Why Does Ammo Keep Getting More Expensive?
BY Herschel Smith
1 week, 6 days ago
The sky-high cost of ammunition during the Covid pandemic shortages have mercifully declined. While ammunition probably feels a lot more expensive than it used to, many prices really have dropped from the all-time, eye-popping peak during the ammo shortage in 2021 and 2022.
That’s the good news. The bad news, as most hunters and shooters have already noticed, is that ammo remains pricier than we’re used to paying. That’s for a few reasons. First, the price of raw materials to make ammunition have generally increased. We’re also several years into a global propellant shortage. While tariffs haven’t yet contributed to high prices for most American-made ammo, they’ve caused price spikes in some segments of the market.
The war in Ukraine has had an awful effect on powder availability and pricing. I don’t expect this to go away. Plan accordingly. Actually, I planned a long time ago.
On May 8, 2025 at 3:29 am, sykbill said:
Hi Herschel!!!!!,
“10-4!!!!!” And! of all the “Style, Class and Varieties” of ammo available… besides the venerable .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle is the tops .. the 230 grain .45 “Fat Boy!!!!” AND!!!! as you somewhere back when … well ..the first time I saw it was on our late friend Mike Vanderboegh’s Blog, “sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com” and the verse went…..
Herschel’s Dictum……..
“There aren’t too many human interaction problems
that can’t be fixed
with a .45ACP 230 Grain Fat Boy!!!!!”
Blue Skyz Buddy!!!,
audentes, Fortuna, Iuvat,
III%,
skybill
On May 8, 2025 at 5:17 am, Joe Blow said:
Yeah, inflation alone would explain expensive and hard to find, but then you factor in a 3-year war, the new administration trying to resupply the military, etc., etc.,… Primers are still the choke point, as there are only a few places that make them.
That being said, I just saw a sale this past weekend at Widners where quality 9mm (not white-box garbage) selling for 23-cents a lick, new brass cases. Steel case Wolf 9mm was as low as 21-cents per pull of the trigger.
Back when I stocked up on my reloading supplies pre-KungFlu, I was paying 11-cents to roll my own, 23-cents to buy Speer Lawman 124 grain round nose.
I don’t think ammo is very expensive at all right now, considering the gold and silver I bought at around the same time as that ammo is worth about 50% more than what I paid…
It’s not the ammo that’s getting expensive, it’s the dollar thats getting to be worth less.
On May 8, 2025 at 6:10 am, jrg said:
Yeah, when I was in my teens during the 70’s, ammunition was pretty much on the shelf and when had to be ordered, was there within the week. Our current selection is much broader than back then, but supplies (especially specialty defensive loads) are hard to find in stock. Good to have a buddy at store to call and let you know a new shipment of ammunition is coming in.
Joe Blow 5:17 makes a good point – our dollar just buys less due to overprinting of cash money. If the cost of food goes up, it makes sense that ammunition will also rise as well.
Then factor in gun stores which will price to cash into panic buyers. I recall during that recent panic, some stores sold a few FREE boxes to entice the buyer to buy the firearm. About 12 years ago, I bought a .410 single shot ‘barn gun’ (rough exterior) that was purchased for three boxes of currently priced ammunition. Price has not risen that much since then.
On May 8, 2025 at 1:11 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Not sure, but seem to recall that the Obama regime closed the last U.S. lead smelting plant. Lead for domestic use would thereafter have to be imported. Maybe someone else remembers the story better, but that would make ammo more expensive if lead had to be imported. And throw in the tariffs and there you go.
The point made above about inflation is right on the nose, too: The debasement of our currency has made everything pricier, not just ammunition. There are few forces more destructive to real-world economies than the combination of high debt and inflation.
On May 8, 2025 at 3:09 pm, scott s. said:
I bought a bunch of CMP 30-06 that’s sitting at a property we own in Fla. I could bring it back here to HI, but would have to do it 11 lbs at a time. It’s on Garand clips so I could buy some plastic boxes for (unlike here, seem to be readily available in Fla) but I’ve heard air carriers are all over the map on what is considered acceptable container for ammo. Don’t want to get to the airport and have some idiot at check in declare my ammo a no-go.
Guess I’ll just keep it in Fla in case I need to move my base of operations.
Remember the “good old days” when I could go to a gun show in Cali and pick up a can of 500 or 1000 9 mil 124s and grab and go. Or I had a bud with a nice progressive Dillon reloader where I could pull a couple hundred .44 special in an afternoon.
On May 8, 2025 at 9:31 pm, Ozark Redneck said:
South East Missouri has been a major (global) producer of lead since the early 1700s. Of the 5 lead mines left in the US, MO has two; Sweetwater Mine near Ellington, and Buick Mine near Bixby, both SE MO. The Buick area has a smelter. As mentioned there has been several serious efforts to shut these down, and the Sweetwater plant was shut down for a decade or so. They also mine Barium and Zinc, so they may remain open as long as these are needed for manufacturing. From what I read, Georgiaboy1 is correct the Obama goons closed the largest and only lead smelter in Herculaneum MO in 2013. According to a 2018 article the Buick facility has a smelter, but in not commercially run at that time. All the equipment remains there.
On May 9, 2025 at 4:32 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Ozark Redneck
You seem considerably better-informed on this issue than I am, so thanks for setting me straight.
And in the bargain, you taught me something new about Missouri. Thanks!
On May 9, 2025 at 5:26 pm, Dweezil said:
Eventually the Ukraine / Russia thingy will be over.. 7.62×39 and ’54 will be had at what will seem to be bargain prices.
On May 12, 2025 at 5:21 pm, X said:
It’s not just Ukraine, let’s not forget “God’s Chosen” blasting Arab children to smithereens. There is a global shortage of nitrocellulose.
It is also my understanding that NO extruded powders are manufactured in the U.S., only ball and flake powders. ALL extruded powders that I am aware of are imported.
(I have read that this is in part due to EPA regs that make manufacturing extruded powders difficult, but I am not an industrial chemist and don’t know any details other than that, which is hearsay, so take it for what its worth).
There are probably other factors, too. Hodgdon has a near-monopoly on powders. I think the only domestic brand it does not own is Alliant. CCI/Vista/Federal/Speer seems to be a near monopoly as well.