AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I bought my first pistol ammo on august 28th of 07.

The cost for Winchester White Box .40S&W was $21.95.

I just got back from Wally World and saw the exact same box for $29.87.

I've started reloading and haven't bought ammunition for 6 months so it was a shock to me.

Thats 36% inflation in 11 months.

E-A

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I gave up on factory ammo for my 454 Casull when it got to the $2 a cartridge range. Now I reload for 13 CENTS a cartridge. I have a bullet mould, 500 brass cases, and 5000 primers for when TSHTF. :wink:

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

You plan on using the same brass 10 times?:no_ma:
I'm not a reloader (yet!), but isn't that excessive?

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I'm on the sixth go round with specials I load. The number of times isn't as important as the pressures you are loading in my experience.

If he was loading light to medium loads he could get ten+. I have barely gotten any stretching .001 inch.

E-A

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I've got a lot to learn as far as reloading science goes, but 454 casull seems kinda funny to have light loads in...

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

The prices you quoted are an aberration, when compared to mail order companies such as CheaperThanDirt.com and their competitors. I suspect that you may have been looking at higher priced hollow points. I have been watching prices go up, but not by that much.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Actually he was probably looking at the Wally World 100 round value packs.

As for reloading, how many loads you get depends a lot on the pressure and type of crimp. I've never in my life seen a worn out .45 acp case, but some rifle are only good for a handfull of loads.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

10/30/2004
223 1000-Rds RUSSIAN 62GR. FMJ WOLF 1 $115.00

05/17/2008
223 500-Rds RUSSIAN 62GR. FMJ WOLF 1 $149.00

1000 rounds would have been about $289.00

What's that about a 250% increase in less than 4 years...

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

GOOD NEWS FOR ME WOOPEE !!.....I am in zone A in California a no lead projectile area WTF !!
So now they can bust me for one more thing....can't hunt big game and non game species in the range of the endangered California condor.

Further reading reveals that I can shoot small game mammals like rabbits and tree squirrels but not ground squirrels as a person typically leaves the ground squirrel for scavengers

The insane part of all this is nobody ever sees the condors (I've seen them a couple times in 6 years)

Don't get me wrong I'm all for protecting wild life.....but fer chriss sakes ! I just bought a bunch of ammo 3 months ago :rant:

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I've got to buy 1 more round of ammo, then I'm done. I don't hunt anymore and only might if TSHTF really hard. But I have 2 deer rifles from when I did, and not enough ammo for either. I have some, but way too little. So one last stock up, then I'm done with ammo that is getting crazy expensive.

I got the home defense ammo back in 05 and am all set in the handgun and shotgun department.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Well, if all you need is 1 measly round I'd say skyrocketing prices are largely irrelevant. I am intrigued as to how you have calculated that you only need a single additional round, tho.:D

Kidding, Kidding, I got the gist of what you were saying the second time I read the first sentence.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Percentage wise ammo prices are up more than Gold and Silver over the past 4 years.

I would have done better to have been buying cases of ammo than Au or Ag. Plus I know alot more people that take ammo than gold or silver.

Oh yeah, reloading percentage costs are up more than the cost of manufactured ammo.

All those idiots on the gunboards saying "Thats why I reload"... makes no sense, they've been forking out a higher % than the people they mock for not reloading. Sheep.

Anywho, prices will have to level out soon, most shooters can't keep up. Surplus prices especially. THAT is where the price gouging is coming in, not the current production.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I did say that pretty poorly. umm several hundred rounds more of 2 kinds of ammo bought in one buying round. I only have a few boxes of 20 rounds now and I think that needs adding to while I can.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Speaking of Ammo.....ammo stockpileing and storage......

Is there a recommended way to store/stockpile ammo to keep it from going bad in long term storage ..ie 10yrs or more?

I currently keep mine in the original boxes in a dehumidified locker do i need to do more?

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Will most likely still go bang after 30+ years.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Surely you jest..........bush said core inflaion is below 3%


T

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

US GI metal ammo cans, with dessicant.
Ammunition stored dry will last LONGER than you will.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Indeed....223 has become absurdly more expensive over the past few years, I think more than almost any other caliber.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

What is this??


T

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Moisture absorber, silica gel... but I don't see a lot of need for it. I've put 200 rounds of .762 through my old thing this weekend - and it was second world war stuff. Dated 1942, and not a single misfire.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Light to moderate loads in a revolver cartridge will almost always last more than ten reloads. Unless the case mouth has cracks, it can be safely reloaded again. Many reloaders even trim their brass below the cracks to get additional lifespan. I load my 454 Casull reloads lightly and use them for target practice because even lightly loaded to "only" 1000fps (half speed in a 454 Casull) they are still more powerful than standard 45ACP defense rounds. And the brass, made thicker for full powered loads, practically lasts forever. I picked the 454 Casull for my home defense because while it can shoot bullets at 2000fps, it can also shoot commonly available factory 45LC ammo. And while reloading costs may have gone up faster than standard ammo prices percentage-wise, if anyone can post a link to a reputable ammo source selling factory 454 Casull or 45LC ammo for less than 13 cents per cartridge, I'd be grateful... :D

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Wow..........

That is some of the good stuff.

T

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

That's not what my shoulder said... :D

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Take a look at a genuine surplus round from the USSR or the US ,they have a light nail polish type sealer around the bullet neck,and on the primer, the only two places moisture can enter,if you reload, id add a bit of polish around the neck and primer, i also vaccum seal my "battlepacks" with my trusty Rival Sealomatic,good forever

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

You bold printed part of the answer. Re read my post. :no_ma:

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

Ammo cans. With or without dessicant aka plain silica.

Go to any store and buy plain silica cat litter. 3 bucks for 10 pounds IIRC. Make sure it's PLAIN, no scents or odor absorbers.

Bring it home, put some in the oven at lowest temp for 3 hours. Bamm-o you have the same stuff thats in a dessicant packet but for 1/20th the price.

You can 'recharge' it every few months if you have it in a container you open and close. If you put it in a sealed ammo can and don't open it it's good forever.

Ammo in a ammo can w/o dessicant wil last 50+ years. In a can with dessicant...? who knows? But definately atleast 70 years.

I'm shooting 1941 production 8mm mauser ammo that before I got it in 2001 was stored on strippers in cloth bandolieers in a wooden crate. Nothing sealed. Sill goes bang everytime and is pretty accurate stuff. Who knows how it was stored for the 60 years before I got it, let alone how long it sat on loading docks and shipping containers making it's way from Turkey to the USA.

FWIW Most US commerical ammo isn't "sealed" so getting it into a dry area or sealed ammo type can is important.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

So how long would .223 and 9mm ammo last if you just store them in boxes where the temp is constant and cool, and the humidity is low?

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

I've shot reloads that my grandfather made in the basement 50 years ago...never an issue. Stored in plain paper boxes. We live in Michigan. Basements are cool...but often not dry....

Ammo lasts a long time.

I've shot pre-WWII ammo...works great.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

If your choice is $150 versus $360 to shoot 1000 rounds, it seems pretty simple which way to go if you feel like hand loading. I'm with you...I don't see how choosing the cheaper route makes you an idiot. My savings for 55gr are similar, with components at current (bulk) prices you can load 55gr for about 150/k, depending on how many times you reuse the brass. That's if you buy once fired brass...you can always pick some up at the range to get started. Yeah, there are equipment costs, but the payback can be pretty quick. For me, it was about a year.

I guess the alternative is to get a part time job to pay the extra couple hundred per k of ammo. I'd prefer to just spend the time loading my own.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

SkyT you are spot on.
Ahh, you sure gotta love the fact that some people type the exact opposite of the truth.

Re: AMMO prices are sky rocketing
 

perhaps some people are not discussing the same thing, regarding costs.
Skytrooper is saying....
if a commercial round goes for .36 and goes up, say, %10 it would cost ~.40
if a set of components to make the equivalent cost .15 and goes up, say, %20 it would cost .18
even though the percentage increase was twice as much, it still costs significantly less for the reloaded ammo.
Prometheus, what are you referring to?