The Plummeting Price of Firearms and Ammunition: Benefiting from the Election

It was announced today that Vista Outdoor, a leading manufacturer of ammunition, saw a sales reduction of well over $30 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. This drop was not priced in the market, since the stock saw a drop of over 10% of the value when the news was shared. Vista Outdoor stock has seen a drop of 44% in 2017. They explain that the election saw a ramp up of ammunition sales, with HRC expected to win in consensus polls. The inevitable crackdown policies on gun control never came to fruition with her defeat. Gun and ammo sales dropped off quicker than her emails off of a server, and have leveled off at very low levels.

The Dropping Costs of Firearms and Ammunition

With ammunition and firearm production at near record-high levels and a sharp drop in demand, prices are starting to fall. Depending on the type of round and caliber, 20-50% drops have been reported over the last year- mostly in the last few months. Many people reported trouble finding local 22LR rounds last year, but the round is now widely available both off and online. The companies that are not dropping prices are seeing their inventory turn slow to a crawl. The demand is not expected to pick up any time soon, except for one sector: military rounds. With an increased budget, the US military is expected to pick up a good amount of ammunition and new firearms over their normal spending quotas.

Not Out of the Woods

As most seasoned preppers know, there are still plenty of reasons to own, operate, and train with firearms. An election result should not impact your preparedness or the amount of ammunition you keep to stay prepared. If anything, this election has fractured society into more polarized and volatile elements. No matter what the future holds, storing a few rounds too many is always better than coming up a round short.

An Opportunity for the Prepared Minds

The drop in cost of small caliber weapons and ammunition is a benefit for anyone looking to bolster their arsenal or ammo cache. Whether you are starting out, or just backfilling ammo you have used up- the election has provided an opportunity for cheaper ammunition. Some are just happy to be able to get their hands on .22 rounds again.

The Final Word

Price fluctuations are great to keep track of on things you use regularly or stockpile. It is currently an opportune time to stock up on firearms and ammunition. The next inevitable mass shooting, terrorist bombing, or global conflict will spike the prices back up quickly. Feel free to discuss any good deals you have found lately below. Rusty is the head writer for TruePrepper, a website grounded in risk analysis.