Time to stock up on .223 Ammo?

[stratman26]

I usually make it a point to pick up at least a box or 2 of either 9mm or 223 when i go to wally world. this weekend i ran across some monarch 223 20 round boxes for 5.99 so i picked up 10 boxes.

 

[bushmaster1313]

It's never a bad idea to stock up on ANY ammo, in my opinion. Protip: stop buying ammo retail. It's much cheaper online. Aimsurplus is a fave of mine.

Just took my first look at Aimsurplus
It does indeed have good prices.
For .223 I would save $15 per case (200 rounds) compared to Dicks.

For me, however, when buying two cases, the net savings of $30 is not worth the effort and the wait.

If I was buying 10 times as much (20 cases=4000 rounds) the $300 savings would certainly be worth my while.

 

[lumbergh]

Consider that 2005 or so, ammo was about half of what it is today.

Inflation or not, doubling in price even at today's more reasonable prices than after The One was elected, is high.

Wolf was $99/1k not too long ago.

I'm buying again. But these are not stack it deep prices (except maybe 5.45 Russian, thats cheap!).

YMMV.

Lumbergh

 

[Ignition Override]

A huge number of people simply buy Wolf, Silver Bear etc.
They can shoot much more often, all else being equal.

 

[Erik M]

I hope we see pre-HOPE ammo prices again in the next decade.

 

[clem]

If you don't mind reloads, here is a fair deal from Wisconsin Cartridge, LLC;

.223 Rem, 1,000 round 55 gr FMJ = $300.00.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

It is a better plan to be purchasing on the way down, rather than on the way up.
I have seen crap steel cased .223 for $3.79/20 here. How much lower can it go? Is there more risk in a further price decline, or price increase at this price. A betting man would pack a few thousand in.

 

[wally]

I have seen crap steel cased .223 for $3.79/20 here. How much lower can it go? Is there more risk in a further price decline

In my lifetime the floor for centerfire rifle (even corrosive) ammo has never been much below about $2.00/20 ignoring inflation. About six wears ago I was buying Wolf .223 and 7.62x39 for about $90/1000. I stocked it as deep as I could and wish I had bought even more only a few years later! If it ever gets that low again I'll build a storage shed to hold a pallet or two.

At these current prices I'm starting to replace the supply that I have shot up these last few years. Cheaper than Dirt has had the Tula .223 for $3.59/20 recently.

My Mutual Funds dropped 40% during this time, my ammo stash that remains is still 100% above what I paid for it

At ~2-4 moa its not the most accurate ammo, but its easy enough to simply shoot at larger targets

 

[1KPerDay]

I still can't stomach paying .40/rd for .223. Never have, never will.

 

[Sky]

Just heard Gold went ot $1375 today and Silver hit $23.98. Who would have thought that 6 months ago.

 

[mp5a3]

IMI 855 is down to $.26 a round. $250 per 1k brass case is just around the corner, steel almost doesn't seem worth it.

 

[joed]

I suppose this is a good time. I certainly don't need any .223 at this point, when I bought my first I bought enough ammo to last me. I still have 1200 rounds left plus enough components to reload all of it at least once.

 

[nathan]

Centerfiresystems has them $200 for a thousand rds , Russian made in 62 gr HP. Pretty good price indeed.

 

[Old krow]

pmc is at $309 per k and that is good quality ammo, i shoot it almost exclusively.

I've been shooting them a lot as well. No complaints. I recently bought some 100 packs for $33.

UMC is loaded weak and that price isn't that great at 40 cents a round

I have shot the UMC as well, I don't think they're a good deal either. I'll avoid them if possible.

I usually, probably like many here, buy ammo at the lower end and reload while they're higher saving all my brass in between. Here lately I have been buying more than reloading. I saw 1k at a gun show recently for $239.

 

[squeky]

Always relevant:


Or, if you don't mind cheap steel cased:

 

[JNewell]

Another consideration - I am convinced that within the next 10 years we will see the use of lead outlawed. There are substitutes, but they are much more expensive.

 

[Orlando]

Just remember that list isnt all inclusive, there are some very good deals out there. You just gotta look

 

[srkavanagh6621]

at a local gunshop they have thousands upon thousands of PMC .223 for $280 for a thousand! Now thats a lot better price. If anyone lives by Spicer, MN they have literally a truck load of the stuff.

 

[NWCP]

You'd probably get a better deal through Cheaper Than Dirt, or ammoman.com. I try to replace my ammo as I go through it. After 500 rounds I purchase another 1000 and try to keep a few thousand on hand for each of the guns I shoot the most. Which reminds me, I need to order some more 7.62x51. The wife thinks we need a bunker built just for the ammo. I think she is overreacting a bit. It would be nice though.

 

[Lakedaemonian]

I've got 3000 in 5.56 .... 1500 in 9mm .... 1000 in .30 carbine .... & asorted orther ammunitions on my non-fighting guns. I'm stocking for SHTF though. My goal is to more than quadruple my numbers. This is really a modest stockpile compared to some folks I know out here in the midwest. Plus i 've hot an AK I gotta start stocking for too. =/ as America has proven to itself... things just get worse... not better. Survivalists... mount up.

 

[MCMXI]

5k empty's,5k primers.4lb's powder and 5k assorted bullets .....i'm good to go.....

For 1,000 rounds or so. You'll need closer to 18lb of powder for 5,000 rounds.

 

[Erik M]

My boss was actually speculating on this subject today. He is of the opinion that when the White House changes presidents that the price of ammo will drop to pre-2008 prices. I think its like the stock market and cant make up my mind if i want to buy a couple thousand rounds to put back now or wait a couple years to see how the price trends.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Politics can drive prices up, I doubt if it will drive prices down. Remember there are the components to make ammo that also influence the cost.
The ammo market is very multidimensional, just like any commodity it is foolish to pin speculation to one variable.

 

[SpeedAKL]

My prediction is that ammo prices will start shooting up rapidly in the next 6-12 months. Why? The Fed. Bernanke announced yesterday that the Fed was going to pump yet more money into the economy in an attempt at stimulus (never mind that the prior efforts have not had anyeffect). This will create a large asset/commodities bubble just like the last few times this was tried (see: 2003 - real estate, 2008 - commodities) due to too much $$$ chasing too few assets.

 

[cpirtle]

Sign up for the mailing list at Natchez Shooters Supply, they get some excellent deals from time to time. Their web site pretty much sucks to browse on so being on the mailer is the best way to find out when they run ammo specials.

Last couple of batches of .223 I've purchased were in the $3.50 per 20 range for steel case import SHTF/plinking ammo. Ruger 556 & the Remington pumper I have don't care what I feed them, so I keep a mix of good and cheap ammo around.