Ammo costs

[LynnTX]

People that are building $400,000 bunkers don't care what the ammo cost. They hoard as much as they can get at almost any price.

It all depends on your mind set.

[Inazone]

My last few purchases have included Fiocchi, Magtech, Blazer Brass and GECO (Swiss?) 9mm FMJ at $13-15 per 50 rounds, plus tax or shipping depending on where I get it. I'd picked up a few hundred rounds of Herter's Select (brass) at Cabela's for $14 per 50 this time last month, but the price was up to $18 as of last week. No thanks.

The deals are out there, if you're buying in enough quantity to make the shipping charges worthwhile.

[Jeff #111]

I have not been going to the range much due to the shortages.

Same here. In 2012 I went at least sixteen or seventeen times. This year I'be gone three times. I'm stocked up on Snap Caps though and I'm doing lots of dry firing. Just like the old-timers did way back when. Conditions are what they are. All you can do is adapt to them. Still buying guns though.

Fortunately I've been hoarding ammo for years so I've got plenty. It's just difficult replacing my stock.

[salvadore]

Because I have hundreds of pounds of of WWs Linotype and pure lead plus lots of powder and primers and thousands of rounds of rimfires, not to mention a nice collection of molds, I'll be shooting copiously for a few years before worrying about it. Here's my suggestion.

Be prepared, that's the boy scouts marching song

Be prepared as thru life you march along

If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind

and come across a girl scout similarly inclined

Don't be flustered don't be nervous, don't be scared

Be prepared.

[Jeff #111]

I'm seeing more members from Idaho here. We must be up and coming in the Gun Forum world.

[DonR]

I am not going to sell my center fire pistols, I’m just not going to shoot them any more… end of story. I do carry a center fire CCW of course.

I am still shooting .22s I bought around .04 cents each, but even if you pay current prices and shoot .08 or .10 cents a round for .22s it isn’t too bad. My .22 pistols all eat any and all ammo reliably, even the cheapest LRN they sell that many say are dirty or “lead your barrel”, what they used to call just call Standard .22 LR but now some are labeled “sub-sonic, assume this is a marketing gimmick to get people to pay center-fire prices for High-Velocity” or Hyper-Velocity .22 LR.

I go to the largest indoor gun shop and range in Colorado. Three or four years ago, you couldn’t get a space at the counter to look at their firearms and they had five to eight people in there selling guns.

Now, there are only a few people and most are looking at .22s. Their business has got to be hurting. A few years ago it was fairly hard to get a lane without a wait and on weekends, there were ten or twenty people milling around waiting to get a lane.

Now, there may only be 25% or 40% lane usage. They have got to have taken a severe hit on their sales and shooting lane revenue. They haven’t lowered their range rental time costs any, even though it is half empty most of the time, still $14 and hour. Think that keeps a lot of people away by itself.

Take gas to drive to, then spend an hour and ten minutes at a local range and shoot 100 center-fire rounds, and you just spent $40 to $70 dollars in this area. And if you reload you don’t do much better and it takes a lot of time to reload. The friends I have that reload sure spend a lot of time doing it.

[dayman]

$26/100 9mm WWB is the best deal going around here. It was about $22 before the last shortage, so there's been some increase, but the crazy inflation seems to be largely through.
And, since a lot of that increase is driven by the increase in price of copper/brass I don't see it coming back down a whole lot. Unless, we can somehow convince China/India that they don't really want to have electricity in rural areas, or cars.

So, I bought a revolver, and have been saving all my .357 brass with the idea that I'll start reloading.
In the mean time, more slow fire, more dry fire, and fewer 33rd "fun stick" mag-dumps. I've just been trying to get all the enjoyment/practice I can out of each box.
Oddly, I can get 5.56 for about the same price as 9mm at the moment.

[ClydeFrog]

I went up to western PA/north central PA where I grew up as a child & had many relatives.
In Pittsburgh PA, there were no .45acp rounds in defense/duty brands; Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot, Ranger T, DPX, etc at the Gander Mountain location .
I also looked around Clarion PA, where I was doing some work on a new feature film; Within The Dark, www.imdb.com . There were few choices there.
I did see a retail shop, FFL holder; www.route66sportinggoods.com that had a few .45acp choices in carry-duty grade. There sale prices ran around $26.00/$28.00 for a box of 20 rounds of .45acp, .

ClydeFrog

[salvadore]

Back in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s everyone I paled...palled?..hungout with, reloaded and cast their own bullets. The local gun stores stocked molds lead pots and everything else you needed to make your own ammo. Twenty years later, I know one person who casts his own bullets and none of the stores stock casting equipment. Back in the old days all the cops I knew were enthusiasts, I don't think that's the case anymore.

While I love seeing all the gun nuts (enthusiasts?) in here and not having anything against factory ammo, (except for rimfires, I don't think I own any) I really appreciate the reloaders and bullet casters on this forum and others.

Oh yeah, there is an unbelievable amount of knowledge in these forums, I've learned a lot.

I guess its too late to make a long story short. My point is that anyone that has a modicum of interest in reloading should do it.

[Aguila Blanca]

Sticker shock for me. I found a Wal-Mart not too far from home (but not one that I ordinarily pass by) that actually had a couple of boxes of WWB on the shelf, in both 9mm (two boxes) and .45 ACP (one box). A year or so ago the price for 9mm was (IIRC) about $18 for a 100-round value pack, and .45 ACP was about $36 for a 100-round value pack.

On Tuesday the 9mm was priced in the mid-20s (don't recall exactly), the .45 ACP was $43.75, and the space for .40 S&W was marked $38.95 (which is more than we were paying for .45 ACP).

The shelves were still essentially bare except for 12-gauge bird shot. There wasn't a single box of .22 rimfire in the case -- no brands, no velocities, nothing.

[RANGER94]

Reload, Reload, and Reload for a multitude of reasons.

[Brotherbadger]

Reload, Reload, and Reload for a multitude of reasons.

Agreed. I decided to start gathering reloading gear/components about 2 years ago, and I'm glad i did. Even with the 9mm(where the savings aren't as high as 45 acp or other more expensive rounds), it makes sense if you plan on shooting it often.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by RANGER94

Reload, Reload, and Reload for a multitude of reasons.

I agree, but reloading is difficult to get into today. I started around the time of Obabma's first election, when that panic bumped ammo prices. Things returned to a semblance of normalcy within a few months, and it was possible throughout that shortage to buy components.

Not true today. I can buy bullets. I can't buy handgun powder, and I can't buy handgun primers. I have sufficient quantities on hand to load a couple or three thousand more rounds, then I'm out of business. And prices are just as ridiculous for components as they are for ammo. I used to pay $25 per thousand for Winchester large pistol primers. The last time I bought the price was $40 per thousand. I shudder to think what it will be the next time.

By the time things settle out, I expect my cost for reloading will be equal to or higher than what I used to pay for WWB at Wal-Mart pre-2008.

[BigJimP]

Reloading is still the way to go .....and with a good progressive press, like a Dillon 650 - with a case feeder on it ....its easy to get 800 rds an hour off the press.

Speed in reloading is not really the key though ...its quality / and the Dillon 650 ( and other good machines like the Hornaday LNL ) will give you a very good cartridge - usually way better than most anything you can buy. So its not necessarily a big investment in your time ....but it does require some cash outlay for the equipment - and while most of us that reload, just shoot 2 or 3 times as much on the same ammo budget ....payback on a good loader, if you want to shoot much, is pretty quick.

Yes, component prices are up ...but the trick is to buy in case quantities...primers are in a box of 5,000 in case lots, buy powder in 8 lb kegs, and bullets by the case ( 115 gr 9mm FMJ - from Montana Gold come 4,000 to a case...).....and just anticipate your usage over 6 months or so -- and keep that much in terms of components on hand. Some Hodgdon powders are in short supply - but look at Alliant or other mfgs..../ check out the manuals - and find something that will work for you. There are powders like Unique - or Hodgdon Universal --- that are widely used in shotshells and handguns ...see if the trap - skeet clubs in your area are selling components...it might be another source.

My current cost on 9mm, 115gr FMJ Montana Gold bullet are right around $ 7.25 for a box of 50 rds ( sure its more than we paid for components in 2008 ) but so are a lot of things over the last 5 yrs...and $ 7.25 is sure better than paying $ 15 - $ 18 for retail 9mm....
------------------
I'm heading to my local range this afternoon - with a 1911 in 9mm and 5 boxes ( so call it $36 )...a S&W revolver in .44 mag and 1 box ( $12 ) and a S&W revolver in .357 mag and 4 boxes ( $ 36 )....and that's a lot of fun - and a lot of drills, I can run for about $ 85....for about 3 hours....

[Brotherbadger]

agree, but reloading is difficult to get into today. I started around the time of Obabma's first election, when that panic bumped ammo prices. Things returned to a semblance of normalcy within a few months, and it was possible throughout that shortage to buy components.

I'd say right now is the perfect time to start getting gear together to reload, but you're right, components are very hard to find. I am finding lots of "used" reloading gear for sale locally, but components are very slim pickings.

[skizzums]

9mm
tulammo steel_9.87$
win-13.86$

.223
tulammo steel-5.27$
PPU-7.97$
american eagle 5.56- 69$ per 150ct

this is wally's prices. but will be going up in 2014 i hear, not sure by how much. almost in stock here in georgia. .22 is normally in stock as well, federal match 350ct box is 18.97$
or remington sub-sonic for 3$ a 50ct box.
but if your still limiting your range time due to price and availability, you should really look into reloading. got the lee anniversary reloading set for 90$ and have loaded thousands in the last year. 9mm costs me 130$ per thousand rounds and .38spl costs me about 170$ per k. i have just startig casting as well and this will bring my costs down another 7c a round. primers have gone up some in price to about 35-40 a box, but the prices have declining every week for the last couple months. the powdrs you really want can be tough to find, but i havent had too much trouble. can always get the normal hp38/win231 for 21$ a pound and titegroup even cheaper if you can deal with it. rifle powders like varget etc. have been a little more difficult.

p.s. "ga arms" is a local reloadng shop here in ga, i am fortunate to live so close to them. 9mm projectiles are under 60$ per 1k and they always have powder and primers. and if you dont like lead so much, grafs has berry's plated back in stock 87$ per k for 9mm 124gr.

[Mike / Tx]

Well handloading is one way to drop the cost per round a ton, but only if your shopping smart. Pick out a couple of newer manuals first, then decide what powders you can get by with. One for target loads, one for mid range and one for top end. Choose your bullet and/or weights accordingly as well.

If your already shooting some favorite commercial loads try to find loads in the manuals which somewhat duplicate the bullets used, and the velocity listed. Then when you start looking for components look for those powders which are listed that are close to factory or very similar, and the same with the bullets you purchase being close to the commercial bullets. Pick up a hundred bullets and a pound of powder to make sure it works out for you.

Then when you find things that work well, start looking to purchase these components in bulk. Pick up primers 5K at a time if possible, powder in 8# canisters, new brass in 1K lots. If your shooting say a 9mm, 40, or 45 ACP, pick up once fired cases for your range loads where you might not get your cases back. Usually you can find these for really cheap listed in the classified of some forums like this one.

With a brick of primers, 8# of something like Unique, Universal, or Bullseye, and brass in you favorite flavor you can load a LOT of practice loads for not a lot of cash. If your shooting cast bullets even cheaper, especially if you pour your own.

I have loaded most of my own ammo for most of my life. I got caught with my pants down back when Clinton threw out the first ban and caused his minor little panic. Since then, I made adjustments, and I haven't been overly worried or wanted for ammo or components since. I might not always be shooting the fastest, or the absolute most accurate loads in everything I have every time I decide to go shoot, but I don't have to worry about not having ammo either.

[rebs]

I started reloading bck in the mid 70's and still do. Components around here are starting to show up more on the shelves of local gun shops. I still use my RCBS single stage press and powder dump and scale with the addition of a new electronic scale. Reloading is as much of a hobby as shooting. I am retired and have lots of time but less income. However my house, my truck and most everything else is paid for so my bills are not as much as they used to be. I belong to a sportsmans club that is about 15 minutes from my hous and cost about 110.00 per year and no charge for range use. Ranges both indoors and out, pistol is out to 50 yds and rifle goes out to 300 yds. I shoot mainly 3 times a week. I am not going to give up my hobby of reloading and shooting.

[mfreem08]

Here in Charlotte, NC I just found this week, the 9mm Tulammo 100 round for $23. Its the small soup can looking container. BrassMaxx 115 grain I believe. I figured for .23 it would be fine to plink with. They probably had 25 of em on the shelf, so I went 2 days in a row & bought their 3 box max.
Good luck getting stocked up before the next price increase/panic/or law.

[skizzums]

thats a good price for "brass max", usually its around 14$ a box for 50 at walmart. do you know if it uses the same "bi-metal" jacket that the steel ammo uses? i have read some un-scientific studies that say the proble with steel amo is not the casing so much, but the bi-metal jacket causing an decrease in barrell life. although i have been using tulammo for a long time in my rifles for .223 and 7.62x39 and 54r, my rifles are low-cost and i don't really worry about it. but if i had some really pricey guns, i would probably opt to shoot something else out of it.