If it wasn't for Walmart, I wouldn't be shooting.

Honestly, I shoot about once a week, mostly .45 acp, and about 100-250 rounds per trip. Sadly, that's probably more than I can afford to. I buy all my range ammo exclusively at Walmart, in the form of Remington UMC 250-round Mega Packs for $85 a piece. I don't know about you, but I'm not really in the tax bracket to be blowing $5,000+ a year on one of my hobbies, so I've been cutting back a bit.

What really <upsets> me is that the same exact 250 pack is $120 at Dick's Sporting Goods a block away and $140 at the local gun shop. Who <> buys it at those prices??? More importantly, how can someone charge a 40%+ mark up on the same block?! It seems the ammo shortage is calming down, with my local WM swimming in the stuff. They even lifted the 6 box daily max. I would assume this will bring down the other store's prices as well but who knows.

I don't feel comfortable reloading, unless someone was to sit there and actually teach me, although I am considering reading the ABC's of Reloading to better edjucate myself. But for now it comes down to the basic fact that if it wasn't for Walmart, I wouldn't be able to afford to shoot.

Anyone else feel the same?

I am in the same boat. It's hard to pay $20 for a box of range ammo when I can go to walmart and get federal 9mm for plinking for only $9.

I really don't care for walmart. I avoid shopping there as best i can, but here in San Antonio, they are very well stocked with ammo and their prices are FAR less than Bass Pro, Cabela's and especially the smaller gun shops.

I shoot 2-3x a week, 150-500rds per trip depending on caliber. At that level of shooting, i can't afford 20-40% higher prices at gun shops/ranges to support them. They are just out of this world expensive.

For now, walmart will continue to get my business for ammo.

JOe

Can't blame you for buying where it's cheaper, but it's not like the gunshop is deliberately ripping you off. Walmart's volume is so large and their distribution so efficient that in many cases they can sell at retail for less than the dealer can get it wholesale. It makes it pretty hard to compete on price.

I'm in the same boat. Not long ago I was forced to go to one of the local outdoor shops to buy a box of .380 because walmart was out of the $10 boxes they had... I ended up paying $32 for 50 rounds and it made me sick.

I might not care for some of their policies, but those prices are the main reason I can afford to have the things I have and do the things I do. It's a catch 22 situation.

The real kicker is that the local gun shop probably went down to walmart, bought it for $85 then put their $140 sticker on it.

Nice...

Kind of ironic that the very sport that you love is made cheaper by the store you hate.Much like hating lawyers because of how they make a living (distorting the truth to their clients advantage) but we still need them.

I see no problem shopping at Wal Mart.Their not unlike any other business trying to make a buck.

I guess you're love of the sport overrides you dislike for Wal Mart.I don't like some of the things they do either,and they will pay for it,but until all the other
retailers sell at acceptable prices Wal Mart getting my business.

Can't blame you for buying where it's cheaper, but it's not like the gunshop is deliberately ripping you off. Walmart's volume is so large and their distribution so efficient that in many cases they can sell at retail for less than the dealer can get it wholesale. It makes it pretty hard to compete on price.

Exactly the economies of scale.

Now, if you want to cut your costs more you can get into reloading. The initial up front is there, but you can cut your overall ammo bill by half or more often. Plus you get yet another hobby to take up your time. :)

I buy the ammo where it is the cheapest...often times it is Walmart. That said, I shoot a lot of .22 these days.

I couldn't afford to shoot at gun store prices either. WM has had a large supply of various ammo types this year, more than I remember seeing last year. I buy all of my ammo at Walmart. If I see something that I only have a little bit of, I buy it. Even if I don't need it...I try to buy something when I'm there, even if it's a box of .22s

I have seen it happen. A local shooting range wiped out every Dick's Sporting Goods (50% off ammo sale) in town out of all popular calibers then marked them up to their normal price. Free enterprise at it's best. You would do the same if you owned a business.

I agree that reloading is the only way to go. It is not nearly as hard or scary as most people think. And if you are only crafting range ammo then the process is fairly quick. Read all you can, ask lots of questions and if possible find someone near you willing to show you the ropes. The cost of reloading is pretty much all up front. A good press is worth the money. I load all my 45 on my friends Dillon 550 and my 308 on the Dillon 650. The 550 can be found for a decent price and is pretty simple to set up and use. The 650 is a bit more difficult... I still screw that thing up from time to time.

I was hesitant to reload as well. But, I got a press and the ABCs of Reloading for Christmas. After lots of reading and filtering the internet I reloaded 20 rounds for my .243.
My heart skipped a beat when I pulled the trigger. And I was hooked on reloading. I'm no expert, just take your time and double and triple check everything.
I don't load .45 ACP, but IIRC there are guys loading them for 3 or 4 cents per round. Good Luck and keep shooting either way.

to be honest I had no idea the prices WalMart had on ammo - went to a close one to me yesterday and was quite pleased with what I saw !!!

Kind of ironic that the very sport that you love is made cheaper by the store you hate.Much like hating lawyers because of how they make a living (distorting the truth to their clients advantage) but we still need them.

I see no problem shopping at Wal Mart.Their not unlike any other business trying to make a buck.

I guess you're love of the sport overrides you dislike for Wal Mart.I don't like some of the things they do either,and they will pay for it,but until all the other
retailers sell at acceptable prices Wal Mart getting my business.
Well said

Yeah I'm SERIOUSLY thinking about a .22 pistol or rifle as my next purchase. There's no point (for me) in taking a gun to the range to plink with less than a couple hundred rounds. (the range is 30 mins away) So even if I pack just a few mags of .45 and some slugs or whatever, I can throw in a brick of .22lr and blast all day...

Southpaw wrote: "I am considering reading the ABC's of Reloading to better educate myself."

That's where I started. You don't have to buy your whole reloading setup at once but when you get it all together you'll enjoy the process and the savings (provided you don't start doing a LOT more shooting). There's got to be used equipment out there you could pick up for a song.

There are definitely some rounds that are more cost effective to reload. 9mm is rarely cheaper to reload than buy unless you are getting some great discounts on the parts, reloading your own spent casings, maybe even casting your own lead etc.

.45 and definitely .380 are cheaper to reload than to purchase.

There are other reasons to reload too. Not just shortages, but if we ever get to the point of a stoppage in this nation.

I don't mean to fear monger but we are in some seriously unstable times in this country.

KingoftheHill, where in San Antonio are you? Where do you shoot?

.45 ACP is the perfect round to start your reloading career with. Nice big case, big bullets, large primers - everything is easy to grab and see for the ham-fisted among us (not saying that you are one of them!). Easy to see the powder in the case, too.

I loaded up 200 rounds on my first go round once I got my press up and running, and I was hooked after the first shot. I even shot a 2" group at 20 yards with my first batch. Not match grade, but certainly better than I was expecting.

Where did I start?
The ABC's of Reloading
Lyman's 49th Reloading Handbook
Lee's Modern Reloading, Second Edition

You are on the right track, and soon to be among the happy reloaders if you keep going.

Enter some data in the Reloading Cost Calculator:
http://10xshooters.com/calculators/Handgun_Reloading_Cost_Calculator.htm

i.e ~$52 for Bullseye powder for 4lbs.
5 grains powder charge
~$29 for 1000 primers
~$75 for 1000 bullets http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=13 (Don't forget to ask for the THR 5% off)
(jacketed is more of course ~$138, but here is my source (http://www.nsksales.com/pricing/BULLETS.pdf)
$00 for brass (hopefully you have been keeping your brass all this time

$17/50 rounds for your Walmart ammo ( $85/(250/5))

~$200 for the Lee Relaoder http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/item.aspx?PID=51647&w=PQ%2BJDyOLrQE%3D ( I don't know if it comes with dies or not but if not they are around $30 or so..)

Cost comes out to about $6 per 50 rounds, or ~$30 per 250

SAVING $10+ for every 50 rounds or about $50 for a 250 round outing!!!

(go buy a Coke and Sub each time out afterwards and still come away with an extra $40 in your pocket each week. :)

After less than 6 months your initial investment is paid off and it is all Gravy after that.

These are some rough estimates to be sure but I think the picture is clear.

Have fun with your new Reloader!

Glad to see so many people suggesting reloading; it's such a great way to expand your awareness of your guns' performance and potential, not to mention save some serious $$$.

I also have found that wherever I have lived I have met some really great folks who cast & sell bullets; there's just something about that activity that draws nice people.

encheapify it further by buying used equipment. We have a guy in boise who just sells used equipment out of his garage. Makes things easier starting out. That's how I started reloading (drum roll) .45 ACP.

Lee used to sell factory seconds; presses with imperfect paint, dies with a scratch... stuff that worked great but could be had for even less than their already great prices.

Used isn't a bad idea, either; it would be fairly easy to see if the equipment had been abused.

I like "encheapify"!

I hear your pain about cost. My understanding is that Walmart often sells the ammo at prices way below what your average gun shop can buy it for. I am not exactly in the "loop" for wholesale pricing of ammunition, but that is my feeling.

I shoot more 22 that anything else. I consider the medium to high priced target grade 22 ammo a bit out of reach pricewise at times for how I shoot.

Used isn't a bad idea, either; it would be fairly easy to see if the equipment had been abused.

RCBS and Dillon have no BS lifetime warranties. I have bought equipment in both brands used that didn't work. They then promptly brought back to new specs under warranty. In both cases I didn't intend for that to happen, but was VERY pleasantly surprised to have it happen. I think Dillon just replaced one of my Square Deal B presses with a new one. Just keep in mind that right now at least RCBS is running behind on repairs, and it may take you a while to get it back, but if you get a good deal don't be scared of it.

Get a .22. My Ruger 10/22 has paid for itself. Now I just put a few mags through the big caliber guns and blast a brick of .22LR down range. At $20 or less for a 500 round brick its quite affordable.

I buy .45ACP from Chris in Bethany, $39.99 for a 100 round box. Slightly more than UMC but UMC is freaken dirty, whit box is cleaner.

Back when 9mm or 40sw was $6-7/50 reloading wasn't such an issue. The issue was supply. Suffice it to say, 1000 rounds goes fast when you're really into shooting. I waited 2 years then realized that those prices wouldn't hold and that supply was not guaranteed. To get better you need to shoot more. To shoot more you had to be richer. I got a Dillon in 1997. 13 years later that 550 is still cranking out bullets in 40, 45 & 223. When I lived in Washington state, a friend could get me 1000 bullets from Rainier for $52. Win 231 was $12/lb, VV340$15/lb. Today everything has doubled but reloading is still VERY affordable. I recently prepped for a match and reloaded 2500 rounds over one month. I've used all but 250 of that and never worried about supply. When I had more time to shoot I was reloading 5K rounds a month. I could never imagine getting that from Wallyworld and affording to go on vacation. The biggest cost is labor and a progressive minimizes that. Not to mention being efficient in shooting your pistols or rifles.

I despise WalMart's business practices to the point of not ever frequenting it, especially after the stunt they pulled in NH.
Sadly this does put a small crimp on my shooting budget. On the bright side though, ze wife will soon cave in on the reloading proposition!

I really have no idea about the reloading process... How long does it take to reload say 200 rounds on the type of equipment discussed in this thread?

Yeah time=money...instead of spending 5 hours on the reload bench, I'll pony up the extra money for ammo on the spot and spend 5 hours at the range

Keep stocked for when you need it. Just because you don't need ammo doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it :) Maybe when I'm older....but I couldn't imagine doing this with a full time job, kids, wife, other hobbies, etc etc.

I don't trust the megacorps enough to put all my eggs in one basket. If Wal-Mart decided to stop carrying ammo, you'd better have some local shops to fall back on. Up here in AK that's even more critical because mail order is all but impossible.

Suffice it to say, I'm doing a lot more handloading than usual.

200 rounds, assuming all prep work done in advance:

on a single stage would be 2 hours :(

on a lee type 4 hole turret, 1 hour and 15 minutes.
150 an hour is crusing speed, 180 is maxed out and everything working proper--zero gliches :scrutiny:

on a dillion square deal; about one-half hour coasting speed :D

The real kicker is that the local gun shop probably went down to walmart, bought it for $85 then put their $140 sticker on it.
Exactly! If America is a capitalist country, then buy it wherever it is cheapest. If you are a socialist, then by all means bring other factors into play. Actually America is a socialist country but that's another thread and forum!
PS When I was a child my parents had a shop and they could often buy stuff cheaper from the supermarket than from their wholesaler. In a capitalist country, it is perfectly fine for them to choose to buy it at the supermarket and then resell it with a markup. People often choose a local store for convenience and it is not unreasonable that the local store makes a profit when it sells them something that they would otherwise have had to go out of their way to acquire.

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water.When was the last time you bought a brick of primer's do you get it cheaper nope if it's $2.30 cent's for a 100 you pay $23.00 for a thousand where is your bulk discount.It's not there.Anyway here is a stat that I figured out on my own a yr. ago and prices ain't raised much.So this price is still pretty revelant. A cheap bod of 20 wolf .223 ammo is 8-9.00 buck's depending where you get.I can reload a box of 50 for $7.50.so even for a little ole .223 it's much cheaper than buyin factory.And My reload's are 100times the quality of wolf ammo.And they actually hit the target.

It's hard to pay $20 for a box of range ammo when I can go to walmart and get federal 9mm for plinking for only $9

Not around here you can't.......$15+/box IF it is in stock

9mm is rarely cheaper to reload

Buying components in bulk, I can reload 9mm for half or less than buying store bought - and get more accurate ammo to boot

What really pisses me off is that the same exact 250 pack is $120 at Dick's Sporting Goods a block away and $140 at the local gun shop. Who the hell buys it at those prices???

the dick's near me matches walmart prices on their .45 WWB 100 round packs.

the manager understands they'll never sell it at their regular price.

KingoftheHill, where in San Antonio are you? Where do you shoot?

My lunch breaks i just shoot for an hour at Bass Pro since my job is in the same parking lot (Medtronic). Evenings or weekends i'll go to either Bullet Hole or Black Hawk.

the dick's near me matches walmart prices on their .45 WWB 100 round packs.

the manager understands they'll never sell it at their regular price.
Well that makes sense to me! I used to wish they did that here but now I could care less. Walmart is stocked and the competators push us there. Best advertising there is, is crappy competition...

The real kicker is that the local gun shop probably went down to walmart, bought it for $85 then put their $140 sticker on it.

Nice...

I used to work at a shooting range in socal that did this. I would go to buy ammo and see their workers there and literally buy them out right in front of me.

That reason is why i was happy to see walmart put a 6 box limit on ammo. Because of D-bags like that.

They were taking $9 Blazer Brass 9mm and selling for $20 at the range.

total scum IMO. Then they wouldn't sell it unless you were using it at their range.

it took me a few trips to find everything but reloadding is way cheaper. It's a science, but not rocket science. Your gun shop should be able to give you all the info you need. Verbal instruction and selling you a manual.

do it, it is a form of therapy. Kind of like hunting for your own food, fixing your own vehicle or building your own home. The satisfaction and gratification are the reward.

I really have no idea about the reloading process... How long does it take to reload say 200 rounds on the type of equipment discussed in this thread?

I can do 200 rounds an hour off of my Dillon Square Deal B - ONCE I have it dialed in. Getting it dialed in takes half an hour or so, but I've done 1000 rounds in a day just piddling and listening to the ball game on the radio while it rained.

mregunz

Try buying 100 bricks of 1000 primers each. I bet you get a discount then. Trust me, I buy enough appliance parts that I get the economies of scale often, and I'm a one man operation. But, when I buy 10 washer safety switches at a time the wholesaler lets me buy at a discount. You who buy one in a life time pay full price. That's just the way it is. Sorry, but believe it or not the economies of scale do exist.

I even buy enough reloading components at any given time if I can find them that I get discounts. By going straight to the manufacturer of the component, and simply asking, "How many do I have to buy to get a break?" I can often get significant discounts. I can do this because my buddies and I combine orders often, and we get pretty good deals. We haven't placed a big one in a couple of years, but that's because we ordered so much previously we haven't needed anything.

Having said that I'm starting to look for cast bullets again, and may be making an order for them soon. Anyone know of any good deals on 38 caliber cast bullets?

Well that's good for the rich and famous danprkr,but joe smuck-ah-telly get's no break where is where it should be.So for me and 99.9% of the populace it's a wives tale.

Our local Wally World was just remodeled... That is alot of blue.

Lots of ammo at good prices...

Bill

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water.When was the last time you bought a brick of primer's do you get it cheaper nope if it's $2.30 cent's for a 100 you pay $23.00 for a thousand where is your bulk discount.It's not there.Anyway here is a stat that I figured out on my own a yr. ago and prices ain't raised much.So this price is still pretty revelant. A cheap bod of 20 wolf .223 ammo is 8-9.00 buck's depending where you get.I can reload a box of 50 for $7.50.so even for a little ole .223 it's much cheaper than buyin factory.And My reload's are 100times the quality of wolf ammo.And they actually hit the target.

Thats how Walmart works. They are so big they can usualy dictate to the manufacture how to make there product and the cost.

They will go to say Federal and say we want to buy XX number of rounds from you, which is 40% of your anual production, for X number of years. However we want to buy them at XX price and our guys will go into your company to show you how to make the ammo at that price. They will go further and say we don't want to reorder them, so were going to connect your ordering system to Walmart so its ordered automatically and shipped based on sales.

Mom & Pop guns down the street may only sell 50k rounds a year, they don't matter. Federal just gives them the wholesale price.

Also if Mom & Pop is pissed off they wait on hold on the customer service line. Walmart calls the VP or CEO.

How long does it take to reload say 200 rounds on the type of equipment discussed in this thread?

I suggested a Lee from all the threads and good members here at THR suggesting that set up for an "economy" reloader. I personally don't have one nor have used one. However, there are so many here at THR that I, in turn, suggested it.

I use a Dillon 650 as I shoot only .45 ACP and that was the one that was recommended to me as it is billed a a pistol cartridge champion.

It takes me about 30 minutes to make about 200 rounds, maybe less but pretty simple. I make 200 or 300 at a time a few times a week.

The Lee in my link is a progressive and can make a round with each pull.

Actually here at Midway it is only $143
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=351321

I've never cared for Lee. I've owned a few, and just not been impressed. I've not been upset with them, but for the money I think RCBS, and Dillon both build a better product, and back it better. Just my .02 worth.

I see no problem shopping at Wal Mart.Their not unlike any other business trying to make a buck.


yeah.....and where else can you go to see a 400 pound woman with one tooth wearing short shorts and a tube top......accompanied by her 85 pound husband sporting his vintage mullet? How 'bout those obese ladies that use the motorized carts to get themselves to the candy isle? Not only is the Walmart in my small town the best place to buy ammo, it's got more drama and comedy than Direct TV.

http://havealaugh9.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/walmart-bingo.jpg

Walmart is fun if you make a game out of it!:D

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water

They do.

For commercial stuff, equivalent for equivalent, they often sold CCI/Blazer for cheaper than I could order Wolf from the big distributors ordering 10-20 cases at a time. The prices are cheaper than wholesale offered to small businesses.

The reason I buy from Walmart and not the local gun shop is the prices. If Walmart can sell Federal 9mm for $10 for 50 or $21 for 100 rounds of WWB there is no reason the local gun shop needs to sell cheap 9mm like Blazer Brass for $19.99 and WWB for $42.99. Even the cheapest I've seen for WWB recently at a gun shop is $32.99 and it's still high. One shop also sells Federal Power Shok ammo in .243 for $28.99 while Walmart sells it for $13.97. These prices are crazy and anyone that pays them is crazy. Even if they pay the same as Walmart for ammo which from what I understand is very close they could mark it up $3-4 and I'd still buy it from them as would a lot of people. Instead of having it all sit on the shelf making $0 they would be able to make a ton. Instead they seem to think they need a 100% markup on it. This is when people stop buying it.

I will also say I did go into a local gun shop the other day. Their prices are high, but their selection is good and the people are nice. While I was checking out a gun I heard the employees behind the counter talking. They had to call a guy to tell him his gun was ready for pickup and it would be $50. After he hung up he told the other employee that guy had brought a gun in with a loaded round stuck in the chamber. He said they just took a wooden dowel and tapped it out really quickly and were charging him $50. Even the other employee seemed shock and made a comment about how he wished he had made that for doing something that simple. This is just ridiculous. If instead of doing that they had charged $10-15 for something that took 30 seconds they would have made plenty of money and the customer probably would leave happy and let others know of the fair price they gave him. When they charge $50 most of the time the customer will leave unhappy so not only will you lose his future business, but you will probably lose business from others that he tells about this. There are 4 local gun shops in an hour or so from the house that don't seem to understand this. They also don't seem to understand that a 100% markup on ammo from Walmart really hurts them more than it helps. There is a decent local sporting goods shop that sells guns and ammo that's decent and a little higher than Walmart but not crazy high. They are even cheaper on targets and stuff. They do a lot of sales and are often busy. That and one basement FFL are the only two local shops I've found that are even halfway decent.

I'd rather support Walmart that doesn't want to rip me off than the others that think they need 100% markup on everything they sell and want to charge outrageous fee's for something that takes 30 seconds of work.

There's a local, independent sporting goods store that I've been patronizing since the 1970's. Nice folks, and the prices are generally competitive.
During the recent ammo shortage, they were the only shop in town that had cases and cases of Federal 510 .22 ammo on hand. They were charging $30 a brick. I told them I'd rather not shoot than to pay that.
Now 510B's are back at Wal-Mart for $1.77 a box and I'm willing to bet that the small shop will have to mark down those 510's drastically if they ever want to move them.
I'll be watching!

The flip side to the Wal Mart coin is that they have only what is the best selling of whatever. You want something out of the middle of the road you're out of luck. You're never going to find 12 ga slugs, or nice defensive rounds there. That's where your local gun shop comes in. They carry the stuff that the Wally World doesn't.

Cool, hope to see you at the Bullet Hole sometime KingoftheHill. I don't like Bass Pro because you have to use their ammo. I did take my CHL class there because shooting was included in the price.

i buy all my .40 ammo at wally world $14.47 for 50rnds of federal fmj's

Who the hell buys it at those prices??? More importantly, how can someone charge a 40%+ mark up on the same block?!

It may what it costs them. Wal Mart is the biggest retailer in the world and they can cut some big contracts. In my area a small retailer will pay $1.50 for a 2 liter bottle of Coke wholesale. Wal Mart sells it for 98 cents.

I just realized something.

The shared sentiment here seems to be that WalMart can use economy of scale to gain an edge, right? And that's alright in the system.
But on the other hand ... A gunshop using again... Economies of scale to gain an edge is a bunch of dirtbags.

Where is the difference between WalMart outmuscling a local gunshop and a local gunshop outmuscling a low end buyer?

In the end everybody still shoots less, either way. And the less people can afford ammunition, the less they buy guns, right? Or am I missing something?

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water



Well that's good for the rich and famous danprkr,but joe smuck-ah-telly get's no break where is where it should be.So for me and 99.9% of the populace it's a wives tale.

WOW..........someone with absolutely no idea how business works.............

You're more like the .1% you missed.......volume pricing DOES exist

As to the comments complaining about a small business marking things up 100% - do you really think that 100% goes in the owner's pocket?.give me a break

folks like that REALLY need to go take a business class to learn some basic facts.

Everyone complains about low quality i everything and then go running to wally world because they have the cheapest crap from all over, especially China - you can't have it both ways. If you can't afford to shoot, try reloading, shooting less, shooting a .22 or doing another hobby.............GEEZ!

Right now I'm reloading .45 acp for roughly $133 per 1000.......this is with the higher price in lead and not buying anything in bulk. (Only 1lb GP and 1k primers at a time from my local gun shop)

I hate Walmart and buy from a local shop since they are close.

Perfect example, UMC .45ACP is about .35 cents a round from Walfart. From the local shop Winchester White box which IMHO is better ammo is .39 cents a round.

For an extra .04-.05 cents I rather support the small guy.

http://havealaugh9.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/walmart-bingo.jpg

Walmart is fun if you make a game out of it!:D


Hahahahahahaaaaa! That's ALL so true! :eek:

It may what it costs them. Wal Mart is the biggest retailer in the world and they can cut some big contracts. In my area a small retailer will pay $1.50 for a 2 liter bottle of Coke wholesale. Wal Mart sells it for 98 cents.

Exactly, before Wally quit selling guns in this area years ago there was a mom and pop store that quit stocking Remington because they had to pay more for them than Wally charged retail. Problem was that unless you wanted 30-06 or 270 you were out of luck that's all Wally sold. If you were a lefty - same deal. But, if you wanted that Remington 700 in 30-06 Wally was THE place to buy it. If you wanted anything else you had to go to the locals, pay full retail, and wait for it to be ordered in. Happens on everything from candy bars to jeans to (yep you guessed it) ammo.

Hatterasguy - good point. But, we all have that breaking point, I'd pay an extra nickel to support the local guy, but I doubt I'd pay an extra dime. For each of us it's different.

oneounceload I didn't say anything about a 100% markup,and most of the markup is more than that anyway classic example I have a friend yea I actually have a friend,that used to work a part's store and every item was 150-300% markup he said.So yea 100% of the markup does go in there pocket if not 200% so give me a break

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water.

You don't even have to be as big as wal-mart to recognize volume discounts. Check out Ammoman.com's (http://www.ammoman.com/index.htm) 9mm ammo.
33.8 cents/round for 500 rounds
29.9 cents/round for 1000 rounds

You would save 3.9 cents/round going from 500 to 1000 rounds. That is pretty significant if you ask me. It actually gets cheaper still if you buy 5000 rounds.

Volume based pricing is very real my friend, wal-mart takes advantage of it and so should you.

This isn't their cheapest ammo by the way, it's just listed at the top of the page.

Since moving to Germany haven't had much chance to shoot. But that said I do NOT & will NOT shop at WallMart. Can't stand the store policies (video taping firearms and ammo purchases) and I prefer to patronize my local businesses. So when I get back to the states (twice a year to AZ & ID) I go to a few of my favorites locals--I always get better service. Also the reason I reload. Just my opinion.

Thank You lions....Never heard of them before.....It is now booked marked in my computer.

But i still plan on shopping wally world....when they have it,i can get .22 for one heck of a price.Try reloading .22.....cheaper to buy it.

Since moving to Germany haven't had much chance to shoot. But that said I do NOT & will NOT shop at WallMart. Can't stand the store policies (video taping firearms and ammo purchases) and I prefer to patronize my local businesses. So when I get back to the states (twice a year to AZ & ID) I go to a few of my favorites locals--I always get better service. Also the reason I reload. Just my opinion.I've heard about this video taping gun and ammo purchases, but I don't get what the big deal is? The local shops most if not all of them I've been to have video camera's right over the cash register. Do you really think they aren't video taping you too? I've just never seen the problem with that.

As for the above post about do I think all of that 100% markup goes in the owners pocket? No, I understand he has other things to pay, but that's still no excuse. He doesn't need to mark it up 100% to pay his bills. The majority of it probably does go in his pocket. Actually, I take that back. They don't seem to be moving much ammo at all, so the owner probably isn't making much at all on ammo. The last few times I've been in there it doesn't look like they have sold any ammo hardly at all over the last few months. Online places don't mark it up 100% from Walmart, and the one local sporting goods store with decent prices doesn't mark it up 100% either. They seem to still be selling ammo, yet the gun shops seem to want to mark it way up and not sell any. I just don't exactly understand it, but it's not my shop. They can do what they want just as I choose not to buy from them on stuff that's 100% markup.

As for finding only common stuff at Walmart. That's pretty much true. Although our Walmart does carry 12 gauge slugs as well as 12 gauge buckshot. It seems to depend on what Walmart you go to though as to what they have. They have most common calibers and a few oddball ones. There is some ammo like the Federal Fusions I like that they don't carry, and you have to buy somewhere else, but they carry the large majority of the popular stuff. If they don't carry what you need you can usually order it online for a fraction of the cost of the local gun shops.

Not sure of your opinion of Mayor Bloomberg's "Mayor Against Illegal Guns" program but I find it offensive (some might call MAIG & Bloomberg the enemy of 2nd Amendment). And Wal-Mart has chosen to team up with MAIG so I consider Wal-Mart part of the problem.

Again just my opinion you are free to make your own decisions.

Here is a short bit from the press release plus the link:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008
No. 07

WAL-MART AND MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS ANNOUNCE "RESPONSIBLE FIREARMS RETAILER PARTNERSHIP": A 10-POINT VOLUNTARY CODE

The Voluntary Code - A Set of Retail Best Practices - Goes Beyond What is Required by Law

Wal-Mart and the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced that Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, has adopted the new Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a 10-point code that will help ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands. The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, created by Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Wal-Mart, is a set of policies that will be implemented over time that includes video recording of sales, rigid controls on inventory, checks that gun purchasers are not misrepresenting themselves and the development of a first-of-its kind computerized crime gun trace log for retailers. The new crime gun trace log will flag purchases by customers who have previously bought guns later recovered in crimes.

http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr007-08.shtml

I don't buy any powder,or any reloading supplies from wally.And after this garbage they did I certainly wouldn't if I did.They have plenty of anti-citizen owning a gun law's in place just enforce what they got.Great quote from the great one.And we are that close from one generation to the next.And complacency and the oh-well ,ho-hum attitude is what does it.

Since moving to Germany haven't had much chance to shoot. But that said I do NOT & will NOT shop at WallMart. Can't stand the store policies (video taping firearms and ammo purchases) and I prefer to patronize my local businesses. So when I get back to the states (twice a year to AZ & ID) I go to a few of my favorites locals--I always get better service. Also the reason I reload. Just my opinion.
So you would rather pay almost double for a product? Wow, business must be good in krautland...

Learn to reload and cast your own bullets. You can get a reloading set up for what you're paying for 250 rounds.

Learn to reload and cast your own bullets. You can get a reloading set up for what you're paying for 250 rounds.
This has been addressed 10 times already. The focus at hand is factory ammo.

I plan on getting into reloading but it's not going to happen over night. Realistically, I will probably fire 5,000 factory rounds before I get to loading my own. Right now time is money...

This has been addressed 10 times already. The focus at hand is factory ammo.

I plan on getting into reloading but it's not going to happen over night. Realistically, I will probably fire 5,000 factory rounds before I get to loading my own. Right now time is money...

At $85 for 250 rounds, 5,000 rounds will cost you $1,700.

You can buy a Dillon RL 550B for only $419.95!!! Add a couple of hundred dollars of accessories, buy 5,000 primers, a mould, a keg of Bullseye, and you still come out under $1,700.

At $85 for 250 rounds, 5,000 rounds will cost you $1,700.

You can buy a Dillon RL 550B for only $419.95!!! Add a couple of hundred dollars of accessories, buy 5,000 primers, a mould, a keg of Bullseye, and you still come out under $1,700.
I understand that. But like I said, I simply don't have the time right now to learn how to reload, setup the equipment and start making rounds. Hopefully I will get into reloading sooner than later but in the meantime I'm not going to not shoot. I suppose the 2 free hours a week I have I can read and take lessons but come on, a guys gotta play! I'm planning on getting the equipment as soon as I sell one of my cars, but I will not invest before I learn. Idle equipment is useless....

I don't belive that just cause wal-mart,buy's in volume that they get it at any cheaper price than the next door gun store.God old wives tail that don't hold water.

Not only does volume pricing exist, but in many cases Walmart can dictate the price to the supplier. Being the largest retailer in the world has its advantages. If you as a supplier don't sell to Walmart, you're bypassing a huge chunk of the marketplace and consequently will have a hard time making any money.

Not believing in volume pricing is like not believing in tornadoes or earthquakes -- it leaves you bleeding in the wreckage, wondering what happended.

You all missed the point.I was talkin about Joe-Smuck-Ah_Telly getting a price for quanity in the beginin which I thought I was explicit .But evedently not.I as a blu-collar worked DO NOT get a quanity break in my world for buying a brick of primer's.I'am sure I might if I 500 brick's.But that's not my world.And I bet if you go buy 5 new rifles you won't even get 20 buck's off But yea probably if you buy a 100 brand new rifles at one.When was the last time you lay'd down a 100,000.00 buck's in new rifles so I say again the price cut is a wives tale in my world Cause I'am a blu-collar worker and I don't buy in semi-truck load quanities.And there markup is still 200-300% mark up over waht they pay per item guarenteed so how are you getting such a good breal along those lines.And when was the last time you got a box of shell's given to you free with the purchase of a new gun....I haven't for 35 yr's.So as I said before in m y world the break for quanity is a wives tale.

Go to Wal Mart, to a big discount store, and to a local shop and compare prices for the same gun.

Buy it for the lowest price and tell us you don't get a quanity break in your world.

You do -- the difference between the lowest and highest price is your quantity break.

I worked at a gun store a few years ago. We got a wholesale catalog in with new guns and prices. I took it to a Walmart. The wholesale price in the catalog was at, or near, Walmarts retail price on most of the guns. Of course, if we ordered it from the wholesaler, we'd also have to pay shipping, so we just didn't carry much of what Walmart already had. I always assumed that Walmart was getting a break, either by their own influence, or the manufacturer's choice, on those prices. I assumed the gun companies were more then happy to make a deal with a company that moved thousands of guns, compared to a few hundred that a local shop moves. I wonder how they felt when a number of Walmarts stopped carrying guns though?

You all missed the point.I was talkin about Joe-Smuck-Ah_Telly getting a price for quanity...

You obviously missed my last post, #63. So I'll give you another example of volume pricing for the average joe. Since you are from Montana and you reload, I thought it would be appropriate to show you Montana Gold Bullet Pricing (https://secure3.mooseweb.com/montanagoldbullet.com/pricelist.tpl). You will notice that the price per case decreases with 3 cases as opposed to 1 case. Voila, yet another example of volume based pricing for the average joe. If you don't see it this time it is because you just don't want to.

oneounceload I didn't say anything about a 100% markup,and most of the markup is more than that anyway classic example I have a friend yea I actually have a friend,that used to work a part's store and every item was 150-300% markup he said.So yea 100% of the markup does go in there pocket if not 200% so give me a break

First, not everything gets marked up that high - secondly, your friend got paid, correct? Start adding in salaries, taxes, utilities, taxes, rent, taxes, permits and fees, insurance, taxes, etc. Most businesses survive on an 8-10% margin of gross sales after paying all those costs. You can also bet the owner doesn't put in a simple 9-5 work day either - not if he's successful

I purchase the bulk of my ammo at the local WallyWorlds, three in all. They are close by and on my normal routes, so it's no big deal to stop in a couple of times a week in each one to see what they have on the shelves. With the exception of .380 ACP, which is still as scarce as common sense in the capitol, the ammo stocks have been improving quite a bit of late. The prices are up a bit from last summer, but it still beats going the internet site/mail-order route with added shipping, IMO. I'm no big Walmart fan, but I'm all for saving a buck or two.

I ONLY buy ammo from Walmart unless I'm looking for my premium grade hollowpoints. As a matter of fact I just got back from Walmart an hour ago and I was looking to buy some Federal hydrashocks for my G27 but unfortunately all they had was 135 gr. and I much prefer 180 gr. so I just walked away with 100 rds. of Federal FMJ's all for less than $30!!!!!!!!!! I love Walmart for their ammo!

The only time i buy from a local gun shop is to buy premium defense ammo that Walmart doesn't have in stock. Guess that means I gotta make an ammo run to Gun Works here in Salisbury tomorrow...

But evedently not.I as a blu-collar worked DO NOT get a quanity break in my world for buying a brick of primer's.

geez......what a loon..........buy a pack of 100 primers - about 4.00/100....buy a slip of 1000, going to run you about 35/1000..........buy the sleeve of 5,000 and it runs you about 135/5000 makes it even less.......

maybe you should get over your blue-collar wealth-envy and start coming ito the real world

Don't need any snark or hostility, no matter who buys how much of what from where...

^^^^ +1

I guess I'll just stick to my principles. If that means I shoot more .22 for practice than I guess that's what I'll do. We all have our own choices to make in life.

OBTW my local gun shop (in Idaho) frequently has case lots for sale which are competitive with Wally World. I don't get to shoot in Germany--no license :( .

Southpaw, as for "krautland" I think we should try and keep this on "The High Road" and not call people names. By the way "business" here in Germany is US Army.

Enjoy

One thing good about Wally World is that they normalize guns. Where else can you buy a rifle, ammo and a gallon of milk in the same place.

I started reloading with .45 acp too. My lee kit is still going strong after 13 years and thousands of rounds.

Where else can you buy a rifle, ammo and a gallon of milk in the same place.

Where I used to live, a drug store chain used to sell guns, ammo, reloading supplies, hard liquor, beer, wine and any scrip you could get.........all with no waiting period.....;)

Where else can you buy a rifle, ammo and a gallon of milk in the same place.

And at 3 am if you need them. All praise Wally World. ;)

Southpaw, as for "krautland" I think we should try and keep this on "The High Road" and not call people names. By the way "business" here in Germany is US Army.

Enjoy

Who am I calling names? I think as long as I'm not commiting a personal attack, I have the right to say what I want, and I thank you for defending that right. My comment regarding the business was in response to you attempting to justify spending more and getting less...

Most Germans don't take kindly to being called krauts. It's comparable to Japs or Yanks.
Not very PC.

Most of my ammo either came from my dad's old stockpile or from WalMart. Back about three years ago when my favorite WalMart carried Win. white box 9mm for $4.56 a box, the local gun store would buy it all up. No telling what they charged for it. The guy that purchased the ammo at WalMart would order me a couple of cases,or more, at that price and call me when it came in. I bought lots of ammo from him.

I REFUSE to shop at walmart. I truly believe you get a different product even though its in the same box. I watched a documentary on Wal-Mart and I think it is Panosonic or Samsung that have 2 different factories, one makes tv's for a lot of retailers and the other makes them exclusively for Wal-Mart. It's how they get "better" prices than everyone else. The workers at the factory building tv's for Wal-Mart are paid less, work more hours and have less benefits than the workers at the other factory. The worst part is uneducated or ignorant shoppers feed this monster. IMO, Wal-Mart is the worst thing out there that hurts the middle class.

I have access to a buddies dillon progressive reloader. Thankfully, I have no reason to ever step foot in a Wal-Mart. Even if I didn't have access to a reloader, I would buy range ammo from some of the vendors here. or look for deals at local places or large online retailers. The vendors on this forum ve prices that compete with, if not are better than wally worlds. Plus you support the small guy who is a fellow board member, 2nd ammend. advocate and part of our gun community. Why wouldn't you help them?

Another thing I do is wait for coupons from cabelas. Like the "save $10 for every $50" spent type deals and I buy either components or ammo that way.

P.S.
This comment was written by a blue-collar guy.

It's all about volume. The gun shops don't sell as much so they have to charge more. Still most shops mark up more than they should. Why? Because they can.

Most Germans don't take kindly to being called krauts. It's comparable to Japs or Yanks.
Not very PC.

No need for the history lesson, I fully understand that. I also have never met a single American who was offended when called a Yank. We have a damn major league baseball team you know... :scrutiny:

So if I'm offending any Yanks or Krauts here please let me know, and I'll gladly refrain from using such "insulting" comments...

Safe from me, people constantly call me a Kraut, hells my own Captain does, but some folks are real touchy.

Safe from me, people constantly call me a Kraut, hells my own Captain does, but some folks are real touchy.
That's the problem. It's not the word, it's the intention. They call you a kraut not out of malace or ill intention, but because you're German. People need to lighten up. If they did, the world would be a much better place.

As far as centerfire cartridges go, I wouldn't be shooting if it weren't for my reloading bench. I haven't bought a box of factory centerfire in years.:

Box of reloaded 40 S&W, 50 rounds = 6 bucks
Box of 20 reloaded .308 rounds = $8.50
Box of 20 reloaded 223 rounds = $4.50

Southpaw writes

Honestly, I shoot about once a week, mostly .45 acp, and about 100-250 rounds per trip. Sadly, that's probably more than I can afford to. I buy all my range ammo exclusively at Walmart, in the form of Remington UMC 250-round Mega Packs for $85 a piece. I don't know about you, but I'm not really in the tax bracket to be blowing $5,000+ a year on one of my hobbies, so I've been cutting back a bit.


What Southpaw means to have his title of this thread as is:

#1 if it weren't for Wal-Mart I'd shoot my 9mm a lot more

#2 if it weren't for Wal-Mart I'd know how to reload already

Southpaw writes




What Southpaw means to have his title of this thread as is:

#1 if it weren't for Wal-Mart I'd shoot my 9mm a lot more

#2 if it weren't for Wal-Mart I'd know how to reload already


#2 might be true. ;)

As far as the 9mm goes, I sold it because it was boring and inconsistant.