Price of 5.56/.223 !!!

I hate to say it, I feel these threads are going to be much more common in the near future:banghead:

I would bet ammunition prices will level and return to near normals within the year, till then shoot plenty of 22lr if you can find it.

Well put DR.ROB, I forgot to mention donate:banghead:

You are okey. Thats a lot of ammo. Invest more on .22 lr , get a Ruger 10 /22 in the meantime.

nathan said:

You are okey. Thats a lot of ammo. Invest more on .22 lr , get a Ruger 10 /22 in the meantime.

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I agree... that's way, way more ammo than anybody I know has. I totally understand the concern if you're the type of person who generally has thousands of rounds on hand for multiple calibers. On the flip side, I've always been the kind of person to buy what I intend to shoot on my way to the range, and maybe keep one spare box of ammo at home. Every gun owner I know is the same way. I currently have about 350 rounds of ammo at home, and I've never been more comfortable with my ammo situation.

You've got more rifle ammo than the sum of every time I've pulled a trigger in my life. And I've been shooting for over twenty years. Like others said, buy a 22LR and a few bricks of ammo and you'll be good to go.

Buy a single shot thumper. Say 50 cal Sharps, or something similar in a NEF. Cut the barrel to minimum legal length, put on iron sights.

Practice your offhand shooting, one round at a time. After the thumper has beat you up in maybe 45 rounds or so, you go home. Save a lot of money, learn how to shoot better, and feel less of an inclination to go shoot again as long as your shoulder is sore.

It's simple ec (ow) nomics!

LOL.

I went to cabelas on Sunday. They had "independence arms 5.56 xm193" for $9.99/box. I have never seen or used this stuff before, but that works out to about 50 cents/round which seems like a bargain these days so I bought 10 boxes which was the maximum limit per customer.

You can chart ammo price to election cycles and the winning party. After the current election and the school shootings, talk of a AWB, prices well only go up.

Last weeks gun show I saw 30rd Pmags at $90 ea.

This is one of the main reasons that I got an M&P ar-22 a year or so ago. Looks like I will need to pick up an M&P .22 (handgun) in the near future also.

i haven't seen much .22LR locally either

I just picked up a few hundred Federal 5.56 xm193f at a local farm supply store, $7.99/20rnds. There was an AR and a Saiga 12 in the case.

All the steel-cased .223 was gone but there was a ton of 7.62x39 Wolf @ $5/box.

People (and some online retailers) that are charging crazy amounts on the interwebs and at gunshows aren't the only sources for firearms and ammunition.

Ignore the hype, take a breath and shop around.

Your ammo inventory looks okay, just that in the near future you may want to shoot less of your centerfire rifle ammo and supplement it with shooting more rimfire. Prices will come back down somewhat (hopefully), once things get sorted out.

A few years ago, I purchased a Carcano in very good condition for two-hundred dollars. I found the 7.35mm round to be hard to come by and expensive (as much as two dollars a round). This prompted me to learn reloading. It cost me a bit to set up and I did a lot of reading in books and on the Internet before I reloaded my first round. And like many new to the craft, I stood behind a corner of my shed in back, and wearing a gauntlet, I took shallow aim, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. Of course I had a satisfactory discharge, but firing one's first round (without direct tutelage) can be most intimidating.
About four years ago there was a pervasive spirit in the air regarding survival preparation. It was not at the panic level we are experiencing with small rifle ammunition today, but it was enough to get people talking. This was shortly before we became inundated with 'prepper' programs (a term I have never used to describe myself to anyone). It was also at this time that I sold most of my stock of purchased ammunition and invested it in reloading supplies to the tune that like some of you, I could forego buying anymore rifle ammunition for the rest of my days.
I say all of this to tell the OP and anyone else listening that you may want to seriously consider reloading. Not only for today's reasons, but, as many reloaders can attest, this craft takes firearms ownership and shooting to a higher level of involvement. People that reload tend to be more sober minded about their gun ownership. We also tend to be humble about our knowledge of firearms and the useage thereof.

The question often arises: how much cheaper is it to relaod? How much does a person save reloading?
As put to me by a more experienced hand of the craft, you do not save anything in the way of dollars. What you do get is more out of your shooting (in satisfaction and in cartridges to fire, if you follow my meaning) than otherwise. Only because I did set up a couple of panic cycles back, am I now in the realm of getting more bang for my buck while firing arms. This was pointed out by a chum who is just beginning to reload.

Give it a thought, and who knows - you may find a whole new horizon to your hobby that proves to be most rewarding.

- JKHolman

You don't have enough. If you shoot 500 rounds every other week (I do, but the taxpayers, like myself, pay for it) you will be out in no time.
2500 rounds? That's not going to get you through ONE season of three-gun competitions and training.
When I get down to 10k per caliber, I literally lose sleep over it. RELOAD. You need to get the gear, suck up the outrageous startup costs, and reload everything that isn't rimfire.
Also: Get .22 conversions for your favorite guns. 10k of 22 is nothing.

I wouldn't worry about it op, it looks like you are sitting pretty right now. Prices will drop once the supply catches up with the demand.

.22LR isn't exactly easy to find right now. It's been weeks since I saw any on a store shelf.

Bobson said:

I've always been the kind of person to buy what I intend to shoot on my way to the range, and maybe keep one spare box of ammo at home. Every gun owner I know is the same way.

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I'm almost the opposite. I know very few people who buy their ammo on the way to the range anymore...not after the 1st Obama-Scare. Folks that like to shoot recreationally found themselves out of luck for perhaps 6 months as the shelves they used to rely on were found bare.

I reload so I've kind of unplugged myself from the normal supply chain to some extent. I still have to buy components and those are getting scarce too...but I'll always try have enough on hand to last through these times of craziness...that way I can continue my recreation shooting while everyone else is having trouble finding ammo.

If I have trouble finding components for a caliber I'll just switch to another one. I reload for maybe 10 or 12 different calibers so I have some flexibility.

MR2Aaron said:

.22LR isn't exactly easy to find right now. It's been weeks since I saw any on a store shelf.

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While I have no clue as to your location there is no shortage of .22 LR up here in NE Ohio. Last weekend the Wal_Marts and other sporting goods stores had no shortage of the stuff.

Overall, for those wanting .223 and don't need it yesterday I suggest ordering from a large wholesaler that will still accept back orders. I have noticed many have quit taking backorders recently. That means a large wholesaler that is offering a good price and fair price, not some rip off joint online. It may take a month (or more) but eventually you will get your stuff.

Lessons learned from this latest and greatest fiasco should be it doesn't hurt to maintain a good supply of stuff you shoot and it doesn't hurt to invest some time and money in rolling your own (reloading).

Ron

gspn said:

If I have trouble finding components for a caliber I'll just switch to another one. I reload for maybe 10 or 12 different calibers so I have some flexibility.

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That's actually a good idea. I've never been a "have rifles/handguns in several calibers" kinda guy. More of a stick to 9mm and .270, bit this is a really great argument for diversifying.

gspn said:

I'm almost the opposite. I know very few people who buy their ammo on the way to the range.....

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I agree. Only buying ammo in route to a shooting event would be about like not keeping any food in the house.

I'll be amazed if one result of all this isn't a permanent end to the supply of brass, bullets, powder from USGI surplus sources.

Biden et al. are dumb but they won't miss the fact that there is a lot of 5.56, .308, 9mm ammo out there assembled with US Gov't cases and/or bullets.

The shortages will linger, IMO, and prices will not return to 'normal' again. No business is going to invest to increase capacity for the items subject to being targeted for control - .223 & other calibers of ammo, mags, rifles, etc. Also, remember that since the great primer shortage of several years ago, prices never dropped back to pre-scare levels that I've seen.

All the locals in my area want $1.00 per round of XM855...

I'd give it to March-April and then restock. Prices should be back under control soon. If you go by past panics.