I’m relatively inexperienced with firearms, but have noticed that the price off ammo has fluctuated greatly over the last 1.5 or so years. For example, where I am, a 50 count box of 9mm has nearly halved in price from ~$20 to ~$12.

Is this due to COVID or is this sort of thing typical of the industry? Thanks in advance.

  • @tal
    2•9 months ago

    I’m not the best person to ask, but I recall several years back there being an ammunition availability crunch and prices rising.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008–2016_United_States_ammunition_shortage

    The 2008–2016 United States ammunition shortage was a shortage of civilian small arms ammunition in the United States that started in late 2008, and continued through most or all of 2010, with an additional shortage beginning in December 2012 and continuing throughout 2013.

    The 2008 election of President Barack Obama triggered increased sales of both firearms and ammunition. USA Today reported that in Wyoming, the “run on bullets and reloading components” reached such a “frenzy” that a Cheyenne retailer began rationing sales and said she was also selling semiautomatic rifles as fast as she could put them on the shelves.

    In December 2012, a new wave of panic buying was driven by the perceived likelihood of new firearm control laws being passed by Congress and state governments in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. This led to a severe shortage of ammunition for most handgun calibers and some rifle calibers, especially the previously easy-to-find and cheaply priced .22 LR.

    By August 2013, the rate of consumer purchases of most types of ammunition was receding, but prices continued to be above those found before December 2012 and ammunition for some calibers continued to be difficult to procure.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–present_United_States_ammunition_shortage

    The 2020–present United States ammunition shortage is the most recent of all the ammunition shortages in the United States. It arose out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2020 United States presidential election, and the George Floyd protests. The lack of sufficient ammunition for consumers in the United States is to some extent ongoing.