There is a difference between a minimal three years and an extended period of over 5 years for sure.
I understand the need to garner resources and consider ROI in the short and long terms. What I am saying is they and other premium manufacturers take advantage of the shortage to keep the margins high and there really isn’t anything the common consumer can do about it. I don’t doubt that there are all these newer manufacturers that would like to get in on the ‘boom,’ who wouldn’t? The real thing here is about quality and consistency.
I have ceded CCI has among the best, perhaps the best. And Aguila or some other American or foreign producer rightfully covets that spot. But I know their ammo isn’t the same and that is what keeps CCI in the catbird seat.
What I am say is the prices aren’t what they were before and the only reason I see to keep them high is profit. I don’t have to like it, but that’s where it is. When we are inundated with cheaper 22LR ammo most of us can tolerate then maybe they’ll figure out that short-lived profits aren’t the long-term thing. Until then, we, you and I will have to take it and like it or do without or use/save what we have sparingly.
I’m not an excuse machine for manufacturers. I am a shooter and a user and I know what I’ve seen and see right to this day.
What I am say is the prices aren’t what they were before and the only reason I see to keep them high is profit.
I am sure that you understand supply and demand. Profit is what every manufacturer aims for and desires. Profit is what drives capitalism. What keeps profit up is demand. Demand spiked way over supply with the Obama gun control push.
Demand became so high that it pushed prices to insane levels. Prices can only go up if there is demand that is willing to pay the price. When demand drops and or supply increases, the price will drop. We are starting to see that now. It will come.
But there is enormous, pent up demand that was unleased by the Obama push. There are probably 50 million .22 firearm owners in the United States, maybe 100 million. Tens of millions of them went from being satisfied with having a half full box of 50 .22 cartridges to wanting a thousand rounds “just in case”.
1000 rounds times 10 million is 10 billion rounds of ammunition. Total production for the United States before the bubble was about 4 billion a year. It has bumped up to about 5 billion a year. See the problem? Sure, we imported as much ammo as we could from other countries. It probably bumped up the total to 6 billion a year in the U.S.
It would take at least 5 years to meet the extra 10 billion in demand.
I think we are finally getting close to meeting that demand.
Prices are starting to fall.
I suspect you will have your 4-5 cents CCI CP 40 grain ammo within two years, barring further political shock waves.