Both lead and copper raw material prices are down to near "typical levels." Why aren't bullet and brass case pricing coming down? Component manufacturers and reloading suppliers were certainly watching prices go up-and increasing prices on the end product in the process.

Here are the links 10 year price charts. Include these when you write to your reloading supplier or bullet manufacturer.
http://www.infomine.com/invest...art.asp?c=Lead&r=10y


http://www.infomine.com/invest...t.asp?c=Copper&r=10y

you know the prices ain't coming down.
bullets and ammo was being sold when the prices were up,so they're staying there.

I'm told it will take a while for new new materials prices to work through the system. As manufacturers work through the existing stock, some price relief should be seen. However, as we all know, prices never go back to "the good old days" in any market.

quote:

bullets and ammo was being sold when the prices were up,so they're staying there.

There are three main factors in the cost of any product; cost of production (ncluding cost of materials and labor, cost of distribution and retail mark-up. No one can, nor should they, work for less than the market offers for their services.

A drop in the cost of raw materials sure won't do it, not so long as sales outstrip production as it is now. ONLY when we, the market, quit paying higher prices for all the production they can generate will there even be any reason for prices to drop.

Bottom line, WE set the market value of anything, not the sellers.

no bullet/ammo sales for 2 months would definately send a message.
it would freak out the anti-gunners too as they would have no way to know just how many rounds were out there being hoarded.
and would think that everybody had so much they didn't need more.

i like the way you think lamar

Terrible inflation will be here in a year [thanks to Obama's spending with no way to pay for it].

A bullet or brass manufacturer can see that coming.

They would be better off buying Copper and Lead and storing them right now.

The big futures play right now is to find old oil tankers and store oil.

Why get ammo manufacturing revved up for 223 and 308, when those rifles may be outlawed in a year?

I'm glad to see that tnekkc is such an economic seer. He'll no doubt be exceedingly wealthy in just a year due to knowing what the market will do.

In the meantime, commodity prices and the portion of product cost attributable to them have eased considerably. The pipeline effect means that this will take a while to show up in wholesale/retail prices.

The buying/hoarding of ammunition components due to political beliefs, coupled with unusually high military demand for small arms ammunition, has caused temporary shortages, thus price spikes. I have a friend in a small retail store who couldn't give his stock of reloading supplies away for the last five years or so, but who has sold out of everything he had available in just three months.

Military backorders have been pretty well filled (ATK - Federal - began laying off manufacturing personnel last November due to being caught up). As demand slackens (as it always does after "scare" rushes), wholesale prices will drop, then retail prices will eventually follow.

All of the deficit spending is designed to keep the dollar from deflating. The debate among knowledgable economists is whether the deficit is large enough to accomplish this goal under the circumstances. My personal feeling is that it is too small to stave off further recession and deflation in some areas, but that the eventual result has to be very significant inflation. I don't think inflation will get here in a year like tnekkcc does, but it almost has to be an inevitable part of the cycle. After all, it's the only way to pay off the various governmental and institutional debts.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
no bullet/ammo sales for 2 months would definately send a message.
it would freak out the anti-gunners too as they would have no way to know just how many rounds were out there being hoarded.
and would think that everybody had so much they didn't need more.

We've had to think like this for quite a while now, I just had me a stock take, Amax for the.223 ? 1500- 7mm ? 1000, Just caught hold of six cans of Ramshot Magnum, I'll store these behind the Vithavuori cans!!

This is anecdotal, but....

I just called to order another gunsmithing lathe, and they are back ordered 4 weeks to the factory in China.

I asked how they got behind.
They said they had never been behind before, but they thought there was an economic slow down, so they ordered less. They could have sold 50 more gunsmithing lathes if they could get them.