Buy more
For brands I really like the ATK family (Federal, Speer, CCI) as well as most of the European manufacturers for NATO cartridges (9x19, 5.56x45, 7.62x51) so like Geco, PPU/Prvi, MEN, Fiocchi, and also IMI and CBC (Magtech)
When in doubt, buy another case.
I like SGAmmo, Target Sports USA, Velocity Ammo Sales, Ammo Empire
I have noticed the price of ammo is getting lower in some places. I am going to start restocking soon little by little. Maybe when our new governor and Lt. Governor, who are both 2A supporters get sworn in that will help prices on ammo to go down.
Hard to find 38 Special AND .380 anything FMJ or SD around here. Found these Tuesday, held my nose and bought them just because I was shocked to actually see them on the shelf.
Still at 39 cents a round at Cabelas for 9mm🙄
Totally agree Tim. Once prices raise, they never go back down. Or if they do, it’s rare. And with the situation we’re in, the raw material prices won’t be coming back down for at least 3yrs so I think the best we can hope for is for the prices to stabilize at a “decent” rate.
I’m just disappointed that I missed the Golden Years of ammo prices and entered the market courtesy of the clusterfrak we’ve found ourselves in the last 2ish years.
As for online prices, I think I’ve purchased ammo online once. And that was for 5.56 as it was the only place that seemed to have it. Since then, just purchased what I could at the local stores because it’s way to spendy for me to purchase online.
That;s about what .380 SD ammo goes for here. For awhile there, my wife was calling it the “unicorn ammo” because people said it existed but no one could find it. It took us nearly 9 months to find some. The local Bass Pro is starting to stock the 250(?) rnd range packs but now she’s scared to shot any since she’s not sure if she’ll be able to find replacements.
Thing is, even the 50 rnd FMJ boxes, if/when they have them, are nearly a dollar around so . . . .
FWIW, you’re going to pay more off the shelf than off the internet.
I know I know, support your local businesses. Mom and pop gun shops, sure, but I don’t consider Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Academy Sports, etc. “local,” even though they employ my fellow citizens and pay taxes.
It’s my money and I’ll spend it how I want.
I’ve seen more primers available online lately, but $90-$100/1k with hazmat & shipping. Don’t have too many big box stores carrying primers close to me so that’s my only option. Even at that price, I’m loading FMJ 9mm at 22-23 cents/round.
My online retailer has been more expensive than local stores recently. Might just be this site of course.
Plus I’m scared to death I’ll accidentally buy thousands of rounds of something with steel, then my local range won’t let me shoot it.
There’s also the issue of shipping. If your not buying enough ammo to save on shipping, you’re losing money.
Good point that twice the price of 2019 is still half the price of factory ammo coming onto the market.
But I don’t know about availability. I don’t have local stores, so have bought online almost exclusively. I see offers at $40 from places I’ve never heard of, and $100 at known suppliers who have no stock — and I update my “please notify” requests at to most places I trust periodically. It’s like The Road — big world, nobody in it.
Feel free to post the ammo here for a second or fourth set of eyes before hitting send on the order, we’ll let you know exactly what you’ll be getting and if it’s range friendly or not.
Yes, that is definitely true, yiuh need to basically buy case quantity when ordering online and then you probably come out ahead VS local.
Most ranges don’t care if you shoot bi-metal jacketed pistol rounds. Rifle rounds with high velocity are another matter.
Some ranges don’t like steel or aluminum cases because they prefer to sort them from brass so they can sell them. EDIT: the brass
There is an app called Discord and there is a Reloading group in it. The in stock notifications from this group is better than store emails. It will have a link included, but you do have to respond ASAP because it goes out of stock within minutes.
I have never had a problem with online ordering. Just buy the brand that you know works.
Local stores have been cheaper for me than my online retailer. A lot of online retailers jacked their prices up when the shortage occurred. Big box stores have stayed pretty much the same, only caveat is there’s a limit to how many boxes you can get at most places.
I had an issue with an expensive order going missing. I know now to always pay the extra $11 for insurance, but that cuts into money saved as well.
I walked into my Cabelas and they want $89.99 for 1k of CCI small pistol primers.
I bought the same box in August ‘21 for $45.
Yep. Have walked into Cabela’s to find 9mm FMJ 115gr Herters, Blazer brass, S&B for around $0.15/rd. Limits suck but at least they were 100rd bulk packs.
That’s how it goes. Most of the time, “normal” times, big box stores are universally too expensive. But when prices fluctuate up rapidly, other more nimble businesses change prices to better reflect demand while the big box stores stay the same and become less expensive for a time. Then eventually things settle and the norm of online retailers having better deals returns
I would frame it a bit differently.
An ethical merchant who maintains an inventory — whether Mom & Pop LGS or big chain or online pillar — may continue to price according to their cost of acquisition, until original inventory is depleted, then adjust. An ethical merchant following a “just-in-time” low inventory model, will need adjust prices sooner to reflect cost of incoming supply — these are usually large retailers, online or physical store.
Some will try to create a glide path so the frogs don’t know they’re being boiled — $1 inventory + $5 inbound restock = $2.50 until only the higher restock price extends to the horizon. I think that’s kind of voodoo and guessing, to get correct, but can temper customer disappointment.
A gouger will just gouge — as soon and as much as the market will bear, for as long as the market will bear it. Large or small; physical or virtual.
I think retailers, whether big or small, tend to price their existing inventory to reflect the anticipated market cost to replenish their inventory as it sells, much like gasoline.
When the market goes up, the going price reflects how much it will cost to refill their reserves regardless of what they paid for what’s already in the tank.
Some are just slower than others.
It is definitely a matter of framing. I don’t really believe in “gouging” in this context, I see empty shelves where the “low price” sold out long ago and think to myself “might as well be $1,000,000 per round if it’s out of stock”.
As much as the market will bear is the bottom line spirit of a capitalist economy, which is what I believe in (with checks in place for monopolies mostly)
