When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
After getting responses about how .303 British surplus has gone the way of the Do Do bird (thanks for the info guys) and reading other posts about Greek HXP .30-06 being gone at CMP I got to wondering:
Does anyone have a feel for how long supplies of Romanian 8mm, Russian and Bulgarian 7.62x54R and that sort of stuff will last?
Right now it seems cheap and plentiful, and I know ultimately reloading is the way to go. And eventually it sure seems like we'll only be shooting new commercial or our own reloads. But when will that "eventually" be? Do we have 5 years? 10? 50? Just curious what everyone thought...
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
thebearpack
After getting responses about how .303 British surplus has gone the way of the Do Do bird (thanks for the info guys) and reading other posts about Greek HXP .30-06 being gone at CMP I got to wondering:
Does anyone have a feel for how long supplies of Romanian 8mm, Russian and Bulgarian 7.62x54R and that sort of stuff will last?
Right now it seems cheap and plentiful, and I know ultimately reloading is the way to go. And eventually it sure seems like we'll only be shooting new commercial or our own reloads. But when will that "eventually" be? Do we have 5 years? 10? 50? Just curious what everyone thought...
well if you find surplus brass for those calibers that are re loadible get em....for now stock pile....better to buy now than cry later,currently the cheapst caliber is 5.45x39 (for the ak 74)
and even if you Dont have a weapon in that caliber id get it anyways...good trading items :]
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
It all depends on those people with disposable incomes that blast away at nothing....wasting the ammo for the rest of us...
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Triggerh4ppy
It all depends on those people with disposable incomes that blast away at nothing....wasting the ammo for the rest of us...
Well, if they have the money to spend on it, who cares what they shoot at (assuming it's not going to harm someone)? There's no point in being bitter at those who have the money to buy ammo and shoot it as they see fit. Should they feel bad for having disposable income and spending their money on ammo? Sour grapes.
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Triggerh4ppy
It all depends on those people with disposable incomes that blast away at nothing....wasting the ammo for the rest of us...
I know what you mean, bro . . .
Every time I see someone buying cigarettes, snuff, alcohol, or lottery tickets I think about how much hard-earned (or maybe taxpayer) money they are wasting, and how much more $$$ they WOULD have in their wallet or purse if they stopped lighting it on fire, spitting into trash cans, pissing it down the toilet, or freely giving it to PA.
:rolleyes:
Noah
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Triggerh4ppy
and even if you Dont have a weapon in that caliber id get it anyways...good trading items :]
Good trading items? Could you explain what you mean please.
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nic
Good trading items? Could you explain what you mean please.
I'll give you one opinion on "trading item".
If, say, the situation gets really, rea...l...l...y tight, and there is no 9mm ammo for sale but I want some, and you have a bunch of it and I have a gaggle of once-fired brass in your pet caliber (which is your ONLY rifle caliber), and you have by now shot all your brass to uselessness, and you want to shoot some more of that caliber and you will trade off a certain amount of 9mm to get more brass to reload, well - - - - - "trading time" is upon us, and we each have what the other wants -- so the only thing left to decide is how badly do you want it - and the same question is for me to answer as well, and we meet somewhere in the middle on "what do you want and how much are you prepared to give for it?" . . . . . . . Whew! . . . . . :rolleyes:
Flash
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
I was at a show a few weeks ago and asked if they had any 7.62x54R. It was at least twice what I had paid in the past. A sure sign things are drying up. The surplus rifles were also limited.
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
While they may not be producing surplus like it's WW2 anymore, I'd say we have a while yet with the Russian calibers before we need to start worrying. Probably less time with the 8mm though. Honestly, I'd be more concerned about a ban on the importation of surplus ammo and guns than the world truly 'running out' of your favorite mil-surp products. Going off of Wikipedia, Russia made about 37 million Mosin rifles, Germany made 14 million K98s, England made 17 million Enfields, and the US had a little over 5 million Garands. Given the sheer number of Mosins produced and the fact that the USSR stockpiled everything they could get their hands on during the Cold War, I think it's a relatively safe bet that there are still massive stockpiles of 7.62x54 somewhere in the world. Now whether or not their importation would be allowed is another question. That, of course, tends to depend on the political climate of the country. As for the .303, Enfields saw extensive service in the hands of the Mujahideen during the Soviet's war in Afghanistan. The book Charlie Wilson's War discusses how the American gov't supplied the Afghani fighters with tens of millions of rounds of surplus .303 from around the world. The Mauser has also seen extensive service and had a 'relatively low' number produced (compared to the Mosin at least) so I'd guess that 8mm surplus may be the next one to go bye bye. As for the .308, .223, 7.62x39, and 5.45x39 rounds-somebody has to keep feeding the current military weapons of the world, so I wouldn't get too worried about them until they are replaced with new offerings.
In short, if I was to guess, I'd say 5-10 years for surplus 8mm, 25+ for the 7.62x54 and 7.62x39, and 50+ years for the 223, 308, and 5.45x39. That's just my guess though.
Oh, and I would NOT buy ammo for a gun I didn't have and didn't expect to get unless I 1) had a ton of extra money or 2) was pretty sure I could resell for a profit. Buy ammo for a gun you have, will have, or can get easily.
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nic
Good trading items? Could you explain what you mean please.
Trading as in the classifieds or in a shtf scenario(i.E. madmax style society)
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rural Ruger
Going off of Wikipedia, Russia made about 37 million Mosin rifles, Given the sheer number of Mosins produced and the fact that the USSR stockpiled everything they could get their hands on during the Cold War, I think it's a relatively safe bet that there are still massive stockpiles of 7.62x54 somewhere in the world.
yes, there is ! The bulk of it is still in Russia , Most all Mosin Rifles and surplus 54R ammo that has been sold in the United States Has come from Ukraine(the bulk of it came from Ukraine) and other former soviet states or WarsawPac countries. There are still massive stores of 54R ammo in Russia that will never be surplused
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rural Ruger
I'd be more concerned about a ban on the importation of surplus ammo and guns
You make a lot of really good points and this is one that could happen at any time making actual worldwide supply sizes irrelevant in a way. Seems like the consensus is that surplus ammo is never going to get any cheaper so it makes sense to put some away in the calibers you own whenever possible to build up your personal stash. Thanks a lot. That was the sort of info I was looking for.
Re: When will surplus ammo supplies dry up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
thebearpack
After getting responses about how .303 British surplus has gone the way of the Do Do bird (thanks for the info guys) and reading other posts about Greek HXP .30-06 being gone at CMP I got to wondering:
Does anyone have a feel for how long supplies of Romanian 8mm, Russian and Bulgarian 7.62x54R and that sort of stuff will last?
Right now it seems cheap and plentiful, and I know ultimately reloading is the way to go. And eventually it sure seems like we'll only be shooting new commercial or our own reloads. But when will that "eventually" be? Do we have 5 years? 10? 50? Just curious what everyone thought...
I didn't read the replies but, it is something I don't want to imagine.
