Buying ammo question

B

bhornjr

New member
I will no longer shop at Wal-Mart (thanks to the doumentary The High Cost of the Low Price)

So I have an ammo dilimna, I do have an Academy within driving distance; or should I go with mail order (with shipping is it actually cheaper), or pay a little higher cost to support local gunshops, or just load up the next time the gun show comes, about every four to six weeks?

Thanks for help.
 
Not really a "good" suggestion but, buy where you feel the most comfortable doing it. If you save money by buying online, then do so. However, Academy and some of the LGS are just as cheap at times.

Since I started reloading, the only ammo I now buy is 22 lr.:)
 
I don't know what the WalMart problem is..but that aside, I'd go to Academy. I've found gun show prices to be crazy high.
Good luck.
 
If that documentary worries you, then you should be shopping at your local ma and pa shop... period. Mail order is as much of a threat to your local shops as Walmart. On the other hand, lots of mail order places are ma and pa in their own neighborhood, so you can still feel good about helping a little guy, somewhere else in the USA. Policies at walmart with ruthless negotiations with suppliers, unfairness with employees, and down right paranoia over unions also keeps me out of there most of the time. I still do stop in and buy ammo there, but I find 95% of their products to be JUNK. Obviously a result of their low cost pressure on suppliers and manufacturers. Walmart is in the process of destroying my hometown, Watkins Glen NY. People are so blind to it...its sad really...

I recommend you check out "The Corporation". Another great eye opener...
 
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I buy most ammunition (Made In USA only) online due to high state taxes here in kalifornia and high cost at LGS. I just bought some Winchester Super X buckshot and slugs from WalMart and price was right for product Made in USA.
 
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I buy small lots of stuff at local shops because that is all they carry. If I want a few boxes of shells or cartridges then I go down the road and get it. But when I want to buy several hundred rounds of a specific brand and load then online is my only practical choice.

I find my local gun shop has better selection than local discount like WM have better selection of premium ammo. I don't buy enough of that to bother getting it online. My local discount mart has about the same prices as WM on the FMJ and basic lines. If there was not a local discount store I would buy from the further away WM. But if I am going to buy 1,000 rds of something then it is cheaper to buy online even with the shipping.

Of course reloading is cheaper still and our local WM has no reloading supplies.
 
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Folks, this is NOT going to be a discussion about Wal Mart.

It's a discussion about where to purchase ammo.

Several off topic posts have been deleted, others have been edited to remove hot button subjects that never fail to raise the Wal Mart debate to a fever pitch.

Any further off topic discussion and the thread will be closed.
 
Most of my ammo comes from two sources:

1) My Reloading Room
2) Mail Order

As to your conundrum, I don't have an answer for you.

Biker
 
Ditto on reloading.

Now all I need to buy is .22LR I have the stuff to reload everything else.

If I ever need to buy in bulk I will go to Lucky Gunner online.
 
Walmart doesn't present 'any problems' to me and I do buy some ammo there but find the best prices (including delivery charges) are on the internet - Natchez, Wideners, etc.
 
I tend to buy mine at local gun shops. Not chains, but local owned business. I've pretty much always preferred that, and it is a good way to get to know and stay in touch with the local neighborhood gun shop staff. It makes it a much nicer experience to buy from folks you know and who know you.
 
If you find yourself buying more than 3-400 rounds a month, I recommend you start reloading using a simple kit like the Lee Hand Press or single stage. It's not terribly complicated, easier than replacing an alternator on my Maxima, that's for sure.
 
If my local gun shop can't help me, I use a website called Ammunitiontogo.com. I'd say they have the best price on what I shop for (.223 and 9mm) about 85% of the time. If they don't, I'll either go to Natchez, CheaperThanDirt, etc., or see if the local Cabela's can help me out.
 
I support the local non-big-box guns shops as much as I can afford to (which is a lot), but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. I shoot large bore and some odd-ball handgun calibers. 45 Colts, for example, run $1/rnd at the local shops but $0.45 mail order. 41 Mags, same price problem and almost no selection. My AR also eats a lot of rounds and 5.56mm/.223 Rem mail-order run $5.50 (on sale) per 20, but $8 and up at the local shops. I shoot a lot of all of these and the difference in price would be as much as a new revolver every two months.

And I never shop at Wal-Mart! There's no comparison between some of the mail order ammo dealers and the crap that Wal-Mart pulls (and sells).
 
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