How Will Ammo And Prices Now Be Affected

[Ruger Nut]

I was looking around on SGAMMO last night and almost fainted!
Now that people can't afford to buy ammo at the current prices, what does the ammo industry, and prices, look like from this day forward?
Will those panic buyers start unloading all of the ammo they bought? If so, do you think it might drive ammo prices down?

 

[Rpg]

I suspect that the panic buying will ramp up for the next few months so prices won't abate for a while and may continue to rise.
Folks will continue panic buying.

Certainly some folks who have been squirreling ammo away will sell a bit. But others will want to ride the price as it goes up, hoping to maximize return. Others will hang on to their stash for personal use.

I don't expect a flood of ammo to depress prices: I don't think there will be a flood of ammo.

 

[Engineer1911]

I'm at a lucky junction; bullet caster, reloader, and have a superb supply of powder and primers. My supply is so good that at 72, I'm set for life and plan on there being a very small estate sale.

If you don't learn from history, the ride never changes.

 

[Duckford]

Ammunition may never, ever be coming back. The death days of the west everyone talked about may have already started last year. The good days are gone, and the worst is yet ahead. This is the means of arms control the new wave is bringing; keep your gun, but no more ammunition.

Between real shortages, "shortages", taxes on ammunition, environmental restrictions, the ease which the system can threaten the handful of owners of corporations. The shooting sports are already probably dead, and we're just realizing it.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

From what I hear, between panic buying PLUS huge government purchases it might be awhile before ammunition is plentiful again.

 

[BC38]

All I can say for sure, is I have about as many guns as I'll ever want - way more than I could ever need - plus around 10k rounds of factory center fire ammo and another 50k worth of reloading components.

So the left can kiss my backside. Unless and until they are ready to start forceful confiscation, there ain't SQUAT that they can do to affect my supply.

 

[Dave Lively]

There might be a few people that bought when prices were low and plan to sell now, wait and replace what they sold when prices go back down. But not many. And even fewer people desperate enough to buy a large quantity at today's prices would be willing to sell.

Supply will eventually catch up with demand and prices will fall. But it is going to take a while.

 

[walnutred]

I'm going to start slowly selling off my accumulation of ammo. I'm not interested in selling illegal goods and that is where I think ammo is going, at least in the volume I accumulated over the years. Anything more than you can carry may be used against you anyway.

 

[cgt4570]

I did take the opportunity to unload a few thousand various steel case Russian junk I picked up at an estate auction last year that was mixed in with good stuff I wanted.
I sold it for about $0.30 a round. More than double what I had in it, and way under going price. Both parties were very happy.

 

[Liftrat]

I suspect that the panic buying will ramp up for the next few months so prices won't abate for a while and may continue to rise.
Folks will continue panic buying.

Certainly some folks who have been squirreling ammo away will sell a bit. But others will want to ride the price as it goes up, hoping to maximize return. Others will hang on to their stash for personal use.

I don't expect a flood of ammo to depress prices: I don't think there will be a flood of ammo.

Of the same mind here. The only thing that will drive prices down is more availability. I think that folks who have bought recently will hang onto what they have, against an uncertain future. Especially if the election turns out the way it's looking. Guess we'll see.

 

[pharmer]

I did take the opportunity to unload a few thousand various steel case Russian junk........ More than double what I had in it, and way under going price. Both parties were very happy.

I was (again) offered $600 for a 1K case of Rem brass case 9mm last evening that I bought this year for $169. It was tempting. Joe

 

[LoboGunLeather]

All I can say for sure, is I have about as many guns as I'll ever want - way more than I could ever need - plus around 10k rounds of factory center fire ammo and another 50k worth of reloading components.

So the left can kiss my backside. Unless and until they are ready to start forceful confiscation, there ain't SQUAT that they can do to affect my supply.

Never underestimate the lengths to which some folks will go. A few possibilities come to mind:

1. Licensing of reloaders as ammunition manufacturers.
2. Taxes on every round produced, perhaps more taxes on every component.
3. Changes in state and local codes restricting the quantities of ammunition, primers, powders, etc, may lawfully be kept in a residential dwelling or building (saw this in the Denver metro area a couple of years ago, 1000 rounds max per building, and that included a building with dozens of apartments all subject to the aggregate limit for the building).
4. State insurance commissions (appointed officials) changing requirements for insurance policies sold within the state to specifically limit or prohibit any insurance coverage for damages or injuries resulting from ammunition storage, components, reloading, etc.
5. Prohibitions on possession or use of lead bullets or shot.
6. Changes in laws dealing with child endangerment to prohibit possession of ammunition, components, or reloading equipment/supplies in any household with children present (or perhaps within 1000 feet of any child's residence, or any school, or any day care facility, etc).
7. Changes in business or zoning laws to prohibit sale or delivery of reloading components, supplies, or equipment (or just onerous and expensive licensing and compliance requirements).

Then there is still the United Nations Treaty on Small Arms floating around, which the US might conceivably ratify at some future time. That treaty contains strict licensing provisions and other restrictions for anyone who manufactures or reloads ammunition (not to mention firearms of any type in private hands), which might be found palatable by those who wish to limit your supply or access.

It can be amusing when a news source reports a story of someone found in possession of "an arsenal" or "thousands of rounds of ammunition". Probably not so amusing when the photos or videos show your house. You and I might think a few thousand rounds is just a reasonable supply for our range trips or recreational shooting, but that is probably not how we will be portrayed to the general public. We might expect to get a call from State Farm telling us our homeowners policy has been cancelled shortly after those reports are published.

As I recall, the Second Amendment uses the word "arms" with absolutely no mention of ammunition or the means for producing ammunition. I don't want to be the test case in court!

No, I will never underestimate the opposition.

 

[ancient-one]

I was (again) offered $600 for a 1K case of Rem brass case 9mm last evening that I bought this year for $169. It was tempting. Joe

I wish that I had found 9mm for $169 a K. The ammo fairy was watching out for you. Good for you.

 

[Sistema1927]

We go through these cycles with regularity. Sunspots are an 11 years cycle, ammo is a 4 year cycle.

If you weren't stocking up last year, you haven't been paying attention. I predict that my next major ammo purchases will be in 2023.

 

[llowry61]

be prepared to donate to the NRA - we are gonna need em.

 

[Dave Lively]

Never underestimate the lengths to which some folks will go. A few possibilities come to mind:

I worry about lead getting banned more than the other risks you mentioned. There are legitimate reasons lead pipes, leaded gasoline and lead shot for duck hunting are things of the past.

The gun club I shoot at was worried all the bullets in the dirt backstops at the handgun ranges might cause a ricochet. They found a company that digs up the backstops, separates the lead and then restores the range. They got 100,000 pounds from just the pistol ranges, enough for them to make a nice profit. The club got restored ranges for free and a check for their share of the lead sales. Almost all lead exposure from shooting comes from breathing in lead from primers or cast bullets smoke, particularly in poorly ventilated indoor ranges, not lead in dirt banks. But I could see someone wondering why they have to use steel shot for duck hunting when our club has 50 tons of lead sitting in backstops.

It can be amusing when a news source reports a story of someone found in possession of "an arsenal" or "thousands of rounds of ammunition".

I have seen newspapers describe a 10/22 and bulk pack of 22 LR as a "semi-automatic rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition".

 

[1775usmarine]

Expect the next 4yrs to be rocky. As for me I'm keeping my ear to the ground to find cheapish lead from mom and pop auto repair shops near me.

It's funny how I can shoot 22lr cheaper than using 1 primer.

 

[Telecaster]

Unless someone builds a new ammo factory or three, demand is likely to outstrip supply for the next four years at least. If you don't have reloading components now, you ain't gettin' any.

 

[Engineer1911]

There are European primers and powder on board freighters headed for southern ports in NC and GA as this is typed. I "work" for a range operator that is awaiting his 1 MM primer shipment. His powder order arrived a month ago.

The horizon is blurry, not dark and threatening.

 

[white cloud]

I believe what LoboGunLeather stated to be very possible. IIRC, they tried to pass legislation to track canisters of powder sold to reloaders in the 1980s.