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Old March 17, 2013, 11:54 PM   #1
Iron Man
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Has the world gone mad??

I have a FNH Five-seveN and luckily have quite a few rounds in stock. However, I was looking on AmmoSeek.com and the only supplier of the rounds right now wants $129.95 for fifty rounds. That's more expensive to shoot than my 500 magnum or my Desert Eagle!!

http://alamoammo.com/rifle-ammo/5.7x...c-818513003612
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Old March 18, 2013, 12:22 AM   #2
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I assure you that the world has, in fact, gone mad. $1+ for for 1 .223 rounds, .18 cents for a .22lr bullet... I'm actually surprised that you were affected in the 5.7mm world, it isn't a very common round.
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Old March 18, 2013, 01:04 AM   #3
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Yes, the world has gone mad.

You either have to wait it out, or spend the bucks.
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Old March 18, 2013, 06:12 AM   #4
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Yes, we are insane. I can only hope that sanity returns at some point.

Once we (gun owners) stop paying those prices, they will eventually start to come down. In fact the prices may drop rather quickly.
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Old March 18, 2013, 06:36 AM   #5
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I think once this madness ends, there may actually be a gun and ammo glut with huge markdowns to sell to a market that's overly saturated.

Whatever you do, don't go paying $100/brick for common .22lr ammo, just wait it out.
I've seen this before.
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Old March 18, 2013, 08:23 AM   #6
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this is why I traded my 5-7 ( for a matching pair of polished stainless 357 Vaqueros ) I still have my Contender barrel in the chambering, so I kept some of my ammo, but I just sold 6 boxes to a buddy for $210.00... maybe I should have taken it to the gun show & got enough to buy another new gun

... he's hot rod buddy, & now owes me a favor, & I can use all the help I can get in that venue
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Old March 18, 2013, 08:32 AM   #7
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Yes indeedy. I went to a gun show on Saturday and saw prices through the roof. I couldn't believe what some were asking for ammo. A friend told me he saw a $100 white box of .22LR. The example that sticks out in my mind was a smith model 36 with box for $800. That little pistol was probably 99% but the price was out of sight. The good news is all those price gougers weren't selling a lot of the high dollar items. Usually while I'm going in I'm watching those folks leaving and what they are carrying. Not a lot had anything other than a plastic bag with things they purchased in them. No long boxes.

I do wonder if much of this is new inventory they picked up at stupid prices or they are trying to take advantage of the community by upping the prices hoping the rest of us will pay. I heard one vendor tell another "I've got to make a profit!" I said loud enough for him to hear, "Not by gouging your brethern!"

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Old March 18, 2013, 09:22 AM   #8
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If that is too much money for your budget, then do not buy it - save your resources for more important items. If enough do this, instead of cleaning out the stores every time they get a shipment, supply will exceed demand and prices will drop
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Old March 18, 2013, 10:04 AM   #9
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They will only sell it at those prices if someone is willing to pay those prices.
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Old March 18, 2013, 10:16 AM   #10
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the last gun show I went to, is the one I buy a couple tables to... ( I work it by myself, so I don't get out much... had heard there was a brick of Winchester 22's "down stairs" that was priced at $80.00... as far as I know, it didn't sell... I did take a box of primers in at $5.00 more than the price I paid a couple weeks ago, & sold that, actually 1 minute before the show was supposed to start... on Sunday I brought in a brick of Winchester 22's one box short, so I thought I's sell them by the 50 box... also had a 100 box of CCI mini mags, that I put $8.00 on... my intent was to allow several people to buy a box each... of course, 10 minutes into the show on Sunday, one guy bought all the 22's I had on the table... ( another seller... who told me he had 4 tables at the show the next week... big show at the state fairgrounds, & he only had 2 tables worth of stuff to take... stuff is selling, for the most part, what ever price is on it... well maybe except for those $80.00 bricks of 22 )
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Old March 18, 2013, 10:56 AM   #11
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I talked to several venders at our local gun show this weekend.

Seems those who got caught (or almost got caught like me) were prepared and just shake their head.

We knew it would happen again and prepared. We know this present drought will pass also, but we know it wont be the last one.

When things cooled off last time, we started stockpiling. Not all at once but ever time we went to the store we bought primers or a can of powder, eventually when it hit again we took inventory and decided we could weather the storm.

Of course none of us thought it would hit 22s but it did, so we shoot what we have, and weight it out.

After things calm down, and they will, we'll do the same thing with 22s that we did with powder and primers.

History repeats it self, this will pass, but it will come again. We'll try to prepare, this time adding 22s to to our powder and primers but something else we haven't planned for will pop up. The trick is to figure out what that will be and prepare.

When I first started shooting conpetition about 40 years age, an old high power shooter told me, no matter what, keep plenty of primers, you control primers you control shooting. I took his advise to heart, I keep primers and powder, so even in the darkest days of the worse drought I keep shooting.

I cast bullts just for about everything I shoot. There will always be lead, so as long as I have powder and primers I shoot.

But this too will pass, its up to us as shooters to smarten up and prepare for the next drought.

Its not really crazy times, its just the cycle of life. Life goes in circles, and we need to prepare for when these hard shooting times comes around again and it will.
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Old March 18, 2013, 11:43 AM   #12
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I agree with kraigwy. Before 2008, because of space and economic reasons, I generally kept enough reloading components on hand for a month or two of shooting. Never felt the need to have anymore. When I needed another jug of powder(1, 4 or 8 pounder) or case of primers it was just a short trip to the LGS to get them. If they didn't have what I needed, it was less than a week and I would get a call it was in. Prices were close enough to internet bulk pricing that I didn't even bother with Hazmat. Then without any legitimate reason after the election of '08 there was the frenzy and I learned my lesson well. Stuff came back on the shelves I bought enough to last a year. As time went by and I had extra cash, it went into reloading components. I now have stuff my kids will probably have to use after I'm gone. This frenzy came along and I have yet to go look for anything because I needed it. I did buy another 6000 primers, just because I found them at pre-frenzy prices.

But I didn't stock up on .22. Even back in '08 and early '09 when I was afraid of depleting my centerfire supplies, a trip to Wal-Mart resulted in a coupla of bulk pacs to spend the afternoon at the range with. There was always plenty more left on the shelf. Many times I didn't even go and look to see what was left in the range bag or on the shelf in the gun room, I would just stop on the way by and buy another box. This is the only thing that saved me. After going to everywhere I could think of to buy .22 ammo, I went back and scrounged thru the drawers, shelves and range bags. Found half-full and unopened bulk pacs, I never knew I had. Maybe 4000 rounds that were stockpiled without any intentions. Someone was looking out for me, and it wasn't me. But....I guarantee, once .22 ammo becomes readily available and reasonably priced, there will be a lot more of that put away knowingly.
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Old March 18, 2013, 12:40 PM   #13
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Yes, seems that way. This time just feels different. When police depts. are having trouble finding ammo, mags and guns you know it's bad. I hope it starts to turn soon.
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Old March 18, 2013, 01:08 PM   #14
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yup - its gone insane for sure...the availability and demand of this is just silly...sadly, its self inflicted...buying/hoarding/reselling at inflated prices...almost enough to make you wanna quit shoot..(Notice I said 'almost'...lol)
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Old March 18, 2013, 02:12 PM   #15
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Quote:
Once we (gun owners) stop paying those prices, they will eventually start to come down. In fact the prices may drop rather quickly.
We?

I don't.

I haven't.

I won't.

The idiots that are willing to pay those prices get what they deserve, and are just feeding the greedy retailers that are asking so much.

I always retain a supply that will get me through 'droughts'. Primers, powder, and rimfire (.22 LR/.22 WMR) are most critical - bullets are secondary. (Even if I don't currently, I can cast bullets for all of my firearms except my .270. {even that would just require a mold}.)

I only buy when it's cheap, and I buy in bulk.
Even if I did get caught with my pants down, I wouldn't be running around grabbing all the ammo and components I could find and arbitrarily throwing money into the wind, just to feel better. I'd sit tight and wait it out.


As kraigwy mentioned, there's one very important rule about ammo - If you control the primers, you control shooting.
Since rimfire ammo can't be reloaded easily (and safely), that's a pretty important 'primer' to keep on hand...
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Old March 18, 2013, 02:25 PM   #16
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Reading all these posts would make most folks think there is no ammo available. There is ammo and reloading components available. I recently ordered 1,000 Berry bullets. They said 4-6 weeks when I ordered but the package arrived in around 3. The other day at Wally World I picked up a .45 auto Remington "Megga Pack" for around $95. What I can't find is .22 and my friends who shoot 9mm can't find that either. I do have plenty of .22, well not plenty but enough. A friend of mine and I drove to Sioux Falls last week and dropped by Scheels. They had .22 but had a run on it earlier in the day. Had we been a few hours earlier we could have gotten it. I'll give it a shot on Wednesday cause we have to go for a VA appointment.

Anyway what I'm saying or at least trying to say is it's out there but might take a little looking to find it. Paying wacko prices isn't the way to go and does nothing more than feed the gougers.

Good luck finding what you need.
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Old March 18, 2013, 02:40 PM   #17
orionengnr
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Quote:
I think once this madness ends, there may actually be a gun and ammo glut with huge markdowns to sell to a market that's overly saturated.
Man, I'd like to believe that. Problem is, people were saying the same thing four years ago, and it never came to pass. Why should it be different this time?
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Old March 18, 2013, 03:04 PM   #18
alex0535
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Even before the whole gun/ammo panic 5.7x28mm was hard to find and expensive. Then the gun/ammo panic started and here we are.

I would try to trade/sell it to someone that doesn't realize how much the ammo is for it. For anything more practical to shoot.
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Old March 18, 2013, 03:15 PM   #19
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The world is in financial turmoil. Our dollar only buys a fraction of what it did even 5 years ago. Fuel costs are outrageous, which affects everything, and ammo is heavy, meaning a higher cost for transport, per volume.

Panic buying due to our current political climate has swamped production capacity. People are paying what every it takes to get what they want, and sellers are both charging what the market will bear, and pricing things so high as to seem to be gouging, and in some cases, they are.

We got spoiled with both relatively stable ammo prices during the 80s-90s, and the quantities of former combloc surplus ammo sold dirt cheap that also had an effect on helping keep the price of regular ammo lower than what it has risen to lately.

Increased demand for the raw materials of ammo, lead, copper, brass, etc., from India, China, and other nations has reduced the supply in our markets, and as a result, increased the costs.

There are lots of other factors as well, but those are the big ones.

People went crazy buying before Obama got elected the first time, they were afraid of him pushing gun control. He didn't, and over time, things began to head back to normal. Then he got re-elected, and NOW they are pushing gun control, and pushing hard.

Lots of people who have money to spend, and never were into guns & ammo before are spending that money buying up everything, and paying the asking price often without batting an eye. This makes a miserable situation for the rest of us, who had enough money to afford our regular purchases, before the prices went nuts, but now, not only can we seldom find what we used to buy on a regular basis, when we can find it, the price is double or triple, or worse.

$80 for a brick of .22 that shouldn't even cost $20? Sorry, bite me!

ITs a bubble, and eventually it will burst. Things won't drop all the way back to where they were before, they never do. But when the bubble does burst, prices will come way down from the panic peak of today.
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Old March 18, 2013, 03:20 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kraigwy
Of course none of us thought it would hit 22s but it did, so we shoot what we have, and weight it out.

After things calm down, and they will, we'll do the same thing with 22s that we did with powder and primers.
The 2008 run hit 22lr too. I remember thinking $40-50 at gun shows for a brick was insane. After it got back to normal I started buying an extra brick every month. I'm good for a couple years at my normal rate of fire.
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Old March 18, 2013, 03:36 PM   #21
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Shooting is a primary hobby for me. But if all of us, quit paying these prices for guns ...or ammo ...or reloading components...the prices will come back down and availability will improve !!

I reload ....and while I'm still shooting a fair amount because I have inventory on bullets, primers etc....I'll be out / by Nov or so, if I keep shooting about 6 boxes a week ....and when I'm out, I'll just quit shooting ...

I'm not going to pay retail prices of over $20 a box for 9mm, $ 30 a box for .45acp, etc...or ridiculous amounts for components.....(if bullets go up to $200/1,000 and primers stay up around $70/1,000 it'll put my reloads up to $12 a box for 9mm and close to $20 a box for .45 acp ...

I like shooting ....but it isn't worth it to me to pay that for components...so I'll just go play more golf or something else...until this all levels out !
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Old March 18, 2013, 03:55 PM   #22
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Nah, BigJim - you'll just have more time to come over to the dark side of skeet called sporting clays..................... primers, powder and wads are still cheap, shot is the variable, and you live in an area where it is cheap....
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Old March 18, 2013, 04:19 PM   #23
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Mad enough to make one wonder about the judgment of the average gun owner any more.
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Old March 18, 2013, 05:02 PM   #24
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Madness

I am not sure this "madness" will stop, as it has in the past. I've had two people that seemed knowledgeable and are involved with supplying ammo "loading" companies. Both told me that the Government is buying every round, of any caliber, that is loaded. The small one loads 65,000 rounds a day.

The other has stopped doing Gun Shows for lack of ammo (they ordinarily have 10-15 tables at all the shows). I won't name them as the information is second hand and may not be correct. They are one of the biggest loaders out there. However, I was told the same thing of them. That the Government is buying every round they load of any caliber. One supplier told me they had sold them almost 40,000 lbs of .223 brass. Along with the bullets etc. to load. And they still have no ammo available a couple weeks later.

Sounded too "conspiracy theory" to me at first. Then I thought, "if you can print trillions of dollars out of thin air - WHAT CAN'T YOU BUY??". So I'll file it away in my mind until something concrete that I know for sure comes around. If you can't control guns because of the Constitution and other Laws.Perhaps you can control the ammo?? Just a thought.
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Old March 18, 2013, 05:05 PM   #25
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I don't see the "we should boycot until the prices come down, they are too high because we keep buy.....etc etc, bit.

There are more people buying guns these days, heard it said Americans bought enough guns in the last three months to outfit the whole Chinese and Indian Armys.

I don't know if that's true, but still a lot more people are buying guns and I think thats a good thing.

But they need ammo for those new guns, if you don't have anything you pay what the market bears.

Gas has gone up a heck of a lot in the last 4 years but I'm not going to stop driving. Foods up but I'm not going to stop eating.

And I sure as heck ain't gonna stop shooting. You can if you want.
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