Ammo Discussion

[STR8FAN]

Hi everyone. I've been out if the loop concentrating on home projects since covid started. I sold a rifle to a guy yesterday and he was telling me there is currently a severe ammo shortage going on. Is there a forum on this web site where people are talking about that? I'd like to learn about it. I have a boat load of 9mm and 223 I'll probably never use up. I want to get a feel for pricing so I don't come across as a rip off artist. This guy was telling me that some of the online retailers are really hosing people. Thanks in advance for your info.

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[Unicykle]

Yep been hard to get for awhile now, good time to sell if your not one to hoard.

 

[AMT]

Hi everyone. I've been out if the loop concentrating on home projects since covid started. I sold a rifle to a guy yesterday and he was telling me there is currently a severe ammo shortage going on. Is there a forum on this web site where people are talking about that? I'd like to learn about it. I have a boat load of 9mm and 223 I'll probably never use up. I want to get a feel for pricing so I don't come across as a rip off artist. This guy was telling me that some of the online retailers are really hosing people. Thanks in advance for your info.

Welcome back. Definitely look through some of the ads in the forums. You'll be shocked! I'd guess that you probably bought low, and your gonna make a profit.

How much of a profit depends on your character.

And looking at some of the ads, there are now people that i wouldn't stop and pi_s on if i saw them on fire on the side of the road.....

 

[Camelfilter]

Peruse thru the ammunition classifieds on here for an idea on pricing & wether or not something sells at the particular price.

Just to give a general sense of market price. Note that the classifieds here are not an auction. Price (unless trade only)must be stated. Classifieds are NOT to be used as a discussion forum.

Alternatively you could look at a web crawler such as "ammoseek" to give you a general idea of what ammo is going for at retail.

 

[Aero Denezol]

When things were good, online bulk ammo was the way to go. Nowadays your best bet is to scour retailers and hope to get lucky.

If you only have a 12 gauge and a deer rifle you're still doing pretty good on ammo. Everyone else is SOL.

 

[The Heretic]

If you feel you need the $ and will never use all the ammo, then consider selling, but some sellers are asking more than the market will bear - IMO.

OTOH - if you don't need the $, then I recommend you hang onto the ammo if you still have (or anticipate having) a firearm that shoots that ammo. There is a reason people are buying ammo right now and it isn't because the manufacturers are making less - they aren't. I would give that some consideration.

I would also consider why you bought so much ammo in the first place and also the fact that while ammo cost has skyrocketed (2-3X), on the average, ammo won't get any less expensive. Sure, maybe the price will go back down (if Biden/Harris don't win the election which I would not bet on at this point).

I have sold ammo this year and made a profit, but then I turned around and bought better ammo (IMO) or a higher quantity to replace it - when I could, for the same cost or a little more (not really possible now).

Overall, I now have more ammo than months ago, and I won't be selling any even though I could make a profit. Even if I don't ever use it - and I hope I never have to use the SD ammo - I would rather have the ammo and not need it, than not have it and not be able to get any, even if I don't need it immediately.

 

[1911coltguy]

My buddy bought three 9mm's at the Seattle Sportsman Warehouse recently and was limited to 1 box of ammo per day regardless of having spent over $2000 on firearms there. And he bought a 5.56mm lower and they were completely out of .223 and 5.56. Just did a private sale at Precise Shooter in Lynnwood and there was a big sign at the door saying they were out of most all types of ammunition, other than defensive loads for certain calibers and some hunting rounds. Amazing!

 

[MannyGlocks]

myc,,

"...was limited to 1 box of ammo per day regardless of having spent over $2000 on firearms there"

Should he be given preferential treatment over those who've spent less or even none prior?

Asking for a friend.

 

[STR8FAN]

If you feel you need the $ and will never use all the ammo, then consider selling, but some sellers are asking more than the market will bear - IMO.

OTOH - if you don't need the $, then I recommend you hang onto the ammo if you still have (or anticipate having) a firearm that shoots that ammo. There is a reason people are buying ammo right now and it isn't because the manufacturers are making less - they aren't. I would give that some consideration.

I would also consider why you bought so much ammo in the first place and also the fact that while ammo cost has skyrocketed (2-3X), on the average, ammo won't get any less expensive. Sure, maybe the price will go back down (if Biden/Harris don't win the election which I would not bet on at this point).

I have sold ammo this year and made a profit, but then I turned around and bought better ammo (IMO) or a higher quantity to replace it - when I could, for the same cost or a little more (not really possible now).

Overall, I now have more ammo than months ago, and I won't be selling any even though I could make a profit. Even if I don't ever use it - and I hope I never have to use the SD ammo - I would rather have the ammo and not need it, than not have it and not be able to get any, even if I don't need it immediately.

hey thanks for your input. I really don't need the $. About a year ago my friend and I started doing hand loads for something to do. I was thinking about getting rid of some of the store bought stuff because now I have a ton. LOL.

 

[2thdrglock]

I think you need to immediately send me all your 9mm SD and 223/556 that you have...no point in letting it just sit there. I'll provide a good home

 

[1911coltguy]

myc,,

"...was limited to 1 box of ammo per day regardless of having spent over $2000 on firearms there"

Should he be given preferential treatment over those who've spent less or even none prior?

Asking for a friend.

I'm all cool with this being a free society and free marketplace, but come on man, at least give a guy buying a $700 9mm the opportunity to buy more than a single box of marked up retail S&B range ammo. But no, same thing happened when he bought his HellCat there and then his Beretta 92X, and was told their 9mm supply would not be replenished for months, so they wouldn't have any available after that day. At least give him the opportunity to buy 2 boxes at $35 each!

 

[CLT65]

My own personal rule of thumb for selling ammo is as follows. If I'm selling to a friend or family, then it's at a fair price regardless of these silly shortages. If I had a bunch to sell on a forum, I'd look around to see what stuff was actually selling for, and maybe price it just a little lower than maximum. That makes it easier to sell, and the buyer feels he got a little bit of a deal. If I price it too low, a scalper will snap it up and resell it for a profit. Don't let people guilt you into selling it cheap.

Sometimes I think people get too hung up on numbers, especially people who buy or sell stuff much. What you "have into it" isn't terribly relevant to what it's worth, and on the other hand, is getting that last couple dollars profit really that big of a deal?

I sold what little high-demand factory ammo I had to a friend a couple months ago, for pre-panic prices. I wouldn't have felt bad at all had I sold it for more to a stranger, but what I had wasn't really enough to bother with running around much trying to get top dollar for it. I have plenty of ammo for myself, but in many ways I'm glad it all my own reloads.

 

[The Heretic]

Consider that I am a prepper and that for some of my calibers, the current market value of the ammo I have stored for it is equal in value to the firearm. For others, the combo of the mags and the ammo are equal to the value of the firearms. That isn't too hard to do when 1K of ammo is a minimum and ball ammo is approaching $1/round while SD ammo is at or above $1 per round.

Also consider that I am prepping for three people - myself, my daughter and her husband. I now have 10K+ rounds of 5.7x28 for our first line defense weapons (PS90 and Five Sevens), but that is a little over 3K of ammo per person (maybe 500-1K rounds for the pistol, ~2-2.5K for the rifle). IMO, that is barely enough should the fecal matter hit the fan hard and in high quantities - but the 5.7x28 firearms are just PDWs (to be carried around on our persons, while outside doing chores, etc.), I have backups with more power, but less ammo for fighting from cover.

Also consider that while most of my neighbors have guns - most probably don't have as many as I do and I doubt any have as much ammo (maybe one, but they are probably moving to Montana in a year or so). Also, I know none of my siblings or their kids have more than one or two guns, and none have any stockpile of ammo - should I choose to allow a few of them to bug out to my BOL, then...

All that, and the ammo supply of 50K of ammo (the majority of it rimfire) starts to look pretty thin. I feel ok for supply the three of us with ammo, but just barely.

I used to think that the SHTF scenarios I prepped for were not very probable, but enough of a risk to prep for. Given what has happened so far this year I feel a bit less confident.

I realize others are just shooters and not preppers, but to those I urge them to look at what has happened to California with regards to guns and ammo. Then look at what Biden/Harris want to do with regards to both - which not only matches California, but extends it. Finally, don't be fooled - IMO, Trump is probably going to lose the election - best case he wins, but in 2024 the pendulum swings and the left wins big time.

In short, consider the long term ramifications. For most of us, you can never have too much ammo.

 

[1911coltguy]

Well stated. After seeing political cycles for the past 6+ decades, I can't remember a time as uncertain and as politically volatile as it is today...and it's getting more tense everyday. I have supplies to handload for my own use, enough stocked away for a rainy day, but if the real SHTF, charity goes out the window. Hooking up a neighbor during a power outage to my portable generator is one thing, forced to defend my home and loved ones has to be my first and foremost priority. I can't feel sorry for my young liberal trending neighbors who feel defunding law enforcement is the right thing to do when they're unarmed and unprepared to defend their lives and homes should SHTF.

 

[fstdraw]

My mother used to say," If you can't say something nice, don't say it!"
So I won't say much except that too many of us have been watching
the Walking Dead for too long.

 

[warnerwh]

Well "The Heretic" are you sure self defense ammo is selling at or above a thousand dollars a round?

 

[arakboss]

My advice is to post it a little at a time. You may see demand increase up to and possibly through the election. You wouldn't want to leave money on the table.

 

[The Heretic]

Well "The Heretic" are you sure self defense ammo is selling at or above a thousand dollars a round?

Typo - fixed - thanks

 

[arakboss]

Well "The Heretic" are you sure self defense ammo is selling at or above a thousand dollars a round?

I read a post here on NWFA saying primers were going for $200 per thousand. I thought that must be a typo?

 

[The Heretic]

My advice is to post it a little at a time. You may see demand increase up to and possibly through the election. You wouldn't want to leave money on the table.

There is that - but do you want to be dealing with multiple sales of $50-100 each time you sell ammo?

Each person is different, but personally I usually don't buy small quantities of ammo, the exception being if I am in the area for some other purpose.