I went to the store yesterday with the express intent of loading up on ammunition. It is a task I don’t often take on, so I thought I better do it in bulk while I was there, and I suppose I also knew what I was about to encounter. The price had risen about 60% in one year. The ammunition I was purchasing were 7.62X39 rounds, which are the common round of the AK-47. I was told that there had been five price increases since the beginning of 2008. There are two main reasons for this:
- With the AK-47 being the weapon of choice for the majority of the world, the 7.62 is the most common ammunition in the world, and should be the cheapest mass produced round. Over time the manufacturers have shifted their production to the middle east making the 7.62 both hard to find and expensive to buy in the US. The fact that most of the world production is going into the middle east hand over fist is disturbing because IT’S NOT US WHO USE 7.62 ammo.
- The second reason for the price increase is a simple factor of commodities. The prices of brass and led are rising, and with them go ammunition.
I went in to buy in bulk and when I saw the price increase over last year I bought a rediculous amount, in fact I bought every single one that the store had. It will be interesting to see what happens to the prices. The AK-47 is a symbol around the world. Everyone knows what it looks like, and that it is the weapon of choice of every enemy the U.S. has had for the last 50 years. Thats one market that doesn’t show any signs of slowing.
Here’s a great video to watch. Notice the Editor of Combat Arms say “when Western Civilization melts down, I want an AK-47″.
