I stopped by our LGS yesterday, and surprise, they had ammo on the shelves, large brown cardboard boxes. Winchester brand. .223, 1000 round bulk box, $999.00. 9mm, 250 round bulk box, $333.00. They also had 45, but didn't recall the price. I did see some boxes of 12 gauge on the shelf also.

I wonder what will become of these when (hopefully) prices begin to decline back to somewhat normal pricing?

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I wonder if you went back today, how much of that ammo they’ve sold.

Exactly! Haven't needed to buy ammo, but whenever I wander into our local Sportsman's Warehouse, and whenever they happen to have a fresh supply of ammunition, it's gone before the day is out. Usually gone by mid morning. And, yes, people are shelling out greenbacks even at the exorbitant prices.

Those folks who are willing to pay the high prices are the ones who, unfortunately, failed to prepare after the last ammo shortage. It's a rather abrupt reality check, but hopefully they've learned something because, folks, it's a good bet that it'll happen again.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

.223 or 5.56 usually means ammo for AR style rifles. I cringe doing the simple math of $1.00 per round in a semi-auto firearm holding 30 rounds in just one magazine. Methinks I'll stick with my boring and unimpressive old .30-30 lever gun for "social work."

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Smith. And Wesson. And Me!

Was at a very exclusive GS yesterday. Lots of ammo but expensive. A 50 rd. box of 9mm FMJ was $60. And it is selling.

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No baby we aint

One local GS here has a surprisingly large supply of guns on the shelves, but ZERO ammo except for a few boxes of shotgun shells.

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Smith. And Wesson. And Me!

I wouldn't pay $1/round ... unless I didn't have any. That may be the situation for some folks. In their cases, ammo may be more important than money, at least in the short term.

Reminds me of the scene in Treasure of the Sierra Madres where the young men are jubilantly pouring water over rocks, thinking they are finding gold. The old man advises the to manage their water carefully, saying "I've seen times when water is more precious than gold."

Maybe some folks think they are headed to times where ammo is more precious than cash. I hope they are wrong, but ...

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You're shy a few manners.

I just bought two boxes of factory brand new .45 ACP ball to function test a new pistol. $40 per box of 50. If it wasn't for the fact that I like to do initial function tests with new factory ammo I wouldn't have paid it. Same price for Winchester, MagTech or S&B, they had a modest quantity of all three.

The local gun store wanted $69.00 a box for .380 ACP Hardball today. Did not buy it. It was for a friend, so decided to pass, they did too.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Wow $69 for 380 rounds. I like to stop at my LGS every couple weeks to browse the slim pickins. Hopefully they will have gotten in some trades or hit a couple estate sales. Use to have a pick of used guns but pretty scarce now.

Mine has a pretty full stock of everything. Some people will pony up the bucks, just not me. I know the manager well and he told me they distributor is charging them $60.00 a box.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I don't need to casually shoot so I don't need to buy ammo at silly prices. I have sufficient for any realistic self defense scenario, so the current ammo prices don't concern me.

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Release the Kraken

It's simple 'supply and demand' right now!
New gun sales have soared and the subsequent demand for ammo has gone with that. IMO its pretty basic right now.
Even the usual reasonable sources are expensive since they can't get it.
I'm seriously thinking of draining some of my hoard at these prices
Check out Gun Broker - these ALL can't be schill bids.

What’s funny is you could undercut the guys who wait in line every “delivery day” and still make a real nice profit. I’m seeing the local for sale ads sit and not move finally. $0.50 for 9mm sells decently quick (within the day it’s listed) not 30 seconds after it’s listed like a couple months ago, but those ads are rare. Mostly it’s $0.85 or higher.

Paying outrageous price for a box or two of sd is one thing, price sucks but it’s a one time thing and not the end of the world, but the range blammo stuff is just ridiculous, we don’t that many filthy rich folks to support that. Well, I hope not anyway.

Think about the millions of new gun owners that don't even know what "normal" prices looked like.

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Alden
Guns N' Rosés

Academy had ammo today for the first time weeks. limit 2 boxes total. I was happy to walk out with 9mm $18 for 50 and 40 caliber $21 for 50.

The expensive ammo is starting to hang around longer in this part of the world. LGS's have $1 a round 223 and 9mm sitting on the shelf now that used to be gone as soon as it came in. MidwayUSA has been advertising $1.20 IMI 9mm relentlessly via email and it has been available for a couple of weeks. I think things are starting to reach their apex.

When ammo starts costing me a dollar per round I’m out. I enjoy shooting but not that much. Gunz 4 sail.

Thank god for my Boy Scout tendencies and Dillon 550.

... and let's hope this isn't the new normal!

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You're shy a few manners.

That is a lot of money for a box of 380. I bought an Interarms PPK/s in 1985 along with a box of ammo. Fired one clip, and shelved the gun. Sold it 2 months ago.

5 weeks ago I lost my best friend. He left me a NIB laser engraved PPK/s. Guess I will have to find my box of ammo. I know it is in one of several 30 cal. ammo cans

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

If there was any relief in sight for lowering the price of ammo it's gone now. Fuel prices will be increasing sharply, food and other necessities will reflect the high cost of fuel to get everything to market. Throw in the increased cost of heating or cooling your home the future don't look good. For the guys that don't want to pay current prices but need defensive ammo there's the old Jack Benny skit, "Your money or your life".

Every box of that ammo will sell at those prices.

This time last year I sold a bulk box of 1,000 .223 that I didn't need for $220.


Buy high and sell low, right?

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Chris S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

A friend and I were at Shooters World in Orlando, FL yesterday 2/19/2021 sighting in his M&P15-22 (the only thing we could really afford to shoot). He also had an M&P Bodyguard 380 he was trying out. Before we hit the range we perused through their ammo aisle to see what they had.

They had .380ACP available - 25 round boxes for $40 (we didn't buy any...).

Some 9mm and 38Spl - around $1/round for either. Lots of 10mm for roughly the same price. Also lots of various rifle calibers that I didn't look at, except for the 223 and 5.56 that was $1/round in 1000-round cases (and they were NOT steel-cased Russian!). They had some 357 on the shelf as well, but I didn't get a price.

The long-and-short of it is they have ammo (including the more popular calibers), but the prices are still as high as I've ever seen.

It will be a long time until ammo prices or the overall economy get back to 2019 levels.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

Our small LGS has ammo, just about everything you could want. However, as in Orlando that prices are outrageous. Like I posted earlier .380 was $69.00 a box.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

My local shop recently got in some .45 Colt, $80 a box of $50. They mentioned to me that they thought the price was crazy, but the distributor charged them $70 a box. They figured it would never sell very fast at that price. I stopped in a few days later and it was gone. They told me it all sold in a day.

Another shop routinely has lots of ammo. They have 9/40/45 for $25 a box, .38 for $30, .357 & .380 for $35, bricks of .22 for $40. These guys are not running a charity, they are certainly still making a nice profit at those prices, but they buy in large volume. I think the distributor’s are playing a large role in what the various shops are charging. Most shops can’t buy ammo a truckload at a time, so they don’t get the same deals.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

Now at the Cabelas near me, all the popular pistol & 5.56 ammo etc.. is kept on a rolling cart with shelves. It is kept behind the gun counter. It is now handed to you,(up to the limit) and paid for at that counter where guns are purchased, not in the front of the store. Rounds were being stolen here and there, and boxes were being stashed so people who bought their limit could come back and buy it again later.

I wonder if this is how it will be with ammo going forward, or if it will ever go back on the shelves out on floor. actually they removed some of the empty shelves last year so they'll need to put them back up.

Their prices are the most reasonable anywhere. 9mm fmj can be found for .30/rd and 5.56 for .63/rd when in stock. It goes quick. They seem to get it in a few times a week.

I can't figure the people paying these prices.

Did they just buy their first gun, or are people panicking over the world situations right now?

Considering the way things are now days, a buy/sale/trade site has some not too bad of deals on ammo.

Even some trade people are getting a bit stupid about this.
I didn't need any .45 ACP until I go a to good to refuse deal on a 1911 pattern 45.
I am well stocked on some calibers, so I was willing to do a 1.5 9mm to 1 45 for a couple hundred rounds. All went well until the person saw that I had paid $9 per box (left sticker on, who cares) and he paid $30 so then he figures he should get 3 for 1 since he overpaid and I didn't.

Still looking but these people have me thinking a 1 for 1 trade from now on. Yes 45 is more than 9mm, but I guess if they need it bad enough...

[QUOTE=wood

Did they just buy their first gun, or are people panicking over the world situations right now?[/QUOTE]

Yes and Yes. Larry

I like to see the sheep buying guns, especially handguns..................
Ammo too...............

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

I've noticed the local indoor ranges are pretty much deserted. That is unfortunate with all the 1st time gun buyers around. No one wants to practice for a buck every time they pull the trigger.

I’ve ran 330 FMJ, and 90 JHP through a new p365 in the last 2 weeks. All bought pre-panic but the cost of replacing it makes me sad.

365 ran great though and will now be my new edc.

Not sure about the other International members of this forum, but here in Australia, your current US inflated prices is what we have paid for years. Factory ammunition is too expensive so most recreational shooters reload their own.

Here the components are being outrageously priced also.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

You know, the person who made that advertisement has opened up himself to some slimy person taking advantage of a boo boo in his description there. He had it listed as 1000k, which to me could be advertising 1,000,000 rounds, which is what 1000k is (k=1000 as a numerical descriptor). So, $750 is a hell of a bargain for a million rounds.

Unless one is considering making a killing supplying the apocalypse zombie fighters, who needs more than a couple of boxes of JHP?


FMJ prices seem to be stabilizing and available.



Still outrageous but declining.


Shooting a couple of mags/reloads every month or so for proficiency is still doable for most.


Seems to be the best result available these days.

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Chris S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

I cant remember the last time I bought center fire ammo. Every gun I ever bought I made sure I had dies and I stocked up on bullets when they were on sale or at gun shows. I bought lots of bullets at the gun shows in 2019 when people were selling all their reloading stuff because “ammo is to cheap, reloading doesn’t save anything”. I learned my lessons years ago for reloading supplies and 22 ammo.

Same here. The local gun shop was buying collections/estates. They would buy mainly for the guns, anything else went along for the ride. A friend and I would buy the reloading stuff for pennies on the dollar, because no one wanted used reloading stuff. Now, I am afraid those days are gone.....

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Saw some very recent video a guy took at a big show in Florida, like within the last week or two. I don't know how he got away with it. Most shows say no cameras but phones are hard to ban. He scanned the ammo sales, the bulk 5.56 55gr stuff for ARs was going for 1.30 a round in large quantity packs. Nope. Nope nope nope. My very modest stash is suddenly worth alot more than my AR! Same for my other ammo, now it is like an unturned NIB SAA Colt, too expensive to shoot!

I am in Oregon and selling my house in Hawaii. Having my remaining guns over there shipped to me here, but can't ship the ammo by air. My local FFL there is going to sell the ammo on consignment for me. I'll be discussing pricing with him in the next couple of days.

I figure I'll mainly defer to his judgment — I've known him for over 15 years, and have no reason not to — but would like to be better informed about prices than I am now, so posting here.

Here's what I have for consignment:

7 boxes 30-30
4 boxes 38 spl
4 boxes 357
18 boxes 22 LR

What do you guys think reasonable prices in today's market would be, and what's a reasonable cut for the FFL?

Go to Ammoseek.com
That will give you some current market prices.
I would give your dealer 20% of the gross sale.
Best,
Gary

So why are you hoarding if you don't want to shoot any?

I don't need ammo but out of curiosity just made the rounds of Academy, Cabela's, and Palmetto State Armory which are all on the same block here. Nobody had 12 gage, .38spl, or .357. Palmetto had 9mm, a 1 box limit, on some Czech brass cased for 40 bucks.

BTW, Academy still stocks a respectable number of handguns and long guns.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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Slava Ukraini!

It was only 2019 when a lot of us were promoting gun ownership in order to expand our base to protect our 2A rights. Well, it happened - and now the complaints are about the prices and availability because of all the new gun owners!

I think that's called "The law of unintended consequences"...

Same reason some bought 1000 rolls of toilet paper, then used the Bidet.

Got me! Well put!

I hope we get 8,000,000 more new gun owners again this year and I hope each one buys at least 2 and hopefully 4 boxes of ammo. The more gun owners the better.............

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV