Ammunition: An alternative investment?

This is largely directed to the U.S.. I'm not really up on other nations situations, although it's not impossible that it have some validity elsewhere.

First, let me say I'm not a "prepper". ( I don't not have the funds for it).

I do have friends and associates that are in that 'area code' to some degree and many are well armed in Washington St. where I live.

We all know the traditional investments,also the alternative ones like gold and silver. All are well promoted-if for no other reason than to keep those prices going up more than down. The trouble is one can't eat gold or silver, nor property for that matter. All of these go down in value depending on fate and manipulation. They also have the down-side of costing significant money.

The owners of food, gold and any other valued properties are and will be subject to those that are armed.

There is no shortage of arms in the U.S. . There has been and the potential is real that ammunition isn't plentiful. Even banned like the Russian ammo supply. Low or no ammo and one's guns are useless....

There is also the Fed's agenda of buying up surplus ammo for the express purpose of keeping it out of the average citizen's hands.

Apparently, by law, the military/feds are first priority for ammunition, police/law enforcement is second and the citizens are third.

In short, investing in some amount of ammo-even if one is not well armed or owns no weapons at all- seems a really safe investment. One can buy on line or direct bulk ammo in 1000 round increments for as low as 220 Dollars. One can buy 50 round boxes for 25 bucks. In other words,huge amount of investment capital aren't needed.

The is little to no chance the cost of ammo will 'crash' and a very real chance it goes through the roof!

Worst case scenario is selling it off at gun ranges or to friends. Best case is a valued commodity to be traded/sold for items needed such as food or even cash. ( Not to mention gold or silver...).

The price could easily 5x or more, in the right circumstance.

No matter what happens in the future, guns will be less scarce than ammo. That makes ammo even more valuable than the guns themselves....

Food for thought.

I cant see it a good investment. In order for it to be, the us would have to outlaw ammo manufacturing, and I don't see that happening. I would worry about its shelf life in storage as well, will it go bad before its valuable?
Your basically betting on tshf for your profit. Id throw down the same cash on Apple/Google/MS stock if your talking long holds like that. Imho

a reply to: Mandroid7

Russian ammo is banned already by the Feds.

DHS has bought up huge amounts of ammo and for a period, there were line-ups at some retailors waiting for shipments to arrive at their location with some calibers running out the same day.

I'm not aware of any significant shelf-life issues, it's been 45 years since I fired a weapon...LOL, so I'm not an expert, by any means.

But, it IS possible that this doesn't collapse around our collective ears and the value doesn't sky-rocket, but I AM sure the value/cost of ammo will not go down and could be re-sold at a later date. At the least, a break-even proposition.

On the other hand, say, 5000 rounds of various calibers at a cost of 1200-1500 dollars could be a life-saver.

a reply to: nwtrucker


Oh, I WISH I would have bought so many Federal 550 packs when they were under $10 a few years ago. I could have scored and easy $40 per box during the height of the .22 crisis. Hell could easily get 25-30 each today.

I think there's maybe some merit to ammunition as an investment. I think it's actually quite a clever idea, if you're in the U.S., not here in Scotland but I can't see how you could lose money holding onto it as, like you said, it's certainly not going to go down in price and that only leaves one direction for the prices to go.. although to be fair, it is more likely that the government would ban private ammunition sales than general sales of ammo, so there is some inherent risk but it's minimal and I agree that when or if SHTF, bullets will be more valuable than gold and silver by a long shot.. and certainly more valuable than apple stocks..

a reply to: Elijah23

Agreed. Though even if the gov't banned private sales, it would drive the price even higher. Nothing like a gov't ban to boost sales prices...

a reply to: nwtrucker

ammunition is actually a decent investment as long as you are wise and up-to-date with trends with firearms.

If properly stored.. 50cal ammo can and some silica gel packets, your ammo will literally last forever.

Now it is a bit too late to jump on the .22 band wagon, and NATO cartridges will ALWAYS be available in short order. 5.56 did spike for a while, but with the massive infrastructure in place to create them it wasn't going to last long.

I would recommend to do some research as to what exactly the fed are banning when they make treaties and laws.

The feds banned armor piercing ammo. 5.56 green tip isn't true armor piercing, however the 30-06 black tip was, and was banned. 30-06 AP isn't very popular, but the fact that the 30.06 AP could be loaded into 7.62x51 has made any remaining round incredibly valuable.

Also ammo by weight it somewhere around 98%-99% metal. Mainly brass and lead.. very little copper. Look into the futures of those metals as well before investing. Not saying to sell the ammo for it's lead value, but the cost and value of the ammo will go up as the metals increase.

Read and research, if the wagon is already rolling on a cartridge.. may not want to jump on as it may likely crash.

look for the niche ammo. or ammo to soon be banned.

The U.N. small arms B.S. treaty may be blocking shipments of Aguila 60gr sss soon, and us quiet shooters love it with a passion. If you can find it for under $70/brick buy it!!!

a reply to: doompornjunkie

Hmm, the thread was a passing thought..LOL. There's much more to it than I supposed. (What else is new.)

How about 7.62x 39?




P.S. I was thinking more along the generic lines. I.E. just your basic 9mm and say 7.62x39. More like a 'just in case' rather than your more esoteric egs...

a reply to: nwtrucker

Heck no, that stuff is even more abundant than any NATO cartridge will be or will ever be. Everyone produces it lol. I would recommend looking into R.I.P. ammo. I have a feeling it will go the way of the black talon.

Sadly ammo cost is almost exclusively affected by the feds. Watch the feds... best advice. I've made a lot of money by buying and selling arms over the years, but I've always been ahead of the game.

ETA: For invest met as in SHTF go with some HV .22 HP, green tip 5.56, A-max 5.56, .308's, some 9mm and .45 HP, and some shot gun shells. Just cover your bases as far as defense hunting and trade. BTW .22 can be made very quiet easily, are light weight, and a bit more lethal than they look if you know where to aim. Gotta love those little .22's!

Also if you want 7.62x39 or 9mm you are basically betting on metal values and not so much another bullet frenzy. They are just way too common and mass produced world wide.

a reply to: doompornjunkie

Ok. Thanks!

I was aware of the 'attributes' of 22s..LOL.

Last question .338? I was thinking of that for my personal long gun. A.T&T...reach out and touch someone,,,err Elk.

a reply to: nwtrucker

Oh yeah! .338 Lapua Magnum! I recently got into this caliber after exhausting my shooting abilities at 1,200 yards with .308 and 300wm.

Can you load your own bullets? Can you shoot 500 yards? 1,000? The .338 is retardedly expensive if you don't load your own and is too good for most shooters.

If you can afford it, and can already make a 1000-1200 yard shot reliably then go for it. If not then forget it.. best answer I can give you. The 1,600 to 2,000 yards shots that one would buy a Lapua to make are by no means easy, don't fool yourself man.

I don't know you, but if you don't shoot that far then stick with a good ol .308, 30-06, 7mm mag, 300wm, etc. When you are ready for the .338 you won't be asking ATS, you will already know.

a reply to: doompornjunkie

LOL. I haven't fired anything for 45 years! I was more than decent with an F/N. I'd be competent in the 200 yard range...

Having said that, I'd LOVE a 2015 Z06 C7 Corvette. I could never drive it to it's potential or anywhere near it...BUT....

It's that kind of thing.....

a reply to: nwtrucker

.338 Lapua Magnum reality:
Designed for shoots 1,600yard+
Cost per round $6
Rifle $2,000-$8,000
Scope $1,500-$5,000

300WM reality:
Designed for and shoots 600-1,200 yards
Cost per round $1-$3
Rifle $700-$2000
Scope $700- $2000

I love my 30cals, my .338 is just because I could. You know what to do lol

At 200 yards though I would SERIOUSLY consider a FNH SCAR-17s. It is a serious piece of .308 machinery. Available cheap ammo, flawless function, match barrel, combat (erm hunting) proven. Just beautiful stuff by FN.

Booze .. Broads .. and cigarrettes .. better investment for shtf ..

a reply to: Expat888

It is plainly evident that control efforts on guns and ammo will intensify in the future. My crystal ball tells me that while guns and ammo are an excellent investment (if wisely done) these days and destined to sky rocket before too long, the further reality of the situation in time will come when a stroke of the pen may cause you to be hoarding thousands of dollars in illegal materials. You then will be a criminal and you actually did nothing!

Face the facts, despite the number of guns and amounts of ammo stockpiled in America, a far larger percentage of Americans (largely of the female type) want them removed from our hands. We gun owners are far outnumbered. (A gun or two tucked away in the closet is meaningless at such a time.)

Forget the actions of government. Keep your eye on those areas officially outside of government that work to bend government and public sentiment to their will in a vast assortment of different, well-funded ploys. Need I details several issues of the last few decades that have turned the thinking of our mass culture? Think of the gun issue as an extended example of PC (Politically Correctness). Once a large segment of the public gets moved in the right direction, there is no stopping their logic from interfering directly into your life whether you like it or not.

a reply to: doompornjunkie

Good advice! I was thinking used-other than the .338-due to the cost factors.

There's the under the radar factor, as well.

As Aliensun has pointed out, the P.R./P.C. side of it shouldn't be ignored. In Washington St., they passed a law where even private sales need a background check. While I'd pass that check, I don't desire being in anyone's data base.

Sometimes paranoia is a good thing....

a reply to: Aliensun

1. cache in secure remote locations
2. blackmarket thrives anytime theres unrest
3. Pick up weapons .. equipment from the dead .. with all the wannabe's and armchair commando's there will be a very high body count .. the dead wont have any use for it.

As to governments and the mindless masses .. stuff em .. not my concern if they dont like or approve ..

a reply to: Expat888

Not just the 'wannabes' either. Numerous 'paid types' will be offering up their equipment...

a reply to: nwtrucker

True .. wouldve been very long list if listed all the players ..

New profession...