Sounds like up here except that the COVID restrictions here in MA are slowing down the selling rate (i.e., gun sales/hour) at the highest sales shops to the point where they are reported waits of up to 3 hours and telling folks via e-mail to stay away. A while back, I waited at least an hour at that shop and the line didn't move at all (except for 'delayed' buyers). Eventually, I had to leave empty-handed.

Now, that same shop just got in a load of vintage S&W revolvers... must be somebody's whole collection... and I want to head back up there badly, but I know it will be pointless. I'm too old and too busy to spend a whole day of driving and waiting in a parking lot just to get a look at some sweet acquisition possibilities.

To be honest, the whole collecting/shooting sports thing is not much fun right now. In fact, it is frustrating as Hell. Maybe the good wife is right: It's time to take up bird watching.

If it doesn't pass, the gun and ammo manufacturers will go out of business. I don't know what you guys are seeing but people are scraping to make the rent around here. Never mind spending $100 or $200 or more to shoot on the week end. The civilian shooting world will not support $1 a round for range ammo. At that price, recreational shooting will come to an end.

I agree the current prices can’t last. If anything, people are gonna go into debt to get their stash and then sit on it. I remember right after Newtown, no name AR’s were going for $2000. I laughed at those who bought them. 6 months later they were back to normal. In the six month after Newtown, components were nowhere to be found. When I found some, the store owner was opening primer bricks and selling the individual 100 primer trays for $7 each, with a limit of 5 trays. 6 months after that they were back down to normal.

Will it be back to $20 for 100 9MM any time soon? Nope. I’d say by this time next year we’re approaching normal. But this $300 for primers and $1 a round 9MM will be over within 3 months. Those who are willing to pay those prices will have gotten their fix and then the ammo will sit in shelves at that price.

Eventually, the firearms and ammo markets will reach a point of saturation, where the demand has been met and people stop buying. At that point, prices will tumble. Basic economics.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

^^^True

But one thing slowing the return to lower prices is the fact that it is more difficult for a consumer to sell ammo than to buy it. Because of this, consumers tend to sit on ammo bought at low prices even though they would sell much of it at a higher price if they could. If it were easier for a consumer to sell ammo there would be more ammo in circulation and prices would come down faster.

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I see a lot of ammo for sale on the local trading forum.

But in general I agree. If people could post a listing on eBay and stuff it in a USPS flat rate box for shipping there would be a lot more people selling cases they do not need than there are now.

Is there a hazmat charge to ship ammo in a flat rate box?

I'm seeing the same thing you described happening here too. On our most prominent local gun forum there are a number of people offering 9mm/45ACP at 55-75 cents a round. Also plenty of them offering steel .223/5.56/7.62x39 at 60-75 cents a round and brass in those same calibers for $1.00-$1.25 a round.

Funny thing how many of them are new members too - strange how the profiteers come out of the woodwork when there is a shortage of a commodity, isn't it?

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

There are a couple of auction houses around me where ammo and primers are sold at. Local pickup only. It sells for a high dollar but the auction house keeps around 30%.

I thought that the shortage was regional until recently. Up until about a month ago we still had most ammo available at semi-reasonable prices. It has become apparent, though, that once the stores sold off their in-stock inventory they have been unable to replace it. So now the shelves are bare. I went in two stores yesterday. One is a regional chain store and the other is national. The first one had a little rifle ammo for some oddball calibers. The only pistol ammo they had was 6 boxes of 32/20 at $59 each. No .22LR at all, of course. The other had no pistol ammo at all, no rimfire and virtually no rifle ammo. 30/30 has gone extinct around here. A few dealers I know are keeping enough 9mm under the counter so they can sell one box with each 9mm pistol they sell. Same with .45’s. So, while I thought we might be spared, it turns out I was wrong. I’m pretty well stocked for now but I might have to start cutting back if this goes on another year or so.

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Everybody could shoot

You cannot ship ammo USPS period. Can't sell it on eBay either. But if you could there would be a lot more of it being sold.

Very important to always remember that you cannot ship ammo in the U.S. Mail.

Also, at least in New Jersey, local FedEx and UPS do not accept ammo for shipping and the hubs only take ammo from registered shippers.

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