Vista Outdoors Announces Ammo Price Increases 1/1/2024

[llowry61]

Interesting article. Looks like we may have hit the low and prices will only rise from here.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=fbf36b94db0348b48641450779bbcc8e&ei=34

 

[505Gibbs]

Saw it yesterday. A shortage of gunpowder - I wonder why, the Ukriane maybe, but it has to be due to processing capacity since cannister powders are not usually used in large military rounds.
The run on ammo will be next on the list - again!

 

[luvsmiths]

Interesting article. Looks like we may have hit the low and prices will only rise from here.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=fbf36b94db0348b48641450779bbcc8e&ei=34

Yeah, and Colt/CZ made an unsolicited offer to BUY Vista...
( which was turned down SO FAR)

Then an price increase announcement from VSTO-

Let's see where this all goes in 2024...

Whoever thought ammo was going back DOWN...well.... figure It out.

They could be posturing to sell, and at a price THEY want.. At the right price- everything is for sale! Lets see.

Either way, anyone who doesn't regularly buy ammo if they plan to shoot, is, in my opinion crazy. The ones who say the buyers force the shortages? Yeah- No.
Good luck on powder and primers next year too...

 

[Echo40]

Meh, I'll shop around just the same, thanks...

 

[Durango Slim]

Yeah, and Colt/CZ made an unsolicited offer to BUY Vista...
( which was turned down SO FAR)

Then an price increase announcement from VSTO-

CZ-Colt made an offer based on stock valuation. CSG offered $1.91 billion

Vista stock had dropped after the announcement but has risen since CZ-Colt's offer.

If the sale is based on stock valuation, bumping up revenue a few percent could make a huge difference in the sale price of the company.

 

[luvsmiths]

CZ-Colt made an offer based on stock valuation. CSG offered $1.91 billion

Vista stock had dropped after the announcement but has risen since CZ-Colt's offer.

If the sale is based on stock valuation, bumping up revenue a few percent could make a huge difference in the sale price of the company.

Ding Ding Ding- we have a winner!!

 

[BC38]

Meh, I'll shop around just the same, thanks...

Same here. I have enough reloading supplies to never have to buy factory ammo as long as I live.

I just need to get off my lazy backside and go make some rounds...

Even if they raised the price the max they are predicting (7%) across the board, a $35.00 box would only go up to $37.45

Compared to the price hikes a couple of years ago that seems like peanuts. Heck, the REAL inflation rate is higher than 7%.

Meh...

 

[moonsterman]

just bought 4lbs of longshot an extra1000 primers , 3000 22LR and 1000rds of 22mag...I know NOT ENOUGH..

 

[lkabug]

Even if they raised the price the max they are predicting (7%) across the board, a $35.00 box would only go up to $37.45

Compared to the price hikes a couple of years ago that seems like peanuts. Heck, the REAL inflation rate is higher than 7%.

Meh...

True. However that is 7٪ on top of current high prices. And an increase of $69 for a case of 1,000.

 

[BC38]

True. However that is 7٪ on top of current high prices. And an increase of $69 for a case of 1,000.

If a 7% increase on a case of 1000 raises the price by 70 bucks, I have to ask what you're buying? For that math to work it has to be a buck a round before the 7% increase.

Personally I don't shoot anything that is a buck a round when purchased in case quantity, though I know there are certainly calibers that cost that much and more - they just aren't common calibers...

 

[6string]

Here's a bit more:

-"Due to world events our suppliers have notified us of unprecedented demand for and an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder, and thus has increased our prices substantially," Vice President of Sales, Sporting Products Brett Nelson said in the letter. "We must therefore raise our pricing to help offset those increases."

And:
-Vista Outdoor, a parent company to many firearms businesses, told Newsweek that it will substantially increase its ammunition prices due to "an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder." (too many, in my opinion!)
In fact, Alliant Powder is scheduled specifically for a 10% increase.

Apparently:
-"Following a call for support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Vista Outdoor pledged in March 2024 to support the country through a 1-million-round ammunition donation."
Gee, isn't that generous!
Oh, wait....Is it really a "donation" when you're simply passing the cost on to your customers?

There's nothing "anticipated" about any of this. When you own the lion's share of the domestic market, "orchestrated" is a better word!

What I don't get is, where is the anti-trust lawsuit against Vista Outdoor? The only domestic ammo & reloading component manufacturer they don't own is Winchester!
Primers? Remington, CCI, Federal: They used to be competitors in a free market economy. Now, they're all owned by Vista Outdoor!
Vista Outdoor should be sued and broken up.

 

[glenwolde]

Propaganda. I think maybe they are trying to re-stoke the panic now that prices have come back down to earth and just make excuses for their price increase. I've been defending them but this seems to me to not match what I'm seeing at the retail level.

First, their retail prices don't mean much. MSRP is just that. The current MSRP on their site for Blazer Brass 9mm 115gr is $23.99. It was just on sale on Black Friday half that. Currently $20.00 at Midway. TargetSportsUSA doesn't have the 115gr but the 124gr is $13.00. That's a huge discount from MSRP.

The question is what's happening with wholesale pricing. That's what matters. Plus their range is so wide. 1%-5%. Might be they are raising prices 1% on the most common stuff and 5% on the low-volume stuff. Plus that percentage on the lower wholesale price is obviously a smaller amount of money than the same percentage on the retail price. It depends on what the retailers do. I'm sure they'll take all they can get as long as the stuff is moving. They can slap whatever MSRP they want on it, street prices are what matter. Market forces have an effect on the street price.

There's roughly 12 Billion rounds of ammo produced in the U.S.. Half of it's rimfire and the rest split between rifle, shotgun, and handgun. Vista's 1 million round donation to Ukraine is cited in the press release. That's a whopping 0.1% of total ammunition production. Big whoop. I mean they need it and nice of you to help out but I don't think that's even a contributing factor.

The projected five year forward CAGR for Nato Ammunition is 3.8%. Easily doable if that's your forecast.

As economists say, the cure for high prices is high prices. For the first time in my life I've bought foreign primers. If they work I have no problem sticking with them. Adios Winchester! Hola Servicios Aventuras!

Argentina has an economic disaster on their hands and they can use all the U.S. dollars they can get. Any company there that can export products to the U.S. will export as much as they possibly can. There's no reason other developed third world countries with arms industries can't do the same. There should be some Brazilian primers out there somewhere. India could produce a lot if they wanted too. The market will adjust and the void will be filled by somebody.

 

[llowry61]

Here's a bit more:

-"Due to world events our suppliers have notified us of unprecedented demand for and an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder, and thus has increased our prices substantially," Vice President of Sales, Sporting Products Brett Nelson said in the letter. "We must therefore raise our pricing to help offset those increases."

And:
-Vista Outdoor, a parent company to many firearms businesses, told Newsweek that it will substantially increase its ammunition prices due to "an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder." (too many, in my opinion!)
In fact, Alliant Powder is scheduled specifically for a 10% increase.

Apparently:
-"Following a call for support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Vista Outdoor pledged in March 2024 to support the country through a 1-million-round ammunition donation."
Gee, isn't that generous!
Oh, wait....Is it really a "donation" when you're simply passing the cost on to your customers?

There's nothing "anticipated" about any of this. When you own the lion's share of the domestic market, "orchestrated" is a better word!

What I don't get is, where is the anti-trust lawsuit against Vista Outdoor? The only domestic ammo & reloading component manufacturer they don't own is Winchester!
Primers? Remington, CCI, Federal: They used to be competitors in a free market economy. Now, they're all owned by Vista Outdoor!
Vista Outdoor should be sued and broken up.

I don't see the DOJ bringing any kind of consumer-friendly suit against any kind of ammunition or arms manufacturer. Pricing people out of guns, ammunition and shooting sports is just fine by them.

 

[AAAPAUL]

I only need FFg & FFFg to load 80% of my rounds

 

[Greyman50]

Saw 2 1 pound cans for sale at gun show, $50 for ffg and $50 for fffg. Glad I bought enough when it was $5 a pound….

 

[cmj8591]

I wish some of the stuff I'm buying at the grocery store only went up 7%.

 

[AAAPAUL]

Saw 2 1 pound cans for sale at gun show, $50 for ffg and $50 for fffg. Glad I bought enough when it was $5 a pound….

We still get FFg & FFFg for around $23 on #25 pound orders. We use around #200 pounds a year

 

[venomballistics]

Vista is probably run by antigunners.
They can cite wars all they want.
Each combatant has their own independent production.
On the reloading shelves, alliant powders ( Vista outdoors) was first to go and last to show.
Hodgdon is doing fine.
Just more manipulation folks

 

[tom2]

Just recently someone was commenting on how cheap 9 was now in his area. I advised him that he ought to go ahead and buy plenty, rather than fence setting. Because I told him it will go back up, not even lower. Just like gas. It goes down and everyone breathes a sigh of relief and suddenly it jumps back up 50 cents or something. Last time the farm store had a great sale on 9 I bought a few boxes but did not want to be greedy adding to my practice stash. Leave some for others I thought. But that sale did not last, of course. Seems alot of instability in the ammo market these days and I won't relax till you see maybe a year or two of pullback and leveling off. That might be years from now.

 

[tom2]

Just recently someone was commenting on how cheap 9 was now in his area. I advised him that he ought to go ahead and buy plenty, rather than fence setting. Because I told him it will go back up, not even lower. Just like gas. It goes down and everyone breathes a sigh of relief and suddenly it jumps back up 50 cents or something. Last time the farm store had a great sale on 9 I bought a few boxes but did not want to be greedy adding to my practice stash. Leave some for others I thought. But that sale did not last, of course. Seems alot of instability in the ammo market these days and I won't relax till you see maybe a year or two of pullback and leveling off. That might be years from now. I would expect alot of instability in the market all year.