Current State of Ammo Prices and Supply

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

cbrgator

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
2,525
After the last sky-is-falling ammo buying craze when prices shot up and supply disappeared, I basically left the market for a while.

I am just curious, for those who have been paying attention, has there been any favorable trend as of late with respect to supply or prices? Are things on the way to normalizing? Or will prices be inflated and supply limited for the foreseeable future?
 
I was in Gander Mt today. They had plenty of everything, but rimfire. Hunting ammo looked about the same as last year. Bulk handgun and military rifle looked a bit higher. Primers were $8-10 higher per 1k than last year.
 
Today, our Cabela's had a pretty good selection of primers, spotty coverage of bullet choices, and practically no powder worth worrying about. They had a substantial number of 150 and 300 round cases of 223/5.56. All in all, the shortages are easing very, very slowly. I have an 8 pound keg of TAC on backorder, and am not expecting the order to be filled much before the daffodils come up.
 
Went to a local store today and they had plenty of ammo (though no rimfife), but it was priced on the high side of rrasonable. They also had a 2 box limit on all rifle ammo (including hunting ammo for some reason).
 
With 5.45x39 down to .17-.18/rd., 7.62x39 at .23/rd., those are pretty normal prices.
The problem many of us anticipate is that the Next panic will be so unprecedented that it won't ever really cool off.

And this has nothing to do with including future major decisions by the insidious ATF and just One future anti-Second. Amendment appointment to the Supreme Court.
Gradual increases in taxes/tariffs on imported ammo could have a significant accumulative effect.

The more subtle bad icing on the cake can be the signature of the UN Small Arms Agreement. One of its ultimate goals is to eliminate private gun ownership, and they can wait many years for this to happen.
Waiting much longer for ammo prices to come down clearly has its own risks. These might be the good old days.
 
Last edited:
Locally, here in the Phoenix Metro area, ammo is pretty plentiful except for the .22 rimfire. Components are available with little trouble and a lot of powders are on the shelf at Bruno's Shooter's Supply. (http://www.brunoshooters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=BSS)

Prices of everything is higher than before the panic, but that is expected, I suppose. $8-$10 per box primers, $5-$10 per box bullets, brass up 50% (at least) and powder's up about 50%-60%.

Poper
 
Last edited:
There are a lot of vendors offering pre-Thanksgiving and after Thanksgiving sales on ammunition, firearms, accessories and reloading components. Some of the prices listed for pre and Black Friday sales are really good and they are/will be going fast - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9219686#post9219686

If you are in need of reloading components, we have an ongoing thread that posts available reloading components at good/best prices - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9212165#post9212165

gunwatcher posted a new website that allows you to quickly search firearms and accessories by lowest prices (including gun auctions). I think it's pretty awesome - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=735412
 
I was in Gander Mt today. They had plenty of everything, but rimfire. Hunting ammo looked about the same as last year. Bulk handgun and military rifle looked a bit higher. Primers were $8-10 higher per 1k than last year.
Click to expand...

Same here at the GM; 223 running $12 and up, and handgun up but shelves were full
 
No too far away.................a little more south and central. They just remodeled this one, brought back the used guns and expanded the heck out of the gun section - now all they need to do is stop having non-gun accountants set the pricing above MSRP and market.

Everyone I know does the "showrooming" aspect and then buys elsewhere, but they still sell a lot to high prices, especially to the retired folks looking for a HD gun
 
Plan a head

Last January with the announcements and what not, I got a case of my ammo on order with local LGS store and my case arrived September. I just broke open that case 2 weeks ago. January 2014, I will order another case of .22LR Aquila Match Rifle and as long as it arrives by September, I'm good!! My LGS buys from Zander Sporting Goods[Distributor] and see they have no inventory of almost all manufactures. This tells me I better get my cash together so can get another case on order which will be January soonest.

A couple of us sold some last summer in order for a couple fellows to compete in our NRA off hand rifle sport. We start indoor winter paper practice in January and some might ask if there is any extra that you have. I will sell it to them at cost, again or $4.00/box of 50. I don't hoard as just order a case at a time, which gives you a consistent lot. Meaning, will shoot the same every time. New price is going to be $500.00/cs
 
Last edited:
It's a mixed bag. Wal-mart is a keystone supplier I guess you could say. I've finally started seeing substantial amounts of .40 and .45 ACP, with dribbles of .38 special and the rare few boxes of .357 magnum. Oh plenty of .44 magnum mind you but still. 223 and 7.62x39 is available on the shelves of Walmart as well. .22lr is still hard to find and will likely remain so for the forseeable future. I'm not worried though as I accidentally unearthed more of my forgotten lost stockpile from 2008 and realized I have over 15k in .22 lr. I also found a k of .40 as well and lots of steel case 9mm.

I'm still buying boxes of ammo at Walmart every week but I've slowed down to one 100 rd box of ammo unless my fiancee is with me and then it's two. Friday we got two 100 rd boxes of .45. We could have bought an additional 50 rd box each but we didn't want to be overly greedy.

Went to a gun show today and it was laughable what everyone other than Georgia Arms was asking. Still Georgia Arms wasn't a sweet deal on the more usual rounds either and for the first time I realized they were selling reloading components so go figure.

I saw a dirty box of aluminum case 9mm going for 18.99. I intentionally and rudely burst out laughing while pointing at the single box.

Around may or june I figure it'll calm down and I'll start to hoard again. Been nice not having to pay out the wazoo for ammo. Yes prices are up at Wal-mart but such is life.

I'll keep on with my little experiments and my Ruger Blackhawk collection will only grow as I push the limits of Ammon Pulver/Black Powder based ammo and Potassium Chlorate based primers.

I think everyone needs to consider black powder C&Bs as a good addition to one's shooting to help thin out these little runs on the market. Feels nice to load up a .44 magnum case with BP and not use a wad of cloth from a tattered and used up T-shirt that's been treated with a low concentration of nitric acid (if Nitrocellulose was legal to make I'd do it in a heart beat but nothing I've found says it's legal to make for shooting). I have found a charge of black powder wadded with rolling papers and a low load of ammon pulver will get you some interesting results on a chrony if you don't get too ambitious.
 
I think everyone needs to consider black powder C&Bs as a good addition to one's shooting to help thin out these little runs on the market.
Click to expand...

I find my RWS air rifle gets more and more use and I don't even have to leave my backyard - 500 pellets are cheap and good practice
 
I found shelf full of 22LR in Walmart, after more than a year. Walmart near my area has almost all types of ammo, except very difficult to find on Sat, Sun, and Monday. I am seeing that Winchester Whitebox is plentiful, but the cheaper makes sells quickly. 9MM is still in demand. Plenty of 40SW, 45ACP, and 223/556.
 
I'm gonna dump about 600 rounds tomorrow 22 ,9 mm 40,38 and .380 walmart guy said we should see it comming back soon. they had 38,40 and I missed 9 and 22 by one day.
 
MagnumDweeb said:
Around may or june I figure it'll calm down and I'll start to hoard again. Been nice not having to pay out the wazoo for ammo. Yes prices are up at Wal-mart but such is life.

.
Click to expand...

I remember back in January of this year people were saying it would get better in the March/April Time frame. When March and April came around it was stated that things will get better around the June/July time frame. Then that period of time came and went and October was the new time when everything gets better but its now December, rimfire is simply nowhere to be found except in small quantities and while centerfire handgun ammo has gotten better its still barely showing up. LGS's are still not getting stock like they were in the past.

The slightest indication that the anti's are coming back at us will trigger another run that we may never recover from and I'm not saying we have recovered from the one we are still in.. After all we are talking about 100+ million gun owners, a number that continues to grow every day. The ability to supply all of those shooters is simply beyond today's present manufacturing base. Frankly speaking I believe this is a multi year problem that may or may not correct itself and I really hope I'm wrong.
 
Paying 8.99 for 100 cci mini mags 22lr. Plenty of them available at cabelas. .223 seems stocked, 45 is tough to find, and 308 is scarce too in connecticut.
 
Ammo prices still seem ridiculous to me and availability is now bad again. Every online store I go to seems to be out of the target stuff. Sure, $1.50 self-defense cartridges in .357Mag are available, but nothing reasonable.

I have a hit list of favorites in each of my calibers and none are available anywhere, at any price.
 
I've seen nothing that makes me optimistic as to rimfire ammo. This panic has dramatically increased the number of "hoarders". The enthusiastic shooter is understandably fearful that his passion for shooting is being undermined and the freedom to do it may be lost. Hence the desire to store ammo for the future.
 
When visiting Cinn. area around Halloween, local Dicks had no .22 or 9mm, but when they opened a Dicks subsidiary, "Field & Stream", it was loaded to the gills with pallets of .22, including 1400 round buckets, and several brands of 9mm.

Makes you wonder about their distribution priorities.
 
I've got more ammo then when this started. The trick was to have enough ammo on hand to be able wait to get it when it showed up. I think its just common sense to have a year's supply on hand. 2008 taught me that.
 
No 22 at my local walmart.

Plenty of rifle ammo.

I usually buy a 22 brick every 2 months, I like to go shoot every saturday.

October 2012 was the last time I was able to buy 22 at walmart, needless to say I only shoot 22 once or twice a month as i am down to about 600 rounds.
Last time I was in line to get ammo there were 3 hoarders in front of me and they got all the 22.

I was looking at the ammo about a month ago and an ******* told me he would have 22 at the flea market at 20 dollars for 50 , I told him I did not need any at that price.

If I run out I may sell my 22 pistols before I pay that much for ammo.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

LiveLife
Has 22LR prices bottomed?
2 3
Replies
70
Views
3K
LiveLife
LiveLife
4
  • Locked
Will Ammo Prices Ever Fall?
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
Harold Mayo
H
The_Next_Generation
  • Locked
The Economics of the Shortage, Explained
2 3
Replies
64
Views
4K
The_Next_Generation
The_Next_Generation
W
  • Locked
Stocking Up
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Walkalong
Walkalong
Hugger-4641
  • Locked
Remington ammo
Replies
11
Views
581
Speedo66
Speedo66
Back
Top