.380 acp ammunition prices

[Jeffenwulf]

I just made a trip to Wally world for a frozen pizza and took a look at ammunition prices in passing.

This is what I found for my handguns:

.380 acp - 100 rd WWB $26
9mm luger - 100 rd WWB $12
.45 acp - 50 rd CCI Blazer $10 (or $20/100)

My question is ... why in the world is .380 more than twice as expensive as 9mm and more expensive than .45 acp? These are all basic range ammunition and it would make sense that .380 materials would be slightly cheaper than 9mm since they're almost the same shell. They should certainly be cheaper than .45. There's no way that much of a price difference can be volume. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

-Jeff

 

[GeorgeF]

I'm guessing its just the amount made - many fewer than 9mm P, so costs more per round.

Look up .25 ACP too, crazy pricey compared to components going into it.

 

[Baba Louie]

Supply and demand equilibrium. Lack thereof. (copied from Wickipedia) ..."the equilibrium market price and quantity of a commodity is at the intersection of consumer demand and producer supply."

 

[NCHornet]

I agree the more popular the round the less the profit margin can be to sustain the company. The lower volume of the 380 sales means they need a higher profit margin. Basic business 101.

 

[PSP]

9mm luger - 100 rd WWB $12

The Walmart here sells 9mm for $17 something. I'm jealous.

 

[Don P]

Prices at the local gun store, 380-$226 per 1000, 9mm-$246 per 1000, and 45acp $269- per 1000. Reload, reload, reload.
40s&w $259-per 1000

 

[dogtown tom]

Jeffenwulf: I just made a trip to Wally world for a frozen pizza and took a look at ammunition prices in passing.

This is what I found for my handguns:

.380 acp - 100 rd WWB $26
9mm luger - 100 rd WWB $12...

Where in Texas is this Wal Mart?

I'll take three cases of the WWB 9mm please!

In Plano it's been $16/100 for at least six months.

If you want cheap, decent .380 try Aguila. The Dallas Market Hall show today had it going for $8.50/50

 

[Mal H]

Why? Classic supply and demand. In the .380 ammo case, the demand is low and the supply is much lower than, say, 9mm.

To see the S&D effect in action, and staying in the same caliber range, go price 100 rounds of commercial (non-surplus) 9mm Largo (9X23).

 

[Let it Bleed]

The price of any good is determined by the intersection of supply and demand. Therefore the OP's real question is why the intersection for .380 occurs at such a higher price.

The answer is simply "economies of scale" and the commensurate difference in production costs.

 

[Silentarmy]

Buck a shot!

A box of Federal SD ammo for .32 ACP is $20.99 for 20 rnds! Less common or smaller calibers seem to hit you harder in the wallet than if you were shot with one!!

 

[predecessor]

Keep in mind you are looking at prices at ONE dealer: Wal-Mart in this case. I have never purchased any .380 ACP ammo from them because the price works out to about $13 per 50. But I buy assorted brands of 50 from other dealers at $9 to $11 per box. At these other dealers the cost of 50 .380 ACP rounds is second only to 9MM -- from that one could assume that the demand is second to 9MM.

Who knows how it works. Wal-mart has some great prices on specific ammo and is way too high on other rounds. I can get a box of AA Feather Lites from Wal-Mart for a buck less than anywhere else. And a 550 box of Remington Golden bullets costs me $10 at Wal-Mart and runs retails for almost $15 everywhere else. But I've never purchased .380 ACP or .38 Special from them because their prices on these rounds have been outrageous. Go figure.

 

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

The fact that the .380 uses a very different case and a lighter weight bullet than a 9mm is probably what makes it more expensive. I thought the same thing before I reloaded my first batch of .380. Although the case is barely smaller than a 9x19 it is a little thicker and the anvil is different too. The standard load for .380 is 95 gr., the standard 9mm load is 115 gr.

If the manufacturers made the .380 with a truly trimmed down 9mm case or used the heavier 115 grain bullet prices should go down a little bit. Luckily the reloading components (brass and bullets) for .380 are very inexpensive, don't use much powder...

 

[Mal H]

Sigma 40 Blaster - a lighter bullet should be less expensive, all other things being equal. It's the fact that those lighter bullets are used in smaller quantities, that make the rounds more expensive. As said before - supply and demand.

If a 9mm case was used, but only trimmed down, then it too would be more expensive. Additional processing = additional expense.

Where is the anvil located on a .380 ACP case as opposed to a 9mm case? And how is it different?

 

[dogtown tom]

.380 that is BOXER primed has no anvil in the case- it's contained in the primer.

.380 that is BERDAN primed has the anvil integral with the case and the primer needs no integral anvil.

Primers ARE NOT interchangeable.

 

[BluesBear]

Do you have any idea how cartridge cases are formed? Based on the gobbletygook you posted it would seem not.

Although the case is barely smaller than a 9x19 it is a little thicker and the anvil is different too.

Not only is the .380 ACP (aka 9mm Browning Short) 2mm shorter than the 9mm Luger cartridge but it also has a different diameter base, different diameter rim and different body taper. And I don't know of any place where it is thicker. As for the anvil statement... um... do you have any idea what the anvil is? Where it is? What it does?

If the manufacturers made the .380 with a truly trimmed down 9mm case or used the heavier 115 grain bullet prices should go down a little bit.

I had to reread that several times before I could believe my eyes. That has to be the dumbest thing I have read in months. You can't just trim down a 9mm Luger case. It still wouldn't fit a .380 ACP chamber. There are several dimensional differences other than case length.
And why would you waste the extra time and money trimming down a case that wouldn't work when it's easier, faster and cheaper to draw the correct case in the first place? As for the 115gr bullet you can't get enough velocity out of that small case without exceeding the pressure limits of the .380 cartridge. And once again the smaller bullet is cheaper to produce since it uses less raw materials.

The real reason .380 ACP is priced higher than 9mm Luger is that they don't produce as much of it. The demand is not as great so the .380 is not produced in as large lots as the 9mm. You have to factor in the time lost switching the machinery to load it. In a real ammunition factory it's not as simple as swapping dies on your Rockchucker. It takes almost a fulll day to get everything switched over and calibrated. And when you're producing over 4,000 rounds per hour, every hour, non stop that's a noticible gap in production.
There are only a few machines dedicated to a single caliber all of the time. The 9mm Luger is one, so the only down time is when recalibrating for different bullets and loadings.
After all time is money. Or rather time not producing is money lost.

 

[9mmsnoopy]

not that long ago i was getting 9mm WWB at Academy for $4.86 a box/50, now its 3 bucks more.

i love my P239,but .357sig ammo is ridiculous.

 

[StrikeEagle]

... and this is why you should reload.

 

[thebaldguy]

I found some .380 ACP at Gander a few weeks back. It was a Remington 250 round bulk pack for $65.00. I thought that was a pretty good price considering ammo prices lately. I'll have to keep my eyes open for better deals.

 

[hj28rules]

I found .380 ammo at the Fort Worth gun show for $50/300. It is high quality re-manufactured (reloads). I have not had any issues with the ammunition in my CZ83. Usually there are three or four vendors at the show that compete for the trade. So far the prices have been stable for the last three gun shows. Wally World, Academy, Cabela's and Cheaper Than Dirt have all gone up on their ammo prices.

 

[dchi]

For those who don't fully understand supply and demand. Im in the contract manufacturing buisness. That means my company gets and order for so many parts. We send a quote. They agree, and I produce until the order is finished. We make special car parts right now. My customer wants 6000 over 6 months. We know the contract is likely to last 3 years but orders don't come that large. THey order what they need and invest the rest of their money in something else. My guys work 5 days a week on this order of 6000. We are schedualed to produce 1000 per month. Sometimes the customer will ask for a special modified part maybe only 50 of them. I have to dedicate a team of my guys to work on that and order special parts to finish those 50 items. (Many companies do not make 100% of the items they sell.) So these low volume order cost us more in material cost, (because we didn't order it in bulk) and it takes our guys longer to make. So in the end we charge more for them. Also you can't have a dedicated team only making .380's all the time. In buisness you keep as few employees as you need and as little equipment as it takes to get the job done. Good management will realocate manpower to were it is needed and keep production going. Thats why the boss makes the big bucks in most corparations. BTW I bet 50 rounds of 9mm are fired compared to ever round of .380 used. Go the range on Sat or Sun and look at what brass that is lying around.