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

[Caster]

Fair price for primers is about $40 /K.
Fair price for an 8lb jug of Titegroup is around $140
A good Lee mold can be had for less than $30 but if taken care of doesn't add to the cost of ammo because it'll last foreve dies and press are the same school of thought.
Tumble lube is about $5 per bottle. Add $15 to that for some Johnson's paste wax and odorless mineral spirits so you can make a batch of 45/45/10 tumble lube. That $20 will tumble at least three to five thousand depending on how much you waste.

SO! That's a penny each for powder, four cents for primer, and about half a cent each for lube. Rounded up to six cents and your looking at about $60 per thousand. That's what I'll pay for ammo. No more. Edited March 21, 2013 by Caster

[MiddTennTaco]

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

 

The cheapest bullets I can find for what I reload are 8 cents a piece. You definitely have to cast to get that cheap, lol.

 

Damn, I'm just afraid to take the plunge into casting. Reloading is a decent amount of work/time as it is and I think I'd be better off spending an hour or two at work extra to buy cast bullets.

 

HEY, is it legal to cast your own bullets and sell them? Got any spare time on your hands Caster? I'm sure you'd get a lot of business on these forums, lol.

[Caster]

No it's not legal without an ffl. Can't remember what type but it requires a license.
I can't keep up with my own habit, let alone other people.

[TMF]

No it's not legal without an ffl. Can't remember what type but it requires a license.

I can't keep up with my own habit, let alone other people.

Really? Just to sell formed pieces of lead?

[MiddTennTaco]

Really? Just to sell formed pieces of lead?

 

Yeah, that's ridiculous. What if I like to use hard cast sized and lubed 115gr .355" diamater lead sinkers when I go fishing? lol

[RED333]

Thanks Dolomite for the trap idea.

Leave O Caster alone, he casts a few for me sometimes. JK :cool:

Casting is not that much time, I can sit and cast for about an hour or so and get out a few 100 to 1000

in no time, what does slow me down is having to wait for the lead to get hot after I add an ingot.

[towerclimber37]

You know wha'ts rediculous? I saw small pistol primers for SIXTY ONE BUCKS A 1000!!! that is insane.  I walked out of gunslingers, over in kingsport. they had ammo of various calibers..and I know why! they want  your first born along with your wallet for it.

it's probably not their fault but dang...it's retarded..I reload so it's cheaper for me to shoot my 308 and my garand and m1 carbine than it is to shoot my 22 pistol!!

[Paletiger13]

Nuts!

[Dolomite_supafly]

You know wha'ts rediculous? I saw small pistol primers for SIXTY ONE BUCKS A 1000!!! that is insane.  I walked out of gunslingers, over in kingsport. they had ammo of various calibers..and I know why! they want  your first born along with your wallet for it.

it's probably not their fault but dang...it's retarded..I reload so it's cheaper for me to shoot my 308 and my garand and m1 carbine than it is to shoot my 22 pistol!!

 

It is their fault. I have been in there a few times and every single time I was treated like crap and that when they did acknowledge me. I stood in there once for 20 minutes as the staff chatted amongst themselves.

 

Think of it as Coal Creek Armory Lite

 

This was a few years ago and hopefully they have changed but I doubt it based on what others are saying.

[austin7.62]

Think of it as Coal Creek Armory Lite.

Haha.

[high_speed_chase]

I think (hope) prices are getting a little more stable. I purchased a case, 1000 rounds of Wolf 9mm Mak this morning for 225 shipped. I really thought that sounded good compared to the recent pricing. The ammo did not last 3 hours on the site (The Sportsmans Guide).

[Curiousgb]

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.

We have a winner. I ain't buying nothing firearm related until this nonsense ends. And it won't end until we all stop being crazy. Oops I lied I bought a flintlock. 

[bart305]

I am having a hard time visualizing this, would you mind posting a pic. This is a great idea.

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

[TripleDigitRide]

I just paid .25/round for 400 rounds of Lake City 5.56 green tip, and that was almost too much. Edited March 25, 2013 by TripleDigitRide

[reed1285]

sometimes you get lucky, i just got 2 50rnd boxes of 9mm on Sportsmans warehouse site for 13.99 a box. $39 bucks shipped for both boxes. I hate shipping costs, but it beats trolling walmart. its sad because that shouldnt be considered getting lucky, but oh well ill take what i can right now.

 

let me also state that I shoot what I buy right now. Im not buying to hoard or resell. I doubt this 100 rnds i just ordered will last more than a few days when it gets here.

[Krull]

You know wha'ts rediculous? I saw small pistol primers for SIXTY ONE BUCKS A 1000!!! that is insane. I walked out of gunslingers, over in kingsport. they had ammo of various calibers..and I know why! they want your first born along with your wallet for it.


it's probably not their fault but dang...it's retarded..I reload so it's cheaper for me to shoot my 308 and my garand and m1 carbine than it is to shoot my 22 pistol!!

I wouldn't buy a stick of gum from Gunslingers. They are high, and downright rude. I heard the old lady tell a women in there she had to have a conceal carry badge to legally carry a gun. That women spent 79 dollars on a badge and badge holder.

[frankmako]

ammo prices are out of control.  but that is the free market.  at this time i am setting back and watching.  when it comes down back to somewhat normal i will jump back in and buy a large amount to have on hand for the next time it goes south.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I am having a hard time visualizing this, would you mind posting a pic. This is a great idea.

 

Take a plastic 55 gallon drum. Cut the top out of it to make putting the steel plate in easier. Fill the bottom of the barrel with 12" of dirt, sand or mulch. Set the steel plate in the drum with the base of the steel plate against the rear of the drum then tilt the top of the plate towards the front of the barrel. That way the plate's top is angled towards the shooter.

 

My steel plate is 18" wide and 30" tall.

 

Be mindfull that splatter might perforate the side of the barrel with heavier hitting calibers. Also be aware that if the caliber will punch through the steel normally it will still punch through with this setup. I use mine for shooting 300 Blackout, pistol calibers and 22's.

[serbu50]

I just paid .25/round for 400 rounds of Lake City 5.56 green tip, and that was almost too much.

Really? for just the brass? NOWHERE is it sold for that. I got some from a gunstore that knows be as a regular and they cut me a hell of a deal at .44 cents a round... That's $440 per 1,000.... not sure thats a smoking deal, but you can't buy it for that. Wally Mart has 420 round loose 5.56 for .42 cents ... when you can get it.

[Krull]

I made one ammo transaction for .45 I shouldn't have. I paid 60 bucks for 100. Other than that I have been able to acquire 3k rounds for .32 to .43 cents a round since the madness started. 9mm I have been lucky with and found 2k rounds for .23 cents a round.

I broke my golden rule last summer and shot up ammo I didn't replace. That won't happen again.

I figure a minimum of 2500 rounds per caliber and never go below that number again.

[morrisster]

sportsmans warehouse in chattanooga today. 50ct box of 9mm 115gr fmj - $13.99 - 3 box limit. after the ~100 people in line were through, there was still more to be had (I left and came back so I didn't stand in line). They are marking up prices some. the same ammo used to be 9.99 at walmart and 10.99-11.99 at sportsmans. They get reloading supplies too. They do limit on quantity you can purchase but they get a truck every week... I miss the days of $11 bricks of 22LR at wally world... (last month I stood in line at big5 out in kalifornia to buy a brick for 29.99)

 

I need to invest in bullet casting supplies...

[LowBb]

I just saw 9mm range at my LGS for $26. Way too much but at least they had it.

[TripleDigitRide]

I just paid .25/round for 400 rounds of Lake City 5.56 green tip, and that was almost too much.
Really? for just the brass? NOWHERE is it sold for that. I got some from a gunstore that knows be as a regular and they cut me a hell of a deal at .44 cents a round... That's $440 per 1,000.... not sure thats a smoking deal, but you can't buy it for that. Wally Mart has 420 round loose 5.56 for .42 cents ... when you can get it.

Yes, really. Someone sold me 8 PMAGs that I didn't need for $100. I then traded those 8 PMAGs for 400 rounds of green tip. You will have a difficult time buying ammo at a good price, but I've made some pretty awesome trades in the last couple of months.

[prov281]

I am at the point to start trading for what I want, folks want to trade for EQUAL value GREAT, if not they walk. I am looking for trading 9mm for 22lr, but ONLY dollar for dollar what I paid at Walmart. Next everyone will be bartering....