Factory ammo prices in freefall?

CoElkHunter

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Some of the factory ammo prices I've seen recently on Midway seem to be falling fast. Barnes 225gr. .338WM $55 with a LOT of other brand choices available. 6 mos ago you couldn't find ANY .338 ammo under $100. Barnes .300WM $50 and Federal with the same 180gr Barnes TTSX $40! It was $78/box before my Africa trip in 2022. Winchester .25-06 $22-24. .270 Winchester Nosler 150gr. Partition $45. Crazy! I think many people including me bought at least some ammo during the scamdemic at outrageous prices out of need and now the prices are way down almost to pre scamdemic level. With reloading powder and primers at all time highs, I'm buying quality factory HUNTING ammo for my future needs now before the Marxists throw a monkey wrench in our ability to do so. I personally don't need much, maybe five to ten boxes each of my chosen cartridges. This is for my PG big game hunting trips here and maybe Africa again and not for target or varmint shooting. I still reload for my .375 and up as long as the powder/primers/cases last.
 
Good. Maybe I can afford to buy a second l10 year supply if the price comes down again :A Give Us A Hug:
 
Haven’t noticed yet… but also haven’t bought much ammo recently.. I went crazy at the reloading bench over the last couple of years and stocked up..

My hope is primer and projectile prices come back down..
 
Thank God. I was a member of the $78 a box 300WM Barnes club in 2022. I might just have to go buy 3 boxes and set myself up for a while.
 
Thank God. I was a member of the $78 a box 300WM Barnes club in 2022. I might just have to go buy 3 boxes and set myself up for a while.

If you like the Barnes 300 WM LRX factory load I’ve got a box and a half of them I’ll let go cheap.

I’m a huge fan all things Barnes.. but my 300 WM just doesn’t like them for some reason.. I bought a couple of boxes to test out.. and couldn’t match the groups I was getting out of hornady CX… so I’ve stuck with the CX load for now until I can figure out a Barnes hand load…
 
If you like the Barnes 300 WM LRX factory load I’ve got a box and a half of them I’ll let go cheap.

I’m a huge fan all things Barnes.. but my 300 WM just doesn’t like them for some reason.. I bought a couple of boxes to test out.. and couldn’t match the groups I was getting out of hornady CX… so I’ve stuck with the CX load for now until I can figure out a Barnes hand load…

You probably already know this Dave, but make sure that barrel is super clean when working with the Barnes. They do not like fouling and less so from that of other bullets it seems.
 
Some of the factory ammo prices I've seen recently on Midway seem to be falling fast. Barnes 225gr. .338WM $55 with a LOT of other brand choices available. 6 mos ago you couldn't find ANY .338 ammo under $100. Barnes .300WM $50 and Federal with the same 180gr Barnes TTSX $40! It was $78/box before my Africa trip in 2022. Winchester .25-06 $22-24. .270 Winchester Nosler 150gr. Partition $45. Crazy! I think many people including me bought at least some ammo during the scamdemic at outrageous prices out of need and now the prices are way down almost to pre scamdemic level. With reloading powder and primers at all time highs, I'm buying quality factory HUNTING ammo for my future needs now before the Marxists throw a monkey wrench in our ability to do so. I personally don't need much, maybe five to ten boxes each of my chosen cartridges. This is for my PG big game hunting trips here and maybe Africa again and not for target or varmint shooting. I still reload for my .375 and up as long as the powder/primers/cases last.
Thanks for the update.
 
You probably already know this Dave, but make sure that barrel is super clean when working with the Barnes. They do not like fouling and less so from that of other bullets it seems.

I’m finding the hornady CX to be the same way (no real surprise since it’s hornadys answer to the TTSX… a tipped monometal…)…

I was getting good groups out of my 300 PRC.. but not as good as expected (Christensen has a”sub moa” guarantee)…

I took the bore and chamber down to bare metal and gave it a polish using JB bore cleaner…

Immediately after I started getting .75” groups consistently… and occasionally doing better (at 100), shooting factory 190gr CX…

I’m going to leave it alone for now… I’m taking it on an elk hunt in a couple of months and I’m supper happy with performance..

But after I get back I’m going to strip out all residue and fouling again.. and work up some hand loads to see what the rifle can really do…

Monometals definitely like a super clean bore…
 
I found 416 Rem Noslers for $85 a box. That’s $10 cheaper than I have ever seen it. Last year everything was over $100 a box.
 
I’m finally seeing fully stocked shelves again pretty much everywhere.. which is nice…

Was in a local range/gunshop yesterday… fully stocked..

I’ve been in cabelas, scheels, and academy all three this week… all fully stocked…
 
Good for the american colleagues, but in certain european areas Vihtavuori powders and CCI primers are not available.
Where they are available there, how much are they? Here in the US when you can find certain powder, primers and brass you need to take out a loan to buy the stuff. LOL
 
I’ve noticed the same thing with supply and prices. I stocked up last year on what I thought was a good deal on Norma oryx 300 win. I’m really fighting the urge to not by another 10 boxes at $28 a box for Winchester’s 180 gr copper. I was never a hoarder prior to 2020. I have to keep telling myself No I have enough. 2021/2022 probably changed my thinking the most since travel for hunts was possible but quality ammo with quality hunting bullets really wasn’t. I want a supply on hand in case that situation happens again especially 375 H&H.
 
I’ve noticed the same thing with supply and prices. I stocked up last year on what I thought was a good deal on Norma oryx 300 win. I’m really fighting the urge to not by another 10 boxes at $28 a box for Winchester’s 180 gr copper. I was never a hoarder prior to 2020. I have to keep telling myself No I have enough. 2021/2022 probably changed my thinking the most since travel for hunts was possible but quality ammo with quality hunting bullets really wasn’t. I want a supply on hand in case that situation happens again especially 375 H&H.
+1 on not having been an ammo hoarder and really still not. I never had more than five or six boxes of each big game hunting cartridge on hand before 2020 because I had plenty of reloading components on hand for many of the cartridges. Then unobtanium and sticker shock were the norms during the scamdemic for factory ammo and components and continues for certain powders, primers and brass. So, I’m buying at least a case of factory ammo with premium bullets for each PG cartridge I own NOW when prices on many of them are almost pre Covid levels. That $28 for the Winchester Copper is a great price!
 
I’m finding the hornady CX to be the same way (no real surprise since it’s hornadys answer to the TTSX… a tipped monometal…)…

I was getting good groups out of my 300 PRC.. but not as good as expected (Christensen has a”sub moa” guarantee)…

I took the bore and chamber down to bare metal and gave it a polish using JB bore cleaner…

Immediately after I started getting .75” groups consistently… and occasionally doing better (at 100), shooting factory 190gr CX…

I’m going to leave it alone for now… I’m taking it on an elk hunt in a couple of months and I’m supper happy with performance..

But after I get back I’m going to strip out all residue and fouling again.. and work up some hand loads to see what the rifle can really do…

Monometals definitely like a super clean bore…
Have you tried the Terminal Ascent? I shoot Barnes out of a bunch of rifles with great results. My 300WM didn’t seem to shoot them or anything really. Was almost going to send it down the road and those came out, figured I’d at least try a box. My 300WM absolutely loves them and they hammer game. I’ve been switching other guns over to them. I’ve now got a 6.5PRC, 7PRC, .280AI, .308Win (multiple), and 300WM all shooting them sub moa.
 
Where did you find that, I am in the market for some.

I was checking out the Nosler website yesterday and saw that they had some 416 Rem ammo marked down to half price, go check Nosler.com
 
Have you tried the Terminal Ascent? I shoot Barnes out of a bunch of rifles with great results. My 300WM didn’t seem to shoot them or anything really. Was almost going to send it down the road and those came out, figured I’d at least try a box. My 300WM absolutely loves them and they hammer game. I’ve been switching other guns over to them. I’ve now got a 6.5PRC, 7PRC, .280AI, .308Win (multiple), and 300WM all shooting them sub moa.

I haven’t, but I’ll give it a try… I’m still in discovery mode with my 300 trying to figure out what’s going to work best…
 

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