Ammo cost comparison by caliber

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  • krashmania

    Still dont know anything
    Feb 6, 2011
    2,927
    churchville
    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.
     

    krashmania

    Still dont know anything
    Feb 6, 2011
    2,927
    churchville
    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.
     

    Redcobra

    Senior Shooter
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 10, 2010
    6,422
    Near the Chesapeake Bay
    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

    Member
    BANNED!!!
    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 :)
     

    DCSCO

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 12, 2008
    1,547
    Frederick County
    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

    Worker Drone - 7G
    Dec 7, 2008
    151
    AmerikaTown
    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

    Member
    BANNED!!!
    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
     

    gmhowell

    Not Banned Yet
    Nov 28, 2011
    3,406
    Monkey County
    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

    Meh.
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 14, 2010
    4,721
    Bowie, MD
    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.
     

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