In the shooting world the buzz is all about the upcoming price hikes for ammo everyone is warning us about. It looks like it is a real deal, I got this email from a wholesale ammunition distributor we have an account with:
Impending price hike! THIS IS NOT A SCARE TACTIC. I am just relaying what I have heard from direct conversations with manufacturers. Feel free to verify online; it’s making headlines. Major ammo manufacturers like Vista (Federal/CCI/Speer/Remington) and Ammo Inc have notified about a ‘significant’ price surge in January 2024. Yesterday, Winchester and Federal informed us that the cost of 9mm will spike by about $20 per 1000 rounds starting Jan 1st, 2024. This price increase will go from manufacturer to distributor to dealer and retail. In the meantime, we have our prices as low as we have had them in a LONG time. Our 556 and 223 are moving extremely fast at the price we are currently charging. This won’t last long. As soon as people stock up this price will fluctuate. Manufacturers highlight a shortage of nitrocellulose, crucial for gunpowder production, diverted to military artillery shell production in conflict zones, causing the impending scarcity. While exact numbers aren’t confirmed, expect a 5% to 10% hike overall, varying by product. We also hear from the factory that it will most likely lead to shortages in large rifle calibers like 30-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, 300 Win Mag, 7mm Mag, PRC calibers, 338 Lapua, 50 BMG, etc, etc due to a large amount of powder needed to load those larger rounds and the factory using that powder to load more rounds of smaller calibers instead. This price surge won’t unfold overnight; expect a lag of 2 to 6 weeks before noticeable price changes, longer for large calibers’ shortages. 2024 pricing released soon, clarifying the extent of the impact, but brace for quicker and more drastic changes in 9mm due to high demand and prior factory deals lowering its price significantly.
At a minimum, prices have already climbed back from the brief dip we saw in late summer before the Hamas attack on Israel, but really it does seem like we are in for a sustained price increase coupled with sketchy availability on some common hunting calibers. I am pretty glad I have a good supply of 6.5 Creedmoor on hand as well as 9mm and 5.56mm. Do with this information what you will, I wouldn’t panic buy and overpay but if you need ammo, you are going to have to pony up more cash than just a few months ago.
It looks like fifty cents per round 5.56/.223 is here for the duration. Don’t stop shooting but just be on the lookout for any good deals.
Found some awesome deals at rural Pineland Home and Harvest, hopefully it isn’t some going out of business sale.
Gas jumped up fifty cents in one day after the Commierado Kabuki with Donbo the Barker.
Found it for .50cents cheaper than everyone else on interstate and stopped in twice.
Saw a tweet capture of the only cure for communism…fascism.
The trains and helicopters run on time in this system with no derailments or parachutes.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see the feral government “Nationalize” all Ammunition Manufacturing for the “Duration of the Emergency”. Not because the FUSSA Military, jewish Ukronazis in the ‘Kraine, and Genocidal jews in Palestine need Small Arms Ammo; but it would make a convenient ‘Cover’ for Banning Commercial Sales of Ammo.
LOL “Remember that $2.3T we couldn’t account for on September 10th, 2001? Yeeeaahhh, it’s more than double that now, and OH YEAH we can’t find all that ammo the taxpayers have been paying for with that missing money…”
Thanks for the confirmation. Wish we had bought more over the summer but we already have what my husband considers sufficient for now (and yes, I know one can never truly have ‘enough’).
.22 cal kits for rifle and pistol to train often and affordably. I run one one a G22 frame, it runs very well. Been using them for years. During the Clinton years in the military our budgets were so bad we started using .22 adapter kits to qualify personnel on their M-16’s. Sometimes we would have to buy the ammo ourselves.
I also have a Smith&Wesson MP22. I have over 2,000 rds through it and have only cleaned it once, i want to see how far i can push this thing. Other than normal .22 ammo issues here and there, it runs like a Chevy. You can pick one up for less than a case of 5.56. Just some hamburger helper.
Yikes! Thoughts on new entrants into production, or are the fixed costs too high?
Ammunition manufacturers are not immune from the same 15%+ inflation that has affected everyone else over the past year. Most of the US production is now housed in only three conglomerates and they aren’t dumb enough to start a price war when demand is still plenty high so price increases in line with inflation will continue until demand comes down.
It sounded like the limiting factor is powder production.
“Manufacturers highlight a shortage of nitrocellulose, crucial for gunpowder production, diverted to military artillery shell production in conflict zones…”
Detroit? I’d be fine with them shelling Chicago too.