Earlier today I met up with my bud, the LGS "counter man." We got around to ammo prices and he told me: "We have Hornady SD ammo for $89.95 a box of 20." With a dead pan serious look, that's the going price. I thought: I'd really need to be taking incoming fire before I cut loose with a $4.50 bullet. This ain't no "that's my parking space" or "what're you lookin' at" ammo. Serious times indeed. I'd need to go to the ATM if'n I emptied my magazine. I sincerely hope this ain't going to the "new normal." Joe

__________________
Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I may have a lifetime supply of ammo in most calibers, but if I don't, I can wait until it goes to a more reasonable level. I will currently go to about 40 cents a round on a few boxes here and there to add to the stockpile. $4.50 a round sounds just a little high, but then I am old.

$4.50 a shot is a great incentive to hit what you’re shooting at with the first shot!

These ammo prices tend to focus the mind on skill rather than suppressing fire.

This was the thinking with magazine cutoffs on the 1903 and early SMLE. Don't waste the taxpayers' money.

__________________
Release the Kraken

No warning shots!

Who knew this guy was so ahead of his time...

FWIW, there are some smaller manufacturers that still sell ammo for reasonable prices, comparatively speaking, though they're usually out of stock. Might be worth getting on their email lists. I'm on the list at Fenix Ammunition for some .45ACP ammo, both FMJ ($36/50) and JHP ($40/50). If you go to their website, you'll see one of the reasons I like them (can't mention it here, though).

My LGS doesn't even have any ammo.

A few weeks ago I paid .40/per round for .45 ACP and felt lucky to get 250 rounds.

__________________
Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

Very lucky. I think there was a two 50rd box maximum last time I was doing a transfer at an FFL.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Holy ****...I'm RICH!

I have a box of self defense 38, 357, 44 mag, and 44 Special too.

Those boxes of Ranger T and HST all have 50 rounds each.

Plus I have a 200 round box of 40 S&W Speer Gold Dots, but it claims to be factory seconds or something like that. Bought 2 boxes of them and shot one without a bad one.

That's the going price? That would be the price that would have me going out the door empty handed.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

If I am unfortunate to become involved in a self defense situation, somebody's getting a bill . . .

__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Can you say "price gouging"?

That's a number that indicates your LGS is trying to make serious profit out of the situation. It would be the last time I set foot in that place.

Don't Buy.... Don't Buy

Quit shooting if you have to, but....... Don't Buy

IMHO of course,
J.

Picked up 2 50 round boxes from Academy this AM for $17.99 a box. Still twice what it should be, but reasonable compared to elsewhere.

I visited a LGS this weekend and they had the 9mm Hornady FTX for $30. Had cases of the stuff they must have just gotten in.

Rosewood

Even at 17.99/box for FMJ, I still feel like I am getting ripped off. I refuse to pay these crazy prices. My brain/wallet is stuck at 2015-2019 pricing

Ammoseek Cor Bon .38spl +p+ $7.50 rd , Barnes Vor Tx .357 mag. $8.25 rd

I have saw things that needed shooting but that was before ammo reach that price. Larry

Markets work by supply and demand, the most powerful weapon that the consumer has is not to buy.

The owner (who seems to source large quantities of desirable ammo regularly) claims he is charging "replacement+20%." Some folks do leave empty handed. Probably half of Osceola County non-LE types are toting 115 gr ball for SD right now. In a SBL (stuff breaks loose) all at once, these days, I'm more concerned with hard cover than bullet type. Joe

__________________
Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Are you kidding? Me, cheap is my middle name. I was lucky I bought ammo when it could be found at good prices, I don't make a lot of money but I watched for sales and found good places to order from. I have enough to get me through this shortage, and it will end. If people would stop buying at these bend over and get raped prices and more importantly stop doing business with these price gougers this **** would end.

Hornady 9mm 115 gr Critical Defense 25/Box, $2.00 a round and in stock.

Hornady 9mm 115 gr Critical Defense 25/Box | Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore

It's a crying shame that there is a 10 box limit. I'm thinking that most people would like too buy 40 or 50 boxes. Larry

$4.50 a round is not the “going price” but merely the asking price of a LGS taking advantage of their customers. This guy must have no buying power and cant get wholesale prices and he thinks little of his regulars to even make such a comment.

__________________
S&W factory revolver armorer

You know, a reasonable man would say that there’s no such thing as “that's my parking space" or "what're you lookin' at" ammo.

ANY time you have to discharge your weapon in a fight is “serious times indeed”

If you find yourself cornered into using deadly force, then the cost of the ammunition in your gun is the last thing you need to be concerned with.

I’m going to assume you said that as an attempt at humor & that you’re not a psycho, but that’s not the sort of mindset we need to be putting in people’s heads.

I know you are right..........

__________________
dd884
JMHO-YMMV

They need to know that warning shots are availableb but will cost extra.

__________________
Chris S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

I guess our sense of humor has had a "collective negative impact" because of the COVIDs. Joe

__________________
Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

A couple of days ago I bought three boxes of my preferred 9mm SD ammo, the Federal HST 124gr +P Tactical. The boxes of 50 were $67 each. While certainly much more than they used to be, they were reasonable for today's nuttiness.

Kinda sad when double the normal price is considered reasonable.

At the same time, I'd probably be willing to pay that much for .45 HST, if I could find it and had the money for it.

Fortunately most of us don't burn through a lot of SD ammo.
Unless maybe you're in Syria, but in that case the taxpayers will buy the ammo.

I went just to see what you were referring to! I was expecting scantily clad females! But, I liked it anyway!!!!

__________________
'Merica!

You're absolutely right. However, it's reasonable compared to typical 9mm range ammo that is going for $40-$50 a box for 50 rounds. That's 4x-5x normal price.

18 months ago I bought a few thousand rounds from Federal at about $10 a box and Federal paid me a rebate! Now I have all these boxes with one end flap missing. I'm sure many of you can say the same thing.

See post #14

J.

I have boxes of the dreaded evil Winchester Black Talon that I bought decades ago when it was just rumored it was going to be pulled.
About half dozen each in .357 and 9mm that are marked at 9.99 and I know I paid less than that as a quantity discount.

Not planning on ever shooting it or selling it, but makes for a great conversation piece.

That may not be a fair assessment.
If the store sells ammo at something near the old prices, the ammo flippers will buy almost all of of up and resell it at a 300% markup in a few days or hours. These flippers have no overhead, no business utilities, employees to pay, or storefront rent to pay.

If anyone is going to make the extra profit I would rather see the retailer get it. Besides, his overall sales and profit are down anyway because of lack of inventory.

If this remains 'the new normal', it may finally put to rest the endless debate about using handloads for SD.
Personally - I have zero qualms about it.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Any other forum in the world, you could have said why.

Here, here!

Thru my 2A activities I get around to most gun shows , and many LGS in my region , and have a fair handle on " Prevailing Market Prices " . Erase from your mind any thoughts about what something sold for in say 2019, that has as much as the price of buggy whips in 1910 . And from my good friends who happen to be FFL s , they are at the mercy of the availability and prices from their distributors . Since mid summer , my friend has had standing orders with every distributor , for any and everything that they have available , in ammunition or guns , and can only get trickles that sell almost as fast as he puts them on the shelf . Supplemented by purchasing Estate Lots , and trading guns for NOS ammo from people's stashes . He marks up similar $ amounts as pre- panic , and apologizes for what he has to change ( but he is on the low side of gun show prices ).

Of course prices vary by calibers , by the relative availability of that caliber, that week . .380acp is most expensive . Sometimes 9x19 , .40s&w , and .45acp are all similar , sometimes 9 mm is comparitively more in demand . .357Sig is the last caliber that had backlog of pre- panic availability , just now drying up , 10mm preceeding it by a cpl months . People looked at me funny , but I advised people starting their Handgun Journey to approach this backwards . I e , buy the ammo first , then buy a gun to match .



As broad rule of thumb , 20/25 round boxes of Premium SD ammo are in the same price range as 50 round boxes of generic " practice ammo " . Ammo selection will be whatever had recently been available on wholesale markets . You can generally find at least One flavor of " Defensive Ammo " in a particular caliber , If say you prefered Critical Duty , but the available supply that week was Gold Dot or Ranger , you'd just have to have a sense of humor .

Down to the nitty gritty : the current mid range of Gun Show prices is $50 give or take for either 50rd FMJ or small box of Premium . Anything under $45 is Bargain priced , $60 for .380 or Super Premium 9mm is not uncommon . ( My ethical buddy @ his LGS ? All depends on his wholesale cost . Within the previous month in 9x19 FMJ has been $28 for PPU to $38 for Sig Elite . And gaps inbetween with zero 9mm on the shelf .)

It s@@@@ , but at the moment , It Is What It Is .

[ Disclaimer - Yes , XYZ website might have had EFG ammo for low low price . Huge distributors and Big Boxes sometimes have long term contracts with Mfgs with fixed prices and delivery dates . But when they go on websites at those prices , they typically sell out in minutes , often faster than prospective purchasers can checkout their Cart . If your lifestyle is adaptable to spending your waking hours in front of a computer poised to react, you have opportunity to either Stack Deep , or instantly double your money .]

But never mind the Ammunition , the real unobtanium are Primers . 209 Shotgun primers held out for most of 2020 , but Sm Rifle and Sm Pistol sell for about the same price as cocaine . Most recently I found the complete CCI line of primers available ....... For $30 per Hundred ! A few gun show vendors charge scalper prices for full lines of powder , but various LGS typically are at either pre- panic , or only modest increase , albeit for deep catalog combo shotgun/ pistol powders or very slow rifle powders , and week by week the variety gets slimmer .]

I have always kept a couple of 50 round boxes of SD ammo in every caliber I owned and shot about half making sure it will feed. Beyond that, I can not imagine the need for more. To a new gun owner that has no idea of past prices, $90 may not be a deal breaker.

I agree with this. The new gun owners don't know the ammo is 4x what it should be and the gun prices have risen 50-100% over what they should be. They think that is the normal price and since they want it, they have to pay it. Us long time gun owners can't stand paying that much over price because we know it and we probably have enough to get buy.

Rosewood

I had some components to keep me going for awhile. Primers were the problem. I was gifted enough to go for some time. If the ammo thing isn’t cleared by the time I’m low on all caliber stuff I’ll be shooting BB’s, arrows and slingshots before I pay the prices I’m seeing.

Worst case might be 3 1/2 years before relief. Got enough until then if’n I don’t share. Joe

__________________
Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Has anyone used Liberty Civil defense ammo? It is very fast and explosive.

Sounds just like a realistic appraisal of the Vegas Strip.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103