Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Who bought up all the affordable 5.56/.223?

Is it just me or is the current availability of ammo getting really tight in large 1k plus quantities? Been surfing the popular supplier's on the net tonight and both price and availabilty is pretty lousy. I know prices are way up these days, sure would be nice to find an old school deal on a few thousand rounds or more. Anybody got a source for a really good deal on a big order?

You're experiencing the main reason I started loading for the .223. I've handloaded for over 30 years and wasn't real interested in loading mass quantities of .223's for my AR. At that time (a few years back), the prices weren't so horrible. The prices soon got horrible and are now just plain disgusting. At the horrible stage, I bit the bullet and geared up to load .223's in mass quantity.

I remember my first case of BH's BB 50gr. V-Max's cost me about $315, then $350 and now I expect it's up around or just over $400 a case......that's nuts. I crunched the numbers back then and I could reload a case for much less than half of what a BH's case cost me......and that's still using V-Max's and non-milsurp powder.

I don't much like being short on ammo at anytime, much less prior to a PD or gopher hunt. I also like to save $ if possible, IF the savings are enough to warrant my time and energy. Handloading .223, especially for work with AR's, allows me to not stress ammo shortages as I've done in the past and you're now experiencing as well as saving a bundle of $ that I can now waste somewhere else.

What's not to like about that?

Good luck, but this isn't the first shortage and it won't be the last. They're coming more often these days.....and lasting longer as well.

I'm with ya TH!! Even the crap Wolfe ammo is starting to make me choke. As it stands right now, 1000 rounds of AE-type ammo is looking like ~ $300/shipped!! I've wanted to start reloading but never did due to being so busy but at these prices, I might have to learn!

At $300/1000 for the cheap stuff, how long would it take to pay for a Dillon 550/650 set-up to load just 223 if I were loading bulk FMJs/SPs???

Ya know it wont take that long, and funny you mention it. I am seriously looking at the Dillon 650 to make loading a better experience, my current press is just basically what it is, a cheap press. Good friend of mine owns a local shop and uses the Dillon presses, what gets the checkbook boiling is the REALLY nice press options they offer that add cost quickly to the package. All in, I think it's time to pony up and get one coming for a few reasons. Our catridge that we all know and love is in really short supply, and with our military involvement overseas and domestic training levels in the states now using alot more of it, I doubt this problem is going away anytime soon. You know were in trouble for the long haul when you cant even get Wolf in stock or at a good price.

Go here: http://www.georgia-arms.com/canned_heat.htm

Talked to a very reputable gun guy, and he says all 5.56/223 ammo is very hard to get right now due to the focus of all effort going to our guys overseas. I can wait for a while if it will help them out.

Much of the problem is due to the war and the fact that good ol' slick willie made it so mil surp ammo could not be sold in bulk
He also closed down Lake City and several other government run manufacturing plants . so the military has to depend on commercial manufacturers, who in turn have to slow or stop production on some lines to meet government orders. Supply and demand

If I remember correctly, didn't slick actually get it legislated that no live milsurp rounds could be sold to the public? The same folks who used to be able to supply me with near endless quantities of 5.56 to feed my AR's now only have the pulled bullets and some brass available on occasion. What a shame, all those nice stockpiles of ammo having to be rendered useless only to be re-assembled again at home on someones press. Kinda hard to see the logic in that isnt it?

Yes, not too long ago I could go buy a wad of BH and shoot prairie dogs fairly cheaply. Seems like their has been a price increase every couple of months for the last 2 years. Now I'm finally reloading for the only caliber that I thought I'd never have to load. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reloading, just not at the volume I can burn in the 223.

Lake City is not shut down at all. Federal is running it right now, IIRC the last contract had Olin running it. Still up and running hard. It is SUPPLEMENTED by other contracts, read TZZ/IMI etc....

Jeff

Boy...that's the truth. I bought several cases of BH's BB before the prices went through the roof and I just couldn't justify the expense anymore.

I'd much rather be spending my time doing something else besides prepping and loading thousands of .223's, no matter how much I like to reload.

The good part (if you can call it that), if and when restrictions are laid down regarding amounts of store bought ammo, the days and effects of Prohibition will be revisited in different a form (less any limitations on components as well). We can't let it get to that point...bottomline.

I can do without it being cheap, as long as our boys overseas have plenty of it!

I actually bought 222 Remington ammo cheaper than I could find 223 the other day. The high demand for lead and brass is impacting other ammo too. I was told by Hornady that their 416 Rigby was being delayed by the shortages months ago.

long as we are the ones with shortages and not our boys and girls doing the hard work.