Gun Sales and Show Report

The Tanner Gun show was lightly attended last weekend. The good news is that gun prices are coming down with Stag and Bushmaster rifles asking just under $1000 which means about 40% over normal retail. The bad news is that ammo prices are still in the nosebleed district. One fellow was asking $1/round for .357, and small pistol primers were running $45/1000. I didn't see him getting it, but if he still had that price out on Sunday, he must be getting some kind of response.

Here's a couple of graphics that might help:

Total NICS checks are on track to hit 2.4million this year. Not all checks represent a gun sale, some are for carry permits and the like, but people are arming themselves.

The lower chart compares NICS checks month-on-month. Series 3, which is almost unreadable is 2013. Note that sales fall off in the summer after the tax refunds or whatever get spent in February and March. This would explain the return to the shelves of firearms. The rapidly rising upper graph, however suggests that there are a lot of new guns out there wanting to be fed. As long as the upper graph continues its exponential rise, we can expect ammo demand to be going up with it.

If we're lucky, the summer doldrums in gun sales will mitigate the demand for ammo to the point that it will become generally available by September or possibly earlier.

If I'm lucky, the summer doldrums will allow Marlin to get caught up and I'll be able to get that 795 I decided I wanted.