Is it worth the risk on waiting to buy ammo? Anybody see these prices going down soon?

DustyGmt said:

That's good advice. Thanks. I actually got irritated with bass pro because twice I found ammo, purchased it, got order confirmation and the next day received a cancellation notice. The first time I waited on hold for 40 mins to be told their warehouse couldnt keep up with computers or some such thing, understandably so, both during Corona panic, irritating nonetheless.

I'll try what you said with one click and all.... I like target sports because if I order in the morning the ammo is on my porch the very next day. I rarely if ever need ammo in such prompt fashion but I still like it.

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I like Targetsportsusa for the price (usually) and free bulk shipping; problem is, the price hasn't been great recently. I did a lot of SGAmmo for stuff, especially for rifle calibers (not semiauto), where I might want a few boxes of A, B and C. Haven't seen as much deals recently; however I have put the bolt guns to the side for now. I really used to monitor Brownell's, as they'd sometimes list my preferred ammo for $200, then post a code where you get $20 off and free shipping.
Right now, all 3 of those sites are raising the prices. Targetsports has come down the most, but it's still high. Like I said, if I can find Herters at 197 shipped, I'm going that route before I do something else at 249.

If you can handle Tula steel cased, keep an eye on Global Ordnance. They charge a flat rate of 12.95 shipping, and seem to offer holiday specials. So far I've done 9mm 1k case for $154.99 (Memorial Day), and .223 1k case for $250 (Father's Day). They also have 30 rd steel mags for AR for 6.99, which seems to be a solid price.
July 4th is coming, I'm sure they will have another deal. I want .308 next!

BullHeadedGideon said:

Hello guys & gals.

So I've been hesitant to buy ammo lately with how insane prices are, with all this Corona Virus stuff.

I'm debating if it's worth the risk to wait for prices to go down. Anybody think there's a decent chance on prices not going down/not being able to buy decent amounts of ammo by the time the "Corona prices" go down? Maybe due to Joe Biden getting elected & "Hitlering" our weapons/ammo or something like that?

Whatdo you guys think?

Thank you in advance for all your responses,

Bull.

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it may not be as cheap as it was 6 months ago, but it ain’t priced too high Yet. If you need it, but some.

But buy the dips heavy.....

I'd buy a moderate amount, if it goes down it's fine but the real risk is **** REALLY hits the fan and you can't get any. So at least buy some carry ammo if you can find it.

lsudave said:

If you can handle Tula steel cased, keep an eye on Global Ordnance. So far I've done 9mm 1k case for $154.99 (Memorial Day), and .223 1k case for $250 (Father's Day).

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My word, I wish I'd even heard of those guys. I was looking for ammo deals on fathers day, scouring the net looking for deals and I never caught wind of these deals. I also havent seen anything in steel case plinking ammo from TargetSports since the day after the G. Floyd thing but today some 800rd spam cans finally popped up. They weren't priced exactly right in my eyes. Less than a month or so ago I got my usual 1k case of 9mm steel case for $199 shipped and that's what I just paid for 200 rds less. I'm sure there is an up charge for the spam can. I find ammo deals that include the .50cal mil container are rarely worth it, it always seems they want too damned much for the addition of a container that costs $12 but the price reflects like a $40-$50 up charge.

DustyGmt said:

find ammo deals that include the .50cal mil container are rarely worth it, it always seems they want too damned much for the addition of a container that costs $12 but the price reflects like a $40-$50 up charge.

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Funny you should mention that ;

a little while back, I was looking around for some more 308 (it was during covid, after I got the C308; but before I reallly went into scrounge-mode). I recalled buying some loose 308 from ammoman, and for whatever reason it seemed like they had the same deal as luckygunner- but luckygunner added shipping. Anyway I got 250 rds of armscor 308 for 100.

So I checked back, they didn't have any. I then checked lucky gunner, and they didn't have any either- but they had "poor" grade 50 cal cans on clearance, $7 apiece. I figured, why not, I ordered some. All came in good condition with minimal exterior rust and no internal, and good seals. I was pleased. A couple weeks later I got an email, they'd dropped to $5 apiece, and I was ramping up ammo purchasing (things were getting hairy, not due to covid anymore). So I grabbed some more. I got a total of 14 out of that deal (too bad, they're gone now), and only one needed any touch up (and of course a can of green paint took care of that). Seals are airtight on all, nice and clean. And getting filled up, between what I had and what I am getting. So, yeah, they're neat, and useful, but not worth a ton if you can find somewhere with them on sale. If I could find more in that range, I'd probably add a few more. With the seals working, I suspect they keep the ammo good for a LONG time.

lsudave said:

Funny you should mention that ;

a little while back, I was looking around for some more 308 (it was during covid, after I got the C308; but before I reallly went into scrounge-mode). I recalled buying some loose 308 from ammoman, and for whatever reason it seemed like they had the same deal as luckygunner- but luckygunner added shipping. Anyway I got 250 rds of armscor 308 for 100.

So I checked back, they didn't have any. I then checked lucky gunner, and they didn't have any either- but they had "poor" grade 50 cal cans on clearance, $7 apiece. I figured, why not, I ordered some. All came in good condition with minimal exterior rust and no internal, and good seals. I was pleased. A couple weeks later I got an email, they'd dropped to $5 apiece, and I was ramping up ammo purchasing (things were getting hairy, not due to covid anymore). So I grabbed some more. I got a total of 14 out of that deal (too bad, they're gone now), and only one needed any touch up (and of course a can of green paint took care of that). Seals are airtight on all, nice and clean. And getting filled up, between what I had and what I am getting. So, yeah, they're neat, and useful, but not worth a ton if you can find somewhere with them on sale. If I could find more in that range, I'd probably add a few more. With the seals working, I suspect they keep the ammo good for a LONG time.

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Funny, my local building supply store acquired a random pallet of .30 cal cans that were in ok cond for $6/ea. I grabbed a few. Should have grabbed all.

"Is it worth the risk on waiting to buy ammo?"
Risk? What risk? You get to keep and use the ammo you buy right?
Lets say you re out of bread. A month ago bread cost $2.50 , now it's $3.50. If you feel you want and need that loaf of bread , buy it. If bread goes back down in price in another month it's not the end of the world.

"Anybody see these prices going down soon?"
Breeze through the news ; pretty easy to arrive at a logical answer.

BullHeadedGideon said:

Hello guys & gals.
Hello!

So I've been hesitant to buy ammo lately with how insane prices are, with all this Corona Virus stuff.

...and the follower after Corona stuff, the Isis-lite 'tear down their statues / burn their country' stuff.

I'm debating if it's worth the risk to wait for prices to go down. No, it's not.
Anybody think there's a decent chance on prices not going down/not being able to buy decent amounts of ammo by the time the "Corona prices" go down? Nope.
Maybe due to Joe Biden getting elected & "Hitlering" our weapons/ammo or something like that?

What do you guys think?
Prices NOT going down for another year, at a minimum , is my guess. Prices will stabilize at slightly higher then right now, with the problem being actually getting your hands on it. 4th July/Labor Day/ Black Friday ''sales'' will be more like what there is now, plus a small percentage i.e. + 5%, based on extreme violence and I-lite city takeovers stopping. And, the availability issue. Be prepared for backorder(s). Even if Joe doesn't get elected, others in 'hotbed' areas will. Do you think the governors overseeing (AND, not doing anything about it) the new I-lite areas, are going to magically do something AFTER the elections to quell the violence? National affiliated parjty persons not saying anything now, will, then? My $ would be on a big big fat NO. Perhaps just burnout due to ..burnout. But not stopped. Therefore, if their are regional areas of I-lite activities (within .05 seconds it's TOTAL news coverage) that will STILL keep ammo prices up, and, that will still reflect on the national purchasing stage i.e. internet. All IMHO.

Thank you in advance for all your responses,

U R welcome

Bull.

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Trey Veston said:

Plenty of .22lr and hunting calibers locally. All the common self-defense and... ...and are now trying to gear up for conflict.

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Well let's hope not. But alas as said by others, when it was L.A., Chicago (bang! bang!) and Miami, well, those mess-towns have crappy areas and policies ''so it's expected''...''glad I don't live there''...''Yes you should just MOV...'' WAIT! It's happening more close to MY home, NOW.


P.S. WHY THE STUPID CAPTCHA THINGIE? I M LOGGED IN

Waveski said:

"Is it worth the risk on waiting to buy ammo?"
Risk? What risk? You get to keep and use the ammo you buy right?
Lets say you re out of bread. A month ago bread cost $2.50 , now it's $3.50. If you feel you want and need that loaf of bread , buy it. If bread goes back down in price in another month it's not the end of the world.

"Anybody see these prices going down soon?"
Breeze through the news ; pretty easy to arrive at a logical answer.

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I suggest buying several loafs of ammo since it won't mold.

Steve S. said:

You cannot time the stock market and you cannot time ammo prices; everyone with hindsight wisdom is a genius - everyone predicting the future is guessing. If you want or need ammo, buy it.

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Yup, I just bought 1000 rounds of 9mm...not hard to find. The sky is gray but it isn't falling...regardless of the political statements above.

FFGCOLORADO said:

Yup, I just bought 1000 rounds of 9mm...not hard to find. The sky is gray but it isn't falling...regardless of the political statements above.

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You have 4 pages of "above statements" to your post but what specifically was political in recent posts? That Chicago and other big cities have lots of crime but now some people are seeing crime and riots in other areas that normally don't have crime? I can see maybe since DoubleMag wrote about "policies" that these big cities have someone would take that as political. If he would have just wrote "laws" instead of "policies" it would have been just same right?

Hartkopf said:

You have 4 pages of "above statements" to your post but what specifically was political in recent posts? That Chicago and other big cities have lots of crime but now some people are seeing crime and riots in other areas that normally don't have crime? I can see maybe since DoubleMag wrote about "policies" that these big cities have someone would take that as political. If he would have just wrote "laws" instead of "policies" it would have been just same right?

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HA, 2 or 3 just deleted but post 11, 39 and 40 still up..I got called out by writing an answer to some political statement..mentioning candidates..I guess my point is if 'we' wish to discuss ammo availability, mentioning a variety of political candidates, what they 'may' do or say and how the opcoming election results will effect ammo is a one way ticket to getting this thread(or others) closed...

FFGCOLORADO said:

HA, 2 or 3 just deleted but post 11, 39 and 40 still up..I got called out by writing an answer to some political statement..mentioning candidates..I guess my point is if 'we' wish to discuss ammo availability, mentioning a variety of political candidates, what they 'may' do or say and how the opcoming election results will effect ammo is a one way ticket to getting this thread(or others) closed...

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HA, ok so nothing recent as your post was number 85. The deleted posts are gone so their not hurting anybody's feelings now and the thread doesn't look to be out of control.

Two true statements: (1) The sky is not falling. (2) Ammo market is tightening; that is, retail stock is going downward and prices are rising ... and this has been true since March.
Why would one expect guys on a firearms board wouldn't be talking about it? None of us want to see the return of the nuttiness that began in late 2012, but better to be forewarned should it come to that, eh?
If you have any doubt the market has tightened, check the 9mm offerings on Target Sports USA or SG Ammo. If they've got 9mm ball (range ammo) check the prices. Just saying those sites are one indicator.
OP's question might have been a touch on the vague side, but the fact remains it might be time to correct any deficiencies in personal stock. With the 'rona still going on and a hard-fought national election coming up, the demand for common calibers is not likely to decrease, nor are prices.
What one should do at this point is, I suppose, depends on need, perception, shooting volume, etc.
Personally, I've very little to zero fear of riotous hoards breaching my door, and if I did I wouldn't be worried about having thousands of rounds of range ammo. For me, the cost to keep on with one's rec shooting is another question, though.
Also, personally, I don't need much and, one match project aside, am not looking for much. That said, we all have different situations. Nothing wrong with an awareness of what's going on in the market for an item you regularly use.

Online and big box stores are starting to come back in stock. My observation is that the people buying from the big box stores aren’t always individuals. Sometimes small mom and pop shops that don’t stock large quantities of anything panic buy and resell at a markup. I always liked seeing Academy Sports brand ammo (monarch) selling for twice the price at the local gun shop. $35 C-products AR mags? Hah!

The irony is, we’re finally at a point in American history where gun control is completely futile. It’s impossible for a ban to be effective at this point. Quantity of guns aside, do you think the police are going to enforce anything the Democrats say at this point?

Back to my original point: Don’t buy anything at a massive markup. It only encourages profiteering.

Prince Yamato said:

Online and big box stores are starting to come back in stock. My observation is that the people buying from the big box stores aren’t always individuals. Sometimes small mom and pop shops that don’t stock large quantities of anything panic buy and resell at a markup. I always liked seeing Academy Sports brand ammo (monarch) selling for twice the price at the local gun shop. $35 C-products AR mags? Hah!

The irony is, we’re finally at a point in American history where gun control is completely futile. It’s impossible for a ban to be effective at this point. Quantity of guns aside, do you think the police are going to enforce anything the Democrats say at this point?

Back to my original point: Don’t buy anything at a massive markup. It only encourages profiteering.

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Yeah during the Obama years a local retailer in my area would always beat me to the local Walmart. 3 box limit, didnt stop him from showing up with his family, 6-7 employees and wiping them out. I remember being distinctly enraged when I got in line the 2nd time to see his gaggle of "buyers" buying up 9mm at $9 per box just to see it back in his shop for $39.99 per box. That is just plain lousy and I'm pretty sure illegal to do since it was NH he was buying it tax free and marking it up and collecting sales tax, etc... These shortages are never fun. I have what I need for storage but I cant afford to buy 30k rounds of plinking ammo ahead of time so I always feel the hit in one form or another during these shortages.

LGS stock of common calibers here (9mm, 223/556) is sparse. When the LGSs have it, it is generally bulk (1/2 case or case availability). The 50-count boxes of handgun and 20-count boxes of rifle are still moving out fast when the local retailers have 'em.
Re .22lr, the offerings at LGSs, Academy and farm stores have been relatively thin, but not entirely absent. In general, when it shows, it goes ... although some of the bulk HV packages (Fed AutoMatch, Rem Golden Bullets, Rem Thunderbolts, Armscor, etc) do seem to come in fairly often.
I'd guess demand probably varies by locale.

Waveski said:

Risk? What risk? You get to keep and use the ammo you buy right?
Lets say you re out of bread. A month ago bread cost $2.50 , now it's $3.50. If you feel you want and need that loaf of bread , buy it. If bread goes back down in price in another month it's not the end of the world.

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Good and bad analogy. Bad analogy in that bread (food/water in general) are necessities of life.Good analogy in that both commodities are somewhat inelastic, meaning consumer demand for both doesn't seem to be affected by price. We keep buying food stuffs regardless of price increase and the same seems to hold true for ammo.

George P said:

I watched the Speer Lawman I buy go from .018 to .028 per round; for a case price, that added $100......I consider that a serious uptick.

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If we're cherry picking pre-covid low prices with current prices at the high end of the bell curve, no wonder it looks absurd to you. On the other hand if we're comparing pre-COVID deals to deals now, the uptick is still a couple/few pennies.

Example: As of this morning, you could order Herter's from BassPro for <$.18 per round. It's shown in-stock multiple times in the past week. As stated, you have to watch for it and be a bit quicker, but new brass cased 9mm FMJ can absolutely still be found for $.20 or less. If the pattern from the last couple of weeks holds out, this will be in stock again in 1-3 days.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/herters-target-handgun-ammo

D.B. Cooper said:

For me and my area, it's not the price, it's the unavailability. 9mm is unavailable (through normal retail outlets) at any price.

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Ah, that makes sense. I can't afford to pay normal retail prices for ammo, and have been an online bulk buyer for some time. Completely agree that brick-and-mortar shoppers who only check a few places are going to have a rough time right now.

Shelves continue to be bare in my Area of Operations.
Did find a "value pack" 223...150 rounds for 57.99 plus tax. There were three packs available.

Its times like these you cant be tickled enough to come across a lil stash of ammo you didnt know you had. I just found a half a case of 9mm I didnt know I had after returning from the gun shop with a load of .22lr and 9mm, started putting things away and viola!

I'm still super irked that a box of buffalo bore hard cast WC just went missing but at least I found some more training ammo.

psyopspec said:

If we're cherry picking pre-covid low prices with current prices at the high end of the bell curve, no wonder it looks absurd to you. On the other hand if we're comparing pre-COVID deals to deals now, the uptick is still a couple/few pennies.

Example: As of this morning, you could order Herter's from BassPro for <$.18 per round. It's shown in-stock multiple times in the past week. As stated, you have to watch for it and be a bit quicker, but new brass cased 9mm FMJ can absolutely still be found for $.20 or less. If the pattern from the last couple of weeks holds out, this will be in stock again in 1-3 days.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/herters-target-handgun-ammo

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That .018/round was mid March; the .028/round was mid May. Still the same price and out of stock..............I loaded up prior and will just shoot more reloaded 38s for the time being

Googling recently took me to a site called gun.deals that lists all the sellers of whatever you want to buy, if it's something they follow. Worth checking out.

old lady new shooter said:

Googling recently took me to a site called gun.deals that lists all the sellers of whatever you want to buy, if it's something they follow. Worth checking out.

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I also discovered that site about a year ago. Bought alot of stuff for really cheap. Lately the prices seem back to normal on there. Hopefully it it will calm down soon.