Posted on 03/12/2022 1:47:39 PM PST by blam
Ever since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Americans have panic hoarded all types of ammunition, according to a top US online gun retailer.
“A recent surge in consumer demand for small arms ammunition – the onset of which perfectly coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022,” AMMO, Inc., a US-based ammunition and components manufacturer, said in a press release Friday.
Los Angeles-based Ammo reports between Feb. 24 and Mar. 10 that revenues surged 166%, and transactions are up 110% over the previous two weeks. Website traffic for the period is up 59%.
Customers in Texas, Florida, and Washington bought the most ammunition by volume. They mainly bought 9mm and 5.56×45. Here’s the complete list of the top ten states for ammunition sales for the period.
“We noted a similar surge in demand for ammunition during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Alex Horsman, marketing manager for Ammo.
“As neoconservatives and the mainstream media both began calling for American intervention in the Russian invasion, wary firearm enthusiasts sensed that the products they need to enjoy their favorite hobby could soon become scarce.
“Many Americans predict that a war effort would significantly limit the amount of ammunition available to consumers. Others fear that the Biden administration, via executive fiat, will somehow limit private sales of ammunition under the pretext that those products must be shipped overseas in support of the Ukrainian resistance.”
Across the Mid-Atlantic area, Maryland-based gun shop The Machine Gun Nest notes that the conflict overseas has sparked buying interest for AR platform weapons and increased ammo sales in-store and on their online e-commerce shop.
“We have definitely seen a major surge in ammo sales here in the mid-Atlantic region. The war in Ukraine certainly sparked interest in the US, particularly among gun owners, who feel that the Ukrainian people are a testament to the absolute necessity of an armed population.
“We have seen sales of 9mm & 5.56mm skyrocket, with some customers purchasing as many as 20,000 rounds at a time. We’ve also seen increased demand for Russian ammo, with 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 seeing increased demand. The Biden Administration blocked the importation of Russian ammunition with sanctions in the fall of 2021, and the war has certainly added to the demand for these imports that are slowly drying up.”
Taking a look at ammo prices via ammo tracking website Ammo Prices Now, they report 9mm prices are steady near 30 cents a round on Saturday. However, 5.56 has jumped 23% since the invasion, from .44 cents to .55 cents.
Also, internet searches for 5.56 ammo jumped to the highest level since January 2021, when people were panic buying guns and ammo due to the summer of social unrest in 2020.
The firearms market has since “cooled significantly from the height of the pandemic surge,” according to Smith & Wesson Brands Inc.
However, with a larger pool of gun owners since the pandemic and corporate media feeding people wartime propaganda, another round of gun buying could be underway. Maybe this time around, people will be panic hoard larger caliber weapons because of war threats.
This is nothing new
FFS!
Liberals have already declared they will cut and run.
Silly article. There is much more ammo in the stores now than there has been in a year. Ammo run actually appears to be about over.
Glad to see Illinois made top 10. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s a BIG gun state...despite the filthy politicians and the fetid metro Chicago area.
What do you believe all that ammo is going to be used for?
I’m more concerned about the corrupt US government then the ruskis coming to get me.
In case Alec Baldwin films a movie near you
Got a box of that green tip 5.56.
Absolutely right. This ammo "interest" pattern follows the increased purchase of firearms since 0bama came slithering into office. What are Americans purchasing? ARs and concealable handguns. What calibers? Primarily 5.56 and 9mm. What does this pattern mean? It means that it isn't about deer hunting.
Russia cant even take Easter Ukraine, do nutters really think they’re gonna make it here? Im much more concerned about our government than the Russians.
how long do bullets stay useable?
What I find interesting is the amount of 7.62X39 mm being sold. I don’t have an 5.56 platform, but lots of 7.62 stuff.
Maybe it’s like the movie “We were soldiers” when the Sargent major was asked why he didn’t have a rifle and just a side arm, the reply was “when I need one there will be plenty around to pick up.”
Properly stored ammo lasts for 50+ years. I have shot WQII ammo in 30_06 and 45 acp that was well over 70 years old. Do not store ammo in a garage or anywhere else not climate controlled to room temp. Spam cans of steel cased 7.62x39 from Vietnam fire just as good as the new production from Russia while you could get them.
It is an acceptable FR practice to not read an article before posting:)
I suspect if anything he would have been much more in reaction to the Canadian government locking down the bank accounts of citizens.
There’s a special reason on the 7.62 x 39 - last August Biden decided not to renew any Russian import licenses for whatever reason popped into his head. Existing ones were allowed to continue until they expired, which they’re doing. Now he’s added an embargo on bank transfers that essentially means that if it’s not already paid for it can’t be. Other Eastern European sources that started to pick up the slack now have the Ukraine invasion to muddy the water. 7.62 x 39 was going up as a result anyway and may start to get mighty scarce. U.S. factories are behind the power curve in picking up the slack because they’ve been running full bore on other scarcities in high demand, notably 9mm and 5.56 and huge government contracts that get first priority because they’re huge government contracts. That’s one reason we’re starting to see those calibers back on the shelves for the first time in a long time. The rest will follow...slowly.
Better than Bitcoin.
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