How Much Ammunition is Produced for the United States Market?

Ammoland.com ^ | November 27, 2020 | Dean Weingarten

[Towed_Jumper]

For the second time in a decade, demand for ammunition has outstripped supply in the United States. The first ammunition bubble was from 2012 to 2017. The next started in 2020.

Ammunition manufacturers have increased their capacity. In the face of increased demand, it has not been enough. Ammunition plants are running 24/7 to make profits while demand is high. Shortages still exist in the United States. Common calibers have disappeared from store shelves. Prices have risen. Panic buying and purchasing for private stockpiles have increased.

Those who purchased a stockpile in the interval between ammunition bubbles from 2017 to 2020 are considered wise and foresighted. At one point in October of 2018, .22 rimfire ammunition was available at 2.5 cents per round. How much ammunition is being produced and purchased in the United States market?

During the .22 rimfire bubble, the productive capacity was increased from about 4 billion rimfire rounds to 5 billion rimfire rounds per year. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has estimated total ammunition produced for the United States market in 2017 at 8.1 billion rounds. In 2018, the total ammunition production for the United States was estimated at 8.7 billion rounds. The numbers for 2019 should be published in December of 2020.

A reasonable extrapolation puts the amount of ammunition produced for the United States market at somewhat over 9 billion rounds, of which 5 billion are rimfire and 4 billion are centerfire rifle, pistol, and shotgun rounds in 2020.

[Ancesthntr]

“ There is an equally good reason why those wannabe-overlords are greeted with a lie or MYOFB retort. ”
————
Just lie. The other answer is a dead giveaway, and may make you, your family and your dog dead someday.

[Ancesthntr]

“ A family member in the business joked they they probably know your stash better than your spouse does.”
——————
Ancient gun owners prayer: “Please, Lord, if I die before my wife, don’t let her sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them.”

[meadsjn]

Here’s a more reasonable and realistic calculation: if you assume that there are 500 million guns and 1,000 rounds per gun, that’s 500 billion rounds. That takes into account the large number of people who likely have only a couple boxes of ammo for their gun, and also the guys that have 10,000 rounds per gun.

Fair enough.

[Big Red Badger]

Good stuff,
Let’s start;
Tom,Dick and Harry.

[CodeToad]

One place. Wow. That’s such a total statement of the entire market, isn’t it?

[Ancesthntr]

Not the entire market - I posted from Gun Broker, which is a national marketplace, because it is emblematic of the entire market. Are you going to find relative bargains elsewhere - yes, of course, because markets are NOT 100% efficient.

Am I going to spend the time to find dozens or hundreds of examples to satisfy your ego? Nope.

People who have shopped for primers any time within the last 6 months know the score - if you even find them at local stores, you’re lucky, and if they are reasonably priced, even luckier. There’s a huge shortage, and prices reflect that.

[mabarker1]

NOT ENOUGH !!!