Ammo Prices.?/have I been livin under a rock?

[gerhard]

Hey Guys.....a little help here....today the wife and I went to Bass Pro Shop.....found some good looking flannel winter shirts....and I casually ambled over to the firearms section.....wanting to buy some .38 Special for that Victory Model the good little wife doesnt know Ive bought....heh heh.....anyway...when I finally got thru the crowd and up to the counter.....yes they had .38 Special......$42.50 A BOX FOR 50 ROUNDS.!!!........have I missed something or am I behind the curve on ammo prices........no...I didnt buy any.......and yes I was going to try to get some +P for the Victory Model....anyway...let me know your thoughts on ammo prices........that was too outrageous..!!!......or have I been livin under a rock when the prices went up...????? Hans Fischer

 

[canoeguy]

You can still get Federal 158 grain lead round nose at Wal-Mart for around $18.00 for a box of 50.....

Bass Pro-shop and Gander Mountain are not the place to shop for ammo.

 

[442js]

Hey Guys.....a little help here....today the wife and I went to Bass Pro Shop.....found some good looking flannel winter shirts....and I casually ambled over to the firearms section.....wanting to buy some .38 Special for that Victory Model the good little wife doesnt know Ive bought....heh heh.....anyway...when I finally got thru the crowd and up to the counter.....yes they had .38 Special......$42.50 A BOX FOR 50 ROUNDS.!!!........have I missed something or am I behind the curve on ammo prices........no...I didnt buy any.......and yes I was going to try to get some +P for the Victory Model....anyway...let me know your thoughts on ammo prices........that was too outrageous..!!!......or have I been livin under a rock when the prices went up...????? Hans Fischer

Prices are going up, but that does sound quite high unless it is specialty ammo. Even for specialty ammo that does seem a little high. Check the internet, and you should be able to get ammo at lower prices. Take a look at ammoengine.com as that should help you find ammo at reasonable prices.

 

[rburg]

See, back in November of 2008 this new guy got elected. He's been known as the most liberal member of congress up till then. So everyone headed out to Wallyworld with all their extra cash, and their credit cards. They cleaned the shelves.

Right about the same time the guy got elected, the entire stock market tanked. A bunch of folks lost their homes to foreclosure, and they also lost their jobs. Then everyone started buying metals because their bank accounts weren't paying anything for interest. So when the stores tried to replenish their empty shelves, the manufacturers had to pay a bunch more for their raw materials.

So the 22s that were $13.47 for a 550 bulk pack are now over $19.

 

[Dragon88]

Ammo is up, but Bass Pro and Gander are not good gauges of real world prices. Wal-Mart has ok prices, you can only do better by buying online in bulk.

 

[Smith357]

Was some sort of super wazooie defense load? That price is about right for something like a Gold Dot, Hydro Shok or other such premium defense load. Basic plinking loads at wally world were $32 for a 100 count Winchester white box the last time I needed brass.

 

[Oldiron]

Academy Sports always has something on special and if you are on the East end of Tenn Sportsmans Warehouse can beat Bass Pros prices. You can order from Cabelas and sometimes get a deal.
Larry

 

[Corky]

You might want to reconsider putting +P ammo through that sixty-five plus year old Victory model. It isn't recommended by S & W. And standard pressure loads are generally cheaper as well.

 

[Mack]

I gave up on Bass Pro Shop long ago, IMO they decided they would rather sell clothes than shooting supplies and have priced what they carry not to sell but just to have around.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Sounds like it was roughly about right for "gunshop price" if you are buying a fifty round box of 158 gr +P LHPs (classic FBI load) or Gold Dots or somesuch. Premium defensive ammo tends to hover at around a dollar a round for most handgun calibers.

I have a circa 1949 pre 10 M&P 4" - only slightly younger than your gun. The inexpensive Federal ammo from Walmart is fine for casual use. Though I also purchase the Remington 125 gr +P JHP whenever I see a good price on a 100rd value box at a Walmart. Some Walmarts carry and some don't. Generally a 100rds runs in the 35 dollar range give or take if you can find it. I like it better than the Winchester White Box 125gr +P JHP sold at most Walmarts for at or around 20 bucks a box. I think the QC is a bit better on the Remington and the lead seems softer - and more likely to expand.

Neither will likely be as good as the old FBI load - or the modern Gold Dots et al for that matter probably - but they are fairly easy to find and affordable if you need defensive ammo.

 

[Elroy]

Bass Pro-shop.............. [is] not the place to shop for ammo.

Unless you're looking to buy hard to find ammo off the shelf

38 S&W off the shelf at $31 a box. Not a great deal but I was glad they had it.

The Bass was in deed high on the more common ammunition

 

[David LaPell]

I still see some pretty high prices in gun shops here locally. Recently I spotted a box of Remington 158 grain LRN's for $29 for 50. Way too high but the shops won't come down.

 

[bobbyz]

Bass Pro Shops are highly overpriced. I remember looking for some 300 Winchester soft points there about a year or so ago. A twenty round box started at around $40 or more and went up to almost $70 if you wanted something special. I remember some guy looking for ammo the same time I was and making the comment, "I'm not spending a hundred dollars for a box of shells." Take that for what it's worth.

 

[rburg]

I remember some guy looking for ammo the same time I was and making the comment, "I'm not spending a hundred dollars for a box of shells." Take that for what it's worth.

Some time price some of the .30-378 Weatherby ammo.

The Ammoengine web site shows it for about $119 for a box of 20. Just under $6 a shot. It'll teach Y'all to reload.

 

[tom32]

Try buying a box of 416 Rigby ammo. Until Hornady started making it, none existed under $6 per round. If I didn't reload, I wouldn't be shooting it.

 

[Art Doc]

Ammo is up like guns and just about everything else.

Ammo is way up. Started with Obama's election and the subsequent panic buying. I saw folks at shows in the months after the election wheeling out cases and cases of ammo. Shortfalls occurred in supply, demand remained crazy, and prices shot up (no pun intended).

They have abated a bit, but not a whole lot. Remember when a buck a round was reserved for the big magnum calibers? Now a box of Rem or Win 30-06s will set you back $30 for 20.

 

[David LaPell]

What worries me is that next year it will start all over again, we have another Presidential election and there are alot of people convinced the world will end in December of 2012.

 

[gerhard]

Bass Pro Ammo

What was so bad about the pricing on the ammo at Bass Pro....$42.50 for a box of 50...it wasnt anything special.....just lead point ammo and it looked cheapo.....guess it was their version of wadcutters......whatever....it looked so bad...wouldnt have bought it even it was around $15.00 a box.....just "looked bad"......guess I will give "Wally-World" a try even tho some of the folks there can look scary...........just look at the website "walmart people" if you want a chuckle....... Thanks guys for the help......Hans Fischer

 

[bigolddave]

If there is a Farm and Fleet in your vicinity, try them. They have had .38 Special RemUmc for just about $16 a box. I pick up a box or two every time I stop by.