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The Firing Line
Bullet prices gone crazy
Uploaded on October 12, 2009I have preached to myself, my family and friends that practice makes perfect. To make ethical shots we try to go to the range with great frequency. But lately it has become too much with the price of bullets sky rocketing. Often I have found that boxes of bullets costing $50-$65 a piece. What gives? I try to practice with the bullets that I hunt with. Now I have to choose between going to the range and my kid's tuition. It has become rediculous. In 2006 I bought a boxes of 7mm mag federal premium BTSP for $22. Now they are $46. What has caused this great rise in prices? Shortages? Leagal Fees? Greed? I am considering just shooting to make sure my gun is on and thats it. I know that F&S will not ever question Federal,Winchester,Hornaday etc. or even press the issue for fear of adverising losses but what can regular working people to do?
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From what I've read. It's "shortage's" caused by "Insane Husane" being in office and the eventual "outlawing" unless we get rid of the "BUMS" in 2010.
Just saw a box of .300 Win's that I used to buy for 34.00 a bx going for 51.00 !
Start handloading or get with a friend who does. Cook up some loads with less expensive bullets that duplicate the ballistics of your hunting cartridge and practice with those. You can get over a hundred rounds out of a $20 pound of powder and $30 box of a hundred Speer bullets with $4 worth of primers. That would be less than $11 for a box of 20.
Someone wrote (several sources) that military caliber makers are sending everything to the troops. I'm okay with that, let's get the Marines and Soldiers everything they need.
That would only explain the shortages of .223, 9mm, etc... It is beginning to make me believe that others have jumped on this opportunity to simply raise prices. I don't think there is, or ever has been, a brass shortage.
Some standards, like .30-06, are still at reasonable prices only a few bucks higher. My nephew, however, can't afford to shoot with his .300 magnum anymore.
A local shop here had (still has) Winchester 30-30 marked at $38 a box......crackheads
I think some of it has to do with fluctuation in the prices of lead and copper.
If you look here
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/copper_historical_large.html
(particularly the five-year chart at the bottom)
copper went through the roof in '06, dropped briefly, and is back up.
Lead
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical_large.html
(again, look at the five-year at the bottom)
has also spiked, dropped and rebounded, though it doesn't seem to be headed back up as sharply.
I think that, combined with military-related shortages (perhaps manufacturers are putting more lines to making those calibers than to sporting calibers?) combined with fear (the rationality or irrationality of which I won't discuss here) about the president's projected policies, have likely caused almost the entire spike. I suspect some of it was self-fueling, some of it was greed related, and there are probably several factors I'm not thinking of.
$38 for a box of 30-30 falls in the greed category.
I was going to put my 2 cents worth in but Teodoro said pretty much what I have heard and read. There was an article in the local paper yesterday about the shortage of firearms and ammo and the local dealers say that they are seeing things slowing down and getting back to normal. Too, I was in the local Wal-Mart last night and noticed that they had a little better supply of ammo, especially rimfire. Now if I could just find some powder and primers...............
I buy the cheap Winchester Super-x Power Points, just in the past year they have risen from under $15 to almost $20. It is still cheap compared to a lot of the other ammo but a $5 hike in probably the last 9 months is insane.
30/30 are $25 per box 9mm $15 per box here at are local gun and pawn shop. I was going to buy a Ruger 45 stanless single six, from the shop, all his supliers are on backorder for many ruger models. 35 remington has been on backorder for over 2 months, they can't get some ammo because there's not enough to meet demand.
I reload almost everything I shoot (except cheap shotshells and obviously .22 rimfire) and that's the way to go to ensure a steady supply of practice ammo.
Of course, if you can't find primers, that can be a problem, too.
I just bought a 9mm pistol last winter and got to shoot it three times since then because everytime i go to buy bullets everyone is either sold out or it is $40 for a box of 50 (no way im paying that much). so i asked around and they stores say they have been getting shipments of 9mm but as soon as it gets off the truck some guy will come in an buy the whole pallet. i guess he is loading up for when zombies take over the world.
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I think some of it has to do with fluctuation in the prices of lead and copper.
If you look here
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/copper_historical_large.html
(particularly the five-year chart at the bottom)
copper went through the roof in '06, dropped briefly, and is back up.
Lead
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead_historical_large.html
(again, look at the five-year at the bottom)
has also spiked, dropped and rebounded, though it doesn't seem to be headed back up as sharply.
I think that, combined with military-related shortages (perhaps manufacturers are putting more lines to making those calibers than to sporting calibers?) combined with fear (the rationality or irrationality of which I won't discuss here) about the president's projected policies, have likely caused almost the entire spike. I suspect some of it was self-fueling, some of it was greed related, and there are probably several factors I'm not thinking of.
Start handloading or get with a friend who does. Cook up some loads with less expensive bullets that duplicate the ballistics of your hunting cartridge and practice with those. You can get over a hundred rounds out of a $20 pound of powder and $30 box of a hundred Speer bullets with $4 worth of primers. That would be less than $11 for a box of 20.
From what I've read. It's "shortage's" caused by "Insane Husane" being in office and the eventual "outlawing" unless we get rid of the "BUMS" in 2010.
Just saw a box of .300 Win's that I used to buy for 34.00 a bx going for 51.00 !
Someone wrote (several sources) that military caliber makers are sending everything to the troops. I'm okay with that, let's get the Marines and Soldiers everything they need.
That would only explain the shortages of .223, 9mm, etc... It is beginning to make me believe that others have jumped on this opportunity to simply raise prices. I don't think there is, or ever has been, a brass shortage.
Some standards, like .30-06, are still at reasonable prices only a few bucks higher. My nephew, however, can't afford to shoot with his .300 magnum anymore.
$38 for a box of 30-30 falls in the greed category.
I was going to put my 2 cents worth in but Teodoro said pretty much what I have heard and read. There was an article in the local paper yesterday about the shortage of firearms and ammo and the local dealers say that they are seeing things slowing down and getting back to normal. Too, I was in the local Wal-Mart last night and noticed that they had a little better supply of ammo, especially rimfire. Now if I could just find some powder and primers...............
A local shop here had (still has) Winchester 30-30 marked at $38 a box......crackheads
I buy the cheap Winchester Super-x Power Points, just in the past year they have risen from under $15 to almost $20. It is still cheap compared to a lot of the other ammo but a $5 hike in probably the last 9 months is insane.
30/30 are $25 per box 9mm $15 per box here at are local gun and pawn shop. I was going to buy a Ruger 45 stanless single six, from the shop, all his supliers are on backorder for many ruger models. 35 remington has been on backorder for over 2 months, they can't get some ammo because there's not enough to meet demand.
I reload almost everything I shoot (except cheap shotshells and obviously .22 rimfire) and that's the way to go to ensure a steady supply of practice ammo.
Of course, if you can't find primers, that can be a problem, too.
I just bought a 9mm pistol last winter and got to shoot it three times since then because everytime i go to buy bullets everyone is either sold out or it is $40 for a box of 50 (no way im paying that much). so i asked around and they stores say they have been getting shipments of 9mm but as soon as it gets off the truck some guy will come in an buy the whole pallet. i guess he is loading up for when zombies take over the world.
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