I hadn't priced any ammo for a while...

1sailor

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It's been a while since the last time I priced any ammo. I had quit reloading 9mm a while back because it was so cheap to buy that it honestly wasn't worth my time for purely range ammo. When the latest craziness began I started reloading it again and haven't been checking ammo prices at all. Yesterday I got an email telling me that they had Blazer Brass at 38% off. Locally it used to sell for about 11 to 13 dollars full price and around 9 to 10 dollars on sale. I recently scored a Ruger PC carbine in 9mm so I thought this might be a good time to buy some cheap bulk ammo. Holy Smokes. At 38% off it was still about 50% higher than what used to be my "full" price. So it looks to me like prices are still pretty high. Luckily I still have plenty of powder, primers, and bullets left. For now anyway.
 
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Lately in my area it's been stocked regularly at several locations for $16-18 per box of 50. In my opinion, lots of options at 50% higher than the price it was 2 years ago before a worldwide pandemic and inflation isn't too bad.
 
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In the past month, I have seen Blazer and other run of the mill ammo selling for anywhere between $14.99 and $19.99 per 50 rounds...
 
I might look at ammo after New Years............

when the stores know that they have seen the last big chance for them
to sell ammo..............
and start realizing that they might need to lower their prices a little......
to pay their bills, for next year.................

finally.

The shoe might be on the other foot ?
 
Yep, as a reloader with a decent stockpile, I will not be falling prey to the current inflated prices. I can wait for the madness to settle down a bit.

I haven't looked locally in a few weeks, but what I saw last time I visited my LGS sent me scurrying back to my basement to load more .357's and 45's.

I fear prices will not return to normal for quite some time. But I probably have enough to last me until the Good Lord comes back or takes me home.
 
2019 I bought lots of bullets, brass, primers and other reloading supplies at gun shows from guys who said “ ammo is pretty cheap now, not worth reloading”. Been hunting for Win 270 for a friend as I dont reload it. Best price I found was about 2.50/round.
 
Ammo and reloading components are still far more expensive than they were in 2019. They have come down from the record high prices of 2020 and early 2021, but still high. Unfortunately, I don't think they will come down much more. From 2020 through today, the Fed has been pumping a lot of money into the economy, this triggers inflation and that will keep the prices high. I'm guessing that the new low prices will be some 15-20% higher than 2019 prices and that is only if supply catches up to demand.
 
Ammo Price?

Thank god I purchased my weapons before all of the idiocy started I was looking to purchase another handgun and just about had a stroke at the prices. Not only has ammo went up and stayed up so has the price of firearms to the point of utter craziness. Just for kicks I looked up some of my pre nuttiness purchases and one weapon that I got on sale at Bass Pro for 329.00 is now a measly 479.00...yeah nope. As for ammo hopefully those that come to this site won't make the mistakes of others and stock up.
 
From what I've seen prices and availability for ammo vary quite a bit by location. Where I am, north of Chicago by the WI border, for what used to be cheap target loads, expect to pay around $0.50 per round for 9mm, $1.00 for 45 ACP, and around $0.80 for 223 at the local shops, with gun ranges adding 20-30% if you buy it there. Of course things have improved quite a bit from when there was just nothing available, although you still might have to stop at more than one place to find what you want.

Reloading has also been an issue. Primers are still no where to be found, and finding powder is more about showing up on the right day and finding out what, if any, part of the stores back order got filled.

A few of my online sources have had limited stocks of primers and powders in the last week or two, but you have to check early in the morning, and amounts you can buy are restricted (which can really add to the costs when you add in the hazmat fees for multiple orders.)
 
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I don't reload, but have bought a lot of ammo over the years, each time I bought more than I shot. So fortunately for me, I have a healthy supply.

Reloading was an affordable option, depending on usage. You do have to figure in the cost of equipment, which can be anywhere from around $30 for a cheap single Lee handloader, to quite a few hundred bucks. That's usually a 1-time cost, and then just obtain components. Some folks cast their own lead bullets, a lot of us may not be so industrious. Given my own understood tendencies, I'd lean towards buying new jacketed bullets, not making my own.

Right now, the components are expensive and scarce, especially primers (perhaps the single most important issue), as I understand. Powder, too.
Short and sweet answer is, now's not the time to buy ammo, also not really the time to start buying reloading stuff either. I think we have to ride this out awhile before either option is really viable.

I'm currently starting to look into reloading... one caliber to start with. 9x23 Largo. I've picked up a reasonable supply of new manufactured ammo that runs in my guns (a pair of Star Supers), both Steinel with Starline brass, and a couple boxes of Fiocchi Steyr that runs fine. Been saving my brass, and plan to reload it to 9x19 rangeload specs. I've seen a few online sites that list out loads, I'd be inclined to stay near the lowest end, enough to cycle.

The Steyr is softer than the Largo, the cases appear identical other than the groove for the extractor is the slightest bit different.

I have a fair amount of Largo surplus, and have been running into lots of bad berdan primers. Last range session I tried a magazine (8), and only 1 ignited. I'm thinking I might end up pulling the bullets and seeing what all I could salvage. I don't know if the powder would be any good, or just dump it and start fresh?
It's Berdan primed, but brass case. I'm almost tempted to see if I can drill out a tiny hole in the case, and try to use Boxer primers. Not sure how feasible this would be.
 
I have a fair amount of Largo surplus, and have been running into lots of bad berdan primers. Last range session I tried a magazine (8), and only 1 ignited. I'm thinking I might end up pulling the bullets and seeing what all I could salvage. I don't know if the powder would be any good, or just dump it and start fresh?
It's Berdan primed, but brass case. I'm almost tempted to see if I can drill out a tiny hole in the case, and try to use Boxer primers. Not sure how feasible this would be.

In my own experience the primer is the component most likely to fail in older ammo. If the powder isn't clumped and the inside of the case isn't corroded the powder itself is usually fine. Powder going bad (chemical breakdown) is usually obvious, wet looking, green residue, clumps, corroded bullet bases and/or cases are bad signs. I have pulled down a lot of older military ammo and transferred the powder and bullet to a new case with a good primer without any issues.

As to reworking the primer pocket? Unless you are working with a very rare and hard to get round it's not really worth the effort.

I do want to add one more thing since you are not an experienced reloader. Case volumes can vary slightly, from my own experience handgun rounds seem less affected by this than rifle rounds but they do vary. If a pulled down handgun powder charge seems to fill the new case noticeably more than the original case you can run into pressure issues and should reduce the charge slightly for the new cases. This is even more important if you ever do rifle loads to ensure safe pressure ranges.... Easiest way to actually measure the case volume is to fill an empty case of the brand that will receive the load to the mouth with something like a ball powder (easy to measure) and weigh the amount then do the same with the case from a round you have pulled down.... This allows you to figure the case volume and if needed reduce the powder charge by a percentage to match.
 
I just sold some 308 hunting ammo for what I paid for it. A little more than buck a round. I had at least 5 guys say they want it. The 9mm prices are coming back to earth. Hunting ammo, nope.
 
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Thank you for your reply, it definitely gives me a little guidance on this.

Gonna try to respond to specifics, if that is ok here:
In my own experience the primer is the component most likely to fail in older ammo. If the powder isn't clumped and the inside of the case isn't corroded the powder itself is usually fine. Powder going bad (chemical breakdown) is usually obvious, wet looking, green residue, clumps, corroded bullet bases and/or cases are bad signs. I have pulled down a lot of older military ammo and transferred the powder and bullet to a new case with a good primer without any issues.
That's good to hear, I have a fairly large amount (half a case), and the ignition on these have been spotty at best.

If I do this, the projectiles at the very least, saving and reusing the powder would also be nice.
As to reworking the primer pocket? Unless you are working with a very rare and hard to get round it's not really worth the effort.
9x23 Largo (rimless).
I see:
  • Starline has the brass, 20+ cents a case.
  • Steinel has new manufacturered (I bought some), using Starline brass, 60 cents a rd.
  • Fiocchi has new manufactured Steyr, very very close (and which ran fine), best I could find was 60 cents a rd
Now, to discuss the reworking of the surplus cases...
we're talking about 500 (say, around 430-450 at this point), brass cases with berdan primers. Not quite certain how much different the primer pocket would be as of yet, I would have to decap it somehow to see what I've got to work with...


OK, I just fiddled around with it, and YIKES.
Yep, a Berdan primer hole is nowhere similar to the familiar Boxer primer hole.
 
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