No $14 bulk packs, never seen RWS at WM (GunRunners in Anchorage might have some), HMR is hit and miss. 9mm is cheapest in 50 round boxes, about $18-25. 5.56 is about .40-.50/round for American brass. .22 is $20-30/brick. Primers and powder in Anchorage are doing fine; don't know about FAI). Bullets are available, but mostly small count boxes for hunting or accuracy type reloading; if you want 5000 bulk bullets you'll probably want to order and get shipped up USPS Flat Rate.
Understand that WalMart in Alaska doesn't have the same ammo deals because they don't have the same WM distribution network up here. My understanding (from a fairly knowledgeable employee who works the WM gun counter and confirmed by a clerk at another WM) is that the ammo is from a local distributor, not the normal WM supply chain. This means WM retail prices are local AK distributor plus markup, not manufacturer to WM contract pricing as in the L48. In Anchorage at least, my favorite FLGSs have as good and often better prices.
Ammo has to be barged up by the pallet load or more to make it worthwhile (price-wise). The distributor brings it up by the container-load, I'm sure. But when they run out of something, WalMart (and many of the stores in Alaska) run out as well, and don't get restocked until the distributor has another shipment come up.
Standard calibers in general are easy to buy, but if you're wrapped around a specific load, bullet, or foreign maker, you may be out of luck. No Garrett or Georgia Arms, no Black Hills that I've seen, and a poor selection of Cor-Bon. If the local distributor doesn't already stock the specific load you want, it has been hard to get it brought up.
Surplus and Wolf/Tula/Yugo/etc. ammo is expensive. Whatever J&G or AIM sells for, add 50-100% to buy from your FLGS. Or order a pallet and pay barge shipping from Tacoma (then truck to FAI). You can save, but have to fork out a huge wad of cash up front. AMGA.net has group buys at irregular intervals.
For non-ammo/primer purchases, please support your FLGS. That said, USPS Flat Rate Priority Boxes are your best mail-order/internet friends. Choose your sources based on how they ship and the cost of shipping. There is Alaska knowledge scattered here on THR and good info and contacts on the big black rifle site under Hometown/Alaska & Hawaii, and a few good Alaska sites as well.
Buy a new battery for your vehicle if it is more than a few years old. Get a block heater and a battery heater put in. Carry jumper cables in your car. Get an auto-start. Check your coolant protection (negative degrees). Big Ray's sells Carhartts. Fur hats are warm. Make a point of getting outside during the daylight, every day. You can't get to your CCW that is under your coat. Don't rent a dry cabin your first winter. Heating any house in FAI is more expensive than you budget for. Don't do stupid stuff or you will die, and we will split up your gear.
) just it is VERY expensive for what one person can afford, I brought up about 120# of ammo, and paid $100, the minimum freight (barge) charge from bellingham. So I figure if someone wants to share shipping, I'm game, until then I stick with 115grn PMC 9 (11.50 iv walmart has it) and 165 grn 40 in the bulk packs when wally world has it in.
