During the Corona period, global supply chains came to a partial standstill. International exchange of goods became more difficult than ever before. Thus, rising prices developed on the markets, including for ammunition. Meanwhile, there is general inflation. Prices for fuel and everyday items are rising at a pace that last occurred in this form only in 1981.
For shooters, the situation was different. Experts from jatatactical.com report massive purchases in times of Corona. Apparently, there was increased buying for fear of political chaos. This was compounded by the unsettled times during the presidential election. At the time, some probably feared lasting political unrest. Arms dealers across the country reported shortages everywhere. Prices are rising immensely.
Currently, the situation is like this: Demand has dropped again somewhat. At the same time, production has increased because the factories have reopened. Accordingly, the prices for ammunition have dropped to a tolerable level again. However, they are still higher than before the pandemic. AmmoPricesNow.com reports that a 9mm cartridge costs about 22 cents on average. The trend is similar for other popular calibres. At the same time, it can be assumed that demand is decreasing because ammunition is not considered essential for daily survival. Families are currently struggling to feed their families and fill up their cars on their income.
Whether this will continue is again questionable because lawmakers are currently pushing rules to tighten gun control. In such phases, it is common to see wave-like purchases and stockpiling.
Similarly, there are consequences from the Ukraine war. Manufacturers of cartridges and ammunition from Europe are buying up the market in raw materials to repel the Russian attack. This in turn means that Russia and China are running short of the raw materials they need for production.
Even for major experts, it is currently difficult to predict where the journey will take us in terms of prices. Only one thing is clear: the trend is clearly upwards. The only thing that is unclear is how much more expensive cartridges will become in the near future.