Current Ammunition Situation

[beaverislander]

I really would love to hear everyone's take on this, I need some good information because I am getting too lazy for all this tedious reloading business. Ha
Thanks
-Sam

While re-loading may seem tedious remember that old fable about "The Little Red Hen."
It is very rewarding being able to break out the 357 mag, 38 spl, 45 acp and .223 while so many unprepared folks are home counting their ammo and wondering if they'll ever be able to buy it again.
After an hour and a half at the range yesterday, now I have guns to clean and brass to sort.....tedious business for sure.

 

[cmj8591]

Things will not get back to normal until the supply chain gets back to normal. That's not going to happen until people start going back to work. As long as they are getting paid to stay home, everything will be hard to come by. It's not just ammo. Try and buy a new truck right now or an ATV or patio furniture. The economy shut down for close to a year. It's going to take time to catch up.

 

[Dave Lively]

While re-loading may seem tedious remember that old fable about "The Little Red Hen."
It is very rewarding being able to break out the 357 mag, 38 spl, 45 acp and .223 while so many unprepared folks are home counting their ammo and wondering if they'll ever be able to buy it again.
After an hour and a half at the range yesterday, now I have guns to clean and brass to sort.....tedious business for sure.

You don't have to reload to be prepared. Many of us were buying cases when prices were low. Its more expensive but requires much less time and takes up less space. Reloads or factory the key is to buy when ammo and components are plentiful and inexpensive. See you at the range.

 

[Seven High]

If you think that the ammunition situation is bad now, just wait until the next regional war breaks out. Buy it now if you can find it.

 

[ddixie884]

I hope the next regional war is not inside our borders......

 

[JM4151]

Ammo

I was at Cabelas in Delaware yesterday morning and they had nothing, let me repete nothing on the ammo shelves. I walked out without buying anything.

 

[scoobysnacker]

There's a lot to consider, when speculating about when/if ammo prices will return to normal pre-2020 prices. Whenever I think about it, I often find myself flip-flopping on the issue.

• There's a lot of new gun owners out there, from the last year
• Let's be real here- these are people that didn't own a gun before... 99% aren't going to buy more than a couple boxes of ammo

• Prices have risen and it still sells; what capitalist in their right mind would drop the price?
• Answer- one that wants to increase thier market share. On the manufacturing front, we see new brands available; Igman from Croatia for example. They've tasted the US dollar, do you think they will simply concede that back to Blazer? Not if they can sell their product cheaper, they won't
• On the retail front, there's a shot at becoming the next 'favorite seller". Lots of us bought from SGAmmo and Targetsportsusa, because they had everything and WERE CHEAP. Now, we've all scrambled to find stuff in stock anywhere. We probably know a dozen or more sites; one might get 'greedy' for business instead of profit, and be the new low-priced site we all frequent. If that happens, the others will chase.

• the tax stuff; on the one hand it might seem political suicide to raise taxes prohibitively on ammo, especially with new owners swelling the ranks
• on the other hand, our governments run on tax money, and there's been a lot of people not working, and a lot of federal handouts. Budgets are at some point going to need to be made

Ultimately, time and again I come down to the capitalist nature of our country, and figure prices will go down.
I just don't see the entire industry setting a false high price, and cooperating across the board. Competition for sales in volume will trump the desire to squeeze as much profit as possible out of a single round. Volume is what provides long-term success.
If Federal sits at $20 a box of 9mm, and PPU can afford to go lower, they will. If Igman wants to break into the US market and stay here, and they see a clear shot to undercut everyone and still make money at the end of the day, they will.

I think EVENTUALLY, there's going to be prices as low as they can go, as everyone jockeys to get position after things settle down. It might take a year, maybe less. I do think production is still ramping up some (imports still coming back), but I also think the rush to get a stockpile is over. Most people have what they need now, and just would like more. Nobody wants to pay for "an extra, just in case" case or two. Those with that mindset already did it before things got bad.

 

[Dave Lively]

I think EVENTUALLY, there's going to be prices as low as they can go, as everyone jockeys to get position after things settle down. It might take a year, maybe less. I do think production is still ramping up some (imports still coming back), but I also think the rush to get a stockpile is over. Most people have what they need now, and just would like more. Nobody wants to pay for "an extra, just in case" case or two. Those with that mindset already did it before things got bad.

I agree prices will come down. But judging by the poll I ran her last week there are a lot of us waiting for the price of 9mm to come down to about $.30/round before we start replenishing what we have been shooting for the past year. Or those that were caught short start building up a stockpile. I see prices plateauing at that level for months before they decline to whatever the new normal is going to be. Due to increased lead and copper cost prices I do not expect it to be as cheap as it was two years ago

But prices will come down. I just checked the SG website and they had some brass case FMJ 9mm for $.50/round. Still too expensive for me but a lot better than the $.80/round similar ammo was sell for a couple of months ago.

 

[teletech]

Last night I heard on the radio that commodity copper had past it's all-time high. As countries build out infrastructure and accommodate the shift in energy generation away from fossil fuels they are going to need a LOT of wire.
Not bad news for those of us shooting lead in reused cases, but factory ammo... well let's just say I expect to see more steel cases.

 

[The Norseman]

Cold Steel

I reload steel cartridges. From what I've experienced steel
cartridges are a milder material and reload just fine.

Two of my most accurate reloads are Steel; in .223 and .357

So……bring it on. Even Aluminum.

 

[Chief Wiggums]

federal today 5-11-2021 @ 1:05pm

both in stock - 4 box limit
9mm target .53
9mm SD 1.01

If you have no ammo , this is a great deal
If you have reserves, its not a great deal

 

[sousana]

I managed to grab 5 boxes of S&B 9mm 115gr at 14.95 a box yesterday online.

 

[ggibson511960]

I've just quit shooting. What else is there to do but hoard and conserve what you have. The causes of all this have been covered exhaustively here and elsewhere. What discourages me the most is how sporting calibers that have no defensive purpose have disappeared. A quick and telling survey is to search Midway's inventory and filter out unavailable offerings. Why would any sane person buy, hoard and scalp rhino roller African caliber cartridges? There are almost none available. It seems manufacturers have shifted to anything that will stuff into a black/plastic firearm. I understand that's the hot market for them but why abandon other sporting rounds? Raw material shortages and inflation will take care of the rest.

 

[Jon651]

I've just quit shooting. What else is there to do but hoard and conserve what you have. The causes of all this have been covered exhaustively here and elsewhere. What discourages me the most is how sporting calibers that have no defensive purpose have disappeared. A quick and telling survey is to search Midway's inventory and filter out unavailable offerings. Why would any sane person buy, hoard and scalp rhino roller African caliber cartridges? There are almost none available. It seems manufacturers have shifted to anything that will stuff into a black/plastic firearm. I understand that's the hot market for them but why abandon other sporting rounds? Raw material shortages and inflation will take care of the rest.

In the '90s and early-2000s, Harley-Davidson shifted their marketing away from the "traditional" H-D biker and towards upper-middle class folks with discretionary income. When asked why they were seeming to abandon their most loyal clientele, they gave this answer:

"That's where the demand is, and that's where the money is."

 

[Golphin]

I saw a pallet full of 9mm TulAmmo today in a Ocala Florida gun shop. It was $750. a case of 1k. Not great ammo and not cheap but it is there. Seeing a lot more guns and some ammo showing up now but prices are still high. Most of the guns I see are AR or plastic pistols.

 

[Engineer1911]

I'm not buying small pistol primers for $20 per 100 or $1,500 per 5,000. I will wait for sanity to return to the price structure. In the meantime, I will consume my 6 cases of large pistol Clinton primers.

I haven't bought factory ammo in years, 1993 was one 20 count box of Federal .308 Win Gold Medal Match rifle ammo with Sierra 168 gr. BTHP bullets. There are 12 unfired rounds and 8 empties in the box.

The new gun owners have bought 1 box of ammo for their "new" guns, fired 3 rounds, have either 17, 22, 47, or 97 rounds left in the box with one loaded mag. They feel safe, protected and happy. When some one kicks in the door, they will soil their shorts while trying to load the gun, and quickly pass on. I have talked with several of them.

It is basic math: "I own a gun and bullets." = "I am safe."
Ammo is very expensive, not readily available, so I don't shoot any more ammo.

 

[germansheperd]

I'm not buying small pistol primers for $20 per 100 or $1,500 per 5,000. I will wait for sanity to return to the price structure. In the meantime, I will consume my 6 cases of large pistol Clinton primers.

I haven't bought factory ammo in years, 1993 was one 20 count box of Federal .308 Win Gold Medal Match rifle ammo with Sierra 168 gr. BTHP bullets. There are 12 unfired rounds and 8 empties in the box.

The new gun owners have bought 1 box of ammo for their "new" guns, fired 3 rounds, have either 17, 22, 47, or 97 rounds left in the box with one loaded mag. They feel safe, protected and happy. When some one kicks in the door, they will soil their shorts while trying to load the gun, and quickly pass on. I have talked with several of them.

It is basic math: "I own a gun and bullets." = "I am safe."
Ammo is very expensive, not readily available, so I don't shoot any more ammo.

How many is several? Was that before or after they passed on?

 

[Greyman50]

Bass Pro in Savannah has ammo, lots of ammo. Had 38 Spl and 9 mm this AM, by afternoon no 38Spl or 9 but 357 Mag and all kinds of 223 and high power rifle.

 

[scoobysnacker]

Ammo is continuing to be made.
People who had their stash beforehand, like me, have not dipped into the very deep end of the price pool right now. I'd rather just wait, eventually shooting whatever I have, before I pay current prices.

People who just entered probably got a few boxes, rightfully considered them an expensive commodity, fired enough to be comfortable with their purchases, and are now sitting tight. If they're new owners, they didn't even see the need to own at all before; you can hardly expect them to suddenly shoot a few hundred rds a month.
It wasn't their priority, nor their hobby.

Those poor souls who for whatever reason shoot but were caught out in the cold; HOPEFULLY they learned their lesson, and will keep an unopened case (minimum) at all times, in addition to whatever they shoot actively. $700 for a case of 9mm or .223 is a harsh lesson, but the harsh ones are the ones that stick.

Reloaders- play nice with us, ok? If you can't get more primers, you're in the same boat I am. That press becomes useless once you run out. Might be a long time, but a finite supply is just that, finite.

Hold the line, guys. Things will come around.

 

[ddixie884]

I still think it is a good thing that many of the non shooting public has suddenly decided they need a gun. The unrest in the major cities has hit home and they are concerned for their families. This is a mindset that is more ingrained in country people but it is spreading. I do not begrudge them some ammo and Remington will probably make up some of the shortfall in Lone Oak. Breath in, breath out...................