Clays ammo

I had to take a buddy out of town for a Drs appt yesterday. Did some ammo shopping. Small amounts of 12 for $8.99. 20’s $100 a case. One guy I buy from when he has it, said the price has actually come down a little this spring. But shipping cost are offsetting the drop. He went to make a gun safe order. Shipping was up $200 per safe. He mostly carries lower to mid-grade safes. He chose not to order them, as he felt they wouldn’t sell. Shipping added $4 abox to the rabbit targets for our small gun club. And they are still sitting on a ship off the coast. With Sterling, Cleaver and all the shells coming from overseas and Rem and Federal ramping up. Now that big and small game, h2o fowl seasons wrapping up, hopefully they will focus on target loads. Shelves in the centerfire and pistol ammo case looked like they were about to collapse they were packed so full. When I joked with the sales guy, he said one actually was bent.

Good post and discussion, interesting to see what people are seeing out there.

I agree, from what I’ve seen, the ammo supply is coming back. And the prices have gone up, which most everyone expected given the price of virtually everything used to make ammo has gone up. Lead, copper, etc.

From what I’ve seen on store shelves and online, we’re now in a position where you can at least find most ammo. IF, of course, you’re willing to pay whatever the seller cares to charge. The exceptions are still there and there is not a lot of variety in brand, bullet weight, or other variations. It’s basically if the cartridge fits, you’d better get it.

Prices may slide back a little as supplies increase and competitive prices have to be maintained. Shipping will eventually come down a bit as well. But overall, I’m going to guess prices will be up 15-25% overall compared to prices before the panic.

It would be nice if we could avoid hoarding and then back-sliding into another panic. If you really need it and are going to shoot it, fine. But don’t go out there and buy 20 boxes of the deer ammo you shoot 1 box of every other year. We’re basically our own worst enemy on this, I wonder what % of the ammo sold in the last 3 years is still sitting on shelves and won’t be shot for years or decades to come.

I guess I am very happy I hoarded waterfowl cases because it salvaged mine and a few buddies seasons. And I’m glad the rest of the ammo I have was bought very cheap. I’m glad I bought 1000 rounds of 9 .38.45.380.10mm when I could get it delivered for 130 bucks. Now all that is well over 500 to 800 bucks.
But I shoot alot. Or I did before all this happened.
I guess I’m not sure what you consider hoarding. Is it 1 case or 10 cases. Because I bet most of us have plenty more then we are going to shoot in a season. And I will still grab a few boxes of randoms here and there

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Good post and discussion, interesting to see what people are seeing out there.

I agree, from what I’ve seen, the ammo supply is coming back. And the prices have gone up, which most everyone expected given the price of virtually everything used to make ammo has gone up. Lead, copper, etc.

From what I’ve seen on store shelves and online, we’re now in a position where you can at least find most ammo. IF, of course, you’re willing to pay whatever the seller cares to charge. The exceptions are still there and there is not a lot of variety in brand, bullet weight, or other variations. It’s basically if the cartridge fits, you’d better get it.

Prices may slide back a little as supplies increase and competitive prices have to be maintained. Shipping will eventually come down a bit as well. But overall, I’m going to guess prices will be up 15-25% overall compared to prices before the panic.

It would be nice if we could avoid hoarding and then back-sliding into another panic. If you really need it and are going to shoot it, fine. But don’t go out there and buy 20 boxes of the deer ammo you shoot 1 box of every other year. We’re basically our own worst enemy on this, I wonder what % of the ammo sold in the last 3 years is still sitting on shelves and won’t be shot for years or decades to come.

I’ll wager well over 90% of the ammunition purchased in the last few years hasn’t been shot. I’d also bet 90% of the firearms purchased in the last 3 years haven’t been shot.

I shoot maybe once a month if I get an hour here or there to go to the range 3 miles away. An “outing” for me is probably a 50 round box of 9mm, .380, .45. and maybe 10 rifle shots of whatever caliber I toss in the truck. I probably keep ~1000 rounds of most popular ammunition on-hand from bulk buying when cheap. I’ve avoided the chaos panic buys this way over the years.

I’ve got an in-law who I have known for 10 years and am around multiple times per week. He owns just under 300 firearms spread between 3 gun safes and a walk-in gun room with filled racks on all walls. I’ve seen him shoot exactly one shot in that time dropping a coyote in a field off his deck. He has 2 safes that are ammunition only, but have never seen them open. I can only imagine he’s got enough in there to last multiple generations of shooters. When I asked him how much ammunition he has, he just smiles and responds “enough.” I’m not sure he’s part of the problem considering he buys cheap and sits on it. He admitted the other day to his son that he hadn’t bought ammunition in over 2 years due to crazy prices.

Absolutely nothing wrong with collectors like that.

My family and I used to go shoot on the weekends all the time. But now that prices are way high we don’t do it as often. I wish we had hoarded more when prices we low. Next time we will know.

Good news. The 8 or 10 million new shooters the shortage is partially blamed on. Hopefully bought a gun and some ammo. If they don’t shoot. They should be removed from the equation. What I see at gun clubs and ranges. The number of actual shooters in shrinking every year. Maybe with the “Urban Shooter” being the exception. 9mm is down to $16. With some targets, a pretty reasonable day of shooting. I have a reserve of 9 and 223 for the day they get the $5 a bullet tax. The 13 or 14 cases of 20 ga. I started last year with is down below 3 cases. Only because I went for 2 days a week to one. Wish I would have invested my retirement in 9mm 5 years ago when I retired and sold it a year and a half ago. I’d be living large about right now.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I guess I’m not sure what you consider hoarding.

It’s not hoarding if you’re shooting it or reasonably expect to shoot it. The problem is like we saw in the last ammo shortage where people who didn’t shoot much (if at all) and yet had hoarded hundreds of thousands of rounds of .22 LR. It’s never going to be the guy who just shoots that is the problem, it’s the people jumping in and all at once buying hundreds of times more ammo than they will ever shoot that are the problem because no supply chain is ever going to be set up to handle that.

People that hoarded 9mm at $40 or $60 a box. Have to be rethinking the decision. Now that you can buy all you want for $16 to $20

stevenoak wrote:

People that hoarded 9mm at $40 or $60 a box. Have to be rethinking the decision. Now that you can buy all you want for $16 to $20

I thought the same thing. I thought that when I would get a 1000 rounds delivered to my house for 160 bucks. Must hurt at 30 for 50

Clay target ammo is readily available on-line this spring at price points about 30% less than last spring. Still higher than historical.

I buy by the flat on-line when I see what I like to shoot.

i agree with you

If you are in your mid 30’s or older, so-called hoarding isn’t the problem to you not having enough ammo now, in fact you are your own problem for not being smart enough to make sure you weren’t faced with a shortage of ammo ever again when ammo was plentiful and cheap. Also, as to hoarding having any effect on ammo prices now, possibly on a select few types of ammo, but for the most part, zero effect at this time as stores are loaded up with most types of ammo now. The issue now actually is that the sellers and middleman have gotten used to these high prices, and ammo producers are paying very high prices for their components. Also increased shipping costs, but I seriously doubt that shipping has increases of $4 a box on shot shells. Reloading components are still in very short supply, and as to primers, may possibly be due to hoarding.

With big game, upland, waterfowl and other seasons in the mirror. Clays ammo should become a priority. Although till we return to a more sensible energy policy. Shipping will play into the prices.

Musky Ed wrote:

but for the most part, zero effect at this time as stores are loaded up with most types of ammo now.

What stores are you shopping at? I need to go there…

Availability is better in that if you want caliber X you can probably find something in that caliber but with all the different brands and variations that should be available there is very little choice.

Reef W wrote:

What stores are you shopping at? I need to go there…

Availability is better in that if you want caliber X you can probably find something in that caliber but with all the different brands and variations that should be available there is very little choice.

I agree there is more ammo available now, but there are still holes in what is available. I have been searching for .243 ammo and striking out. I have found 270 and 30.06 and bought 2 boxes of each. Target/clay loads pricing are ridiculous. I just paid $14 a box. Woof.

Peak season on clay target ammo is now. HS leagues across the country are ongoing. Demand for clay target ammo must be at an all time high.

Again, do not fear buying a flat (10 boxes) on line.

Our HS trap team’s allocation of 20 gauge ammo fron the MN HS Clay Target Assn’s direct buy program showed up yesterday. The 12 gauge ammo was delivered in March, but supply of 20 was limited.

So I’ve got 5 cases of ammo that should see my budding Top Gun through his first season.

A huge thank you to Federal Cartridge, Winchester and the other ammo makers who participate in this program. It’s the only way most youth teams are able to keep shooting, our team is 55 kids so every practice and comp burns up 11-12 flats of ammo.

The ammo situation is getting better slowly. Last week Fleet and Cabela’s both had more ammo in stock than I’ve seen on their shelves in the past 20 months.

My son shot his first 25 for 25 last week. Previous week he had a 24 for 24 but choked on the last one. He was so excited to finally get it. He qualified for Nationals last year as a Freshman, but we were already scheduled to be on vacation in Texas so it didnt work. Hopefully he qualifies this year and the timing works out. Would be a blast. With how windy its been I am really impressed by how well he has been doing.

Congrats to your son on his 25. I love how excited youngsters get when they run em straight. Keep him shooting, something he can enjoy throughout live. Hope he gets many more 25’s.

thats awesome. Congrats FirstmateMusky Jr.

Yeah I’m about as proud of it as he is. Lots of season left too to keep improving. I did take him to shoot pigeons last weekend to “show him how it’s done” and the first one that came out i dropped before he even had his gun up. He looked at me with a shocked look and then a huge smile.