M855 - Who's Scrambling To Buy?

[swopjan]

Yeah, you're probably right...after all, .22LR is back to its cheap and-plentiful status...right?

You missed the point completely. People bought .22LR and M855 mostly because of low cost. In the .22LR panic the pressure was on ALL ammo of that caliber except maybe the very highest-cost target stuff. The pressure now is not on M855 because folks want cheap ammo, it's because they think it's 'armor-piercing.' There's still cheap .223/5.56 ammo available to prevent a widespread shortage like we're seeing with .22LR, which even during a shortage is still the cheapest way to shoot for non-reloaders.

You mean the one that still stands?

For a time, yeah, you could buy sporting versions. But to return them to their "full glory", you had to replace half the parts in accordance with 922R.

And, of course, their importation is presently banned completely.

Banning Russian AK47 imports is not the same as banning AK47's. Maybe a few people paid/got $2,000+ for a run-of-the-mill Russian import in the week after the news but most folks who wanted an AK just bought other AK's. There are even American-made AK's under $500 right now on Gunbroker. (edit to clarify: regarding the recent sanctions against Russia. Not referring to 922r rules that have been in place longer)

A few people are going to pay high prices for 'armor-piercing' M855 in the short run for stockpiling or whatever psychological reason they have for acquiring 'banned' ammo. Most shooters though are going to simply find the next-cheapest type of 5.56 ammo they like in the future. It's not going to cause a widespread shortage of 5.56 ammo, just as there's no widespread shortage of 7.62x39 because there are plenty of other cheap sources available. A few people will make a few bucks flipping or, as some members have said, selling their M855 at the current high price to buy cheaper 5.56 ammo, but it won't make people shoot less because '5.56 is too expensive now' like people were saying about .22LR when it was 15 cents a pop.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Banning Russian AK47 imports is not the same as banning AK47's. Maybe a few people paid/got $2,000+ for a run-of-the-mill Russian import in the week after the news but most folks who wanted an AK just bought other AK's. There are even American-made AK's under $500 right now on Gunbroker. (edit to clarify: regarding the recent sanctions against Russia. Not referring to 922r rules that have been in place longer)

You specifically stated Russian.

I'm well aware of the commonly available Romaks and US made variants.

 

[swopjan]

Yes, I did. You continue to miss my point about M855 while you get hung up on my example about AK-47's though. Let me explain it another way.

Russian AK47 imports are (still) banned... So what?

M855 will be banned... So what?



After the recent sanctions people were trying to get $1,800+ for basic Russian AK's. Nobody's doing that any more because there weren't enough buyers at that price point, even though some small sellers obviously thought there would be a panic and they could jack up their prices.

Same thing with the M855, it's selling briskly and prices are up but it's not flying off the shelves fast enough for anyone to expect to buy it all up and triple their money or more like people were doing with .22LR. There aren't enough 'gotta have it' buyers to support an additional layer of middlemen because most shooters will quickly turn to other sources of ammunition, just like most buyers turned to other types of AK's.

 

[texasgun]

my concern: the military uses a lot of M855 and turns over their inventory every couple of years so surplus M855 used to reach the civilian market as a CHEAP and reliable supply of 5.56.

Banning M855 would REMOVE that surplus supply of 5.56 to the civilian market.
Sure there is better ammo... but M855 surplus ammo for ~30cents/rd will be missed

 

[Old Dog]

I shall miss the M855 ... it actually shoots very well through my Colts (1:7 twist) and is usually provides me the best accuracy at the best price (without having to buy the pricey match 69 or 72 grain offerings). Fortunately, I've been stocking up over the years whenever I saw it on sale, so I have no need to "scramble" to purchase any more ...

I did not vote in this poll because I have no clue who the panic buyers are this time around (all my buddies claim they're not responsible for the shelves bereft of M855).

 

[texasgun]

same here. M855 was plentiful and cheap for more than 12 months until a few days ago.... don't understand how someone doesn't build a solid stock of ammo when prices are low.

I have roughly 1k of M855 which was all bought around $0.32 / rd...

 

[Flash!]

I assume the days of cheap M855 pull downs are gone..... I use to buy pull downs to reload for $68 per 1000 from my local reloading shop..... they were the cheapest plinkers I could get.... and I shot most of them all up..... I could have been rich if I saved them to resell in today's market :/

 

[Thermactor]

my concern: the military uses a lot of M855 and turns over their inventory every couple of years so surplus M855 used to reach the civilian market as a CHEAP and reliable supply of 5.56.

Banning M855 would REMOVE that surplus supply of 5.56 to the civilian market.
Sure there is better ammo... but M855 surplus ammo for ~30cents/rd will be missed

Fear not, citizen. The surplus M855 supply will go where it is needed most: Fed LE SWAT teams.
edit: I take that back. They probably use our tax dollars to buy match grade stuff to plink and practice with, and wouldn't be bothered with surplus M855.

They'll just shred it.

 

[Pilot]

While I am not "panicked", I am very concerned about this trend from the Feds. It did propel me to buy some reloading components that I otherwise would have probably put off.

 

[Lycidas Janwor]

I thought this ban was just a proposal by the ATF, am I wrong?

 

[anothernewb]

you're not wrong. it's still a proposal at this point. But - it certainly is drumming up business. If gunbroker is to be believed in real sales - there's some money to be made in it right now - and every shelf in my area is bare.

not that I didn't go and buy myself a couple hundred rounds when this mess broke either - so I'm partly to blame too.

 

[Thermactor]

M855 prices are plummeting on GunBroker.
Yesterday an auction for 4 boxes of Federal 150 round packs of XM855 green tips ended at $0.46 per round. That's 3 cents per round cheaper than Wal-Mart's price, when Wal-Mart had it in stock.
The depth of supply definitely outstripped the market's capacity for demand right now.
I find it curious that some gigantic shipments of IMI stuff came in right on time to stanch the demand as the prices hit peak. Someone had advance notice. The market's still saturated with IMI, Independence and Samson M855 and M193.

 

[hso]

Plenty of it on the shelves at 50 cents a round in the local Cabelas. That sure doesn't look like a banic to me.

OTOH, a buddy of mine that runs a small ammo manufacturer sold 25,000 rounds at that price the first 2 hrs of the gunshow this weekend.

It all depends on where you're looking for it and why.

 

[WVsig]

There was a lot of Federal American Eagle XM855 150 Round box and ZQI 30 round box at my local Walmart.

IIRC $9.99 for the ZQI and $69.97 for the American Eagle.

 

[Thermactor]

The ZQI stuff is 30 rounds.

 

[WVsig]

The ZQI stuff is 30 rounds.

Yes it is. I corrected my original post. I guess that is why I do not understand the M855 pricing. It made sense to buy ZQI because it is .34 a round which is a solid price for a 62 grain bullet. It is hard to find re manufactured ammo at that price.

Once you start to push that price up it just doesn't make sense. It certainly does not make sense at .60 cents a round.

 

[W.E.G.]

ZQI has dumped ALL their inventory of 62-grain steel-tip at WALMART, and WALMART is pushing the stuff out the door.

Whatever is there now, will be the last you see of that bullet in that brand in the US.

ZQI informed a member of another forum that no more ZQI 62-grain 5.56 will be imported.

 

[WVsig]

ZQI has dumped ALL their inventory of 62-grain steel-tip at WALMART, and WALMART is pushing the stuff out the door.

Whatever is there now, will be the last you see of that bullet in that brand in the US.

ZQI informed a member of another forum that no more ZQI 62-grain 5.56 will be imported.

Makes sense to buy it at the Walmart price. At a higher price it does not make sense to pay more IMHO. Again its attraction is its price. Once that price is no longer available then it makes sense to choose another round in the .30 range.

After all the hype it would not surprise me if the ban does not go through. If that is the case I bet we will see a return of ZQI.

 

[Thermactor]

An ammo tracker (don't have the link handy) that updated this last evening showed Walmarts across the nation with ample stock of ZQI SS109 and Federal XM855.

Including the incredibly badly-run Walmarts in Cincinnati.

Any confirmation of the nationwide resupply?
I've been too busy to head out to the depths of despair known as the Walmarts on Colerain Ave, 3 miles apart from each other.

 

[M1key]

Walmart must have bought it all because I don't see any ZQI here:

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/5.56x45mm-nato/-rifle-62grains-

M

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I looked through cans, range bags, and magazines yesterday and found 4,410 rounds. About half purchased recently for $0.40/rd shipped with can and strippers. No panic buying here.

How does the all lead Magtech 62 grain shoot?

Mike

 

[Malamute]

I think the last I bought ss109 it was $0.17 1/2/rd. After selling my gun, I sold the ammo (for a little more, whatever the market price was) to help pay for concrete to add on to my house.

 

[Thermactor]

M855 prices are back on the upswing, now that this has become alt-media mainstream news, and limited release MSM news.
Retail supplies of Federal stuff look like they're dried up and Gunbroker prices for 120rd cases are touching $100 again.
One goober outfit is scalping ZQI 30 round boxes for $16.55/ea.

Murmurs of the beginnings of a general ammo panic are spreading of ammo shelves being laid bare again (nee BHO 2009, 2012, SH) by the stampeding mass public.
(edit: I didn't need to word this so carefully. Murmurs were two weeks ago. Panic was yesterday. Shelves are bare now.)
Depending on what the Executive does or says in the future, this will either subside gradually or turn into pandemonium wherein history fully repeats itself and all rifle rounds double or triple in price for a while. What's unique here is that the Fudd rounds that were utterly untouched during the last few panics, the big expensive hunting rounds that can take out an elephant and cost $40 for a box of 20.. those might disappear as they would be explicitly targeted by the BATFE's radical new interpretation of the LEOPA, where
1)"armor piercing" is unrelated to the Congressionally-defined limitations of bullet material construction, and
2) "handgun" means a gun that can be held by a person in his two hands!

 

[Lycidas Janwor]

I have said from the beginning that the feds will limit the supply of ammo before they limit the supply of guns. After all, what good is a gun if you can't shoot it? All we can hope is that someone in congress does something about this before it gets out of hand. Indeed, there is a very slippery slope here in that, if the feds can deem M855 ammo as armor piercing and hence, unecessary for the general public, they can then make the same argument for any ball ammo fired from a rifle. The feds can then dictate what ammo is suitable for the general public, and what ammo is illegal, thus, severely limiting the general public's access to ammo, driving up the prices.

Or, they may say something like "ok, you can have M855 ammo and other ball ammo, but there is a certain tax that goes along with buying it...." thus, again, making the ammo cost prohibitive to the general public.

 

[Lycidas Janwor]

As for the "AR pistols" that can shoot the M855, the feds already have lots of regulations in place as to what these "pistols" can and can't be. I have a friend who has one of these older version AR pistols. We fired it a few times, it was fun, really fun, the 12" flame that came out of the barrel when it was fired was all kinds of fun to watch.

All that being said, that thing was totally impractical. It is little more than a novelty item. Sure, I guess a criminal can get one and use it in a crime, but if that's the case, why wouldn't that criminal just use a good ole AR anyway? I mean, trying to fire that "pistol" (I don't really think it's a pistol, more like a midget rifle) and hit anything outside of 10 yards is hard, especially with one hand? And rapid firing that thing with one hand? Forget it. Plus, it's like the 4th of July when you fire that thing. It's like a Roman candle. You are basically telling the world HERE I AM!!