Will ammo return to lower prices?

[Harley Quinn]

Ammo does go on sale a little, but like gasoline in my area it will never go down IMHO...

The state of CA is going to go into a situation where ammo has to be signed for and thumbprint etc. of buyer early 2011...

I doubt that will lower it considering more paperwork and employee time...Not sure about ammo coming in from business that sell on line or say Gunbroker...Have not aquainted myself with it yet...

 

[Average Joe]

If people stopped hording ammo, it would. Its all about supply and demand, if nobody bought it, it would be dirt cheap.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Metal prices are higher, but not at the rate ammo manufacturers are jacking up prices. Consumer goods using these same materials have not risen at the rate ammunition has. Anyone is free to look up the current and historic trade price of base metals like copper, aluminum, and lead. Let me give you some shortcuts:
Historical copper chart:
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/copper_historical.html

Historical lead chart:
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical.html

Last year, copper dropped from roughly $4/lb to just over $1/lb for a while before climbing back up. Ammo prices do not really follow the metal market. Your dollar is just worth less (or should I say worthless?). About $20 bought you an ounce of gold for the longest time. Today $20 will get you less than half a gram of gold, but if you reversed it, that ounce of gold will get you $1360.

 

[Balrog]

As long as we have a gun grabber in the White House, ammo prices are going to stay high.

In fact, they are probably as low as they ever will be in the forseeable future. Its a good time to stock up on ammo and also if you don't have an AR or AK its a good time for those.

Sooner or later, they are going to reopen the AWB idea.

 

[22-rimfire]

Some prices have come down. Inventories are increasing. I think you will see more sales than reductions in prices in the bigger box stores.

 

[EVIL]

Zoogster, Great primer on globalization....

I had an economics professor who said "there are winners & LOSERS in globalization."

---shooters appear to be losers...

 

[redneck2]

Well, you'll most likely find out Wednesday. That is when Bernake gives his little pep talk on Q2 (Quantative Easing). For those not in the know, it simply means they will flood our economy with even more worthless printed paper. Each piece of paper buys less because there's more paper in the market.

Right now Goldman Sachs is keeping the market propped up with the $400 billion of stimulus money that was "lost". Insider selling is at an all time high. The guys in the know have it figured out. I suspect that once the Republicans take over, Goldman will pull out and the market will be allowed to crash. Blame it on the Republicans.

I day trade ETF's (stock futures). It's well known that Goldman is the outfit buying every time there's a dip.

 

[searcher451]

Ammo prices have rised steadily in the past five years -- well before the current White House resident came on the scene, even as the last previous resident of the White House was in office -- and I suspect that ammo prices will continue to rise in the weeks and months and years ahead, regardless of who occupies the White House. I certainly don't forsee the prices dropping -- not in this lifetime, anyway. It's more about supply and demand than it is about politics, IMO, though politics certainly can muddy the waters.

 

[JTH]

No way Jose!

As Harley Quinn stated, you'll find it on sale but if you even think ammo will go back to prices of 10 years ago, just ask yourself if gas prices will return to prices of a decade ago, No way Jose!
JT

 

[John Wayne]

People are not hoarding ammo as much.

Pawn shops and scheming gun stores are not ripping people off with $35 .380 ammo any more.

Ammo is staying in stock at most retailers.

Prices have still increased at retailers who did not jack up prices. During the ammo shortage, Wal Mart did not increase prices by a cent in my area...now that it's dying down prices on a few brands have gone up a dollar or two per box. Could be attributed to ammo companies selling less and charging more, or to a shortage of components.

 

[oneounceload]

Seems most folks here can't be more than in their 20's or 30's..................for if you are older, than you know how much ammo costs "in the good old days" when hunting shotshells were $9.95/box and the minimum wage was about $5/hour....................and the current price is about $9.95 with the minimum wage about $8................sorry folks, the price of ammo today is cheap - based on the prices of everything else over the last 25 years or so

Count yourself lucky it is as cheap today compared to previous years!

 

[jim goose]

I think the proper way to assess prices is reloading vs. buying off the shelf.

I hereby invent the bullet ratio.

Whats the differential in reloading 50 cartiriges vs. buying off the shelf now vs. 5 yrs ago?

There is definitely a premium in there beyond the rise in commodity prices.

It wont last forever.

 

[Elmer]

I know some other guys that wanted to buy silver and gold back a few years ago. Gold at $500 was "too high...gonna wait until it comes down". Now it's $1,350..

I know some guys that bought it at $800.00......in 1980.

I thought it was "too high". I waited until it came down to $300.00 and bought some.

But I did buy some more at $900.00 last year.

 

[Elmer]

I think the proper way to assess prices is reloading vs. buying off the shelf.

I hereby invent the bullet ratio.

Whats the differential in reloading 50 cartiriges vs. buying off the shelf now vs. 5 yrs ago?

There is definitely a premium in there beyond the rise in commodity prices.

It wont last forever.

The panic prices have already cooled.....

Most ammo is cheaper today than it was 30 years ago.

 

[Elmer]

Seems most folks here can't be more than in their 20's or 30's..................for if you are older, than you know how much ammo costs "in the good old days" when hunting shotshells were $9.95/box and the minimum wage was about $5/hour....................and the current price is about $9.95 with the minimum wage about $8................sorry folks, the price of ammo today is cheap - based on the prices of everything else over the last 25 years or so

Count yourself lucky it is as cheap today compared to previous years!

Yup.

 

[Elmer]

Ammo does go on sale a little, but like gasoline in my area it will never go down IMHO...

The state of CA is going to go into a situation where ammo has to be signed for and thumbprint etc. of buyer early 2011...

I doubt that will lower it considering more paperwork and employee time...Not sure about ammo coming in from business that sell on line or say Gunbroker...Have not aquainted myself with it yet...

Internet sales are prohibited under the new law. And yes, with the new paperwork, dealers are going to charge more.

 

[outerlimit]

Seems most folks here can't be more than in their 20's or 30's..................for if you are older, than you know how much ammo costs "in the good old days" when hunting shotshells were $9.95/box and the minimum wage was about $5/hour....................and the current price is about $9.95 with the minimum wage about $8................sorry folks, the price of ammo today is cheap - based on the prices of everything else over the last 25 years or so

Count yourself lucky it is as cheap today compared to previous years!

I don't agree with this. I'm in my early 30's, I remember when minimum wage was $4.25/hr in 1996. By the late 90's I think it was around $5.50 or $5.75 and I was making $8-$8.50 doing computer tech support. Nowadays at the same job I worked at people are making about $11-$12/hr. I also remember that a lot of the jobs ten years ago pay about the same as what they pay today. 6-7 years ago I'd scoff at $8 100rd boxes of WWB .45acp and $5-6 boxes of same in 9mm. Nobody can tell me now that $34.97 for the same thing is cheap.

 

[MisterMike]

In answer to the OP, prices seem to have gravitated downward and, absent external political considerations, will ultimately end up at the level dictated by supply, demand, and competition.

However, having said that, my perception is that many shooting enthusiasts still believe that the Prez will undertake some effort to control guns and/or ammo if the opportunity to do so presents itself. That's probably still driving supply and pricing.

 

[rscalzo]

Not only is copper way up, lead is going up with it. we have had offers to haqve companies come in , mine lead from our shotgun fields and pay the club a percentage. Kind of a win / win in my opinion.

 

[788Ham]

I'm definitely not in my early 20's-30's, not having been born in '49! But I can remember buying .22 ctgs at a local drug store, for 29 cents a box when I was 14 or 15 years old, Win's too. Try buying a box for that price now, any good brand. I've got about 15 bricks in my ammo bunker now though, won't need any for awhile. Ol' jug ears has definitely screwed up the economy that's for sure, whether its .22 shells or toilet paper, you're definitely paying more!:banghead:

 

[Sevenfaces]

I intend to start reloading, and I'm no longer looking to obtain semi auto rounds. (just because its easier to collect brass from a revolver) due to the recent ammo price surge.

I also want to point out I am buying colt pythons and anacondas, 500-800$ for the python, depending on the barrel, finish, etc. and 650 for the anaconda, no 5" or 45lc please.

Yeah, those are insanely low prices, but you watch, I'll get some eventually.


PS any mag na port or scope mount holes, drop 250$ off the price, I think they're hideous and destructive. just me.

 

[Russ Jackson]

9MM 124GR. BLAZER BRASS 5201 $10.99 50 rds
BLAZER 9MM 124GR. FMJ ALUMINUM $8.99 50 rds
American Eagle 9MM 115 GR FMJ Brass $10.99 50 rds
45 ACP 230-GR FMJ BLAZER BRASS $17.99 50 rds
45 ACP 230-GR FMJ BLAZER 3570 $13.99 50 rds
CCI AMMUNITION
22 LR HS BLAZER AMMO (500 RND) $13.99

These are today's prices and they are definately going down. Gun Show Prices are way higher even for reloads...Russ

 

[alfack]

Todays price for 100 .380 is $37.50. Screw that! Glad I reload.

 

[stchman]

I can't see it returning to pre Obama prices since people are willing to pay the higher prices. Now if people stop buying ammo then the prices will come down.

 

[Elmer]

I can't see it returning to pre Obama prices since people are willing to pay the higher prices. Now if people stop buying ammo then the prices will come down.

That's exactly what's happening...... sales are down, prices are down. They will only go down so far though, based on material and labor costs.