Posted on 03/12/2022 1:47:39 PM PST by blam
Ever since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Americans have panic hoarded all types of ammunition, according to a top US online gun retailer.
“A recent surge in consumer demand for small arms ammunition – the onset of which perfectly coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022,” AMMO, Inc., a US-based ammunition and components manufacturer, said in a press release Friday.
Los Angeles-based Ammo reports between Feb. 24 and Mar. 10 that revenues surged 166%, and transactions are up 110% over the previous two weeks. Website traffic for the period is up 59%.
Customers in Texas, Florida, and Washington bought the most ammunition by volume. They mainly bought 9mm and 5.56×45. Here’s the complete list of the top ten states for ammunition sales for the period.
“We noted a similar surge in demand for ammunition during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Alex Horsman, marketing manager for Ammo.
“As neoconservatives and the mainstream media both began calling for American intervention in the Russian invasion, wary firearm enthusiasts sensed that the products they need to enjoy their favorite hobby could soon become scarce.
“Many Americans predict that a war effort would significantly limit the amount of ammunition available to consumers. Others fear that the Biden administration, via executive fiat, will somehow limit private sales of ammunition under the pretext that those products must be shipped overseas in support of the Ukrainian resistance.”
Across the Mid-Atlantic area, Maryland-based gun shop The Machine Gun Nest notes that the conflict overseas has sparked buying interest for AR platform weapons and increased ammo sales in-store and on their online e-commerce shop.
“We have definitely seen a major surge in ammo sales here in the mid-Atlantic region. The war in Ukraine certainly sparked interest in the US, particularly among gun owners, who feel that the Ukrainian people are a testament to the absolute necessity of an armed population.
“We have seen sales of 9mm & 5.56mm skyrocket, with some customers purchasing as many as 20,000 rounds at a time. We’ve also seen increased demand for Russian ammo, with 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 seeing increased demand. The Biden Administration blocked the importation of Russian ammunition with sanctions in the fall of 2021, and the war has certainly added to the demand for these imports that are slowly drying up.”
Taking a look at ammo prices via ammo tracking website Ammo Prices Now, they report 9mm prices are steady near 30 cents a round on Saturday. However, 5.56 has jumped 23% since the invasion, from .44 cents to .55 cents.
Also, internet searches for 5.56 ammo jumped to the highest level since January 2021, when people were panic buying guns and ammo due to the summer of social unrest in 2020.
The firearms market has since “cooled significantly from the height of the pandemic surge,” according to Smith & Wesson Brands Inc.
However, with a larger pool of gun owners since the pandemic and corporate media feeding people wartime propaganda, another round of gun buying could be underway. Maybe this time around, people will be panic hoard larger caliber weapons because of war threats.
Exactly. Ammo sales were down due to price and availability.
If there recent jump in sales then it is probably due to ammo finally becoming available on the shelves. I seriously doubt that Americans are hoarding ammo over fear of a Russian invasion. That’s absurd.
“A recent surge in consumer demand for small arms ammunition – the onset of which perfectly coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022”
Correlation does not imply causation. The writer of this article is a hack.
I wish I had back the 400 rounds of M-2 Ball I burned up two years ago! Haven’t fired a shot since. All but one sighted in.
Lucky me! I opened a container I haven’t been in in 30 years and found two boxes unopened boxes of 500 rds of .22 LR Federal ammo.
7.62x39 is in trouble. Biden already banned the import of ammo and ammo components from Russia, which was primary supplier. The war is going to make it a lot harder to ever remove that ban. Outside Russia, one of the larger steel ammo factories was in..... Ukraine. d’oh. I think that only remaining major steel 7.62x39 manufacturer left is Belom in Serbia. Palmetto State Armory is apparently gearing up to make steel ammo, but unclear how long that will take, or if it will be affected by the current conflict and new sanctions.
who says individuals shouldn’t have AR-15s. Hopefully we can now all agree that people that want them should own them, the more the merrier.
Just a box?
There are non-Russian sources of 7.62x39: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Serbia, Sweden ...
Even American manufacturers: Federal, American Eagle, Winchester
7.62x54R may be a different story, though.
From the sound of things, if you made them a decent offer on an AK-12, they might take you up on it.
I have some 30 cal from the 1940s that still goes ‘bang’. Keep it dry.
It appears I chose unpoorly (years ago).
“how long do bullets stay useable?”
Seriously depends on how it is stored. If stored away from heat and moisture, decades. There is still ammo from WW2 floating around - though I don’t think I would trust it.
As long as you don’t blame Biden....
If the government says you don’t need a gun, you need a gun!
When all the guns have been banned;
When all the words have been censored;
When all the history has been erased;
When all the FReedom has been taken;
Only then will you discover why our Right to Keep and Bear Arms was so high on the list!
The government wants to disarm us after 244 years because they plan to do things we would shoot them for!
Just by that one list, it’s obvious that 9mm has surpassed .22lr as the most ubiquitous ammo. I checked on CheaperThanDirt.com a while back and they were the same price.
You get more bang for the buck with 9mm because it’s more powder, larger bullet, higher kinetic energy, at the same price.
Most gunshot deaths were from .22lr because that was the most ubiquitous ammo until about the 1990s or so. Eventually, the 9mm round will overtake the lead in total deaths after a few years — .22lr had more than a 100 year head start, after all.
You are correct, but they are relatively expensive brass manufacturers, not the cheap steel cased ammo that has driven the popularity of 7.62x39.
Did you really just say that? Dude! You poor dumb bastard! You just jinxed us all.😔
Protecting the food Americans are “hoarding”?
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