Auto AMMO prices...9mm cheaper than .380!?

[HOLYROLLER]

I just came back from pricing ammo @ Wally World, I am deciding between a Stoeger cougar 9mm, a Bersa CC .380 or a Ruger SP101. I was surprised to find the following prices for a 100 rnds of WWB;

.45 auto - $35
.40 auto - $21
9mm - $16
.380 auto - $25
.38 sp - $25
357 mag - $38

How is that 9mm and .40 are cheaper than .380 auto? I thought that size dictated price? What other factors dictate ammo prices? I also heard that there was a nation wide shortage of .40, if demand determines cost then why is this round not more costly.

Sincerely, likely Stoeger Cougar owner.

 

[Mannix]

It also has to do with volume of sales. There are FAR more guns out there chambered for 9mm(and even .40 S&W) than there are guns chambered for .380 auto, so they produce more 9mm than .380, and it costs less to make it as a result. The same holds true with .22 longs and shorts being more expensive than .22lr.

 

[nitforfun]

prices

i have come to find that my walmart in henderson ky
has some ammo in 40 s&w and 45 auto in boxes of fifty at a cheaper price than the box of 100 value price boxes.
mind you that they are CCI blazers but they shoot good in my XD pistols

the 9mm are about as good a value as you can get in the white box winchester they are 15.97 at my wally world

i just bought some 40s for 9.97 and 45s for 11.97 a box of fifty

 

[DMK]

9mm has long been one of the cheapest centerfire calibers to shoot, except for 7.62x39. You used to be able to get both for about 10 cents a round just a couple years ago.

the more common a gun is, and the more ammo folks buy, the cheaper it is to shoot. It's economy of scale. That's the reason 22LR is so cheap, but .17 is not.

 

[Pax Jordana]

good question!

I have no real facts, but I'm always glad to contribute a harebrained theory.

everyone shoots 9mm, it's NATO standard and everyone and their mother's got one. Because it's so popular, there are a ton of guns out there made to shoot it, and reliably at that, so quality control may be a bit, er, broader than something like .380, which is not as commonly found in full-sized pistols, and pocket pistols may be a little more finicky.

So I'm betting cost of machining, production etc would stay rather steady, seeing as a 9mm parabellum is a 9mm parabellum is a 9mm parabellum the world over for close to a century.

I'm more impressed that 38spl is up there too - you'd think a wheelgun round, especially with 'bargain' ammo, would have even less necessity for precision in loading! Maybe it's the rimmed case.

 

[matt87]

Round here, 12-bore shells go for about half what .410 goes for. Supply and demand.

 

[gfd_703]

To the ammo industry please make up you mind, are ammo prices high because of high demand worldwide, high brass and lead prices, or is it a supply and demand thing. If it is material prices then smaller should be sold for less. If it is a supply demand thing then 9mm and .223 should be the highest because of demand. I do not see any of these as being correct so I can only assume that it is like gas prices just raise them and see what we will pay. THANKS ammo industry.

 

[EZ CZ75]

The prices of most things in this world are NOT determined by any one variable. A quick study of economics is well worth eveybodies reading time.

Supply and demand, time and materials, shipping, etc all play their part. I live in semi-rural Alaska and the prices reflect it. Shipping plays a huge part in our costs, including ammo, fuel, fruits and veggies, everything. Ammo prices are a direct product of the current economy. Electricity and fuel prices are constantly climbing and we all know that somehow all that metal is molten at one point or another. Other markets are reportedly consuming more raw materials and others want more ammo.

To save money just reload your ammo and walk everywhere!

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

volume....just like 20 gauge shotshells are cheaper than 28 or 410.

 

[Noxx]

9mm is still cheaper than just about anything else, but in the last two years it's become worth loading.

 

[yongxingfreesty]

raw materials and labor that goes into .380 could used to make 9mm(a lot more popular than .380)

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

You got that right HolyRoller, I've been looking for good buys on .380 (good chambering) for some time, can't beleive the prices of the good stuff, near a buck a shot.

 

[2Lman]

I noticed that as well, when I was checking the pricing before I purchased my daily carry (and my first) gun. I decided to go with the Kel Tec PF9 instead of the P3AT. The 9 was more powerful, and the fact that practice ammo was much less expensive, kind of made it a win-win.

Supply and demand.

 

[renegade1alpha]

Its cheaper because of supply and demand. EVERYONE shoots 9mm and 40. Thats why I got rid of my Kel Tec .32 auto. Ammo for that thing was more expensive than .45 ACP!

 

[garymc]

I was going to suggest that .25 and .32 cal ammo are probably also high considering the quantity of materials used in the manufacture of them.