What's going on with US ammunition prices?

[MidlandsPaperPuncher]

Just got off the phone with the NRA, hornady black 155gr 308 ammo which was £26 a box or so a year ago would be £45+ a box if they ordered more, what on earth is going on?

Are there revenge tariffs on the US that I'm unaware of? The exchange rate is down 15% on where it's been for the last couple of years so an 80% price hike makes no sense to me...

 

[Apthorpe]

It will have nothing to do with the US, your order would be from the UK supplier. The 80% increase in cost is effectively the reward we get for having voted Labour. Higher tax rates, higher overheads for the company.

The real disgrace is that we don't have a healthy British-manufactured ammunition market.

 

[One on top of two]

I grabbed 100 hornaday varmint express in 22-250 to keep in the safe , in case i cant get any powder or other reloading bits and bobs , you know just in case ....

£185.00 WTF

 

[ashray]

you could try phoning a few local gun shops ,my local one had the hornady black for £20 a box but wont be ordering any more. i bought 100 rounds but to be honest the accuracy in my rifle was not there at all 2" at 100 . its difficult to know which factory ammo to buy these days .

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Read up on the problems shooters had during WW2 getting just reloading stuff in the USA. Putins empire building encourages scalping the customers and the prices never fall back afterwards.

 

[maximus otter]

Are there revenge tariffs on the US that I'm unaware of? The exchange rate is down 15% on where it's been for the last couple of years so an 80% price hike makes no sense to me...

a) Global warming
b) Covid
c) Brexit

Any combination or permutation of the above can be used to silence an awkward questioner.

You’re welcome,

Signed (A Politician)

maximus otter

 

[Hook'N'Bullet]

Are people using Hornady black on deer? Anything Sika/fallow size?

AFAIK they use the Amax which I though was a target projectile and pretty explosive on game.

 

[webley701]

It will have nothing to do with the US, your order would be from the UK supplier. The 80% increase in cost is effectively the reward we get for having voted Labour. Higher tax rates, higher overheads for the company.

The real disgrace is that we don't have a healthy British-manufactured ammunition market.

Rail against politicians (of any alignment) as much as you wish with my blessing - but it would be worth considering the recent largely regrettable changes in the distribution network for many shooting related products (including Hornady).

 

[Foxyboy43]

This was a year ago; I don’t think his predictions were even close….

 

[Liveonce]

Just got off the phone with the NRA, hornady black 155gr 308 ammo which was £26 a box or so a year ago would be £45+ a box if they ordered more, what on earth is going on?

Are there revenge tariffs on the US that I'm unaware of? The exchange rate is down 15% on where it's been for the last couple of years so an 80% price hike makes no sense to me...

Have you just returned from planet Mars after a year away from Earth

 

[Long drag]

A US firearms dealer was over here Stalking about 3 weeks ago, he called into my local Rfd we got talking about ammo prices, 20 rds of Norma .223 €37 here, same ammo in US $8 he said he was making $1 on sale.

This ammo transported from Sweden and still making profit, something is very wrong.

 

[Apthorpe]

A US firearms dealer was over here Stalking about 3 weeks ago, he called into my local Rfd we got talking about ammo prices, 20 rds of Norma .223 €37 here, same ammo in US $8 he said he was making $1 on sale.

This ammo transported from Sweden and still making profit, something is very wrong.

Yes. We’re fxxking our economy and ourselves with massive costs caused by what one might loosely call the costs of socialism and over-regulation. We voted for this idiocy (both in Ireland and here)


20% sales tax, licensing, business rates, energy prices and wages far, far higher than the US, and a highly regulated market maintained at inefficiently small size. The dealer in the US has much lower costs and his customers can buy what ammo they want then they want.

 

[markyw]

Rail against politicians (of any alignment) as much as you wish with my blessing - but it would be worth considering the recent largely regrettable changes in the distribution network for many shooting related products (including Hornady).

How much is import and transport costs and how much is distribution chain markup in the UK? Especially true when the number of distributors is collapsing down.

I work in with my local RFD from time to time and know he is not making much on ammunition as see retail vs cost. They make pretty small percentages on guns too and are forced to buy to stock the shop, no sale or return, so the disty has their money. When the disty also has a retail outlet, what we see sometimes is that they will sell at a price that undercuts the cost price to the smaller RFD, which is challenging.

There is no transparency in any sales chain, so why would we expect it with firearms, ammunition, reloading, etc....

Regards

Mark

 

[NP435]

Prices on my side of the ocean haven't changed much in the way of coming down either.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Try your nearest Mini Mart. They are sure to be cheaper than you local RFD!

K

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

It is what it is, prices will only continue to rise it’s the choice of suck it up, or pack it in

 

[Cootmeurer]

That load is $36 a box here in the US, approx £27.

So, it has to be import fees, taxes, tariffs, etc… on your end

 

[geordiemacatac]

Are people using Hornady black on deer? Anything Sika/fallow size?

AFAIK they use the Amax which I though was a target projectile and pretty explosive on game.

Use AMAX myself on Reds..

 

[Bowland blades]

Ammo for civilians has always been hit hard when war occurs - Every time always predictable !

 

[webley701]

That load is $36 a box here in the US, approx £27.

So, it has to be import fees, taxes, tariffs, etc… on your end

Cootmeuer,
Compared to the US price - there’s trans-atlantic transportation costs of course. As far ‘tariffs’ are concerned (well that’s US area of expertise), for ammunition coming into the U.K. the excise duty is 0 to 2%.
There’s also 20% VAT (analogous to a US ‘sales tax’).

The taxation situation hasn’t changed recently either so that doesn’t explain noticeable increases in price.

Leaving aside the retailers margin, most of the additional price difference is due to the distribution & marketing overhead. Some costs wrapped in there will have risen to be fair - but that overhead also includes the distributors margin (make of that last part what you will).

To give just one example - the distribution chain for Berger bullets into the U.K. changed not so long ago. The result was a sizeable price hike due almost entirely to this revised supply chain.

Related to all of this - the loss of Hannam’s as an independent importer/distributor is a great pity. The result will be a hike in the price of the lines they imported (thanks to their new owner).

Generally - some major companies/distributors have treated smaller (gun shop) retailers very badly in recent years by requiring, in order to maintain an account, minimum purchase/stocking levels beyond what a small retailer could manage, (Beretta take a bow here).