More Ammo..

I think things are getting better as buying slows and production continues at 24-7-365 pace, but prices will reflect on hand inventory and demand.

I also think as demand for common calibers subsides, production will transition into the more seasonal ammo cycles of fall hunting calibers that are still scarce.

I am personally always in the hunt for .410 shells as the guy who lets me shoot on his land needs them. I’m also keeping an eye out for 30-30 which is scarce in my AOR.

Just my observations from the infrequent trips I make to sporting goods stores and Walmart.

Got a email from Target Sports with decent prices.

Availability is starting to come up again...but it hasn't been happening significantly enough for long enough of a time for prices to come back down to reasonable levels.

When (if) 9mm ammo returns to the low 20 cent-per-round range again for brass, then we will have reached that point. That means twenty-something bucks for a hundred rounds. Right now it's twenty-something bucks for 50 rounds, give or take depending on brand. (115 grain prices.)

And I'm talking about "target ammo", of course, not self defense ammo...which typically are higher prices.

Winchester White Box 9mm 115 gr is almost there, which tells me we're on the recovery track. Depending, of course, on where you buy it.

It's to the point now where I would buy a box or two once in a while. But when it gets back to relatively "normal" prices again, I'll probably start routinely buying again...perhaps by the case, even. If I could get WWB readily available at about $250/case, I'd probably start buying cases.

Went to my LGS yesterday. For the first time in 2 years they had ammo, many types and maybe 10 boxes of each.

Also firearms, not like before but good selection of rifles and handguns.

Local stores still don't have the ammo I want, and so I still have to order online, and it's not so much the price of the ammo, which is still pretty outrageous, but it's more the $15 shipping I have to pay just for three boxes of 20 rounds each to get delivered to my front door.

Was at a Rural King in OH yesterday. They had some off brand brass case 9mm. 50/$18.99
And some Sig 124 gr 9mm hp
20/$16.95

I am in no rush but will be watching prices. It will be a race to see whether small pistol primers or case lot econoball gets relatively affordable first.

wiscoaster said:

Local stores still don't have the ammo I want, and so I still have to order online, and it's not so much the price of the ammo, which is still pretty outrageous, but it's more the $15 shipping I have to pay just for three boxes of 20 rounds each to get delivered to my front door.

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You may be able to get a lot more ammo on that $15 shipping to reduce the per round cost.

I hit one of the local gun shops for .357 Magnum last weekend and all they had was a box of 50 soft point and a box of 20 hollow point. I got them even though they were rather pricey, total $86.

I also ordered several boxes of 50 in .357 Magnum online for $29 a box soft point and same for hollow point. Shipping was $20 though.

New gun purchases, as measured by number o 4473s are way down so far this year over last year. Subject to change at any time.

Primers seem to be going to the manufactures first and the left overs (of which there are about none) go to the LGS'. It will probably be a very long time before the prices come down, but never will they be what the were. That is something we will most likely have to face.
I have a few thousand bucks on the ready this time around.

I'm seeing more around here too. The prices have come down but they are not back to pre-panic prices yet.

Even saw a box of 218 Bee, on the shelf...for $109 per 50. Glad I reload for that, and have plenty of reserve. Thing are getting better around here, if you shoot the 9mm, 223, and such, but not so much, for hunting rounds, and price is still about double.

Buzznrose said:

I am personally always in the hunt for .410 shells

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Even before the major price increases of the last couple years, I have found .410 to be exorbitantly high, anybody know why this is? It's less material and lead, undoubtedly cheaper to manufacture but is 3-4× the price of your average 12ga..... just curious

DustyGmt said:

Even before the major price increases of the last couple years, I have found .410 to be exorbitantly high, anybody know why this is? It's less material and lead, undoubtedly cheaper to manufacture but is 3-4× the price of your average 12ga..... just curious

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Scale of production. Same reason 9mm is cheaper than 32 acp.

I just ordered a case of 124gn HST. ouch. I have a new one to break in. And I like to finish up every practice session with 3 mags of carry ammo. The rest is with full power 124gn NATO loads. Not cheap either.

Only major problem with that is I try to get at least 2 practice sessions a month.

Bill M. said:

Local gunstore/range had lots of new ammo today. Prices still high but at least there was plenty for a change. Maybe things getting better..?

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Around me, prices have been pretty reasonable. For a period of time a box of 50 9mm was $30-$35, now it's half that which isn't where we were, but if it stays in that price range I can justify a couple few range trips each month. I am seeing availability go way up and prices are coming down. I just got a 45/70 and am sort of choking on the price of ammo for that, but am seeing my shop at $50/box for Premium JHP/LSP is way better than I'm seeing everywhere else and online closer to $85-$120/box. I'm going to get a single stage press once and for all and start slowly stocking up components, because while I don't keep a real close eye on components prices and the going rate on those, my LGS is having alot of powder shipments coming in, SPP, LRP and everything else and I'm guessing if my shop has the cheapest guns and ammo I'm seeing anywhere, it stands to reason the reloading stuff is also good......

Last week, my favorite LGS had more ammo than they've ever had before. In addition to the new freestanding stacks of it throughout the store, they had cases of it stacked in front of the display cases.

Prices are higher than they used to be, but I picked up some Blazer Brass 9mm for $17 a box which is much cheaper than it has been.

The local Cabelas had the shelves full of 250 packs of 115gr FMJ 9mm the last couple times I was there looking for SPP of which there were none. The local indoor range is still filling their pistol permit classes with new shooters. All will buy a gun and some will become regular shooters and add to ammo demand.

RetiredUSNChief said:

... for prices to come back down to reasonable levels.

When (if) 9mm ammo returns to the low 20 cent-per-round range again for brass, then we will have reached that point. ...

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That almost perfectly describes my personal target point. When decent, ball 9mm brass approaches 20¢ I will, once again, begin paying close attention with the thought of buying.

As I recall, the last couple of cases of general-grade ball 9x19 that I purchased a few years ago ran about 18¢-19¢ ... with free shipping.

Aaaaahhh, back in the day ... when we had the luxury of much lower prices and we could actually afford to shop for the best deal rather than feeling that we have to to JUMP on any relatively-decent-but-still-crappy deals that suddenly appear.

At least, so far, the Cycle appears to have peaked and prices/inventory are now on the down slope ... <fingers crossed>

aaaaa said:

You may be able to get a lot more ammo on that $15 shipping to reduce the per round cost..

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Yes, if ordering more than $200 (from the last vendor I ordered from). My problem is I have so many different calibers for various guns shot infrequently that I only need three or four boxes of each and any one vendor seldom has every caliber I need, so I almost never can make the free-shipping minimum order.

I saw a butt-load of ammo at Sportsman Warehouse and Cabela’s in the Denver area. Prices were coming down as well.

wiscoaster said:

Yes, if ordering more than $200 (from the last vendor I ordered from). My problem is I have so many different calibers for various guns shot infrequently that I only need three or four boxes of each and any one vendor seldom has every caliber I need, so I almost never can make the free-shipping minimum order.

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This is my problem as well. And if you find a vendor that has lots of calibers they are usually way higher than others

Most stores around here have a lot more ammo in stock and you can find some deals that get you close to previously normal prices. Hopefully this trend will continue and we will start to see more powder and primers available on shelves.

Seeing a lot of Ammo on the shelf but the prices still suck