Panic/shortage issues aside, inflation is real and it affects ammo, too. I joked with my wife the other day that we’ll all be living in million dollar homes soon. They’ll be the same houses, just worth a million dollars due to inflation caused by the massive printing of money in the name of the plague.
On top of inflation, ammunition manufacturers and retailers are not in business to try to get us the lowest price on our bullets so we can have a great time shooting at the range. They are in business to maximize profits. This whole mess that we’ve been going through is a great opportunity to get to new price and profit levels.
It’s happening in all industries. I recently talked to the guy that runs the largest auto dealer group in the metro area. He said they’ve had record profits, by far, over the past year, and it continues.
My prediction is that $15/box of 50 will be the new target price for 9mm FMJ range fodder. You’ll see some retailers selling it a couple bucks under that price, and some retailers selling it for a couple/few bucks more.
I do business with one of the largest gun retailers in my area. Guy had/has warehouse full of ammo. Federal 9mm range “target” ammo was $9 a box pre COVID.
Last Spring, he told me that he had plenty of ammo and wasn’t worried about supply, and would hold prices. By Summertime, that same 9mm range ammo was around $45 a box, limit 2 boxes. That same ammo (literally, same stock of ammo) is now priced at $24.95 per box. I expect it to continue to come down more, in time.
Think of the money this guy has been making, profiting off of panic and stupidity! He was making good profit at $9 per box! Of course, he’ll buy new lots of ammo when pricing and availability comes down (now/near future). Yes, it’ll be more expensive than in the past (inflation), and he’ll price it accordingly. I predict $15 +/-.
Over time, I’ve never seen guns, ammo, and components go down in price, always up.
