Cheap Ammo Allmost Gone

Greguw · September 12, 2014, 05:59 AM

Just wondering what you guys are using ... Since ATF re classified the 5.45x39 as most know the prices have gone threw the roof , I was lucky to a mass a nice amount of ammo at the cheap price .
I have still been shooting the 7.62x54r out of a Robinson Arms AK and thats still fairly cheap and fun , all good things come to a end .
The 7.62x54r is possibly the last of the cheap ammo .

2damnold4this · September 12, 2014, 06:42 AM

7.62x39 is pretty cheap.

Mobuck · September 12, 2014, 06:59 AM

I'm still AKquiring(pun intended) 5.45x39 at reasonable prices-commercial that is. I got all the spam can stuff I'll need 4-5 years ago when it really was cheap. 5.45 & 7.62x39 prices seem to be as variable as the wind and the better quality stuff is often a little harder to find.

marine6680 · September 12, 2014, 09:04 AM

I see the cheap tula stuff around for about the same as the 7.62 stuff. So you can still shoot on the cheap, it just might not be the same quality of ammo, or as cheap as before.

Greguw · September 12, 2014, 09:04 AM

I also bought the 5.45x39 spam cans when it was a under 100 dollars for 1080 rds , now in Wolf 5.45x39 it actually cost more than the 7.62x39 ... It killed the AK74 market .

Sappyg · September 12, 2014, 10:42 PM

Steel Monarch 5.56 has dropped $0.50 a box to $5.49 locally so that's what I'm shooting lately. 7.62x39 is steady around 4.99- 5.19 a box. Not bad. Most 5.45 I see locally is pushing $10 a box. Not good.
Picked up some American XM-193 at PSA last weekend. For $5.99 a box. Probably should have bought more. $0.30 per round pretty cheap these days.

Mosin-Marauder · September 12, 2014, 10:54 PM

TulAmmo is a good alternative to surplus. A bit more expensive, non corrosive, a bit more accurate, milspec loading. I still like Surplus though. Need to order a crate.

tahunua001 · September 12, 2014, 11:27 PM

x39 is the second cheapest centerfire right now.
9mm is the cheapest.
223 is the 3rd cheapest,
x54R is the 4th but is trending upward.

personally I own all 4. I shoot the 9mm and x39 the most because they are the easiest to get and most affordable. 223 is rarely shot as it has just recently returned to the market for fairly affordable prices and an inside source has it on good authority that that will probably not remain the case for long.
x54R has nearly doubled in price in the last 5 years, I stockpiled ammo cans of that 2 years ago when I got my first mosin nagant for $60 a can. now $100 is the norm and trending upward. since gas prices have remained quite stable in those 5 years, I am thinking the change in price has to do with a lower availability more than anything else(as well as depreciated dollar value). as such, I do not foresee x54R as remaining cheap for very long so I recently sold all my surplus x54R, kept a bunch of wolf battle packs and when that runs out I'm going to begin reloading as that will inevitably be the last place that cheap affordable x54R ammo will be available.

Mosin-Marauder · September 12, 2014, 11:30 PM

Wolf battle packs? Please enlighten me, I've never heard if these.

tahunua001 · September 13, 2014, 12:00 AM

at one time(I'm not sure if they still do or not), wolf made vacuum sealed, plastic bag packs of ammo. each one included either 4 or 6 boxes of x54R ammo(80-120 rounds, I don't remember at this moment). these resemble the vacuum sealed battle packs used in 7.62x51mm and 5.56x45mm which replaced spam cans in many NATO compliant nations as a means to protecting ammo from moisture and corrosion during long term storage.

redline494 · September 16, 2014, 08:55 PM

Last time I was in a Mills Fleet Farm (mid-west regional chain store), they still had 1080 round spam cans of mil-surp 5.45 on the shelf.
In my area, I don't think most have ever even heard of that caliber..

tahunua001 · September 16, 2014, 09:18 PM

apparently considering those spammies have been unavailable for years.

skizzums · September 16, 2014, 09:34 PM

cabelas had herters .223 for 3.99 a box today. unfortunately I fully stocked atm, had to pass

TXAZ · September 16, 2014, 09:49 PM

.50 BMG isn't that far off where it was 3 years ago.

And I just bought 1K rounds of 9mm FMJ for 19.9 cents per round.

redline494 · September 17, 2014, 06:41 AM

http://www.google.com/search?q=5.45+...9R%3B575%3B431

These are the cans that have been unavailable for years? If that's the case, that's strange that I saw them on the shelf. I was there 2 weeks ago and they still had some. If I get a chance, I will stop there today and see if it's still there.

pilpens · September 17, 2014, 07:35 AM

When I am out of corrosive mil-surp 5.45x39 ammo, I will switch to the non-corrosive 5.45x39 which is priced similar to lower end 5.56/.223.

tahunua001 · September 17, 2014, 04:15 PM

Redline. Yes thats the stuff. It disappeared completely from retail shelves in the 2012 scare and since its now considered AP is no longer imported.

redline494 · September 17, 2014, 06:06 PM

I have read a few things online about deciphering what it exactly says on these things, but never really studied it enough to fully grasp it. I purchased this the day I heard a possible ban was coming from my local Fleet Farm. (a few months ago?) I would have to dig through my file of "firearm related" receipts to find out the exact date.

Image should be "clickable" to make it larger.
Unless this is something completely different, they still had at least 1 on the shelf when I was there last.?

Cossack · September 17, 2014, 11:52 PM

Redline, that's dated 1981.

redline494 · September 18, 2014, 06:12 AM

So, what's the difference between this ammo and the ammo that one can no longer get? I guess I thought it was the same.

Cossack · September 18, 2014, 07:53 AM

It is. That's surplus 7n6 ammunition, sadly banned from further import. I wish they had some on the shelves here! Last I checked though, a few online vendors still had some in stock as well. The price went up, but didn't skyrocket. Still, its days are numbered on the retail market.

Greguw · September 26, 2014, 02:03 PM

There would not have been a problem but since someone converted a ak74s to a pistol form , that changed the 7n6 and then Government reclassified that ammo as armor piercing .
Besides the 7.62x54r and thats not cheap any more , its starting to creep in price . Plus now we have put a ban on importation of firearms from Russia , not sure if that effects parts kits but I believe it may .
There to many junk century ak's out there right now as it is , gun market will change .

September 12, 2014, 05:59 AM	#1
Greguw Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2006 Location: Bucks County , Pa Posts: 519	Cheap Ammo Allmost Gone Just wondering what you guys are using ... Since ATF re classified the 5.45x39 as most know the prices have gone threw the roof , I was lucky to a mass a nice amount of ammo at the cheap price . I have still been shooting the 7.62x54r out of a Robinson Arms AK and thats still fairly cheap and fun , all good things come to a end . The 7.62x54r is possibly the last of the cheap ammo .

September 12, 2014, 10:54 PM	#7
Mosin-Marauder Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,320	TulAmmo is a good alternative to surplus. A bit more expensive, non corrosive, a bit more accurate, milspec loading. I still like Surplus though. Need to order a crate. __________________ Proud owner of three (four-ish) pieces of history! K-31, Mosin-Nagant M91/30, M24/47 Mauser, Norinco SKS. "You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm..." William Tecumseh Sherman

September 12, 2014, 11:27 PM	#8
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	x39 is the second cheapest centerfire right now. 9mm is the cheapest. 223 is the 3rd cheapest, x54R is the 4th but is trending upward. personally I own all 4. I shoot the 9mm and x39 the most because they are the easiest to get and most affordable. 223 is rarely shot as it has just recently returned to the market for fairly affordable prices and an inside source has it on good authority that that will probably not remain the case for long. x54R has nearly doubled in price in the last 5 years, I stockpiled ammo cans of that 2 years ago when I got my first mosin nagant for $60 a can. now $100 is the norm and trending upward. since gas prices have remained quite stable in those 5 years, I am thinking the change in price has to do with a lower availability more than anything else(as well as depreciated dollar value). as such, I do not foresee x54R as remaining cheap for very long so I recently sold all my surplus x54R, kept a bunch of wolf battle packs and when that runs out I'm going to begin reloading as that will inevitably be the last place that cheap affordable x54R ammo will be available. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

September 12, 2014, 11:30 PM	#9
Mosin-Marauder Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,320	Wolf battle packs? Please enlighten me, I've never heard if these. __________________ Proud owner of three (four-ish) pieces of history! K-31, Mosin-Nagant M91/30, M24/47 Mauser, Norinco SKS. "You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm..." William Tecumseh Sherman

September 13, 2014, 12:00 AM	#10
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	at one time(I'm not sure if they still do or not), wolf made vacuum sealed, plastic bag packs of ammo. each one included either 4 or 6 boxes of x54R ammo(80-120 rounds, I don't remember at this moment). these resemble the vacuum sealed battle packs used in 7.62x51mm and 5.56x45mm which replaced spam cans in many NATO compliant nations as a means to protecting ammo from moisture and corrosion during long term storage. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

September 12, 2014, 06:42 AM	#2
2damnold4this Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2009 Location: Athens, Georgia Posts: 2,526	7.62x39 is pretty cheap.

September 12, 2014, 06:59 AM	#3
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I'm still AKquiring(pun intended) 5.45x39 at reasonable prices-commercial that is. I got all the spam can stuff I'll need 4-5 years ago when it really was cheap. 5.45 & 7.62x39 prices seem to be as variable as the wind and the better quality stuff is often a little harder to find.

September 12, 2014, 09:04 AM	#4
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	I see the cheap tula stuff around for about the same as the 7.62 stuff. So you can still shoot on the cheap, it just might not be the same quality of ammo, or as cheap as before.

September 12, 2014, 10:42 PM	#6
Sappyg Member Join Date: June 24, 2014 Posts: 47	Steel Monarch 5.56 has dropped $0.50 a box to $5.49 locally so that's what I'm shooting lately. 7.62x39 is steady around 4.99- 5.19 a box. Not bad. Most 5.45 I see locally is pushing $10 a box. Not good. Picked up some American XM-193 at PSA last weekend. For $5.99 a box. Probably should have bought more. $0.30 per round pretty cheap these days.

September 16, 2014, 08:55 PM	#11
redline494 Member Join Date: February 14, 2014 Location: Rosholt, Wi. Posts: 41	Last time I was in a Mills Fleet Farm (mid-west regional chain store), they still had 1080 round spam cans of mil-surp 5.45 on the shelf. In my area, I don't think most have ever even heard of that caliber..

September 16, 2014, 09:18 PM	#12
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	apparently considering those spammies have been unavailable for years. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

September 16, 2014, 09:34 PM	#13
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	cabelas had herters .223 for 3.99 a box today. unfortunately I fully stocked atm, had to pass __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

September 16, 2014, 09:49 PM	#14
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	.50 BMG isn't that far off where it was 3 years ago. And I just bought 1K rounds of 9mm FMJ for 19.9 cents per round. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

September 17, 2014, 06:41 AM	#15
redline494 Member Join Date: February 14, 2014 Location: Rosholt, Wi. Posts: 41	http://www.google.com/search?q=5.45+...9R%3B575%3B431 These are the cans that have been unavailable for years? If that's the case, that's strange that I saw them on the shelf. I was there 2 weeks ago and they still had some. If I get a chance, I will stop there today and see if it's still there.

September 17, 2014, 07:35 AM	#16
pilpens Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,696	When I am out of corrosive mil-surp 5.45x39 ammo, I will switch to the non-corrosive 5.45x39 which is priced similar to lower end 5.56/.223.

September 17, 2014, 04:15 PM	#17
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	Redline. Yes thats the stuff. It disappeared completely from retail shelves in the 2012 scare and since its now considered AP is no longer imported. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

September 17, 2014, 06:06 PM	#18
redline494 Member Join Date: February 14, 2014 Location: Rosholt, Wi. Posts: 41	I have read a few things online about deciphering what it exactly says on these things, but never really studied it enough to fully grasp it. I purchased this the day I heard a possible ban was coming from my local Fleet Farm. (a few months ago?) I would have to dig through my file of "firearm related" receipts to find out the exact date. Image should be "clickable" to make it larger. Unless this is something completely different, they still had at least 1 on the shelf when I was there last.?

September 17, 2014, 11:52 PM	#19
Cossack Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2006 Posts: 260	Redline, that's dated 1981.

September 18, 2014, 06:12 AM	#20
redline494 Member Join Date: February 14, 2014 Location: Rosholt, Wi. Posts: 41	So, what's the difference between this ammo and the ammo that one can no longer get? I guess I thought it was the same.

September 18, 2014, 07:53 AM	#21
Cossack Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2006 Posts: 260	It is. That's surplus 7n6 ammunition, sadly banned from further import. I wish they had some on the shelves here! Last I checked though, a few online vendors still had some in stock as well. The price went up, but didn't skyrocket. Still, its days are numbered on the retail market.

September 26, 2014, 02:03 PM	#22
Greguw Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2006 Location: Bucks County , Pa Posts: 519	There would not have been a problem but since someone converted a ak74s to a pistol form , that changed the 7n6 and then Government reclassified that ammo as armor piercing . Besides the 7.62x54r and thats not cheap any more , its starting to creep in price . Plus now we have put a ban on importation of firearms from Russia , not sure if that effects parts kits but I believe it may . There to many junk century ak's out there right now as it is , gun market will change .