Ammo shortage and price increase...really?

[Dreamliner787]

Stopped my Wally world after work to pick up a few things and just stopped by the ammo case to see what they have and prices. They looked pretty well stock with low ends 9, 40s and 223 (Amercian Eagle, Champion, Winchester, UMC, Tula). The prices were pretty much around the same prices they were about 6 months ago. I know about a month ago prices were going up and there were some pretty empy shelves around. So was all of the talk of ammo shortages and huge price increase all hype?

 

[Rangerscott]

Just morons buying everything out. They do it every election year.

I can hardly find anyone online that has a single box of 5.56 in any brand. Of course I'm not gonna pay .42 cents a round anyways.

 

[hkusp1]

It surged for a month or two but it seems to be over for a bit. Every store I've been to has fully stocked shelves and decent prices.

 

[TexasBrandon]

I picked up .308 for $14.59. I haven't seen .308 that low in brass in a awhile. Crazy thing is, it was Fiocchi and I love Fiocchi. Needless to say I picked up 200 rounds.

 

[shortround]

This time around, Gun Stores and Big-Box Stores like Wal-Mart have raised their prices in anticipation of another ammo surge. They don't want to be caught short.

So they figure higher prices will slow sales, but still get customers in the doors to do some shopping like things for clothing, beer, and food.

Mom & Pop guns shops took a big hit in 08-09 after Obama: They will keep prices high not to screw you, but to keep their business in business.

 

[smtimelevi]

It surged for a month or two but it seems to be over for a bit. Every store I've been to has fully stocked shelves and decent prices.

Not in San Antonio. Several of the Academy stores in my area havent been carrying the 420 rounds of M855 in the ammo can for a month now. 6 months ago the had several at each store I went to. Also shortages of the common pistol calibers. Ive noticed the prices creeping up too.

 

[Texasjack]

Part of it is just inflation - esp. copper prices. The American dollar is no longer the go-to currency.

Part of it is the weak field put up by the Republicans. TheCommunists Democrats stand a good chance of retaining office

 

[Anger]

The prices were pretty much around the same prices they were about 6 months ago.

prices are pretty much the same or the same? 6 months ago 9mm WWB was in the $18.50 range if I"m not mistaken. I believe it's in the $20.50 range now. If it came back down i'm a buyer at that price but I doubt it did.

 

[Flewda]

I picked up .308 for $14.59. I haven't seen .308 that low in brass in a awhile. Crazy thing is, it was Fiocchi and I love Fiocchi. Needless to say I picked up 200 rounds.

Dude where did you get that?? I just picked up a scout and want some good plinking ammo.

 

[TexasBrandon]

AMM-693 - .308 Winchester Fiocchi Rifle Shooting Dynamics FMJBT 150 Grain 20 Round Box 2890 FPS Target Ammunition

Great deal, I bought a crap ton of it. I have 168 grain but that is for my long range and such. 150 grain does fine at 100 yards.

 

[Flewda]

AMM-693 - .308 Winchester Fiocchi Rifle Shooting Dynamics FMJBT 150 Grain 20 Round Box 2890 FPS Target Ammunition

Great deal, I bought a crap ton of it. I have 168 grain but that is for my long range and such. 150 grain does fine at 100 yards.

Saweet! Thanks man!

 

[ROGER4314]

My house took a direct hit from Hurricane IKE so I had to dismantle all of my reloading gear and pack it away so the floors could be re-done. Then came retirement and I'm just now getting it set back up. I've been purchasing supplies. I wasn't "hoarding" supplies but it's unfortunate that I restocked when others apparently were hoarding.

At the gun show last weekend, I got there 30 minutes after it opened and bought the last pistol (L&S) primers in the show. They were swept up in the first 30 minutes. I heard an ammo supplier telling a customer that his list of available rounds from his supplier is usually 10 pages long. It's down to six pages, now. His explanation? "They remember how it was a few years ago and are buying it up."

Ammo supplies are like gasoline supplies. The system is set up so customers purchase the product at random intervals and everyone gets some when they need it. During Rita then again with IKE, everyone wanted gasoline at the same time because of the storms so the delivery system cratered. Later, the frenzy passed, purchasing became random again and supplies improved.

The November elections are having a similar effect on the ammo supplies and we all want ammo at the same time. We'll get through this bump just like we did the last one.

Flash

 

[jfrey]

I can still get bullets and primers so I haven't bought any factory ammo in years. Another great reason to reload.

 

[Anger]

Flash, go to the next show at the reliance center.. you will find good deals on large pistol and small pistol if you know what i mean.

 

[Anger]

Saweet! Thanks man!

I've been buying 308 FMJ from aim surplus. I swear it was about $9 a box in quantity but now it says $10 and it's sold out. I'll do some digging but I believe Prvi 308 FMJ can still be had for under $10 a box which is a good deal for boxer primed reloadable brass ammo

Prvi Partizan .308 FMJ 145grn 20rd Box

 

[Rangerscott]

I saw Natchez change a price last night on a sold out item. LOL They had the PMC 223 for $5.75 (close to that) and not it's $6.99 a box meow.

I'm about to place an order on some 5.56 but the gun show is this weekend. I usually never find deals at shows. I'm not a fan paying $100 over for what I can get else where for cheaper. I can under stand $25-$35 over but no more. Maybe I'm just a cheap bastard.

Decisions decisions.

 

[Flewda]

Yeah I've always found (at least as of late) to not find really good deals at gun shows. At least not as good as you find on other things there. You can find really nice prices on more survival gear or accessories than you can on ammo because ammo is so high in demand right now. Best I've found is comparable prices to online, but with no shipping costs it does come out ahead, barely.

I'm going over to GT Distributors at lunch today. Their prices are insane and I've *heard* that they might be going back to LE and Military only again (no more general public) but who knows if that's true. Either way gonna try to take advantage of them as long as I can. I bought some JHP +P 9MMs there, a box of 50 for $24, just yesterday I found them "On Sale" for $33 online. They have such great deals, but a limited selection of ammo types.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

I can give you all an inside perspective from the distribution side of things (albeit a smaller distributor). To put it bluntly, things are getting really bad. Cheap .223 is almost nonexistent for us right now. We're almost out of Tula 7.62x39. We're pretty much out of ANY cheap 9mm. It's gotten bad enough that we've started allocating ammo just to try and spread what little we get around more effectively. On top of that, we are all sold out of all but one Arsenal model of AK's. We're down to almost no AR's except oddball ones and Cali legal type stuff. We're out of ALL Ruger LCP/LC9/P95/SR9/SR40's, out of S&W M&P45/Sigma's/642/638/637/Bodyguard 380/Bodyguard 38, and the list goes on. It's getting bad people. On top of that, take this for what you will but, we were told that as of June 1st pretty much every ammo manufacturer is supposedly going up in price 8-10% across the board. This year is going to suck. I was skeptical whether it was going to pick up as much this election, but now IMO all signs are pointing to this year sucking worse than the last election. Plan and act accordingly.

 

[DaRedneck]

You pretty much repeated verbatim what one of my LGS told me when I was in their shop a couple weeks ago. They said everything is drying up for them as well with no eta when they can get more. They told me if I can get my hands on anything I need to get it now and not to drag my feet.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

I agree. Buy as much as you can while you can. I hate BS and I'm not one to sell fear, but man I'm starting to get worried myself.