Surplus 7.62x54r Trend?

Z

ZRTaylor

New member
I'm looking to buy a couple spam cans of surplus 7.62x54r, but all the usual local outlets for full cans are coming up dry over the last couple weeks. They're all still piece-mealing it out in 20-packs for between 45 and 70 (!) cents per round. I started searching online however and found a place selling crates of 880 for 23 cents per round, shipped.

There is a gun show locally on the 15th of next month, which will probably have some surplus 54r, but that's a long way away time-wise and given my previous experiences at gun shows (admittedly only over the last year, and therefore riddled with "panic" pricing) I have no reason to believe that prices are going to be particularly good. However, I'm also in not in a hurry because I'm using 22lr for practice, and the 54r would only be particularly useful for gradually working in to handling a center-fire rifle at a later date.

As more experienced shooters who, I'm sure, have dealt with panic pricing issues in the past; what are your thoughts? is it worth waiting to check the gun shows, or is the pricing situation only likely to get worse for surplus ammo, given the rate at which people still seem to be hoarding whatever they can find?

I'm regularly feeling like I picked a very bad time to get in to shooting with the ammo shortages and ridiculous panic-mongering.
 
Haven't bought ammo, except to zero a new rifle, and get some brass to reload since 1976. I shoot rather expensive stuff, 300WBY, 340WBY, 6.5x284, among others.

The 6.5x284 Lapua brass is about $120 per 100 pieces. The Weatherby ammo is about $50-80 per box of 20, so if I want to shoot these I must reload.

Gun shows don't give much joy, IMO. I have found that some deals on handguns can be had, but ammo available there is limited to mainstream, or is grossly overpriced.
 
it's not worth it to wait until the gun shows. the last one I was at people were selling the paper packs for $8 or spam cans for the price of 22 paper packs(you do the math). things have calmed down a bit but the surplus maret really took a hit, there just isn't as much surplus out there as there was so my advice to you would be t get the internet deal.

also, gunshows are where you go for a good selection because there are vendors from all over so your odds of finding what you want are higher there. prices however are never good unless you dicker, barter, and otherwise haggle them down.
 
If you want to buy ammo and pay in cash for a spam can at an inflated price, then a gun show is good.

Try SGAmmo, Aim Surplus, and Classic Firearms, they seem to stock it regularly.
 
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