Is buying on Online still the most cost effective / economical way of purchasing ammo ? Or should I just go to my local FFL ? (Hawaiian Tactical, Wahiawa)

I have read some previous threads.

Someone recommended - Young Brothers Ltd , Aloha Freight Forwarder.

Another recommended - Civillian Marksman Program (CMP) At least i think this is what they were talking about.l

I see High Roller Guns, Kaleo Arms.

Any new or other options I am missing? The last thread I saw, was back in 2022. So maybe an updated thread could help others

Kaleo arms is like a group buy saving on shipping costs.

CMP used to be cheap shipping for surplus ammo.  They have some bargains once in a while, but they raised their shipping rates.

Doing it on your own, or group buy with others could be worthwhile if you buy a lot.  Like 20+ cases?  Gotta do the math.

Buying local for standard/common bulk ammo can have some good deals. Especially around gunshow at places like HGS and Dangerclose.

But for specialty bulk ammo (that local companies don’t bring in) or crazy good special online prices, then I highly recommend Kaleo Arms. I have used them many times and they are awesome to deal with and the freight forwarding prices are reasonable.

neither here nor there, Kaleo's next inbound pallet is October.

actually, there's one next week, but if if the ammo is not already delivered to ND, then for all intents-and-purposes, that ship has sailed.  so, October it is.  Plenty of time to get your ducks in a row.  Shipments are approximately quarterly nowadays.

https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=44197.80

go visit friend on mainland. ship to their house with best price searching on ammoseek. return flight on Alaska airlines. you can bring back up to  50lbs on Alaska. everyone else is 11lbs. happy shooting

+1 for kaleo arms. Jennifer is hella nice and keeps you up to date. You can either pick up at her brother's house or she will ask if you want it delivered to your door.

I used their company maybe 5 or 6 times. They ship every other month. So bout 6 times a year. But if they get enough people to fill up another container within the 2 months they'll do another shipment.

I was specifically looking for 38 spl 125g +p ammo. No one on Oahu had . So I ordered from Midway and PSA. Only downfall is ya got to wait bout 2-3 weeks after their container leaves ND. It goes by road to LA then on a boat to Oahu. But that's to be expected. Never had "lost or damaged" goods.

Looks to me like, unless you have an FFL, you can't  order ammo  powder, or primers to be shipped to Hawaii. Am I wrong? I hope so. You can order projectiles and brasd.

Looks to me like, unless you have an FFL, you can't  order ammo  powder, or primers to be shipped to Hawaii. Am I wrong? I hope so. You can order projectiles and brasd.

You do not need an FFL to order ammo, powder or primers to be shipped to Hawaii (yes you are wrong). You do need to order a large quantity to offset the ocean freight / hazmat fee. Ordering powder for example, may have a flat rate freight / hazmat fee of $450.00 for one to 100 pounds. Best (most economical) is to order 100 pounds but that's around $3,000.00 to $5,000 for the powder plus the $450.00 freight / hazmat fee. Unfortunately that example was using Powder Valley which just had a big fire. See the earlier post using Kaleo Arms if you want to order ammo.

my current Kaleo order has stuff from SGAmmo, Sportsman Fulfillment, and probably Frisco Guns (trying them out for the 1st time, some really good prices, free shipping), and Rivertown Munitions.  There's usually a minimum order to get the free shipping.  And AmmoSeek is your friend ( i use their "shipping filters").

I've ordered many times from SGAmmo, good prices, free shipping, very quick processing, but they still charge sales tax, ND rates, I believe.  I also like Rivertown, am a repeat customer, because free shipping and no tax, also quick shippers.  By free shipping, I mean free shipping to ND.  In the past, I've ordered ammo from Brownells, Midway, Target Sports, J&G Sales, White Birch Armory, LAX Ammo, Recoil Gunworks, Able's Ammo, Berelli, Midsouth Shooters Supply, and Kosher Surplus, all in the pursuit of the right ammo at the right price.  Some companies won't sell if the shipping address (ND) is different than the billing address (HI), can't blame them.

Kaleo's service provides the shipping from ND to my house.  "This is how I learned to pay attention to ammo shipping weight."  so I can budget & estimate my Kaleo freight charge for when my ammo is landed.  My last Kaleo order was in 2023, so I'm thankful to see they're still up & running.

for comparison, here's some of my 2023 all-in landed (shipping, taxes, everything), cost-per-round for some ammos:
Hornady 6ARC Black $1.31 cpr
Federal 9mm 124gr HST +P $0.68 cpr
S&B 6.5CM 140gr FMJ $1.04 cpr
S&B 6.5CM 142gr HPBT $1.34 cpr
Norma 6.5CM 143gr HPBT $1.52 cpr
Federal Truball 12ga 1oz slugs $1.47 cpr

that was in Dec 2023.  prices will vary, and so do shipping costs.  I think some ammo prices have actually gone down, since then.  For instance, the Norma 6.5CM 143gr is 20 cents-per round cheaper today, than 2023.

Just for info I think my last few orders freight forwarding invoices from Kaleo Arms were around $1.60-$1.70 per lb. Although the prices may have gone up since then.

Just for you to estimate.

Kaleo shipping for my last order was appx $1.70 per pound.   Delivered a couple weeks ago.  Ordered from various vendors in August.

Jen mentioned the next ship date is probably in December.

Kaleo shipping for my last order was appx $1.70 per pound.   Delivered a couple weeks ago.  Ordered from various vendors in August.

Jen mentioned the next ship date is probably in December.

mid november then january

just put in an order with Kaleo Arms. should arrive early December. merry Christmas to me! 

just put in an order with Kaleo Arms. should arrive early December. merry Christmas to me! 

@stangzilla

just curious how you ordered, did you ask Kaleo to find the specific type of ammo for you, or did you order through a mainland vendor and ship to Crary?

@stangzilla

just curious how you ordered, did you ask Kaleo to find the specific type of ammo for you, or did you order through a mainland vendor and ship to Crary?

Jennifer is getting the ammo for me. I shopped around and for the ammo I want was about same price if I bought it myself and shipped to Kaleo's place. I wanted a specific 44mag and 357mag ammo. fireball ammo! 

might want to check this post. I think these ammo are here, but can send a message to them to double check

https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=57527.0

Kaleo Arms