Ammo cost comparison by caliber

[krashmania]

Originally Posted by BigMBobbyOP

great post!

What i've found was that the shipping costs outweigh the wal mart discount plus 6% sales tax. Overall, its cheaper at wal mart for .22, 9mm, .45 acp, and .233 (only things i've researched)

The only thing i've found not cheaper at wal mart is Winchester 147 gr JHPs. They are actually cheaper to buy online + shipping than at wally world.

Depends on where you look. I found 9mm for about an average of 17c a round online with free shipping over 99 dollars. Cheapest I've found at wally world was tula for about 8c plus tax.

Slick guns.com is my friend.

[JnstemIII]

Originally Posted by rsilvers

300 AAC BLACKOUT UMC is $12.99 MSRP per box of 20.

The cheapest i found was 18.00 a box of twenty. Where did you find it for 12.99?

[krashmania]

Originally Posted by Minuteman

Thanks. You are the first person to suggest my time was worth while. I really did it for myself, for the reasons I stated. I'm already using this list and have decided to stick with just a few calibers. There are deals to be found, and many other factors to consider (like steel cases vs. brass, corrosive vs. non-corrosive, weight of bullet, powder/primer used, manufacturer, etc.) but my goal was to show some raw numbers so anyone could take a quick glance and have a good idea of what typical ammo by caliber might cost.

.22LR is obviously best overall value, that should be a lesson for everyone.

Sorry, didn't mean to seem ungrateful. I really appreciate the work. I browse frequently, do I know what my stuff usually runs, but for my friends looking to start shooting, this is a really good way to illustrate the cost differences for caliber.

[Minuteman]

Originally Posted by krashmania

...for my friends looking to start shooting, this is a really good way to illustrate the cost differences for caliber.

Me too, and thanks. I guess the bad thing for me is that I'm now shying away from considering a 7.62x39.

How's that new pistol of yours working out?

[mbz300sdl]

Originally Posted by Minuteman

.22LR is obviously best overall value, that should be a lesson for everyone.

That's why I love me some .22s

[krashmania]

Originally Posted by Minuteman

Me too, and thanks. I guess the bad thing for me is that I'm now shying away from considering a 7.62x39.

How's that new pistol of yours working out?

Fantastic! Thanks for asking, I do love shooting cheap 9mm and 22 out of the same gun.

[El_flasko]

Originally Posted by mbz300sdl

That's why I love me some .22s

Agreed. I find myself shooting it almost exclusively lately. I think my little guys are going to be ready next year (at least one of them), so I'm stocking up

[Redcobra]

I don't know how you got that 12ga price. I pay max $5.49/25 that's 23cents each and often find 12ga at 4.99/25. 20ga is the same price as 12ga. 16ga, 28ga, .410 are more.

[Minuteman]

Originally Posted by Redcobra

I don't know how you got that 12ga price. I pay max $5.49/25 that's 23cents each and often find 12ga at 4.99/25. 20ga is the same price as 12ga. 16ga, 28ga, .410 are more.

Thanks. I know what you mean, that's what I buy most too, because I use it for Trap and for 3 Gun shoots. I didn't list cheapest prices I found, I listed median prices from online ammo dealers to normal folks. There must be a lot of HD rounds that inflate to median price a bit. That's good stuff though

For more information on Price Comparison Websites visit our website "AltiusCompare.com".

Price Comparison Websites

[DCSCO]

Information is power, thank you. I am not that sophisticated a buyer of ammo. I buy bulk cheap ball for practice and a premium round for the firearm's perceived duty.

[atom33]

Ellicott City Wally World 9mm wwb 100 rnd $22.99 today, plus the 6% for big brother (until he shakes us down for more).

That's $0.24 per round out the door.

[Minuteman]

Ok, I decided to re-run the same drill that I did a year ago. I wanted to see for myself if using the same basic process (eliminating the odd rounds (like blanks and super exotics) finding the median price per round (not including shipping or tax) and using the www.gun-deals.com website, what would be the change. [see chart below for results]. I also took a look at ammo-engine, slickguns, and ammunition-to-go, and others. Price per round reflected is highly dependent on what is available at the moment of the survey; so take this data as is - a gross approximation. Your findings will vary. I'm just comparing apples to apples; using my very un-scientific method from 2011 and repeating it in 2012.

Here are some of my general conclusions.

- To find the best deals you really need to look at several sites.
- Cheapest price per round is not usually the best deal.
- Best deals are usually sale prices from dealers you already know and trust.
- Shipping cost is a significant factor, finding an online dealer nearer your home can save a lot.
- Your local Walmart will often beat on-line prices, even though you have to pay sales tax; but selection is greatly limited.
- BassPro and the like offer much better selection but are typically a little higher than Walmart and online bulk (500-1K) purchases.
- If you make a genuine 'bulk purchase' 5k+, you can get special rates even lower than those advertised, but you will have to call the dealer to inquire.
- Some on-line dealers cater more to the plinker, others to high-end defensive rounds.
- Because I basically just grabbed the 'middle' (median) price per round; there are some significant fluctuations; this data is just a quick snap-shot of the popular spectrum of ammo available.
- Generally I noticed only a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo I examined.
- Some ammo types seemed to go down slightly in price (i.e 357MAG and 300AAC BLKOUT).
- Some ammo types got more scarce (i.e. 5.7x28)
- Where as some ammo types seemed to genuinely increase, but only slightly in price per round (i.e. 5.56, 7.62x51/.308)
- Bottom line: even though gun sales are breaking all time high records (this Black Friday expected to break another record); the cost of ammo has only marginally increased.

Here's my old table with the additional new data:
...Nov 2011.......Nov 2012
22LR - 4 ..............6
9mm - 18 .............22
22WMR - 20 .........20
7.62x39 - 23 ......... 23
17 HMR - 24 ........ 24
5.56 - 25 .............. 39
40 - 28 ............... 30
380 ACP - 30 ........ 31
38 SPL - 30 .......... 33
45ACP - 33 ............ 37
20 Ga. - 35 ........... 30
7.62x51 (.308) - 42....75
30 Carbine - 43 ........47
5.7 FN - 44 ............ 45
357 SIG - 50 .......... 50
10mm - 53 ............ 54
357 MAG - 54 ......... 46
44 MAG - 60 .......... 60
41 MAG - 63 ........ 61
12 Ga. - 70 ...........70
410 Ga. - 73 ......... 63
30-06 - 75 ............ 70
30-30 - 79 ............ 80
10 Ga. - 90 ............. (none found)
300 AAC Blackout - 110 ... 91
458 SOCOM - 250 .......245
50 BMG - 275 .........335
338 Lapua - 415 ..... 567

[Mark75H]

I've done a lot better than you on .380 and 9mm during the past month

[Skins_Brew]

Why is .338 lapua so expensive???

[SuperMag]

Excellent reference material, Minuteman. Bravolingus!

[gmhowell]

Thanks for the update. I would take exception at your analysis regarding "a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo". Looking at popular calibers (22, 9, 45, 5.56) shows 10%+ increases in price, far outstripping the general inflation of the US. I don't want this to turn into a big economy/politics/Obama debate, (although my armchair analysis says that buyer/seller thoughts about these things weigh heavily on those prices) just wanted to note this.

[r3t1awr3yd]

Originally Posted by gmhowell

Thanks for the update. I would take exception at your analysis regarding "a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo". Looking at popular calibers (22, 9, 45, 5.56) shows 10%+ increases in price, far outstripping the general inflation of the US. I don't want this to turn into a big economy/politics/Obama debate, (although my armchair analysis says that buyer/seller thoughts about these things weigh heavily on those prices) just wanted to note this.

Typical inflation, yes. Actual inflation? This is pretty close.

[gmhowell]

Originally Posted by r3t1awr3yd

Typical inflation, yes. Actual inflation? This is pretty close.

Not going to touch this. Maybe in the WC, but not here.

[Topher]

Originally Posted by SuperMag

Bravolingus!

It has been many years since I have heard Bravolingus.
It has always been an aspiration for my progeny to carry that term on.


OP...
Thank You for your efforts. This is cool informations.

Chris