5.56 $ cost philosophy vs Russian rounds

5.56 will be here..........always.

Whether or not the Military goes to a different caliber (which we all highly doubt), too many civilians have bought 5.56 chambered AR's.


With that being said; take a look at 5.45x39 and 7.62x39.....why are they so much cheaper?

(By November of 2013)::::
5.45 is around 18 cents per round.
7.62 is around 24 cents per round.
5.56 is around 31 cents per round.


When the Russian surplus dries up (and I could be wrong...it may never dry up), then American companies may pick up the slack and keep making the two AK rounds...keeping it cheap.

I have to ask, though, if it is a local product with the scary thought of China making 5.56 and flooding the market with "our" caliber; why hasn't the 5.56 severely undercut the 5.45/7.62?

Are there that many AK 47s and AK 74s (in America...not the world) out there that keep the Russian rounds down in price? Is the corrosive surplus the reason that there is no discrepancy in price?

So many questions about 5.56.


SHOULDNT 5.56 be cheaper than it is?






*********this is NOT a 5.45 vs 5.56 ballistics/preference thread. Please keep replies to dollars/cents/supply/demand.