Ammunition Still Calling the Shots

Rex Kehrli – R.K. Guns Shows, Midwest, South, and West

Rex Kehrli, owner of R.K. Gun Shows, hasn’t seen any decline in the demand for ammunition at his shows. But where gun show customers had been desperate for any .223 rifle and 9mm, .40 cal and .45 ACP handgun ammunition, the big ticket item is now .22 LR rimfire.

“I was at a Kansas City gun show recently, and a guy had a table maybe half covered with 500 round bricks of [Remington] Thunderbolt .22 rimfire,” Kehrli says. “In just the time we were talking, he sold out—at $50 a brick.” This, when stores last year sold the same bricks for half or less.

Reloading supplies are hot at R.K. Shows, too, especially primers and brass. Top accessories are high-tech rifle scopes, especially those with tactical turrets and reticles. Lately, a number of tables have been offering thermal imaging optics, too, at prices as high as $5,000 per optic. They’ve been selling surprisingly well.