RANDY WAKEMAN OUTDOORS: Interview

Ammo Costs are High, But Going a Lot Higher

There has been a goodly amount of carping and whining about ammunition costs, but ammo costs are destined to rise much, much higher. It isn't hard to understand why this is so.

Every single week since Biden was elected, fuel costs have risen. With it comes increased transportation costs. Unless ammunition materializes on your doorstep by Star Trek transporter, shipping costs of both raw materials and finished product ensures ammo prices are going to rise.

Copper and steel prices have risen substantially. Oil prices continue to rise. On top of that, the magic money bag of deficit spending by the U.S. is going to drop another $2 trillion all over the place in a month, guaranteeing that the U.S. Dollar is worth less compared to other currencies and guaranteeing inflation as well.

France derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security. France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over €3 billion per year from this. In 2019, the nuclear share of total U.S. electricity generating capacity was 9%. While nuclear weapons, nuclear submarines, and nuclear aircraft carriers are American specialties, substantial nuclear electricity generation remains a puzzlement.

Apparently, solar panels buried under snow and frozen wind turbines are better according to the U.S. Government. There isn't a lot of sunshine at night, the wind isn't always blowing, but this too is lost on American politicians who plan on spending more and more on unreliable sources of energy with tax dollars that we don't have. Although pipelines are a safer means of transportation than rail or highway, this is apparently lost on American politicians. Pipelines are being killed off and high-paying jobs with them. Stupefied American government deficit spends tax dollars on the airlines and subsiding farmers. When was the last time you traveled by battery-operated airplane? Have you ever seen a battery-operated combine? A battery-powered freight train?

The move to e-commerce has created shortages in cardboard and shipping supplies as well. With nickel, copper, steel, cardboard, and transportation costs skyrocketing, ammunition has to follow suit. Unless someone can concoct a scenario where raw material cost is lowered, transportation costs are lowered, it costs less to run machinery, it costs less to heat and cool a manufacturing plant, and haz-mat fees suddenly diminish or disappear, ammunition prices are destined to go higher and higher for the next several years.