I was visiting a LGS and overheard the manager speaking to a customer concerning ammo prices.
The manager said ammo prices currently were approx $1.00 per round and would go even higher in the future?

We won’t be discussing politics or the upcoming election here. Fair warning...



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Shelves are bare, but there’s a lot of ammo already in circulation. I attended 2 small club swap meets in the past 2 weeks and there was a lot of ammo for sale.

I saw quantities of .223 for 50 cents per round and lots of 9mm for $20/box. .22 LR’s are going for $20 - $25 a brick and there’s a good supply of that too. I’ve seen ammo shortages and panic buying enough to know this isn’t the time to buy, unless you’re running on empty. This too will pass.

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"I also cook."

Lots of things have happened this year that have created demand for guns and ammo, and they keep happening so I think the guy you overheard is correct.

I'm sure he would LIKE to sell ammo for $1 per round, but if you do a little shopping around you can get some varieties for $0.50-0.75.

By my calculations ammo has doubled in price since this time last year. For those of us who reload primers, cases, powder, and bullets are in short supply and can be a 3 or 4 month back-order with prices about 20 to 40% higher than last year at this time.

On a positive note my 401k has rebounded to the high mark before the market crash. As the wise man said, "we shall see."

Realistically speaking, prices can only go as high as folks are willing to pay, ergo if you refuse to buy ammo at $1 a round and others do the same, then prices will decrease, especially as the supply increases.

Personally, I refuse to pay the currently inflated prices on ammunition, but then again, I have more than enough ammo to get by until prices stabilize. At any rate, I would strongly suggest that ANYONE who is currently buying ammo do their due diligence by shopping around, establishing a baseline for the cost of ammunition, and refuse to do business with scalpers who are price-gouging (i.e. charging well over the going rate) regardless of availability.

Also, I urge people to remain calm, don't give into panic, and buy only what you need. There's no sense in spending in excess on ammunition and giving your money to crooks in the process when it could be better spent on food, water, medical supplies, and fuel. If you want to prep, then you need to learn to do it right by allocating funds towards more immediate necessities/essentials, and realistically speaking you're far more likely to run out of food long before you run out of ammunition. In fact, ammunition is in all likelihood the last thing that anybody is likely to run out of, including hunters, much less your average citizen.
Honestly, I cannot stress this enough, if you already have a decent supply of ammunition in stock, even if it's only a couple of boxes, then don't go spending $1 per round or more on ammunition, it's a waste of money and will only serve to drive up the cost of ammunition even further. I know that tensions are high right now, but if you allow the mere thought of danger to drive you into a a state of panic, then how can you expect to keep your head in the face of an actual threat? Be brave, be smart, and be wise. Remember that there is nothing to fear but fear itself, and that the greatest enemy a warrior can ever face is the fear within. If you can conquer your fear then you can overcome any obstacle, but crumble before it and you've already lost because you cower/flee before mere phantoms of your own imagination.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Problem is supply isn't predicted to return for a long while. Components are running out and don't look to be available for the time being. Prices will continue to rise until supply is exhausted. There will always be people willing to pay whatever the asking price is due to deep pockets or empty magazines...

Predictions are largely based upon estimations, and any estimate based on skewed statistics is bound to be inaccurate. Demand for ammo has been high ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and it's very likely that the statistics were compiled during the peak of panic buying, at which point many private businesses were shutdown nationwide, this restricting the flow of ammunition/reloading components and ultimately resulting in skewed projections.

Furthermore, depending on the source of the predictions, results could potentially be skewed even further in a deliberate fashion in order to increase profits, even if only as a short term countermeasure devised to makeup for lost revenue during shutdowns.

I could be wrong, but based on my own personal observations, overall availability of ammunition isn't nearly low enough to justify the inflated prices, and I am doubtful that any practical limitations on the availability of ammunition could most likely be made up for within a year so long as ammunition manufacturers continue to ramp up production.

Regardless, the wealthy will undoubtedly continue to buy ammunition even at inflated prices because they can easily afford to do so, but for the average person, the cost of ammunition is exceeding the threshold for affordability. (Honestly, at $1 or more a round, plus tax and especially the cost of shipping and handling online. Even an ordinary box of 50 rounds is painfully pricey.) Anyone who isn't either seriously hurting for ammo or in a severe state of panic is most likely going to pass on buying ammunition.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

you just have to wait with in 2 yrs it will be back to normal

I started stocking up pistol and revolver ammo from SGAmmo over a year ago, after stocking 223 and 22LR from local stores. Now stocked up on primers and powder from Powder Valley and others, and luckily, brass and bullets at Cabelas. Not going to need any for a few years. I'm ready for the zombie apocalypse.

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Heavily armed old man.

Efficient markets are a wonderful thing, and that is exactly what the Internet and online auctions for ammo is giving us.

To a person with one gun and no ammo, $1 a round for a box of 20 or 50 rounds is a small price to pay.

For the person with a box or two of ammo, $400 for one case of 500 rounds might look like a good deal.

For the person with several cases of ammo stashed away, it's a good time to wait for prices to get back to normal, and they will.

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Buy American
Vote Responsibly

Eventually, supply will catch up to demand or demand will depress to the level of supply. It's not going to take years. more like months. If 9mm ammo goes to 1$ a round, it will stifle demand until the price drops. The average shooter will not be spending 2 0r 300 bucks every week end to shoot up the local sand bank. Then one of two things can happen. The price drops so that the ammo companies can stay in business or they keep the price high and go out of business. OPEC has been operating by those rules as long as they have been in existence. The reason I'm more optimistic than some posters here is because the supply chain is still intact. COVID put the brakes on logistics but once everything gets caught up, ammo will start to reappear. That's why I think months and not years. Forget about the election. It's affect on ammo is just wild speculation at this point regardless of who wins.

Don’t forget old Joe said he wants to ban 9mm, that’ll be the dagger in the heart for a lot of gun guys.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Been to any gun shows lately?

$1 a rd is here, and people are paying it!

An online ammo ban would be a hard blow for me. That, combined with Walmart's decision to get out of the popular defensive rounds, would make a mess of a lot of places.
My local range sold 9mm at $20 a box of 50, BEFORE this all started. They knew they had a captive audience, so if you didn't bring enough, you had to pay. They didn't even carry, say, .32 acp (a fairly popular niche rd with the Beretta and Walther entries), I had to get it from a nearby pawn shop that had 1-2 boxes when I bought my first .32.

Academy would stock a few choices in decent prices, and Jim's, a large gunshop, would have most every caliber (but not at great prices). There's a Bass Pro and a Cabela's in neighboring parishes (counties to you non-Louisiana folk), but when you start figuring in the 40+ minute drive to get to either location (and not knowing what's in stock at what price), my situation gets a bit uncomfortable.

Me too. I am old enough to remember having to sign a book when buying handgun ammo and thought the 86 act allowing mail order ammo purchases was a huge improvement.

Banning online sales is one of those things that is easy to say but gets a lot harder when you have to define all the details and pass a law. I am not sure what is meant by an ban on online sales of guns and ammo. Online gun sales have been illegal a long time unless you live in the same state or go through a FFL. And while there are local online trading boards I have never seen anyone ship a gun without going through a FFL even if the buyer is in the same state. Definitely a solution is search of a problem

Any such law would likely end up being implemented so buying ammo online would be like buying a gun online. It would have to go through a FFL who would charge you something. It would have less effect if you make really big purchases and would most hurt those that buy a box or two at a time.

And I remember some small town hardware/ variety stores that stopped selling ammo when they had to start asking customers to sign and show their ID to prove their age. One woman owner said she didn't want to have to ask her female customer how old they were.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

I bought 10 bxs.(50) of Fiocchi 44 Spl. from SGAmmo yesterday and with tax and shipping=$40.00 box.Same ammo at gun show this last weekend was $50.00 and some was $60.00 bx.Stores are out of 44 Spl/44 Mag.and this surprises me to be out of this caliber.

On the flip side, manufacturers are hesitant to ramp up to meet demand. Currently, demand is off the charts. Producing “normal” output keeps prices high, inventory low which is most desirable for the “American Business Model.” Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

In my neck of the woods handgun ammo is very scarce (retail shops). I saw ammo in Northern Indiana 3-4 weeks ago at $28 for a box of 9mm range ammo, and same in South Dakota a week ago for $37. There is little or no 380acp, 9mm, 40sw, 38 spec, 357 mag, 44 mag to be found. The local online folks are selling anywhere from $20 to $50 for a box of 9mm, and 223/556 is anywhere from .50 to 1.00 per round. Trading has worked a bit for me (to get more of what I want). Crazy times. We have a show coming up this weekend and I will be going to see face to face what some others have mentioned in this thread.

I reload all my stuff, but my friend has a 32 acp. He's been looking for ammo. Our farm store has it. With tax a box of ball ammo would be $40 OTD. 'nuf said.
They have plenty of hunting rifle ammo, shotgun shells, and some 22 Golden bullets in stock.

To funny that almost sound like California. Ohh wait that IS what we are putting up with already.

We got our new ammo background check law back in July of last year. Basically I'm now limited to buying from one of the 2 chain stores still selling guns and ammo. That would be fine if they actually had any for sale.
No local FFL will deal with out of state ammo sales now. Why should they? It would cut into their profits.

There hasn't been anything to speak of on the shelves in Southern California for months. If you are standing there at the moment they stock you might get a box or 2 (Limit 2). But out of the last 4 trips I've made all they had was
3 boxes of .17
1 box of .41mag and
1 box of 20 gauge birdshot.
Well hell I don't shoot any of that.

Local range still has a good stock of FMJ Winchester in most calibers if a bit pricy but you have to shoot it all up at the range. No take homes allowed.

I actually could have done a $5.00 per round of 9mm to the woman that got denied in front of me as she failed the check. Likely because she hadn't bought a gun in the last 5 years.

Tons of legal buyers are getting denied if they haven't bought a gun recently and are not in the new CaDOJ "System"
If your a recent gun buyer and in the system your cost each time you buy ammo is $1.00
If your not in the system it's $25.00 background check each time to buy ammo.

The whole thing has turned into a giant mess.
I cleaned out all of Big5s .22lr ammo back when it started to hit the fan and thought I overpaid at $.09cpr Never thought I'd be slow firing .22lr to conserve ammo. That old gate loaded .22 is getting more use then it has seen in years.

BNW

I can't imagine...well, yes I can, that happening nationwide, soon

I recently spruced up my Weihrauch air rifle, got 1000rds of the good English match .177 ammo, for $20, expensive, I know, but wont shoot that cheap USA lead **** in my German beauty!

2020, what a year.

Attached Images

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No baby we aint

You could always trade all the toilet paper that you hoarded for the ammo that you didn't hoard. Wait, that won't work because now toilet paper is cheap and available. The same thing will happen with ammo, even if Biden is elected. The law of supply and demand and the desire for profit will always be in effect. As to harsh new gun laws being enacted, remember when Obama confiscated all our guns? Never happened.

Let's see if I can do this.
Scottsdale ammunition company faces $80.1 million order backlog | Arizona News | azfamily.com

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Time wounds all heels

Only ammo I found in ready available supply is 22 magnum at Walmart. Paid $20.30 for the 100 round box of CCI 40 grain H.P. Thought it was not too bad as Bass Pro and my LGS wants $15 for a box of 50 rounds. Now the hunt is on for 9MM for my CS-9

I remember the previous problems. I always felt it was necessary to be proactive.

All I need is .22 RF. I make the rest myself. When lead WWs were outlawed in my state before the law took effect, I bought a lifetime supply. Boy I hope I don't ever have to move because the 5 gal cans of lead are too heavy to carry.

As far as primers and powder, I thought I also had a lifetime supply. A while back, just before covid, I had to wonder. Now retired, I shoot more. When I saw online that I could get more, I bought a 2-lifetime supply. Boy, I hope I don't die early because my poor son will be inundated in bullets.

About the same time I saw that Wallyworld has .22 at pre-Obama prices. Took a lot of gas in the car but I bought out every store within 50 miles.

Like I said, I like to be proactive.

I am currently suffering from "ammunition acquisition withdrawal syndrome." Two years ago I noted that factory ammo prices were about as low as they could possibly go. Since that time, I have been spending hundreds of dollars each month on case quantities of factory ammo. Due to the recent buying frenzy online and in stores, however, there isn't much left that I wish to afford. My last two cases arrived earlier this month (44 Special) and there will be nothing more coming in unless or until things return to normal. Hence my incoming shipment withdrawals!

Thankfully, I have been a reloader for over 45 years. I have enough reloading components for at least 50,000 rounds, to include the calibers I shoot (32 S&W Long, 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40S&W, 10mm, 41 Magnum, 44 Special, 44 Magnum, and 45ACP).

I'm not bragging that my timing was spot-on (though it certainly was). It was just dumb luck. Now I wish I'd bought even more factory ammo!

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FBINA, 204th Session

What's wrong with $20 to $25/brick 22's???

The only caliber that I really got caught out on is 380.

I only had Walther's in that caliber and they were more collectors than shooters.

So I had maybe 4 boxes of ammo.

I bought a current production PPK as a shooter just as the pandemic ramped up.

No luck getting much ammo .

I also picked up 2 .40 caliber pistols this summer, a caliber that I never had, but one LGS had plenty of ammo, at pre-pandemic prices, so I stocked up.

This weekend I saw 5.56 55gr FMJ for $27.99 a box!

Thank God I have been stocking up that caliber for years.

UPDATE - I sold the PPK for a 25-2, so no worries about the. 380 ammo.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I bought a 350 legend upper in March, I thought here we go I am not going to be able to get ammo; to my surprise I have been able to pick a few boxes at Walmart. Crazy that Walmart caries one kind of AR ammo. I am not going to tell. I reread my post and what I mean to say is I have been able to buy anywhere from 2 to 5 boxes a week. Now I am up to over a thousand . Luckily I plent of other ammo for now.

I remember when I got a Wolf 9mm drop in barrel for my Glock 22 .40 cal thinking, I'm gonna save bunches of money just shooting 9mm now.

Yeah, about those plans...

Midway has some Federal FMJ for .50 cents a rd, limit 2

Better hurry

Federal American Eagle Ammo 380 ACP 95 Grain Full Metal Jacket Box of

all the rest is close to $1 a rd

380 Auto Ammo | Best 380 Auto Ammunition - AmmoSeek.com 2020

This am ( today 10-1-2020 ) I was in Vance Outdoors | Online Shopping for Firearms, Ammunition and Shooting Accessories

They had cases and cases of 9M on the floor and ready to sell

Winchester white box 124gr @ .50 per round

Hahahaha, lucky finds are not the going rate

Expect paying $70-80 for a 500 brick now for regular speed 22lr

The sub-sonic stuff is good for my High Standard Supermatic Trophy pistol and is much cheaper, but won't function in many semi-auto rifles

That 9mm NATO they are selling?

Handgun Ammunition For Sale | Vance Outdoors

Runs a little hotter than regular 9mm, should be OK in Glocks

9mm NATO vs. 9mm Luger

The ammo industry uses something called SAAMI Standards to establish the pressures that ammo should be loaded to. The SAAMI pressure for 9mm Luger ammo is around 35,000 PSI.

According to documentation, the 9mm NATO rounds are pressured at 36,500 PSI.

That means that when compared to standard 9mm ammo, the 9mm NATO ammo is running a higher pressure, analogous to a 9mm +P load, which SAAMI rates around 36,000 PSI.

So what does this mean for you? Well, a lot of people recommend treating 9mm NATO rounds the same way you’d treat a 9mm Luger +P, which is to say understand that it’s loaded to a higher pressure than your garden variety 9mm Luger ammo.

For the casual shooter, this means a couple of things: don’t put 9mm NATO ammo in older guns. Only use it in modern, robust guns in good condition.


9mm NATO vs. 9mm Luger - Gun Nuts Media

I found some 180gr brass FMJ .40 cal today for $20/50 online.

Thought I did OK there

Then I looked for a box of 30-30 for giggles, the lowest was $65 for a box of 20...Hilarious....Deer meat gettin expensive!

I saw Federal 30-30 at the local Walmart a couple days ago, for $15 a box. Or to put it in perspective, about the same it was before all this started.

Doesn't matter, I think prices are truly going to skyrocket for the next few days, at least.

I know, keep politics out of the thread- but the President just tested positive for Covid. This isn't about the election, it's about the approximate 2 weeks it takes to determine if he's ok, or if he's going to become seriously ill. There will be a huge panic surge like nobody's seen of what's left, and then... we'll see.

.40 S&W seems to be readily available, at least at a LGS.

I paid $16.99 a box for 50 rds of PMC Bronze 180gr.

I always had good luck with PMC, can't wait to try it Friday.

PS 5.56 55gr was still 27.99 per box of 20

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I still see plenty of good deals on GunBroker if you take the time to look.
With one month to go until the election, it will be interesting to see if a sudden rush for ammo
happens in the last few weeks prior to the vote.

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OGCA Member.

This thread is heading for lockdown guys if people throw in politics

I would have asked him for some good stock tips, and maybe some good horse race tips. It's highly doubtful that a retail store manager has special inside knowledge of the future that the rest of us don't.

Apologies, I mentioned something that I felt was "a national event that could cause uncertainty"; which seems to be what has driven the recent surges in prices.

I'm going to go back and check on the Federal 30-30 at Walmart today. Like I mentioned before, that seemed to be pre-2020 prices. If it's there, I will get some this time.

I'm beginning to see PPU listed online at places, which I find interesting and encouraging. PPU is made in Serbia, and it's usually along the line of "bargain" brands for many chamberings, as well as one of the few that make quite a bit of obscure calibers. I buy their 7.65 Argentine Mauser ammo, because it's usually about half the price of other newly made stuff, and not too much more than old surplus stuff. I like their 9mm when it's under $10 because it's nice brass with a decent charge; last I remember it's Academy's choice for "Monarch" brass ammo. I've never had a quality concern with their brand.

IF:

• they are now making stuff in Europe in amounts large enough to ship
• we are again getting imports regularly again

then that's a good sign that things are opening up again. The market will ultimately regulate prices. If PPU dumps pallets of cheap ammo into the market, it will undercut the current prices and drive things down. Other "cheap" lines like Blazer will have to follow suit.
I'm waiting to see Sellier and Bellot, and Fiocchi return to the mix. When I'm looking at handgun ammo, I'm usually shopping S&B, Fiocchi and PPU, because they run great and are priced nicely. They tended to be priced below American Eagle and PMC, about the same as Blazer Brass, and I've always liked them better than WWB or UMC.

Walmart today, Federal 30-30, power shok 150 gr SP, $15.74. No limit, I bought 4 boxes.

I'm stocked, but bought 2 boxes of S&B 9mm (the limit) at LFI, my range today. They had it at a very fair price. Scheel's across the street, had sold out of their just delivered 9mm, but had PMC .223 at an okay price, no limit.

I also like PPU. Their .38 is dirty, but their 7.65 Parabellum is very good in my opinion. Their M2 ball has run flawlessly in my Garand's. Here's to hoping the Euro & American manufacturers make money and supply all the new (and old) shooters with what they need!

I don't have a Garand, but I've seen 30.06 on the shelves at both Walmart and Academy today.

Went to Academy and didn't stay long. 6.5 Creedmore and 30.06 were on the shelves, along with some range 12 gauge shells and some Hornady .17 (whatever it's called). Behind the counter I saw a couple boxes of .357, 7.62x39. And those weren't 'premium' brands, they were Monarch (house brand) and PPU.

I also saw from brass .308 at Walmart, not at Academy.

I checked ammoseek and wikiarms, they both said the 30-30 should be twice that price.

The shortage doesn't seem to showing any signs of letting up. I ordered 5 cases (5,000 rds) of Wolf steel case 9mm from Sportsman's Guide back in June. It's been showing a 10/15/20 expected ship date ever since June. I thought, well, at least it'll be here before the election, so I went ahead and kept the order in. Been checking every week or so and it still showed 10/15/20 ship date. Can't wait, ammo will finally be here next week!

Checked today, and SG just updated the expected ship date of my order to 1/23/21. Argh! This has to be a new record for backorder time for Wolf steel **** ammo - 7 months!

I've waited 4 months already, so what's another 3 ...

I haven't seen ANY 9mm ammo available online from any sources except for the profiteers charging $0.70-$1/rd. Even the big sites that hadn't jacked their prices are all jacking now. Midway, Brownell's TargetSports, all are $070+ now for 9mm fmj range ammo ... and even that sells out pretty quick.

As one of the earlier posters suggested, Gunbroker (surprisingly) is the only place around where you can find ok deals right now, by OK, I mean $0.50-0.60/rd for 9mm.

The panic seems to be entering a new fever pitch phase as the election draws near and the polls are saying the anti-guns & ammo party is going to sweep, which is actually a pretty good reason to buying now even at inflated prices. Me, I'm not paying these prices. I have stopped shooting and just sitting on my stacks until things shake out. Still hoping for a miracle.

i have (since June) had (rds) 1000-380's and 2000-9mm's on order--they cancelled the 380's on me yesterday--before Oct 30, they will either put off or cancel the 9mm's on me. I know why, the price they let me order them for, is to much of a loss for them.. I'm sure they have a clause somewhere that they have a right to cancel your (my) order if they cannot fulfill it.

I was on my way home from Maine today and stopped by the Kittery Trading Post. For those of you who have never been there, KTP has a huge gun room that includes just about every manufacturer and they usually have a large inventory of used guns. Of course during normal times, they stock a huge variety of ammo and reloading supplies. I got there late this afternoon so I don't know what they had to start the day. As I got to their gun room, they were putting out about 20 boxes of Win 115 9mm white box. I grabbed 5 boxes as that was their limit. $13.99 a box, which is close to what it was before the panic. Not much in the way of pistol ammo. They had a lot of assorted rifle ammo, including cases of 7.62x39. No rimfire ammo or any type of primers. As far as gun inventory, they were pretty well picked over. They are a Sig distributor and are right down the street from them but they did not have one on display. There was still a lot of people standing in line for background checks, none the less. This isn't just ammo and guns in short supply. Try and buy a sheet of plywood. Around here it has gone up about 300%, when you can find it. ATV's are non existent. The local Polaris dealer says Spring, maybe. Hang in there everyone, don't panic. This is going to pass soon.