will carry over.

They were able to buy (2) boxes of 50 when I told them to get a brick.
No bricks and limit 2 boxes.
Told them not to pay over $30/500, that I would cover them.
 
#29 ·
Same here with folks at work. I've been urging them to buy ammo or reloading supplies for 3 years. I felt bad for one retired military guy who relies on a .38 special...gave him a 50 round box of my "new" manufacture standard velocity 125 grain JHP loads. He thanked me and said he's learned his lesson but I doubt it. NOW...I'm getting subtle requests for ammo from others. I change the subject when they bring it up.
 
#27 ·
I don't foresee a quick end to the current price levels until at the earliest spring 2021 and that is based upon a good election. I think Covid19 will be more under control worldwide in a few months.

All bets off if we get a bad election and the newly empowered Dems feel like flexing muscle.

In spring of 2019, I purchased 1500 rounds of XM193 for under $400 delivered. I think XM855 was the same price but I had a ton of it at the time and wanted more XM193. I don't think we will see that for several years and that is only if things go extremely well on all fronts.
 
#31 ·
I've been well stocked on .223, 9mm, .40 cal, .22 LR, 12 gauge for a while now. The only ammo I use now is bought as I go. Even paying these crazy prices if I have to.

Lots of new shooters out there and they are feeling the pain. If prices return to normal, let this be a lesson and stock deep next time.
 
#36 ·
Here's how I remember the Obama era, and how it will be different this time.

* 2008 - Obama wins surprise victory, and a new crop of gun owners and those with long memories spike demand and prices. Companies responded by ramping up production along with the recently sunset AWB in 2004, the markets were FLOODED with high priced items....

* Around 2011-2012, that flood of overpriced inventory leveled off and prices returned to normal, for about a year or two.

* In spite of what should have been high profits, many gun companies took economic hits. They over-produced and then prices collapsed and they didn't make anticipated profits. I recall some companies filing for financial protections.

* December 2012, I was home on Christmas leave on my couch when Sandy Hook unfolded. I immediately ordered a bunch of things and within a day inventories were cleaned out, people saw their orders canceled and prices spiked again.

* Manufacturers once again invested heavily in production, running around the clock, trying to match incredible demand. And again, due to the high demand they created massive supply. They even ramped up supply more anticipating a Hillary win and prices jumped a bit during election 2016 season. They created so much supply that prices actually stayed relatively normal to match demand thru the latter Obama years, only spiking mildly pre-election.

* When Trump won 2016, the bottom fell out of the price markets. They created way too much supply and fickle gun buyers put their purchases on hold... That lasted from 2017 until spring 2020. It was common to see good quality ARs for sub $400, AR mags at $5, pistol mags at $10-15, ammo and accessories very low priced.

* Gun makers took yet another hit mis-gauging the economics and many are going thru financial troubles again.

* So the moral is, we consumers saw spikes in demand and prices in 09-10, 12-14 and 2016. Then we experienced the valleys in prices in 11-12, 2015, and 2017-2019 because gun makers [foolishly] over-corrected and made too much.

* As it relates to current situations, I doubt we will see that same over-correction this go-around. If they are smart, the might up production a little but raise their prices significantly because stuff WILL GET SOLD at 2x 2019 prices, and they can maintain that low supply and high demand curve. The alternative is to again ramp up production, cut their own profits by creating too much supply, and then fall on financial hardships...

Ruger stock price tells a bit of the story. You can follow it thru the ups and downs as I've summarized above.