When someone posts a thread or tells me about a great price on ammo, I check the price at TargetSportsUSA if they have the same exact ammo or even an acceptable substitute of the same type of ammo. For instance, a few days ago, 3 days to be exact, I went online to order a thousand rounds of 115 grain, FMJ, 9mm practice ammo. I checked the prices using AmmoSeek.com. There were several places that were offering what I was looking for at better prices than TargetSportsUSA; that is the prices looked better until I checked on shipping. Once I checked on shipping, and other fees, at a couple of those other places, I found that TargetSportsUSA beat them all because they offer free shipping on cases. They also offer free nondescript over-boxes in which they put the case of ammo. I got case, 20 boxes of 50 rounds in each box, of Sellier & Bellot for $169.80; it was a total of $172.26 with the added $2.46 insurance. At the same time, I could have gotten a case of loose Remington UMC 9mm for a few cents less (before the insurance) from them but much prefer the Sellier & Bellot which is hotter than the Rem UMC and I think better quality.
I was checking prices again tonight and saw that OutdoorLimited is listed on AmmoSeek as offering CCI Blazer Brass at $145.00 per case. There were some catches to that. First of all that is the after rebate price; CCI is offering a rebate that would amount to $20.00 off of a case. Then there was an additional cost of $1.00 for a nondescript over-box and another $2.50 for insurance when I figured shipping to the place I am staying in AT right now. Still looking good - don't you think - much better than the price of the Sellier & Bellot at TargetSportsUSA.
Well, that is until you add the cost of shipping from OutdoorLimited (if I did my math right) to the same exact address in AR to which I had the Sellier & Bellot ammo shipped from TargetSportsUSA. Shipping from Outdoor limited would be $18.43. The new total from them before the rebate would be $186.93. Okay, there was that $20 rebate that you would get after you applied for it; so how much would that make the total? It would reduce the price you paid by $20 per case, making the new total $166.93 - wow you would save $5.33 by going through OutdoorLimited after the rebate. Oh wait, you would have top fill out the rebate form, gather together proof of purchase, and mal it in to CCI. I guess you could take of the price of a stamp (.49 cents) from the $5.33 you had saved, now making it $4.84 savings or a total of $167.42.
Okay you saved some bucks by doing it that way but did you really get the better deal? You had to take the time to fill out the forms, take the time to mail them. Then you'd have to wait for the rebate. Of course, after wasting all that time - by now maybe you forgot why I preferred the Sellier & Bellot over a lot of other ammo. It is somewhat hotter, at normal handgun ranges out to 25 yards and only slighter less (2 foot pounds) at 50 yards than Blazer brass. In particular - Sellier & Bellot has 391 foot pounds at the muzzle (click on the link, then when on the page click on ballistics) whereas the Blazer Brass is rated at 323 foot pounds at the muzzle; heck the Sellier & Bellot has 322 foot pounds at 25 yards only one pound less than what Blazer Brass has at the muzzle. Yes, the Sellier & Bellot drops off markedly from Blazer Brass at 100 yards but how often do you shoot a handgun at 100 yards! Which is closer to your self defense ammo in normal defensive handgun ranges? I think the extra $4.84 was well worth the additional cost and that the Sellier & Bellot was the better deal. Of course, if price is all that concerns you go with the lower price.
So you know, the only reason I compared TargetSportsUSA to OutdoorLimited is because OutdoorLimited is very often shown on AmmoSeek as having the best price on brass cased 115 grain FMJ 9mm ammo. I used their offering of Blazer Brass because that was the one shown as the lowest cost from them and I compared it to Sellier & Bellot because I prefer that ammo.
What would happen though if I compared the same ammo across each dealer - Blazer Brass from each of those two? Funny, if you were to buy Blazer Brass from TargetSportsUSA you would get it for a total of $182.41 (including shipping and insurance and the discrete over-box) and that would be before the rebate. It would be $162.49 after the rebate (including the stamp). How much was it from OutdoorLimited? They had it for, if my math was right,
$167.42 (with the cost of the stamp). That amounts to a $4.93 savings for the same exact ammo from TargetSportsUSA! Yep - you get the better deal from TargetSportsUSA - at least it is what I have found in my experience when I compare them to the dealer(s) as the one(s) shown with the lowest price(s) on AmmoSeek.
Just a couple of other things: I cannot speak for Outdoor Limited or many other dealers when it comes to shipping speed but TargetSportsUSA almost always ships fast. I placed my order for that Sellier & Bellot ammo on the 18th and it arrived on the 21st (and remember the ship from location was in CT and ship to location was in AR not NY where I reside). I have literally received several orders from them within two days (once I got an order in one day from time of order to receipt). They are also excellent at Customer Service although I think I only needed that once or maybe twice and never on anything major. I like 'em!
Finally, I suppose I should mention - I have not and will not receive anything from TargetSportsUSA or from AmmoSeek for my
endorsement of TargetSportsUSA; well, except maybe that it is possible I may receive their thanks should they ever read this post (which I doubt very much).
All the best,
Glenn B
I was checking prices again tonight and saw that OutdoorLimited is listed on AmmoSeek as offering CCI Blazer Brass at $145.00 per case. There were some catches to that. First of all that is the after rebate price; CCI is offering a rebate that would amount to $20.00 off of a case. Then there was an additional cost of $1.00 for a nondescript over-box and another $2.50 for insurance when I figured shipping to the place I am staying in AT right now. Still looking good - don't you think - much better than the price of the Sellier & Bellot at TargetSportsUSA.
Well, that is until you add the cost of shipping from OutdoorLimited (if I did my math right) to the same exact address in AR to which I had the Sellier & Bellot ammo shipped from TargetSportsUSA. Shipping from Outdoor limited would be $18.43. The new total from them before the rebate would be $186.93. Okay, there was that $20 rebate that you would get after you applied for it; so how much would that make the total? It would reduce the price you paid by $20 per case, making the new total $166.93 - wow you would save $5.33 by going through OutdoorLimited after the rebate. Oh wait, you would have top fill out the rebate form, gather together proof of purchase, and mal it in to CCI. I guess you could take of the price of a stamp (.49 cents) from the $5.33 you had saved, now making it $4.84 savings or a total of $167.42.
Okay you saved some bucks by doing it that way but did you really get the better deal? You had to take the time to fill out the forms, take the time to mail them. Then you'd have to wait for the rebate. Of course, after wasting all that time - by now maybe you forgot why I preferred the Sellier & Bellot over a lot of other ammo. It is somewhat hotter, at normal handgun ranges out to 25 yards and only slighter less (2 foot pounds) at 50 yards than Blazer brass. In particular - Sellier & Bellot has 391 foot pounds at the muzzle (click on the link, then when on the page click on ballistics) whereas the Blazer Brass is rated at 323 foot pounds at the muzzle; heck the Sellier & Bellot has 322 foot pounds at 25 yards only one pound less than what Blazer Brass has at the muzzle. Yes, the Sellier & Bellot drops off markedly from Blazer Brass at 100 yards but how often do you shoot a handgun at 100 yards! Which is closer to your self defense ammo in normal defensive handgun ranges? I think the extra $4.84 was well worth the additional cost and that the Sellier & Bellot was the better deal. Of course, if price is all that concerns you go with the lower price.
So you know, the only reason I compared TargetSportsUSA to OutdoorLimited is because OutdoorLimited is very often shown on AmmoSeek as having the best price on brass cased 115 grain FMJ 9mm ammo. I used their offering of Blazer Brass because that was the one shown as the lowest cost from them and I compared it to Sellier & Bellot because I prefer that ammo.
What would happen though if I compared the same ammo across each dealer - Blazer Brass from each of those two? Funny, if you were to buy Blazer Brass from TargetSportsUSA you would get it for a total of $182.41 (including shipping and insurance and the discrete over-box) and that would be before the rebate. It would be $162.49 after the rebate (including the stamp). How much was it from OutdoorLimited? They had it for, if my math was right,
$167.42 (with the cost of the stamp). That amounts to a $4.93 savings for the same exact ammo from TargetSportsUSA! Yep - you get the better deal from TargetSportsUSA - at least it is what I have found in my experience when I compare them to the dealer(s) as the one(s) shown with the lowest price(s) on AmmoSeek.
Just a couple of other things: I cannot speak for Outdoor Limited or many other dealers when it comes to shipping speed but TargetSportsUSA almost always ships fast. I placed my order for that Sellier & Bellot ammo on the 18th and it arrived on the 21st (and remember the ship from location was in CT and ship to location was in AR not NY where I reside). I have literally received several orders from them within two days (once I got an order in one day from time of order to receipt). They are also excellent at Customer Service although I think I only needed that once or maybe twice and never on anything major. I like 'em!
Finally, I suppose I should mention - I have not and will not receive anything from TargetSportsUSA or from AmmoSeek for my
endorsement of TargetSportsUSA; well, except maybe that it is possible I may receive their thanks should they ever read this post (which I doubt very much).
All the best,
Glenn B
