Ammo prices "back in the day"

[DRob]

Long ago and far away

About 2001 I went prairie dog shooting for the first time. The guide was in Martin, SD. He picked up a case (1K rounds) of "remanufactured Black Hills .223 55 gr SP cosmetic seconds" for me in Rapid City. Cost me a whopping $125. The brass would cost at least that much today.

 

[BogWalker]

Is an increase in raw materials prices to blame? I do scrap metal work as a part time job, and it is hmm, lucrative, to say the least.

Cheapest ammo I've ever known is 16 cents a round 7.62x54 so these prices don't bother me so much. I've never been able to afford to shoot!

 

[match14]

I'd say the recent price hikes are due to panic buying and hoarding.
But I seem to remember ammo prices started going up quite a bit in the 2006-7 year range. That was mostly due to the increase in metal prices.
Scrappers were stealing people's AC units and all sorts of other stuff to trade in "scrap" metal, as far as I know this is still happening.

 

[DEstes001]

Do you guys remember about 15 years back when Bradis was selling SKS's for about $45 a piece, but you had to pick through them to find a good one? Then you could buy the wooden cases of 7.62x39 full of 20 round boxes that were going for a dollar a box? Still have tons of that sutff and it never gets old shooting the SKS.

 

[Sniper 79]

I'd say the recent price hikes are due to panic buying and hoarding.
But I seem to remember ammo prices started going up quite a bit in the 2006-7 year range. That was mostly due to the increase in metal prices.
Scrappers were stealing people's AC units and all sorts of other stuff to trade in "scrap" metal, as far as I know this is still happening.

You are about right on the year and reasoning I think. I was shooting about three or four times a week up until then.

They just caught a guy in our hood stealing peoples gas grills for scrap. Especially the stainless ones. I stuck mine in the garage and anything else that looked like it may be a traget.

I used to find old motorcycles and mowers around and fix them up and resell them. All the scrappers have all the areas cleaned up.Those days are gone and so are the days of careless blasting out at the farm.

 

[LarryC]

Well, when I was a kid, I could buy Winchester Super X 22 LR hollow points for $.01 at the local Co-op elevator in my small town, I think the 50 round box was $.39. (1954 - 1955). Bought a few thousand rounds of 7.62 X 39 in the 80's for $99/case (think it was around 1200 rounds). Course needed it for the $89 SKS I bought in the box with all the extras. Bought 7.62 X 54R just a few years ago for less than $60 / 440 rd in spam can.

 

[500 mag]

Just think what ammo will be in the next four to five years. We might be paying 30 dollars a box for 115g 9mm.

 

[djl02]

I paid 140 per k of 5.56 when I bought my first Ar. Cant remember the year, but it was about 16 years ago. Last time I bought some it was 299.00 per k. I refuse to pay these out rageous prices. But I dont have any place to shoot like I use to. I mainy just shoot my muzzleloader these days ,beings ,thats what I use for deer hunting.
Cant believe in this county, theres not a shooting range.

 

[Darral27]

This thread got me thinking so I had to take a look. 253.87 for a brand new Colt gov't series 70 in 1979. Purchased in Van Nuys, Ca. I took this gun on a trade about 6 months ago and it still had the original receipt. That price does include Tax.

 

[BogWalker]

We do need to take into account the fact our currency has halved in value in the last 20 years.

 

[Icarry2]

We do need to take into account the fact our currency has halved in value in the last 20 years.

Good point..

I found a box of old box of 410 shot shells that had a price sticker of $2.19 on it and an old box of 16 gauge bird shot priced $2.99.. I am not that old I guess... lol

TJ

 

[c604]

I purchased a colt 9mm ar15 and 4000 rounds of winchester 124gr fmj ammo for $1200 around 1997. 9mm ar's are like overgrown ruger 10/22's, cheap, fun, and great to train new shooters on ar platforms. I will never sell it.