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Ammo Prices


Sawhorse Kid

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I was at my local toy store today just to see how bad the ammo shortage really was.

I had no intentions of getting any,  just curious.

They had some 45lc at $50.00 a box.

Is this pandemic pricing or has ammo really gotten that expensive since I purchased last?

 

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20 minutes ago, Sawhorse Kid said:

I was at my local toy store today just to see how bad the ammo shortage really was.

I had no intentions of getting any,  just curious.

They had some 45lc at $50.00 a box.

Is this pandemic pricing or has ammo really gotten that expensive since I purchased last?

 

In 2012 & 2013 .45 Colt was running a buck a round. It’s Deja vu all over again. 

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My recent experience here is that the 'big box' stores, if they get ammo in, are selling it at their standard retail prices; i.e. no high 'shortage-related' prices. But they are almost always out.

 

A smaller store I go to, on the other hand, is increasing price with demand. A couple of months ago, they had .45 Colt at $32 per box of 50; now they are at twice that. 

 

They are selling Magtech .38 spls for over 50 bucks a box; in the 20's before the shortage. Their ammo has fluctuated way up and down with demand. On the other hand, they have a lot more ammo than any other store around here.

 

Their cowboy .44 spl remains at about $34. 

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Up to a point when these situations come up  I would rather see the gunstores raise their prices instead of a small number of people scooping it all up cheap with only the intention of selling it and making a killing. I'd rather see the gunstores stay on business.

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4 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

My recent experience here is that the 'big box' stores, if they get ammo in, are selling it at their standard retail prices; i.e. no high 'shortage-related' prices. But they are almost always out.

 

A smaller store I go to, on the other hand, is increasing price with demand. A couple of months ago, they had .45 Colt at $32 per box of 50; now they are at twice that. 

 

They are selling Magtech .38 spls for over 50 bucks a box; in the 20's before the shortage. Their ammo has fluctuated way up and down with demand. On the other hand, they have a lot more ammo than any other store around here.

 

Their cowboy .44 spl remains at about $34. 

 

Magtech - Yes

Small Store - Yes

 

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Years ago I was hours away from home with .38 Special ammo and .45 guns.......... I bought some .45 ammo for about $50 a box and was glad to find it. It was an expensive lesson that I've not repeated since, knock on wood.

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we all try to learn from these situations , i did too , since then ive always got more with me than i need anymore , if i had not started a new caliber this year i would not be thinking on this at all , 

 

hopefully things will get back to normal after the election chit settles down , but we shall see , new restrictions may be on the horizon , 

keep your powder dry 

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About a year ago I bought a thousand rounds of 9mm for about .15 cents a round.  I thought that was outrageous.  Turns out it was the only sound investment I've made in 20 years.  Maybe I'll sell it back and put somebody's kid through college.

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2 hours ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

The cheapest I've ever been able to find factory .45LC ammo before the panic was $30 a box for HSM cowboy loads. American Eagle was already around $50 a box.

 

I bought two boxes of American Eagle standard load .45 Colt for $34 per box at Big 5 a month ago; usual .45 price pre-shortage hereabouts. Perhaps needless to say, haven't seen anything there since.

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On 11/4/2020 at 3:43 PM, Sawhorse Kid said:

I was at my local toy store today just to see how bad the ammo shortage really was.

I had no intentions of getting any,  just curious.

They had some 45lc at $50.00 a box.

Is this pandemic pricing or has ammo really gotten that expensive since I purchased last?

 

My 1st set of Ruger Vaqueros & Uberti Lightning rifle is chambered in 45 Colt.  After participating in a few matches I decided I couldn't afford the sport.  In 2011 a box of 50 Winchester cowboy cost $43.  I quickly decided I had to reload.  So, a $7 a box price increase in 9 years doesn't seem to be outrageous.  Now $600 a 1000 round case lot for 55 grain 5.56/223 when last year it was $300 may not be hurricane gouging but it is close.  Don't take me wrong I don't believe it is gouging.

After the last panic buying episode post Sandy Hook I started buying ammo to build up my stock.  An example was 22LR where I started out with <1000 rounds & currently have >23,000.  I have run out of space in my insulated ammo/powder/primer storage lockers.  I am not buy now except when I acquire a new firearm in a caliber I don't already have.

P.S. The 45 Colt price was in SF Bay Area & since, I now reload I have no idea what the price in northern NV was a year ago.

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I went to our local Bass Pro an hour ago. 

 

They had 15 boxes of Federal/American Eagle .38spl at a very reasonable (these days) $21.95 per box of 50.

 

They had a similar pile of boxes of .45 Colt, same brand, at $42.95 per box.  They had several large boxes of .45 acp. I didn't check the price-- these were boxes of 200 and I don't shoot .45 auto.

 

Otherwise, the shelves were empty. I bought one box of .38 spl. I've got quite a bit but figured one would top up. I didn't buy any .45 LC; I have a good amount, and I don't like to pay that much. Our local prices over the years on .45 Colt have been quite a bit less that that encountered by J. D. Daily in the Bay Area.

 

One impression: seeing supplies increase sporadically now; will probably be seeing more soon.

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18 hours ago, watab kid said:

we all try to learn from these situations , i did too , since then ive always got more with me than i need anymore , if i had not started a new caliber this year i would not be thinking on this at all , 

 

hopefully things will get back to normal after the election chit settles down , but we shall see , new restrictions may be on the horizon , 

keep your powder dry 

While I think that ammo demand will decrease I don't think the new normal will be near pre-pandemic.  I doubt that the millions of new gun owners will put their acquisitions in the closet & forget about it.  They will at least occasionally take it out to the range.  When a new normal demand is reached existing ammo mfg's &newcomers will invest in equipment to produce ammo including components.

If Sleepy Joe, who will become a betting line* is certified the winner & there are a minimum of 51 Republican senators it is likely that demand will settle out at slight increase from 2018 levels.

*The line will be the date that either Sleepy Joe resigns or the 25th amendment is invoked.  I doubt that the socialist can be kept a bay.  There is no way a Woodrow Wilson could be pulled off today.  After Woody suffered a debilitating stroke Mr's Wilson was performing presidential duties.

 

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On 11/4/2020 at 4:24 PM, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

They are selling Magtech .38 spls for over 50 bucks a box; in the 20's before the shortage. Their ammo has fluctuated way up and down with demand. On the other hand, they have a lot more ammo than any other store around here.

 

 

That's 'cause nobody can afford to buy it Or wants to pay their prices...

 

When the .22 LR shortage happened several years ago a local store was charging $55 per 500 rounds. The owner was a trifle upset when I told him that I thought that I could almost load and shoot .223 cheaper. And I've bought a lot of reloading supplies from him over the years...

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After we went through the last shortage I started buying components when things got back to normal. Lead for casting, bullets, brass, powder, BP and smokeless, and primers.

A few cowboys at our club are running out of large pistol primers. I have 20,000. SO me wanting to take advantage I said I 'd sell them 1000 for $50...NOT

I am giving them some to get by. With the deal that they replace them when prices come down. Seems fair..... Those of us who have "extra" may consider this deal.

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10 minutes ago, irish ike, SASS #43615 said:

After we went through the last shortage I started buying components when things got back to normal. Lead for casting, bullets, brass, powder, BP and smokeless, and primers.

A few cowboys at our club are running out of large pistol primers. I have 20,000. SO me wanting to take advantage I said I 'd sell them 1000 for $50...NOT

I am giving them some to get by. With the deal that they replace them when prices come down. Seems fair..... Those of us who have "extra" may consider this deal.

This is my position as well. Stocked up when things were available and able to help a few others a bit. No point in raping your fellow cowboy shooters. After all who you gonna compete with if nobody else can play?

Regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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