by If you have been to a gun show in the last couple of years and priced ammo, you know the prices can be outrageous. That is, in comparison to what they were just a few years ago. The reality is that we are seeing the economic laws of supply and demand working as they should. We don’t have to like it but it is what it is.
Knowing I was going to miss the next Asheville Gun Show as it coincides with the Dallas Safari Club Convention, I trekked over to Waynesville to attend their little gun show. It was…sad. There weren’t many vendors and the ammo selection was poor.
I had hoped to find some ammo in 9.3×62 (not likely), 6.5×55 (possible), and .30-30 Winchester (more probable). Nobody had any of the first two but one vendor had a few boxes of .30-30 Winchester. I wanted the .30-30 ammo as I plan to use my old Marlin 336 rifle for deer hunting this coming week.
The nameless vendor had a couple of boxes of Remington Core-Lokt 170 grain and a couple of boxes of Hornady LEVERevolution 160 grain. The vendor wanted $59.95 and $69.95 respectively for this ammo. That was out of the range that I wanted to pay.
The upside is that I knew I had a box or two of .30-30 ammo around the house in one ammo can or another. I just had to find it. I will admit to and the Complementary Spouse will confirm that I’m not the most organized person in the world.
But find it I did.
Now it wasn’t in the first place I looked nor in the second. I think maybe it was the third or fourth place I looked. Along the way I did discover I had more 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 Savage, and 6.8 SPC ammo that I realized. This turned out to be a win all around!
Like many of us, I had gotten into the habit of picking up a box or two of ammo when I went to Walmart or my local gun store just in case. I’m guessing the above box of Federal .30-30 Winchester probably cost me $15-20 when I bought it. This is truly a case of it paying off for me.
I can’t say that my old habits still will work given today’s condition. That said, if you find something you might be able to use in the future at a reasonable price, go for it. I did come home from that gun show with two boxes of Hornady 6.8 SPC 110 grain V-Max for $30 a box. Not cheap but cheaper than what I could find on Ammoseek.com and I’ll be prepared for coyotes whenever I go for them.