I found a box of 50 124 grain 9mm speer gold dots that i bought about 14 years ago. the price tag was $12.50. I'm just getting into rifle shooting and was curious what .556, 7.62x39, and .308 sold for in the 90s.

Commercial .223 was 12 to 15 cents per round per 20; bulk quantities and military surplus were less.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Commercial hunting grade ammo ran $8.00 to $10.00 per box of 20. .223 ball ammo was half that, and .308 ball was around $7.00 to $8.00, with bulk deals on military calibers to be had if you bought enough at once.

You should have seen how cheap it was in the '80s. However, many people only made half of what they do now.

I always tried to buy in bulk, new Norinco 7.62X39 was roughly $80/$90 for 1200 rds and new Norinco 223 (brass case, boxer primed) was around $160 a 1000. After the ban on Chinese stuff in 93 the Russians stepped into the new ammo market and you could still get 7.62X39 for @ $80 a 1000. Surplus was even cheaper till the 7.62X39 surplus was banned from import due to steel cored bullets. There was a lot of surplus 308 around, I think it was selling for 20 to 25 cents a round in case quantities (new 308 was @ 35 cents a round). Gun shows were great places to shop then, lots of surplus and new ammo, the economy was good and prices were genuinely cheap especially in the military calibers. Sadly those days seem to be gone forever!

In Mass in the mid to late 90's Zero brand reloads were popular and always in stock at my favorite gun store. I remember paying 5.99 for jacketed .38 +p reloads and not much more .357. One of my best friends and I would call them "peanuts" because of the yellow and black box they came in and the rattling sound the rounds made reminded him of MR. Peanut. Ammo reloads for his 9mm Marlin Camp Carbine were even cheaper if he bought the "lead heads".

I remember 7.62 was under $100/case and I paid $2.99 for boxes of 20 in the mid 1990's

Just this week, I brought out a 50 round box of Remington 125 gr SJHP .357 Mag that I had purchased in 1998. The price tag on the box was marked $11.99. I almost hated to shoot it up.

I remember paying about $5.50 for a box of 20 .223 cal Norinco, and about the same for a box of 50 9mm WWB FMJ 115gr. I remember thinking even back then, that seemed cheap for 9mm. 10mm Federal Classic was $19.95 or so for a box of 50. In the 1980's, Stingers were $1.89 a box.

I have a 20 round box of Federal 150 gr 30-30 SP's tagged $7.47. If I recall, I bought that box in the mid 80's.

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Rick