Jim:
Perhaps it’s a regional thing, but there seems to be an ammunition shortage in the United States. Here in NY, 7.62×39 has doubled in price in the past year. It is to $200 per 1,000 when you can find it. At last weekend’s gun show only two of the 40 tables were selling 7.62×39 and one of those vendors only had 500 rds. The bad news is thus that it is too late to stock up on cheap 7.62×39. The good news is that your investment in ammo [already] on hand has doubled in value.
308[Winchester] is still available at $200 per 1,000 and up, depending on country of origin. A year ago I could find it for a few cents per cartridge less, but I think the time to stock up is now. One reason is that the military ammo is simply being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, so there is less surplus on the market. Another factor is the budding Chinese automotive industry absorbing every bit of metal they can buy. Copper wire has doubled in price in the past year. It is only reasonable to see this carry through to the raw materials for ammunition. So the price will be passed along to us even if the “shortage” is temporary prices are clearly rising.
I can see no downside to stocking up on the cartridges still available at reasonable prices. For instance, it is my personal policy to buy a 550 round box of 22 LR every time I’m in Wal-Mart. At $8.97 per 550 box that’s still under two cents per cartridge, including sales tax. I just don’t think prices will ever be lower. And with a 100+ year shelf life, how can you go wrong? Worst case – even in the unlikely event that my son and I don’t shoot it up during father/son backyard plinking sessions, I’m stocking a commodity for the next generation. Keep up the great work. May God bless you and yours, – Mike S.
God bless you Jim.
I just got back from a gun show here in the mid west and there were two over-riding topics of discussion among the dealers. First and foremost was that the cost of ammunition was going up. Soon. A case of .223 which was being sold at $219 will cost the dealer $250 just to stock it. Even if he sold it just to break even, that’s a noticeable jump. Certain ammo streams (South African .308 for example) are drying up. One dealer who sells flashlights, cases, knives etc, told me not to buy his stuff and go get my ammo. I thought your readers should know now is the time to buy ammo.
The second topic of conversation is that people were being cautious, that they had feelings of unease, that things were not as good as we’re being told it is. Add this to the bad wheat harvest projected and it equals Now is the time to get as prepared as you can. Just thought this might be of interest. – D.D.