Fear & Loading: “Stockpilers” Account for 44 Percent of Ammo Sales

by
posted on May 28, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ammo.jpg

Results from a recently released Southwick Associates survey indicate “stockpilers”—those who set aside 1/5th of whatever they buy for future use—accounted for 44 percent of all ammunition purchases in the past five years. Primary reasons cited by respondents for the accumulation include uncertainty in future supplies (69%), concerns about changes in the political climate (64%), money savings (57%), swings in economic conditions/income (54%) and time savings (39%). 

The report found avid shooters and hunters average around $400 annually on ammunition. Sixty-five percent invest less than $300 each year and only 15 percent of those surveyed reported spending more than $600 every 12-months.

The Southwick Associates effort digs into changes into buying habits, further dissecting the decline in ammunition sales—a slowdown the firm’s press release explains is largely caused by “… a firearm friendly White House and U.S. Senate … .” It found that, in the past three years, 24 percent of ammo purchasers are now spending less, 38 percent about the same and 33 percent more. 

Those results would allude to an overall sales increase, were it not for the fact that those who reduced their annual purchases did so by 38 percent, outpacing those who reported increased buys—whose volume of orders rose by a more modest 23 percent—by 15 percent. “Combined, the net effect of the two groups translates into a roughly 2 percent decline in overall retail ammunition sales,” according to the report. 

“Concerns about future availability drove many consumers to buy greater supplies of ammunition than normal,” said Nancy Bacon, vice president of Southwick Associates. “It is our opinion that, once excess ammunition supplies are shot, we’ll see a lift in sales and a return to normal, stable buying patterns—barring any new political shocks.”

Latest

Hammerli Arms Force B1 Rifleman Review 1
Hammerli Arms Force B1 Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Hammerli Arms Force B1

The Hammerli Arms Force B1 is one of the most versatile rimfire rifles on the market, providing room for accessories, allowing for a personal stock fit and even offering caliber-interchangeability.

New For 2025: CZ Scorpion 3+ Magpul Edition

CZ-USA has enhanced its Scorpion 3+ pistol-caliber carbine yet again with a slate of factory-installed Magpul components and accessories.

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.