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

SIG P211 01
SIG P211 01

New For 2025: SIG Sauer P211-GTO

SIG Sauer introduced its first hybrid-frame, 2011-style pistol at its 2025 NEXT product launch event, and the P211-GTO blends features from the M1911 with design elements from the P320.

Sellmark Breaks Ground On “Verdexium” Project

In an effort to reduce reliance on international supply chains and bolster domestic manufacturing, Sellmark Corp.—parent company of the Sightmark, Pulsar, Inforce, Kopfjäger, Firefield, BulletSafe and Dark 30 brands—has broken ground on a new manufacturing complex in Mansfield, Texas, that it calls a “transformative force for American-led growth and innovation.”

Gun Of The Week: Heritage Manufacturing 92

American Rifleman staff are on the range with one of the most iconic lever-actions ever created, except this one has a bit of a plot twist—it is a model made overseas and imported by Heritage Manufacturing.

The Armed Citizen® July 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Victory In The Air: One Smith & Wesson Victory Revolver's Story

A primary source investigation into the service history of a Smith & Wesson Victory revolver used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Firearm Industry Responds To Aid Texas Flood Victims

Only a few days after the tragedy struck, two of the firearm industry’s foremost companies were raising funds for the victims and organizations dedicated to providing support through devastating floods in Texas.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.