Why Does Ammo Keep Getting More Expensive?
BY Herschel Smith
7 hours, 46 minutes 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.