M855 - Who's Scrambling To Buy?

Who were primary buyers this time?

  • Ammo Flippers

    Votes: 100 43.5%

  • Competitive Shooters

    Votes: 1 0.4%

  • Panicked AR owners

    Votes: 96 41.7%

  • Survivalist/Prepper/"Reset" believers

    Votes: 21 9.1%

  • Other

    Votes: 12 5.2%
  • Total voters
    230
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
The initial disruption for the online wholesalers at pre panic bulk pricing ($.35/rd) was immediate. The retail disruption at everyday low prices (cough, $.50+/rd) is inconsistent but certainly there in many areas, mine included. No M855/SS109 loads in my area Wal-Marts anymore, ZQI or Federal except for the ZQI 720rd cases for $457. And those are selling too.. there are people are paying $.68/rd for 720rd cans of Turkish SS109 at Wal-Mart when the 30rd packs are sold out at $.26 (sale) or .33/rd!

Dicks Sporting Goods had some small stocks of XM855 150rd boxes for $75 on Saturday night but that's really when the word started to get out. It's been two days now and that's a lifetime in a banic situation.

The market is definitely putting the premium on the Federal with the painted green tip. The value of the import M855 NATO rounds (Prvi Serbian, Rio Danish, GGG Lithuanian, MKE ZQI, etc) without the painted tips is currently not as much but.. if the ban holds, eventually their value will get threshed out vis a vis their merit.
 
I don't think it'll last long. Remember the ban on Russian AK47 imports? Lots of folks tried to make a buck on the big classified sites but when there are so many substitutes, the panic isn't sustainable. There were plenty of other sources of 7.62x39 and AK47's that people could buy instead of wildly marked-up Russian stuff.

Panicked AR owners who just got their tax returns are probably the ones buying it up because of 'brand loyalty' that probably came about from it being cheap. A few flippers might be able to grab some and make a quick buck in the short term but for the most part people will just go to other types of 5.56 ammo in the future.

On the other hand probably well over 80% of gun owners do not frequent online forums. They haven't tested or read about tests of armor-piercing capabilities of 5.56 and are taking the media's and ATF's statements at face value, so this idea that M855 is particularly effective against body armor may give the panic some legs for a short time. If the flippers play that up they might make some money.
 
Just went to my local Dicks at lunch time and they had lots of M855 in bulk. They had the Federal ammo cans with 420 rounds as well as the 150 round boxes.
 
I honestly don't think "flippers" will be successful, at all.

The people who buy SS109/M855 are buying it because it's cheap and acceptable to their rifles, accuracy wise.

There's other stuff in 62gr which is also cheap and acceptable (prvi partizan, etc).

If flippers think that people will pay double or more for what amounts to cheap plinking ammo, in bulk, they're crazy. For double the amount of SS109/M855 you can get some truly good ammunition. For the same price you can get decent ammo in the same projectile weight range.

That being said if there are any suckers out there who want to pay me $0.70+ cents a round for SS109 before the ban hits, PM me. I can use the money to turn around and buy an equal quantity of match grade stuff to send down the pipe of my AR.

:)
 
1503852_769596156422930_4172633616963067106_n.jpg
 
That being said if there are any suckers out there who want to pay me $0.70+ cents a round for SS109 before the ban hits, PM me. I can use the money to turn around and buy an equal quantity of match grade stuff to send down the pipe of my AR.
Click to expand...

Lol. That's where I'm at right now. I'll happily trade a case of M855 for two cases of M193 or a case of M80 for anyone who places that much value on the stuff. To me, it's just another plinking round. Shoots OK, accuracy similar to any other ball round. I'll swap out my "leave it be" stash of M193 for 855, given the current state of affairs. But............. if some gottahaveitbeforeitsbanned happens along with a trade that works out to ~$0.65 or $0.70/rd coming my way, he can have the stuff!
 
Cheaper than Dirt has done this in the past, e.g. after SH in Dec 2012 with AR's and AR magazines.

I refuse to buy ANYTHING from them because of that.
 
I have just over 1k round. I ordered 6 cans Saturday at $172 ea. I'll stop shooting it for now until things settle down. 2 of 3 556/Wylde guns I've built have 1:8 (and 1 of 2 I've bought) so they do OK with 193s. Ok but not great. The others are 1:7"

I just like having a practice round with similar POI to match grade.

I have never been willing to pay 150-round pack price, and still am not. Can price of $0.40/rd on strippers (and a can thrown in) is not bad. $175 was the pre-Sandy Hook Walmart price (now they sell both 193 and 855 for a little more but I think it has come down to $179).

No plans to "flip" anything . . .

Mike
 
Last edited:
Judging from the poll results, who can blame the ATF for revoking the "sporting use" exemption? ;)

TCB
 
Well, it is. Once M855 is yanked from the market, it won't be back. Its supply is now finite. It is expendable. The price will only increase.
 
taliv said:
i hate m855.

a) while it's certainly NOT 'armor piercing', it puts little divots on steel targets and pits them up
b) terminal ballistics suck
c) you can get better ammo for less

so no, i'm not rushing to buy any.
Click to expand...
Same here. For the same reasons.

Do I think they should ban it? NO. Idiocy.
 
taliv said:
i hate m855.

a) while it's certainly NOT 'armor piercing', it puts little divots on steel targets and pits them up
b) terminal ballistics suck
c) you can get better ammo for less

so no, i'm not rushing to buy any.
Click to expand...
#1 I agree. I only shoot paper not steel.
#2 does not matter for target/practice ammo. 855 is great for pelts (193 is not too shabby either depending on how big the animal is).
#3. What and where? PPU Match 69gr runs about 61 cents (54 cents in 1,000rd cases). What long bullet can you get for 40ish cents per round? Just curious.

Mike
 
My rifle like 55gr better. And my wallet likes my handloads better.

I definitely won't be buying any M855 no matter if it goes away or not. If anything, I'm half tempted to dig up what I have and sell it to someone who wants it more than I do...
 
Last edited:
M193 is better ammo and costs less. Also still widely available at decent prices. So why worry?

Take away lesson is still "be prepared!" Stock up on what's important to you (savings account is a good start) and you can ride out these little perturbations with aplomb.
 
I never thought it was worth pre-panic prices. They can have it. Still doesn't make the silly ATF ban acceptable to me even if I would never have bought any M855.
 
I'm already see people trying to sell it on local boards for almost $1 a round. I hope the whole thing blows over and they get stuck with it. Most of these same people are still trying to unload all the 22LR they thought they were going to get rich on.
 
I'm already see people trying to sell it on local boards for almost $1 a round. I hope the whole thing blows over and they get stuck with it. Most of these same people are still trying to unload all the 22LR they thought they were going to get rich on.
Click to expand...

Some of us just have some, don't especially care for it, and see an opportunity to increase our ammo stocks by selling/trading it off to folks who, for some reason, want the 855 more, and are willing to pay/trade at the current market rate to get it.

I have a little over a case, didn't buy it to flip. But if I can turn 1 case of SS109 into two cases of M193, I'm all about it.
 
Panicked AR owners.

Look what they did a few years ago after Sandy Hook. They bought every AR and mag in stock and then paid 100% premium for every one they could find in the secondary market. 5.56 was going for about a dollar a round.

I think we are on our way back to those days.

I'm pushing the official PANIC button right now. Buy it now before it's too late.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
  • Locked
Stocks of .223/5.56mm Are Dwindling
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
Thermactor
T
W
  • Locked
Associated press article on 5.56 cartridge
Replies
17
Views
945
Larry Ashcraft
Larry Ashcraft
F
  • Locked
US uses bullets ill-suited for new ways of war
2 3
Replies
64
Views
4K
zulu6
Z
B
  • Locked
Shooting with a young Marine
Replies
15
Views
1K
K-Romulus
K
S
  • Locked
Your opinion of my "stash" choice for 5.56
Replies
19
Views
2K
RyanM
R
Back
Top