M1 Carbine Ammo Prices on the Rise!

[tmark]

I attended a gunshow at Timonium, Maryland this weekend. I saw two tables having M1 carbine ammo. The prices are $20 for twenty rounds; $50 for fifty rounds. That's $1 a round!!!!!

I bought LC ammo at the Silverado Gunshow at Upper Marlboro, Maryland 2 to 3 years ago. I still have the packets of ammo. A packet of 20 rounds has a $6 price tag on it as well as the other packets I purchased. In just 2 - 3 years the prices have risen 333%

Why has M1 carbine ammo become so expensive.

I noticed the primers on my LC carbine ammo are seated not flush with the top of the cartridge head but are about 1/16 inch (approx) below the head. They seem more deepseated than other ammo like 30'O6 ammo. Is this normal?

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[ScottR]

Gun shows are not the best place for deals, I am sure you can find some deals at shows.
CMP Aguila $15.50 a box.
When in stock online sellers have Aguila and S&B for under $20.
Prvi Partizan was $15.95 last time I saw.
When it is in stock it only last 24 to 72hrs before they run out.

Scott

[Jim Nasium]

Primers seated just below the rim of the case is the norm. At least for reloaders. If seated flush with the rim of the case, it's not quite deep enough. 1/16 might be a little deep tho. I am told that the little extra depth pushes the anvil down into the chemical of the primer to better ignite it, even if a light strike with the firing pin.

j

[Ed Johnson]

Just a guess tmark, but two major reasons. One is the Obama scare. Ignore what he promises, he and his fellow anti gun pals like Pelosi, Biden, Holder, etc all hate guns (in private hands) and they ARE going to come after them and ammo as well. Two is recent carbine sales. When you consider the thousands of carbines already out there for years, then add another 60 thousand plus from CMP sales in the last few years, there is a huge demand for ammo to feed them. If you hand load, stock up on components while you still can. I have set up to cast bullets. If you don't hand load, now is a great time to start. Of the two factors, I believe the quite well founded Obama scare is the major cause of the shortage and wild price increases.
Just my humble opinion.
Best to all..
Ed

[Neal Myers]

Plus, the fact that the USGI ammo in arsenal storage is now completely depleted. CMP had it off & on, in different size cans, throughout most of the '90s. I don't recall seeing headstamps later than the '70s, so it was obvious that it was out of production. It will always be the "gold standard" for long term storage carbine ammo, so prices will go even higher.

Maybe we will soon look back on the days when USGI ammo was only $1 per round!

[Tired Retired]

I was getting Remington for about $26 a box of 50 from Walmart up to a couple of months ago. The salespeople I know there translate the computer as showing that it stays on backorder but the retail price is the same $26.

Today I was at Cabelas and I saw (in stock) about 20 boxes of S&B for $21.99 a box. I still have some factory FMJ stockpiled so I left it for someone else who needs it. Cabelas seems to get some S&B and Wolf ($17.99) in on a semi-regular basis. It just sells as fast as they get it. I personally will shoot S&B but not wolf.

From the surplus world, we probably wont see much more USGI becoming available. I just got my hands on some carbine cases that were from a freshly de-milled LC 1944 headstamp. I am GUESSING that the de-milling of what is left means that the govt has cleared out or is soon going to clear out all the 30 Carb.

So we're gonna have to put the war babies on diets until this ammo hording and primer hording slows down... but maybe the slowdown has started....

[USSR]

If you hand load, stock up on components while you still can. I have set up to cast bullets. If you don't hand load, now is a great time to start.

+1. The carbine is one of the few rifles adaptable to near full power loads with cast bullets.

Don

[jimb16]

You can push hard cast up to 1800 very easily without gas checks and over that a bit with . Since 1950 is the standard spec, you are quite right.