Price of Ammo

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cliff355

Joined
Apr 19, 2003
Messages
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Yesterday I got a new "Cheaperthandirt" catalog which is an outfit that sells alot of ammo. They had some statement that they were low on ammo inventory due to apprehension over "avian flu" and national and worldwide concerns over general mayhem. According to them, manufacturers were also raising the price of ammo due to this.

It seemed to me that they still had plenty of ammo for sale, but stuff seemed to be about $2/box more than the last time I checked. So I checked a couple other sources and this seems to be the case elsewhere too.

Has anyone else noticed that ammo has gone up alot recently or is in short supply? I don't know why Iraq or avian flu would have anything to do with this, but maybe it does. If so the shooting boards don't seem to be raising any alarm over it but maybe nobody has noticed.
 
Did they actually state it was due to Avian flu concerns ? Man some local stores just started selling firearms again and they hit me with this .
 
Ammo prices are on the rise because the cost of materials has skyrocketed. Anyone else had to buy copper pipe lately? 1/2" water pipe is running about $2.00 a foot locally. Copper and brass are two of the main components of ammunition and they've become very expensive recently, which along with increased fuel prices has made manufactured ammo and component prices rise. It's probably just going to get worse, unfortunately.
 
Depends on the caliber.

7.62x39 was in very short supply, which drove up the price. Went from $110 or so to $150/1000 (or more at rip-off gun show prices.)

All kinds of theories why, but the Russians were diverting shipments to elsewhere.

Classic Arms has Wolf "Military Classic" 7.62x39 for $150 and it is loaded with a desirable projectile.

Many people keep SHTF ammo by the case. Katrina and all that made people hoard anyways.

8mm Mauser is still .10 or less. :thumbup:

9mm .11 or so from Wallyworld (Winchester). :thumbup:

7.62x54 still cheap and available everywhere :thumbup: .... Hungarian, Polish, et al. .10 or so.

Eventually I bet all the cheap Commie ammo will dry up - like .303 British did. Bet it will take a while, though- I'm shooting some 1943-made 8mm Mauser right now. The Nazis who made it are dust (I hope).

"Cheaper" has the cool powder-less Colibri .22 I shoot a lot of - silently- in the backyard. They do charge a small ammo surcharge when shipping, so.

Mike
 
I've been shooting a lot of the Wolf 150 for 1000 .30 M1 from Sportsmans and I got 2000 rounds of 9X18 for 180 from Aim about a year ago.
 
A gal in an AK forum once scolded; "When are you guys going to learn Cheaper Than Dirt isn't?"

I believed her then and still do.

I'll bet ammo is more costly because of temp supply fluctuations, and price of oil. I'm not concerned. Still pretty cheap.


munk
 
As for "shipments going elsewhere" causing the price hikes, who wants to bet that the price never drops again to pre-shortage levels?

There've been semi-confirmed rumors that the price hike of 7.62x39mm has more to do with Wolf figuring out that they can sell it for more than $80 per K than anything else. Remember that we're talking about an operation (Tula Arsenal) that had, at least at one time, the capacity to supply the USSR. That sort of demand is hard to generate. Assuming that they partially dismantled their operation following the conclusion of the Cold War, they've had ample time to ramp up again since the ammo got scarce. Either they're unwilling to do so or they're being less than honest about what's happening. (Or both.)
 
Man, I was just inspired to check out the cost of Wolf 7.62x39mm by the case at CenterfireSystems, and it sure as hell went up by about $50!

Cheaper Than Dirt has good prices sometimes (not all the time), but it's just that a consumer should know the market and shop around. CTD too pricey, look elsewhere. Their $4.50 approx. bandoleers of Turkish 8mm was a steal, and I saved a bunch on shipping with the $3.00 flat rate they use (it was a heavy box that came to me, lol). But now on gunbroker.com I see just the empty bandoleer and stripper clips going for the whole $4.50; I just find that noteworthy. Now all you can find 8mm wise seems to be Yugo surplus, which I've heard isn't too good a quality. Such is the world of surplus (cheap and fleeting, and sometimes poor quality).

But, I think Ad Astra is onto it: Emergency hoards forcing the price up, etc. I just wonder where the Sovi- I mean, Russians, are diverting the ammo to. I'm all curious now.

Take care.

EDIT: Thanks for the info, Dave. Makes sense.
 
Roadrunner said:
Ammo prices are on the rise because the cost of materials has skyrocketed.
Click to expand...

That is a good point. It appears that recent price increases apply to loaded ammo with jacketed bullets. The price of powder and primers is holding steady. Maybe brass and bullets are too, but I haven't bought any in quite a while and can't say if current prices are out of line or not.
 
I don't know if the Russkies are hoarding/diverting any sporting ammo, but If anyone has a Cabela's nearby - they are stocked with Wolf 9mm & 7.62X39 ammo at reasonable prices. Last time I checked, the mail order prices were competitive @ $141.74/900 rds 9mm 115 gr FMJ and $114.74/640 rds 7.62X39 packed in tins, postage paid. Service is usually excellent. These prices seem to have held steady for some months.
 
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