[Perazzi_MX8]

Cabela's and Gander Mountain have flats of shells in 12 Ga. for 59.99 with free shipping from Cabela's. A bag of shot at Gander Mountain yesterday was 59.99 so I bought flats of federal Top Gun's for the same 59.99. Considering the shot cost buying the bags gets me 355 shells vs 250 factory loaded ones with an ounce and an eighth load. considering the cost of primers, wads, and hulls it's cheaper to shoot factory loads. I still reload but I'm down to what i have loaded and one more full shot bag. It might not pay to reload anymore as I see it for singles and doubles. I will still use the factory Nitro's for caps and can get back 4 cents each for empties rather easily. What is happening to shot prices over the last 2 years or so? I know ammo companies have long term contracts with suppliers at negotiated prices into the future that helps them but not really us.


Anyone know the answer to help reduce the cost of buying new hard shot?

 

[skeet_man]

"Anyone know the answer to help reduce the cost of buying new hard shot?"

Buy it from ANYONE but Gander or Cabelas. You won't find a higher price out there than what they charge.

Find out who the people @ your club are buying supplies from, and buy from them. I'm getting Lawrence or West Coast Mag in the low 40s.

For 12ga and 20ga, there isn't much price savings over promo loads, but I can reload a shell using premium components for a little less, and have a MUCH higher quality shell.

For 28ga and 410, I can load a shell compatible in quality to premium shells, at a much lower price (I'll take my handloads over factory shells any day of the week, and only shoot factory shells when absolutely necessary).

 

[Oregunner]

I have a Cabelas Visa card that earns me points to use at Cabelas, along with money saving coupons that they send me. I have one right now that is $20 off a $100 purchase. So for two bags of shot, I can get them for $40 a bag minus any points I want to use up. That way it doesn't hurt so bad. I do have a Cabelas store locally. Mark

 

[Joe Potosky]

Said many times, find a club that does component buys for club members and always check out the guy selling components when attending shoots.

When you see a deal, purchase enough for two full years of shooting.

 

[1oldtimer]

I was at Cabela's in Dundee,MI 12/2/13. They had some # 6 shot on sale for $49.99. This was way too high for me. I phoned Johnson's in Adrian,MI. Their price was $43.99. Cabela's will call to verify prices. Cabela's had just sent me a voucher for $20.00. With that and some club points, I purchased 4 bags for a total of $37.21 per bag. Many people don't know Cabela's will price match. I have got some decent buys this way. I can load my 1-1/4 games shells for about half and I can run them up to 1500 FPS +

Clyde

 

[timberfaller]

Nice article Barfin!

Just goes to show why the "Futures" market needs to be shut down!!

Speculators are always looking for "ways" to increase prices!! fake or not!

They've done it in everything they touch!!

Any bets THEY are in bed with the Eco-freaks wanting to "ban" lead???

 

[dirt stirrer]

I'm stocked for at least two years or more at my present rate of shooting for just under $4 a box cost. Mostly 7/8 and 1 oz, $30 reclaim, and free hulls. when they stop me from dumpster diving, then things change. I keep adding when I see supplies and I gots the money. I've got about 10 bags of factory shot for serious shooting, but way too much of my shooting is just for funnsies only.

 

[perezal]

Right now I'm reloading at 5.06/BX if cost go up higher I will not be reloading all the time. I would just reload to shoot at competitions and buy shells for practice.

 

[halfmile]

timberfaller, you're way off base here.

The futures markets are very valuable, and serve to dampen what would be otherise very wild seasonal price swings.

I'm sure there are a lot of farmers on this site who use those markets to lock in their prices, and also to guarantee their costs of fuel for harvesting and planting.

These markets also allow packing houses to hedge their acquisition costs for cattle and hogs, and in low price times their buying helps bring the market back up.

The whole subject of futures markets is too much to learn at one sitting.

But, you can learn a lot if you search on the web. go for a subject like "how futures markets work" and drill around from there.

HM

 

[Scott Johnson]

+ 1 for HM. Scott

 

[dirt stirrer]

halfmile,

You are right, and it would work as one would expect it to work if only producers or actual buyers of an item were allowed to participate in the futures market. Farmers utilize options far more than actual futures, trying to set a price bottom for their crop. If we sell a contract (short the market) and it goes against us, we have to keep shoveling margin money. We end up with the price we locked in, even if the price went up by a factor of 2 or 3. Works the same in reverse, and keeps one from losing, as the he would buy the contract back at a much lower price when commodity was delivered, but his local price would also be way down to.

It's the damn speculators using the HFTs that make the markets swing like they do. It would not swing like it does if it were just the actual buyers/sellers of the commodity involved.

Attempts have been made to limit the specs, like upping the margin to get into a contract, but these big Wall Street playas have access to gazzillions of OPM, so they don't care. They run and manipulate the market, but in the long run, actual production shortages/excesses come into play. Specs can't make money in a static market, it has to be going up or down all the time for them to make money.

 

[Easystreet]

I've still got some reloading supplies (lead shot, wads, primers, and a little powder) left from a big purchase about 3 years ago. I don't remember what I paid for each item, but I know it was a lot less than what prices are today.

My question is what does it cost to reload per box of 12 gauge, 1 ounce loads at today's prices? Assume you are buying in bulk quantity through a gun club and using Red Dot powder, Win 209 primers, and DR wads.

If prices for reloading are close to $5 per box, then I may just sell my reloading equipment and buy factory made ammo.

Thanks,

Easystreet

 

[zoot]

Easystreet:

let me know when you want out. i'll take it all off your hands

Zoot