Shell shocked? Only if you hunt

Chinks hogging up all the resources

By Phil Potter (Contact)
Monday, August 13, 2007

Have you bought ammunition lately? Brace yourself for a bad case of "sticker shock." Shot shells that sold for $2.50 a box last August will cost almost double this year. A bag of shot that last year cost around $20 is going for almost $40 and retailers say once this stock is gone they can't replace it for the same cost. Based on that, serious shooters had better be prepared to stock up now.

The problem: Ammunition makers are claiming they can't get enough lead.

So who or what's to blame? While no one yet is directly pointing fingers in China's direction, some folks savvy to world market tactics have indicated China is buying up all the lead and putting it out at whatever amount and price it can dictate. Some have even indicated the U.S. is selling its own supply to them then buying it back at inflated prices.

While these allegations may seem far fetched, stranger things have happened since the world's new trading partners have emerged. Perhaps with inflated ammo prices there's more than just the lead crisis affecting costs. Take plastic shotshell hulls for instance. Plastic is made from oil. With oil going up, so has the shotshell case cost and the same goes for the brass or steel used in shell casings.

As the rates began to rise, the first to pay were snow goose and wild turkey hunters. Last year a box of 10 non-leaded shells cost from $1.75 to $2 per shell. This year, it's between $3.50 and $4 per shot.

The next group to take a hit will be dove hunters, who always have favored cheap shells. Last year, as in seasons past, most found cheap European ammunition. This year those foreign shells can't be found.

Perhaps ammunition makers are using the same philosophy that fuel makers have adopted — let the market find its own ceiling prices. But while Americans need gasoline to go places, many will say they don't need bullets.

Maybe the rising costs will produce better marksmen who can't take a hit in their wallets. Perhaps the best thing is to not wait another couple of weeks to buy shells for the coming dove and waterfowl seasons. It's crunch time so get your ammo while you can at current market prices.