ammo pricing question

[John G C 1]

I know prices are high right now but I was just looking at a site that says they have 40 cases of Magtech 9mm......for 800 bucks a case.

Is anyone likely buying ammo at this price? Is this kind of pricing just to scare up more business for the cheaper brands or what?

 

[George P]

How many MILLIONS of new gun owners are there? How many of those bought 9mms? 9MM ammo is almost unobtainable, so if you do not have any AT ALL, then the price is reasonable; better to have some at any cost than to have a gun with no ammo.

 

[BreechFace]

Many new buyers have no clue what ammo typically costs, they just know they need some. So yes, people are paying those prices.

I have family that are at the age of no kids, good salary, whom never considered the need for self-defense firearms have bought firearms and didn't blink an eye at paying $550/1,000 rounds of 556 and they were glad they did, when I told them it's only going to go up from there for a period of time, because now its closer to $650-750 / 1,000.

I offered to sell some of my ammo that was bought at $300 / 1,000 but was refused as they didn't need to save the money at the expense of my stash; they were just happy with me helping them get acquainted with their new purchases and decisions to be made.

 

[FL-NC]

Either someone is buying it or the sellers are sitting on it. If they are sitting on it, I guess they are convinced it will eventually get sold- like when all other options are non-existent. The demand will only go up between now and November. The supply/demand thing is so out of kilter, if everything magically went back to the "normal" of 6-8 months ago RIGHT NOW, I think it would still take a long time for everything to get back in balance. So even if things work out for the best in November, I wouldn't expect the issue to go away in the foreseeable future. Or maybe I am just being pessimistic.

 

[Alex Clayton]

This is one of those things of "can't hurt to ask". A LOT of the ammo and primers ect get grabbed up by places that buy in huge lots. They are important customers as they buy a lot all the time. So when a panic hits some of them take advantage. If they have the capitol to sit on stuff they can afford to ask whatever the market will take. They paid the same price for it they did pre panic. If it does not sell at the price they set they can later lower the price but its not hurting them to ask. When people stop buying the stuff as fast as it comes out the door price drops. Maybe this time more will remember this when the stuff is on sale every week and no one wants it <shrug>

 

[FFGColorado]

I know prices are high right now but I was just looking at a site that says they have 40 cases of Magtech 9mm......for 800 bucks a case.

Is anyone likely buying ammo at this price? Is this kind of pricing just to scare up more business for the cheaper brands or what?

Or What

 

[FFGColorado]

How many MILLIONS of new gun owners are there? How many of those bought 9mms? 9MM ammo is almost unobtainable, so if you do not have any AT ALL, then the price is reasonable; better to have some at any cost than to have a gun with no ammo.

6 lines down..
https://www.wikiarms.com/group/9mm

 

[FFGColorado]

because now its closer to $650-750 / 1,000.

223..yes, expensive but easy to find 1000 rounds at about $470-$500
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/rem...c=1&WT.mc_id=ir1450150&WT.tsrc=AFF&cm_soc=AFF

 

[edwardware]

I know prices are high right now but I was just looking at a site that says they have 40 cases of Magtech 9mm......for 800 bucks a case.

Pricing is, "a conversation with the marketplace" as they say. $800 a case is impressive, but you'd pay that if you thought it was the last case.

I'm still smarting a bit from buying a case of LRM primers for full retail without a Free HazMat discount, but I didn't want my elephant gun to run dry. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[BreechFace]

223..yes, expensive but easy to find 1000 rounds at about $470-$500
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/remington-223-umc-centerfire-rifle-cartridges-freedom-bucket?irclickid=VfVTlt1CGxyORV00EkzjZTwgUkiQfq2FuSl:S80&irgwc=1&WT.mc_id=ir1450150&WT.tsrc=AFF&cm_soc=AFF

Bet it won’t last long at that price given the current situation.

 

[Swampman]

If every retailer out there suddenly decided to drop ammo prices back to pre panic levels, everything would be bought up by speculators/hoarders/(insert whatever term you like here) within 2 days and then the only place you'd be able to find ammo would be Gunbroker and similar sites.

If you think ammo prices are high now...

 

[mmb617]

I only see prices continuing to rise for the foreseeable future. I don't think the election will change that no matter which way it goes.

 

[George P]

It isn't the pricing I am concerned with; it's the ability to even get it, ESPECIALLY online. THAT is one BIG target the left has explicitly stated they want to end. They want ammo to go through background checks and limits on purchases

 

[AK Hunter]

I talked to the guy at our local gun shop he told me that he has to pay those prices to be able to sell guns to new gun buyers.
He says that a new buyer won't buy a gun (like a 9mm pistol) that they may or may not be able to buy ammo for.
They will buy a shotgun that they know they can get ammo for.
So in order to sell pistols that he has in stock he has to have ammo for them & he adds the extra for the ammo on to the price of the guns.(he gives one free box of ammo with each pistol)
Buyers that are desperate will pay whatever it cost to get ammo. They look at it as how much is your life worth?

 

[Alex Clayton]

It isn't the pricing I am concerned with; it's the ability to even get it, ESPECIALLY online. THAT is one BIG target the left has explicitly stated they want to end. They want ammo to go through background checks and limits on purchases

That worries me too. Many seem to either have not been around long enough to have seen it, or just forget it was not that long ago that you could not order ammo. It had to go through an FFL. Many law makers are trying to go back to this. Sadly many gun owners just ignore it. If it happens the people who ignored it coming will of course get mad <shrug>
As to the ones still yelling the sky is falling and prices will never come down again it's a big SIGH. Last panic the same thing was repeated over and over on the net. That panic ended, just like they all do. Prices fell to levels from before the panic. The people screaming the sky is falling ignored the shelves full of ammo. So rinse and repeat we are here again. Yes it is fact that this panic will end. Price will go back to what it was, people will go back to ignoring the ammo.

 

[George P]

I had a FFL back in the 80s and 90s; I had an ammo log in my book. I was one of those "Kitchen Table" FFLs, but I had to log every round, even .22lr.

 

[cardinalorange]

That worries me too. Many seem to either have not been around long enough to have seen it, or just forget it was not that long ago that you could not order ammo. It had to go through an FFL. Many law makers are trying to go back to this. Sadly many gun owners just ignore it. If it happens the people who ignored it coming will of course get mad <shrug>
As to the ones still yelling the sky is falling and prices will never come down again it's a big SIGH. Last panic the same thing was repeated over and over on the net. That panic ended, just like they all do. Prices fell to levels from before the panic. The people screaming the sky is falling ignored the shelves full of ammo. So rinse and repeat we are here again. Yes it is fact that this panic will end. Price will go back to what it was, people will go back to ignoring the ammo.

Except it never quite goes back to what it was before. Ammo prices have steadily been increasing over the last 15 years. 15-20 years ago you could buy a "brick" (150 rds) of 12 gauge clay load for 10 bucks at walmart any day of the week. You could buy a "brick" (1000 rds) of .22 LR for 10 bucks anywhere any day of the week. Even pre-panic finding shotgun clay loads for under 2.50 a box was difficult (50% increase in price), and finding .22 LR for less than 40$ a brick is impossible (400% increase in price). I started reloading everything, and I don't shoot what I can't reload anymore (except waterfowl loads, because I don't trust my 12 gauge water sealing in marsh bogs), so it doesn't really impact me, but the prices have definitely be increasing at a rate several times inflation.

 

[George P]

Except it never quite goes back to what it was before. Ammo prices have steadily been increasing over the last 15 years. 15-20 years ago you could buy a "brick" (150 rds) of 12 gauge clay load for 10 bucks at walmart any day of the week. You could buy a "brick" (1000 rds) of .22 LR for 10 bucks anywhere any day of the week. Even pre-panic finding shotgun clay loads for under 2.50 a box was difficult (50% increase in price), and finding .22 LR for less than 40$ a brick is impossible (400% increase in price). I started reloading everything, and I don't shoot what I can't reload anymore (except waterfowl loads, because I don't trust my 12 gauge water sealing in marsh bogs), so it doesn't really impact me, but the prices have definitely be increasing at a rate several times inflation.

Sorry, but those "bricks of 12 gauge were 4 boxes (still are) and a brick or 22 was 500, not 1000. And yes, there was a time when a brick of cheap 22s could be had for $7.99; my two boys went through them like candy with a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin 60. But I also have some shotgun ammo from those "good old days" of the 80s with the $9.99 price sticker still on them; ammo that today I can get for less than $8/box. Factoring in inflation, increases in wages, taxes, utilities, materials, shipping, etc., ammo was never as cheap as it was last year before the virus/election panic set in.

 

[John G C 1]

Went back to that websited.

Now they have 33 cases of magtech nine at about 800 dollars.

I guess they sold seven.

 

[George P]

Then they seem to have found some sort of sweet spot for their pricing.

 

[CDW4ME]

I'm glad I got ammo before it was $800 for case of 9mm; makes the 10mm and 357 Sig I got at $400 case (1,000) seem like a deal.

 

[Hartkopf]

There's more than one way to end a panic. The fear of brute force law changes are what causes $800 cases of 9mm to sell.

 

[cardinalorange]

Sorry, but those "bricks of 12 gauge were 4 boxes (still are) and a brick or 22 was 500, not 1000. And yes, there was a time when a brick of cheap 22s could be had for $7.99; my two boys went through them like candy with a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin 60. But I also have some shotgun ammo from those "good old days" of the 80s with the $9.99 price sticker still on them; ammo that today I can get for less than $8/box. Factoring in inflation, increases in wages, taxes, utilities, materials, shipping, etc., ammo was never as cheap as it was last year before the virus/election panic set in.

I went and checked and you're correct on both sizes (4 boxes and 500), and as with anything there will be certain things that get cheaper/more expensive as manufacturing catches up/leaves the round behind, but in general ammo prices across the board have been outpacing inflation by a wide margin the last 20 years (and remember, 20 years means the year 2000, although it seems the 90s were just yesterday). Instead of just my shoddy recollections, I decided to go get some hard data to prove what I knew to be correct. Here is a table of ammo prices on gun-deals.com for the years 2007-2015, and as you can see the average price per round for every single round is increasing at a rate higher than inflation. Now this is a limited data set, and obviously online sellers have their own history with purchasing/selling online because of the FFL for ammo purchases history, but I think it's a telling point.

https://public.tableau.com/profile/matt.chambers#!/vizhome/Gun-DealsSalesData/SalesAnalysis

Does that mean deals can't be found, of course not. You can still definitely find ammo on sale or in bulk for prices not far off to what it was 20 years ago, but lets also not pretend ammo isn't getting far more expensive on average than it should be.

 

[Reloadron]

I know prices are high right now but I was just looking at a site that says they have 40 cases of Magtech 9mm......for 800 bucks a case.

Is anyone likely buying ammo at this price? Is this kind of pricing just to scare up more business for the cheaper brands or what?

Ammo is a lot like guns or even used cars. On any given day a box or crate of ammo is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no more and no less. Incidentally it would be nice if the units per case were listed? Would a case be 1,000 rounds making it $0.80 per round? Would you pay $0.80 per round?

Ron

 

[George P]

Nothing has outpaced the cost of a college education for rising costs; ammo has had its ups and down; if it weren't for these riots, guns and ammo would be plentiful to some degree - still have to factor in the election scares - but all those suburban soccer moms and urban snowflakes would not have bothered to buy a gun if the only scare was the election. They are buying them now because they have seen the lunacy that can happen in a flash.