How much is too much to pay for ammo right now?

[LowBb]

Here's what I've been thinking about the past few days.

I, like many of us, kill some time looking for ammo. I haven't been shooting as long as many members so I'm hoping for some good insight that may give guidance. I've seen some Armslist posts for 500 rounds of fmj for $700!!!! That's freakin crazy IMHO. I've seen some wwb 115 grain type going for $40 for 100 rounds. This is all 9mm.

I know many hand load. I do not and don't see it happening in the near future. I'd like to set it up some day.

What do those that know more than me think is a good price for different kinds of ammo? Where is your ceiling?

Personally I've been waiting for things to get back to more normal. I have a few thousand rounds of 9 and a couple hundred of 38. I do like to hit the range once or twice a month so I'm not really hurting yet. I'm thinking my ceiling is around $20 a box of range ammo and I'm not sure a good price for great defense ammo. It seems i paid like 25 a box for the jhp's I have now and I was paying around $170 for 500 9mm before New Years from SGAMMO. Plus 20 or so shipping, I can't remember. I remember paying 13-15 for wwb from Walmart.

I've been looking at getting a .22 rifle like I had when I was a kid. I'm not really sure what .22 longs were going for before last December. Or what is a stupid price to pay now. Realistically, I'm probably going to keep waiting until ammo stock is better.

I've been watching .45 and .380 too as I'm getting an itch for one or both.

I guess basically I have no life and enjoy looking at gun and ammo prices.

[austin7.62]

I would give give $15-$18/box of 9mm right now. I have not shot my Glock 26 hardly any(80 rounds) since I got it in January, so I have saved quite a bit of ammo. I wouldn't mind paying .40/round for .45 ACP, because it was almost $20 per box for range ammo anyway before all this madness started. 

[Major Kong]

I'm not buying ammo at the current ridiculous prices anymore than I'm paying $1200 for a DPMS AR-15 or paying $55 for a 10/22 mag. I feel like a cranky old man but I'm getting tired of this bull$hit.

[RED333]

If you can, wait it might come down.

The biggest thing is BUTHEADS buying up ammo and reselling at stupid prices. :rant:

If you want to shoot now, buy what you can at fair prices if you can find it.

I got lucky and found some at a fair price back befor the end of the year.

[Joe357]

For 22lr I was paying 8 dollars a 100 rounds of CCI mini mags.

For 9mm fmj $140.00 for 10 boxes of 50 rounds or 14 dollars for 50 rounds

For 45 fmj 18 dollars 50 rounds

For 380 fmj 16 dollars for 50 rounds Edited March 21, 2013 by joesig

[hipower]

I'm not buying ammo at the current ridiculous prices anymore than I'm paying $1200 for a DPMS AR-15 or paying $55 for a 10/22 mag. I feel like a cranky old man but I'm getting tired of this bull$hit.

 

Major, I'm sorry to say this, but you're beginning to sound like the grumpy old fart that I've become. :rofl:

[TripleDigitRide]

I've been able to stock up pretty good. In the last month or so, I have accumulated the following:

 

4500 rounds of 22LR from various places/people. Most bricks were about $20, but I did pay $24 for one brick. I paid $8 for several 100-round boxes of CCI. 

 

I bought 5 100-round boxes of WWB .45 for $40/box. I traded them for 500 rounds of 5.56 green tip. 

 

I got a case of PMC .223 for $420

 

300 rounds of some Winchester 45 grain varmint for .25/round

 

I have slightly over-paid for a handful of PMAGs, but never over $20 a piece.

 

I've made some very fair trades for various other calibers, and none were more than I would have paid pre-craze. All was purchased locally. 

 

As has been mentioned before, as long as people are willing to pay, people will continue to ask ridiculous prices. I see some folks listing stuff around here for sale at absurd prices, and I I can't believe when I later see that someone actually paid those prices. I was one of the stupid one's who was not prepared for this latest craze, but I'm not that stupid. I'm not as stocked as some, but I have more than plenty for me, and I am always finding more very fair deals.

[Major Kong]

Major, I'm sorry to say this, but you're beginning to sound like the grumpy old fart that I've become. :rofl:

I'll take that as good company my friend. Let this madness end soon...

[TripleDigitRide]

I would give give $15-$18/box of 9mm right now. I have not shot my Glock 26 hardly any(80 rounds) since I got it in January, so I have saved quite a bit of ammo. I wouldn't mind paying .40/round for .45 ACP, because it was almost $20 per box for range ammo anyway before all this madness started. 

.40/round is about right, considering Wal-Mart sells 100-round boxes of WWB for $40 and some change.

[LowBb]

I don't have freakin time to stalk the brick and mortar and as soon as online stores post it is gone.
I'm thinking if I was desperate I'd pay 25 a box of range 9 mm but for the last few months I've been turning that down too. Guess I'm not that desperate.

When you think about it it's just a few extra dollars to pay and all, but when your in a hobby deep you know your hobby.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Subsonic 300 Blackout 4.4 cents a round. Supersonic 300 Blackout 7.3 cents a shot. 9mm 4.5 cents each and 45 ACP for just under a nickel.

 

Dolomite

[LowBb]

As has been mentioned before, as long as people are willing to pay, people will continue to ask ridiculous prices. I see some folks listing stuff around here for sale at absurd prices, and I I can't believe when I later see that someone actually paid those prices. I was one of the stupid one's who was not prepared for this latest craze, but I'm not that stupid. I'm not as stocked as some, but I have more than plenty for me, and I am always finding more very fair deals.

I'm thinking too that if more of us decide on a price maybe the price will come down. Edited March 21, 2013 by LowBb

[TripleDigitRide]

Subsonic 300 Blackout 4.4 cents a round. Supersonic 300 Blackout 7.3 cents a shot. 9mm 4.5 cents each and 45 ACP for just under a nickel.

 

Dolomite

Hush yo' mouf, you filthy reloader, you. :cool:

Edited March 21, 2013 by TripleDigitRide

[hipower]

I'll take that as good company my friend. Let this madness end soon...

 

Amen, my brother. Would that it were so....and quickly.

Edited March 21, 2013 by hipower

[Dolomite_supafly]

Hush yo' mouf, you filthy caster and reloader, you. :cool:

 

Fixed it for you.

 

Dolomite

[LowBb]

Nice

[battleop]

I won't pay more than about 10% above "Normal" pricing for ammo or guns.  I am at the point in my "Gun Life" that anything I buy is because I think it's cool or because it's something I want to try out.  I've got plenty of ammo or supplies to make ammo to sustain my shooting habits for quite some time.  This is why I refuse to pay anything beyond 10% above normal IF I buy it at all.   I've passed on AR15s at Sportsman's Warehouse for about a month because they have not had the exact Colt I want for some time.  I am willing to wait until they get the one I want so in the meantime I'll let the next guy (hopefully not a gouger) get that Bushmaster they want. 

[RED333]

Yall realty need to cast and reload, ya it takes time, upfront cost,

aint nothing like shooting something you cast, reloaded, and knowing you can do it again, and again.

I do need to build a boolit trap.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Yall realty need to cast and reload, ya it takes time, upfront cost,

aint nothing like shooting something you cast, reloaded, and knowing you can do it again, and again.

I do need to build a boolit trap.

 

I took a plastic 55 gallon drum. I put a piece of 1/4" AR500 steel inside angled so the bullets glance off and into the 12" of dirt. Nothing exits and I keep every bullet I shoot to melt back down. The plastic drum is self sealing of sorts but it doesn't matter becaues the dirt level is below the holes. You could also use 3/8" mild steel for most cast bullets.

 

The drum cost me $7.

 

Dolomite

Edited March 21, 2013 by Dolomite_supafly

[TMF]

I would say hold off on shooting until the craziness ends. The reason ammo is being sold at 300% markup on Armslist is because people are paying it, and that is the same reason ammo will remain out of stock. So long as people are willing to pay stupid prices, bubba will wait in line at Walmart so he can turn around and sell it to you.

If people chilled the hell out for a second and just stopped paying stupid prices it would all go back to normal. Bubba would have to sell the ammo back at relatively normal prices because he can't have hundreds of dollars tied up in ammo.... smokes and Natty Lite ain't gonna buy themselves ya know.

[Fourtyfive]

Major, I'm sorry to say this, but you're beginning to sound like the grumpy old fart that I've become. :rofl:

 

Wait , that's my claim to fame.....

 

.223 or 5.56 / .25 per is good

 

7.62 x 39 / .28 per is good

 

In these days and times.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Threeeighty

[zeek]

I have really been wanting to shoot recently but I can't see paying super inflated prices for ammo even if I can find it. I am not well stocked, but I could go to the range a time or two if I wanted and still have enough to keep my guns loaded to carry around. 

 

I still go by the usual places when I can to hope to score the random box of .40 or 9mm but I am not going to go over to gunbroker and pay 2-3 times the rate people paid for ammo retail just make myself feel better about my lack of planning.

 

Now once this buying frenzy is over I am going to slowly stock up. I wont be caught again.

[Will H]

I got lucky this week so far.  I picked up a new to me SR9C on Sunday, and it came with 100 rounds of Federal WM.  I gave all my 9mm stockpile to my dad when this started because I was swinging magnums only at the time.  I got a box (50) of 124 gr FMJ from a friend for $15.00 and found 80 Remington Golden Sabre for $60.

 

This gave me enough to spend some good time practicing draw /fire /draw yesterday until I was comfortable carrying it.  More practice will have to wait until all this crap is over.  Until then I will keep checking the ammo at WM to see if I can get lucky again. 

 

My dad offered to give me the rounds back I gave him, but that don't seem right.  At least I know who I can share ammo with if the world goes to hell, as he lives a block from me.  LOL

Edited March 21, 2013 by Will H

[jdw174]

Current bids on gunbroker.com are simply idiotic for 9mm.  Some of the online sites are absolutely ridiculous as well, and I have a growing list of ammo sites that I will never buy from or look at again.  As for current prices, I'd say that .30 a round for 9mm is about as far as I'd go......perhaps a bit more if I were desperate...which I'm not.

[hipower]

Wait , that's my claim to fame.....

 

.223 or 5.56 / .25 per is good

 

7.62 x 39 / .28 per is good

 

In these days and times.

 

I will agree with you on that.

 

And ad to what was said earlier, it's difficult to run all over town checking for ammo. I have 2 locations i check when I'm out making a visit to chiropractor and taking my wife to physical therapy. Other than that, the time wasted and cost of gas doesn't make sense.

 

I've bought a little from a couple of guys here, when the price was reasonable, even got a couple hundred rounds of 45 and 9 at close to pre-panic prices. But that's about as far I as can go with the scrounging day and night hitting stores. It doesn't work for me factoring other costs.

 

The only thing I've gotten on either of the 2 big auction sites was a case of CCI MINI Mags at 300. Yeah, that's high, but now I have enough 22 for shooting without having to break into the bunker and deplete my stock.

 

Doesn't mean I didn't grip about it, but I did it for peace of mind on it.

Edited March 21, 2013 by hipower