Price of ammo WOW!

[stinkycat]

I have read about the increase in ammo costs but this is ridiculous. I purchased a S&W .357 revolver in Aug. of 2006. I just purchase more ammo in the .38's and .357.

Price 2006 .38's 50 rounds 8.99
Price 2010 .38's 50 rounds 16.99

Price 2006 .357 50 rounds 15.99
Price 2010 .357 50 rounds 29.98


I have not purchase much for ammo in the last couple of years but I have read and heard that right before the last presidential election is when the made the big jump in prices. This kind of increases is way out of line IMHO.

[yarcraft91]

Roger that! Glad I stocked up 5 years ago. If you think modern handgun ammo had a big price increase, try 5-fold+ on mil surplus! 8mm and Russian 7.62x54R used to be $.05/round, now $.25-$.30, when you can find it.

Interesting that shotgun ammo cost hasn't increased nearly as much. Can still buy a box of Federal or Remington target loads for $5.50.

[rebs]

do you think the price increase in ammo has anything to do with taxes and fee's by the government ?

[yarcraft91]

do you think the price increase in ammo has anything to do with taxes and fee's by the government ?

In the case of mil surplus, there may be a bit of that in import laws and duties, but most of the gain is recognition that the supply is limited and running out. Most surplus 8mm Mauser has disappeared from the market.

In the case of shotgun amo, there seems to be no increase.

In the case of new handgun and rifle ammo, it seems to be a supply-limited market, so demand has driven up the price. For example, last year you couldn't find .380 auto ammo at any price and 7.62x39 was out of stock at most on-line dealers. I suppose that the on-going wars around the world and military getting first priority did not help. Ammo manufacturers are reportedly running their plants 24/7- we should have more US-based industries in that situation, eh?.

[yarcraft91]

BTW, stinkycat, as bad as those ammo prices look to you now, I can tell you the price of .38 Special, that you could actually find in-stock, has actually come down since last year.

[Phil T]

I'm still getting free wheelweights from my auto service shop, so bullets only cost the time to cast them. A .357 doesn't use much powder/round, the cases can be reloaded many times, but primers have increased a lot, when they are in stock.
The days of shooting a .38 Special or .45ACP as cheaply as buying .22 rimfire ammo are over.

[AllenW]

do you think the price increase in ammo has anything to do with taxes and fee's by the government ?


Possible.
I think that and the fear BO was going to listen to the anti handgun/rifle crowd caused both hording and added cost from that and added taxes caused the increase in price.

Be interesting to see how or if taxes on firearms/ammo or loading supplies have gone up since bozo brain got into office.

Al

[Phil T]

A lot of raw material has been diverted to military rounds. Not because so much is shot in the desert, but so much is shot getting National Guard soldiers (all of them) back to suitable weapons proficiency.

[Lundexp]

I believe a big part of it also is due to when the price of steel went way up several years ago. I used to reload alot of my ammo. I would be able to reload 300 rounds of 22-250 for $65 worth of components and they just skyrocketed almost double. My buddy and I used to reload alot of trap shells as well but the price of shot just skyrocketed, almost triple it just was cheaper to buy the boxes of shells so the reloaders have been sitting since. Just not that fun shooting anymore when ammo is so much more expensive now.

[The OutKast]

I placed an order with Midway USA for .22LR roughly one year from today. I just got notice that they are shipping it now:) A year backlog is just nonsense. Does anybody have ideas for ammo suppliers? I go to Walmart and they are always out of .45.

[PackerBacker]

It looks like the ammo shortage is starting to wind down. Try shopping at WalMart. You can get ammo there for about 20 - 30% off of what the sporting goods stores sell them for.

[AllenW]

Walmart used to have good deals on white box winchester, and that's pretty good plinking ammo, plus reloadable.

If they have it, it was usually cheaper than Cabella's and such, gander mountain was over the hill on prices last time I went there.

Al

[Northland]

Ammo used in Nato is some what more reasonable. 9MM, 223, etc. I hope our elected officials will allow the shooting sports to continue

[Phil T]

One of the major reasons for ammunition shortages turned out to be a year-long shutdown of the world's largest lead mine in Australia. It was shut down for equipment upgrades. It's back in production, higher production than before. Lead shot prices are moderating.

[CollinLeon]

I can handload 9mm (per 50-round box) for about $0.37 more than the cost of .22LR. The .22LR was going for about $15 per brick of 500, thus $1.50 per 50. Current price on the primers that I use is $17 per thousand and I buy the Alliant "Promo" (Red Dot equivalent) for $85 per 8-lb container. I'm not factoring in the cost of brass since I do not load all that hot and as such, my brass seems to last a pretty long time. Plus, if I go to the indoor range, I usually end up leaving with more brass that I came there with anyway.

[rebs]

I just bought 50 round boxes of Remington 45 acp full metal jacket for 19.99 each at Gander Mountain.

[CollinLeon]

I just bought 50 round boxes of Remington 45 acp full metal jacket for 19.99 each at Gander Mountain.

My reloading spreadsheet tells me that I can reload .45ACP (5.1gr Alliant "Promo", 230gr cast LRN bullet, Wolf primer) for $2.88 per 50-round box. Brass cost not factored in since I usually recover more brass from the indoor range than I start out with.

[Unemployed]

I can handload 9mm (per 50-round box) for about $0.37 more than the cost of .22LR. The .22LR was going for about $15 per brick of 500, thus $1.50 per 50. Current price on the primers that I use is $17 per thousand and I buy the Alliant "Promo" (Red Dot equivalent) for $85 per 8-lb container. I'm not factoring in the cost of brass since I do not load all that hot and as such, my brass seems to last a pretty long time. Plus, if I go to the indoor range, I usually end up leaving with more brass that I came there with anyway.

I take it then that your time is worth nothing?

[CollinLeon]

I take it then that your time is worth nothing?

If I wasn't doing this, I would just be sitting in front of the TV drinking a beer... As it is, I sit in front of the reloading machine making bullets while drinking a beer... Or sit in front of my casting pot while drinking a beer...

Notice a common denominator there? :)

Besides, wouldn't it be cheaper on a per pound of fish standpoint to just buy the fish from the market than to own a boat and take it out fishing?

Oh, wait a minute... That's another one of those things that we do while sitting around drinking a beer... :)

[Esoxchaser]

I take it then that your time is worth nothing?

Judging from the chosen screen name, I would say that apparently yours is. :grin: