Ammo

[diegokid]

Anyone tried to buy 50BMG or 308 bulk ammo lately?
:mad:

[pbrown]

Not lately. What's up? Prices? Availability?

[robbinsshkr]

Not lately. What's up? Prices? Availability?
My dad went to get some ammo for a 300 winn yesterday and they had gone up to $70.00 for a box of 20. I have a Remington 300 ultramag, hate to see what they've gone up to. Obama related????I wouldn't think so this quick, but something has sure caused the prices of ammo to skyrocket.
I heard someone mention they heard ammo was supposed to go up 50% to 80% in the near future!
Eddie:confused:

[pbrown]

It's time to buy a reloader if you don't have one already. Dillon is your friend. Back when I was competing, I couldn't aford to shoot if I didn't load them myself. I have a 550B with all the gadgets.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/

[robbinsshkr]

I haven't reloaded anything other than shot gun shells years ago for skeet shooting. most of the factory ammo is very good right out of the box, but doing your own reloading is more precise and definetely more economical.
Eddie

[Slither]

Obama related????I wouldn't think so this quick.
Eddie:confused:

It might be just speculation/reaction on what he could be planning to do when he takes office:confused:. I do not shoot and I'm not into guns, but I sure don't want anymore limits on owning firearms.

[eliminator]

Just bought some 6.5 Grendel (500 rounds) and all the dies, brass, powder, and bullets to reload the Grendel. Not any higher than normal. I handload 95% of mine anyway. From now until March is a great time to crank it out when we have those cold days with rain and snow. I have a good friend with a major gun distributor, they get in $50,000 hit's of LC 5.56 (223) and sell it in 1,000 round quanities, if it comes in on Monday they are out by Wednesday....big demand. Black Rifle sales are through the roof and pistol sales are strong.

[scott h]

Yeah that's it ,Obama did it. He ruined the economy and created inflation in all sectors. Also, alot of hunting round are now lead free by law! and quite a bit more expensive. not because Obama did it.

[will butterworth]

situation here in alabama, ammo-out of sight, guns too. Gun shop said he was selling 7-8 ar015s per day.Zach and Cy went to gun show in birmingham week or so ago and folks were buying ar-15 as fast as they could hand them out. One fellow bought 125 rd. barrel clip for ar-15 for 450 bucks.Was a black guy.Cy has own loading equipment now. Showed me some casings looked like about old m-1 were 75 bucks for just a few.Has been going on for several months, Cy told us months ago , he shoots a lot.Will hug my elephant--democrats can kiss their a$$. Will-alabama

[JeepSnake]

As De said, AR rifles are in high demand, as well as pistols of all varieties.

Ammo prices just depend on what you're shooting. The guys here at work shooting mil-surplus ammo from overseas are raising cain, as those prices have nearly doubled in some cases on 7.62 x 39 and 7.62 x 54R. Bulk mil-surp .308 and .223 have gone up, but not as much as the Eastern Bloc cartridges from what these guys say.

Now, on non-military-surplus cartridges, prices are as good as they've been in the last 15 - 20 years. I paid the lowest prices I've ever paid on a per-cartridge basis last week for 9mm Luger jacketed hollow points and .223 jacketed hollow points; both of these were UMC (Remington) brand at Wally World. I just checked .30-06 online at Bass Pro Shops, and prices for both Remington hunting rounds (hollow point & soft point) and UMC FMJ ball ammo are within just a dollar or two of what they cost in the early '90s when I last bought .30-06 cartridges.

I never dreamed when we were studying "Beowulf" in literature that there'd ever be a rifle cartridge named after one of the characters! :D

[robbinsshkr]

Maybe a few of the ammo manufacturer's figured it was their turn to post some record profits for a while? At least with ammo we are left with other alternatives that we were not given with the fuel. I don't know squat about politics, but I imagine that the fuel and ammo are just the beginning of all sort of increases. Look at milk, I seen it for almost 5 bucks a gallon the other day. I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers and usually keep my opinions to my self, but I'm in the trucking industry and feel we were the first, hardest hit and left with no other choice but to pay the recent high fuel prices. Adding a fuel surcharge caused us to lose customers to competition, but then again, they were among the 1500 plus trucking companies that have closed their doors thusfar in 2008. I guess any of us, if given the oppertunity would raise our prices in order to increase our profit margins if the demand was great enough. I would imagine that luxery type items [boats, RV's, Cobra manufactures, etc] have also noticed a decline in sales, but again, this is just speculation on my part as the only business I know for sure is trucking, and it sucks right now.

[TurnpikeBoy]

His influence so far is fear. Not necessarily unfounded, given his history regardng firearms in general, but ammo has been on the upswing for at least the past two years.

I used to buy lead shot for $11.50/25 lb. bag....last year at this time it was $50, and got to a max of $53/25 lb. bag. There has been some retreat from the highs, and are currently selling (around these parts) for $40 - $43 per 25 lb. bag. Speculation was that the Chinese were largely to blame, as they were importing all manner of commodities with special interest in steel, iron, lead, etc. Steel prices a year ago were astonishing - we had to provide adjustments to bigger contracts to allow for a weekly-increasing cost basis.

As to .223 - the demand here has been high for the past two years also, which of course has caused the prices to rise correspondingly. Three years ago 1K of LC was around $150 - now up in the $450 range. The cheapest of 'em all - Wolf - used to be $90/1K, now $250. Again, it was worldwide demand for materials that drove the prices up. Even the surplus stuff has shot up - last 7.62x39 I bought was $85/1K, which now runs into the $190/1K range. Meh...it happens. Would be nice if prices truly started sinking the way my 401(K) did :( .

The run on all manner of AK's and AR's right now is consistent with Clinton's ban on them back in 1994, which is what all are afraid Obama will do (since he's on record to do so). I'm with Pat - reloading is the way. Dillon is great stuff, will last you a lifetime too. Buy up a bunch of components, spend the cold cruel winter months in the basement and crank yourself out a ton of stock.

BTW, Pat, I'm a tightwad and have been using Lee stuff for the past 20+ years for all my brass loading needs. Still have the same Lee turret press after all that time - I like the self-indexing it provides. Shotshells get done on a MEC 9000G progressive, so sadly a whole lot less time gets spent loading these ;). Seriously, anybody's equipment these days is a quantum leap past what they used to be like, and the costs for equipment is usually paid off within a year or two, depending on how much/what you shoot. Get what you like the best, 'cause you're gonna have it for a while.


-Roger

[spd4me]

Somebody told me if you want a pistol permit, get it now. The new administration may put a freeze on issuing new ones.
Bob

[diegokid]

I reload and cast my pistol bullets in 40 S&W and 45 ACP for pratical shooting. Average 1200 rounds of pistol and about 400 - 500 308 or 223 rounds depending on where I shoot. All prices are up around here. Last time I bought primers I paid $75.00 a case, (5000) now they are about $130.00 plus the hazmat fees if you mail order them. Looks like I may check in to casting rifle bullets as well.

[TurnpikeBoy]

Somebody told me if you want a pistol permit, get it now. The new administration may put a freeze on issuing new ones.
Bob

Carry permit, right? - this is up to the individual state. Feds don't dictate here. All of 'em vary some, but all will do some background checking before they issue. New Jersey (and a few others) requires a permit to simply purchase a handgun, which is why I spec'ed carry permit.

I'd worry more about the new administration putting new firearms bans in effect than much of anything else. The 500% tax on ammo is probably hugely favored, but not too likely to ever see the light of day. Some increase, yeah, but not 500%. Buying stuff now is sure to have an increased price due to current demand, but better to have it and not need it.....

My local FFL has a great business, very friendly and knowledgeable, well-respected by local BATFE. Usually he sells between 300 - 500 pieces a month; last month was nearly 1100 and this month is on its' way to exceeding that. Demand is there right now, for sure.

[Naumoff]

It is funny to see people running to buy assault style weapons in fear of a band.
If the poop hits the fan and all hell breaks loose you will be able to pick up guns and ammo off the streets of the battle fields.

[eliminator]

I have known this for years, about one year after starting my car.:)

All the Cobra Folks are into guns and many into reloading....hugging your guns and carrying your bibles.

And I also have a feeling there are not a lot of loyal Cobra guys and gals out there that are Liberals!!![thumb]

Yep, I remember ole Grendel, for some reason I liked that part of English Lit.

[TurnpikeBoy]

It is funny to see people running to buy assault style weapons in fear of a band.
If the poop hits the fan and all hell breaks loose you will be able to pick up guns and ammo off the streets of the battle fields.


Assuming, of course, that - for lack of having one - you won't get shot first....... ;)

[Slither]

It is funny to see people running to buy assault style weapons in fear of a ban.
If the poop hits the fan and all hell breaks loose you will be able to pick up guns and ammo off the streets of the battle fields.

And I suppose that you'll haul this off in ole number 8??? ;)

You know... to make a fast getaway and all [thumb]

[Naumoff]

Assuming, of course, that - for lack of having one - you won't get shot first....... ;)

I have something to defend my home. If I need to go out and get something with more fire power I can use it to aquire that. :D

Yeah Paul, I can bee like Charlston Heston in the Omega Man.:p

[JeepSnake]

Alright, y'all have convinced me. I'm going to have to get a gun rack to mount to the roll bar on the Cobra. :D

[diegokid]

The pistol is easier to mount. The 1911 is almost 100 years old and still around. I'm thinking that means ole John got it right a long time ago.

:cool:

[TurnpikeBoy]

Alright, y'all have convinced me. I'm going to have to get a gun rack to mount to the roll bar on the Cobra. :D

Nah... hinge the front parking lites and mount up a coupla subguns behind 'em, ala James Bond. ;)

[pbrown]

The 1911 is great but it wasn't perfect. The ejection port was barely big enough for a spent .45 case. That makes clearing a jam not very fun. A good gunsmith can do wonders with it. I have a beautiful Colt Combat Commander that has had a lot of work done and it is a joy to shoot.

[TurnpikeBoy]

In truth, the biggest problem with the (military) 1911 was the damn sights. Even good young eyes had woes finding that stupid front sight.

Stovepipe jams are good indicators of recoil spring needs.

[pbrown]

Stovepipe jams are good indicators of recoil spring needs.

We used to really push this design to the limit. I used to be able to put four shots on target with a reload in the middle in just over 1 1/2 seconds. And that was drawn from the holster. Of course that was with my race gun. It's a Caspian 38 super wide body but based on the 1911 design. There's nothing like running a course with 18 rounds in the clip and four more on the belt [thumb].

[TurnpikeBoy]

Pat, either you're not married or have a wonderful wife......Caspian makes very, very fine stuff.

My first 45ACP came out of a hock shop in Denver in 1970 - $25. It looked like it had rolled around in the bilge of a ship for some time, and the barrel was almost as smooth as a shotgun's. Built in 1918, serial #417xxx, and works just fine to this day ;) Of course, it's so loose that it's a challenge to hit the broad side of a barn at 50', but I love it still....except for those damn sights.

The jump in quality stuff in the past 10 or 12 years is amazing.

[pbrown]

I am married and my wife isn't a gun fan. Won't even pick one up.

I might have to take the Caspian to the indoor range this weekend now that I'm thinking about it.

[Jerry Cowing]

How sad this Texas girl had the incroachment on her second
amendment rights so graphically illustrated. I see the honorable senator
from New York was getting a little uncomfortable in his chair.
The gun banners are absolutely speechless as this little Texas
gal chews them up and spits them out. She knows what the 2nd amendment
is really all about.
Watch it. You will be glad you did. And pass it along.
Here's a video that I guarantee you won't forget anytime soon!!
She didn't cry, although she came close to losing it, and she gave those
a reality check they dearly needed.........

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4069761537893819675

[diegokid]

The STI and Caspian are both great examples of what the 1911 can be. My favorite though is a Briley Commander size a friend of mine won at the Texas State matches a few years back. He gave it to me for a retirement gift, best "thing" I ever had as a gift.

Yep I shoot it!

[JeepSnake]

I'm thinking that means ole John got it right a long time ago.

:cool:

If you've never been to the John Browning Museum, put it on your "TO DO" list. I guess that it's still located in the old Ogden, Utah, rail depot. His handmade prototypes and/or proof-of-concept models are absolutely amazing to look at up close & personal. Then remember that for every model produced, he had a couple more patents for concepts that were never put into full production.

I'd love to have a functioning replica of his Colt Potato Digger, just because the mechanism was so doggone unique.

Though I love the 1911, I have to say that I really love the Hi-Power. It would have been great if ol' John Moses had lived to see it all the way to fruition.