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Last updated July 17, 2026

Ammo Market This Week: Broad Declines in Observed Medians, 20 Gauge the Outlier

The median tracked caliber moved −2.9% over seven days. Handgun calibers fell hardest, shelves got deeper across the board, and one shotgun gauge diverged from everything else.

Across the 33 calibers eligible in IronScout's tracked data this week, the picture is unusually one-directional: the median seven-day move across the 28 calibers with usable baselines was −2.9%, declines outnumbered increases by a wide margin, and tracked in-stock product counts rose almost everywhere. All figures below are observed daily-best medians over a rolling 30-day window, from tracked online retailers — recorded history, not a projection.

The decliners

Handgun calibers led the move down over the seven days to July 17:

Caliber7-day move30-day moveObserved median now
9mm−16.6%−38.4%$0.600/rd
.380 ACP−15.5%−24.2%$0.758/rd
.223/5.56−13.9%−28.0%$0.900/rd
.38 Special−13.0%−22.7%$0.800/rd
.32 ACP−9.0%−11.6%$0.610/rd
.45 ACP−8.7%−16.0%$1.050/rd
.40 S&W−7.9%−31.6%$0.736/rd
.300 Blackout−5.7%−17.5%$1.320/rd

Several of these are on multi-week runs: 9mm, .223/5.56, .40 S&W, and .300 Blackout have each recorded four consecutive week-over-week declines in the observed median; .380 ACP, .38 Special, and .32 ACP have recorded three.

One caliber shows how the weekly and monthly views can differ: 7.62x39 was essentially flat on the week (−0.2%, $0.850 → $0.848/rd) but is down 26.3% over thirty days, with its own four-week decline streak — the big move happened earlier in the window.

Shelves got deeper almost everywhere

The declines came with rising in-stock counts, not falling ones. Tracked in-stock product counts over the same seven days: 9mm 619 → 714 (+15.3%), .223/5.56 649 → 715 (+10.2%), .38 Special 210 → 250 (+19.0%), 7.62x39 90 → 115 (+27.8%), .300 Blackout 199 → 232 (+16.6%).

That pairing matters for reading the price moves. The observed in-stock median falls both when prices drop and when cheaper products come back in stock — and this week shows clear evidence of restocking. The 9mm deep-dive walks through that composition effect in detail; it applies across the board.

The outlier: 20 gauge

One caliber moved against everything else. 20 gauge rose +4.0% on the week ($0.880 → $0.916/rd) and +9.0% over thirty days — while the median move across the 28 eligible tracked calibers was −2.9%. Its tracked in-stock count also jumped 197 → 255 (+29.4%), the largest availability increase of the week.

A per-round figure for a shotgun gauge blends very different shell types, so mix effects cut especially strongly there — but the direction of the divergence is the observed fact: 20 gauge got more expensive in a week when nearly everything else got cheaper in the tracked data.

Where to watch the numbers

Per-caliber medians, distribution bands, and six-month trends are updated daily on the Ammo Price Index. Each caliber page linked above carries its own live pricing context and price history.


Source: IronScout caliber market snapshots computed 2026-07-17 ~13:00 UTC, with 7- and 30-day baselines from the same snapshot series. Figures are observed daily-best per-round medians from tracked online retailers, in stock at observation time; they may not reflect the entire market. Market context only — not a recommendation.