Ammo Shortage merged threads, aka UberUltraMasterAmmoThreadOfPower

[Redneck with a 40]

I was in my local Wal-Mart tonight, the shelf was pretty bare. Plenty of shotgun shells, a few boxes of 270 and 30-06, a couple bricks of federal .223, that was about it. No 22 lr, 40 S&W, .380, .308, 9mm, all the popular stuff, none, nada, zilch.

 

[moewadle]

It must be timing also at Wal-Mart

The two Wal-Marts here stock shelves predominantly after 10 PM it seems so I have checked around midnight for ammo. One employee even suggested I come at around 10-11 PM. Tonight I was not going to but had to get a new coffee pot. I got the coffee pot at first Wal-Mart and no 9mm ammo, confirmed by an employee. I went to the 2nd, only because I was already out, and they must have just stocked a case of WWB 100rd boxes. By now it was about 12:45 AM. There was no limit and so I took it all and was OTD with 1000 rds of 9mm for $211 and change. They had at least one box of 50 I did not take. This is in Eastern Iowa.

 

[1987rx7guy]

6.99 US for a box of 20rds of .223 steel "monarch"
9.99 US for a box of 20rds of .223 brass "monarch"
9.99 US for a box of 50rds of 9mm CCI Blazer Brass
12.47 US for a box of 50rds of .40 S&W CCI Blazer Brass

All FMJ


.223 I saw atleast 20 Boxes of each, I only stated the inexpensive stuff as there are other brands for higher cost.
9mm there were atleast 10-15 boxes
.40 s&w there was atleast 10 boxes

 

[1987rx7guy]

@ #942

Your WMs allow ammo purchases after 10pm? They stop here at 10PM.

 

[LAK]

Pardon me, as someone may have already posted this here, and I am not about to read 30-odd pages right now.... But, at least according to Rifle magazine, it is primers that are in the shortest supply right now. Apparently many people have been buying them by the tens of thousands.

Doesn't affect me as I do not reload. My main hope is that the current pressures on supply do not lead to poor quality controls. Especially as evidently it was not so good in some quarters to begin with.

 

[SaxonPig]

I haven't seen any primers for months. At a show last weekend one dealer had 4 boxes of small pistol primers he tagged at $45.

They were still there when I left.

I guess when my supply at home runs out I am done with shooting.

 

[Aw4g63]

Every store I visit has had more ammo than in the past months. It's looking good.

I've seen plenty of .380, .25 and 40. Bought a bunch of 9mm. Winchester 100rds for $19.99. Not bad!

 

[nulfisin]

Shoot 22 LRs for now

We probably all have enough for home defense and no big game is in season. How many rounds could you need? So, until things settle down, practice with your 22s. It's really helped my technique, and it's fun. And, it's cheap.

 

[moewadle]

1987rx7guy

Yes, our Wal-Marts sell ammo 24/7. There is, of course, a register at the sporting goods counter. However, if that is closed, which it always is late at night, an employee walks with the ammo customer up to the front registers and stands by with a checker there until the purchase is complete and the customer is on his way to the door. As previously stated perhaps, the primary shelf-stocking is done late at night so I have made special trips to the two in our area around midnight specifically for ammo. Apparently on this night the store must have just stocked a case of 9mm that had come in that evening and I happened to be the first one there interested in it.

 

[DammitBoy]

All the Wal-Marts I know of stop selling ammo at 10pm...

 

[tn-dave]

I was also told last week to check after 11pm or early in the morning at WM. And the clerk working said "we can sell ammo anytime. don't let that woman on 3rd shift tell you any different just because she's too lazy to unlock the case"....LOL

 

[kw11b2p]

Your simply mistaken

I really don't buy that Your store can "order" more than any other store. I'm sorry but your simply wrong. To say that my store can't order more than another store means that if I'm a 120 million dollar per year in sales store that I can't order more than a store that is a 40 Mill per year store. Thats just incorrect. If I'm in an area that sells more of an item than another store then I must be able to order more. And yes, you are right that our systems automatically order product to replenish our shelves based on our current rate of sale that takes "x" amount of time to develop (I won't tell how much) but if I haven't had any 9mm for three weeks and my rate of sale is now zero, then that will affect the automatic ordering system. That is why as supervisors we have the ability to go in and manually order as much of an item as we want. We simply must make sure that we will be able to sell it. Last I checked I haven't had any problem selling ammo so I order a ton of it. And yes it does work, and no not all managers are taking this approach but rather relying on the computer to do everything. Sometimes though computers hinder more than they help......Basically I wrote all this (way too much) to say that as a manager I have the authority to order what I want in the quantity that I want and I believe that is why my ammo is actually coming in........that and the large amount of the orders that I'm placeing. Either way my customers don't seem to mind. SORRY FOR THE LENGTH.

 

[Erik M]

I am a former employee of Wal-Mart from back in my highschool years and know that it was store policy at 2 different super centers that gun sales and rifle ammo sales stopped at 10 pm eastern.

the exception was shotgun shells and bulk .22lr rounds that were not locked in the display case, they could be purchased 24/7.

Even if a GM picks up a telxon 960 and manually orders 8 million cases of .223 rounds if there arent any at the distribution center guess how many will be unloaded off the trucks that arrive at your store in the coming weeks.

 

[riverrat373]

Wal-Mart

It's interesting how many posters here are able to find popular caliber handgun ammo at Wal-Mart yet no one online including all the BIG sites like Cheaper Than Dirt, Midway, Cabela's, Natchez, Sportsmans Guide and all my local gun stores cannot get what they order. I guess being the largest retailer in the world with lots of clout counts!

 

[Rob360]

^ I was thinking the same thing!

 

[iafirebuff]

I go to one of my local Wal-Marts while on my break at 3am - all I have to do is ask the lady upfront and she pages the stocker in the area to unlock the ammo case and sell me whatever i want. They walk you up front and wait but I got to go up front anyway

 

[danprkr]

It's interesting how many posters here are able to find popular caliber handgun ammo at Wal-Mart yet no one online including all the BIG sites like Cheaper Than Dirt, Midway, Cabela's, Natchez, Sportsmans Guide and all my local gun stores cannot get what they order. I guess being the largest retailer in the world with lots of clout counts!

Money talks, and Wal Mart has ton of it to throw around.

 

[woodsoup]

Carolina Hunter

Went over to visit Larry yesterday evening. He had .380 ACP, .45 ACP, .38 SPL, 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 MAG, .223/5.56 REM, 7.62x39 on the floor. 22lr, .22Mag and several SD ammo under the rifle rack. About 20K LR Mag primers behind the counter and about 30 1Lb jugs of various powders in the case, H-733, H-748, IMR 3031 were the rifle powders I remember. 2400, Universal, Clays and Unique the pistol powders I remember. CCI LRM primers were $28.95 per 1K. powders between $19 and $29 per pound.

Just in case, Carolina Hunter is on South New Hope Rd. In Belmont NC.

 

[DammitBoy]

I stopped by WalMart last night about 9:30pm here in Meridian - they had about 12 550 federal bulk packs and 12 550 winchester bulk packs of .22 - haven't seen that in quite a while!

I bought two of each for 14.00 each and left the rest for some other lucky shooter. I could have bought two more, but didn't want to be a greedy pig about it...

 

[J_L_A]

Went in to my local fun store to purchase some rings and mounts for my .22's and I looked around a while at their ammo selection just out of curiosity. They have plenty (literally thousands of rounds) of 9mm, 7.62x39, and .223 and .22 bulk packs. I didn't check on the .380 though. But hey, if you're in the mood for a road trip

 

[50caliber123]

SE MI (Waterford, Oakland County)

Walmart, Meijer's, Dunham's, Gander Mtn, bass pro, all are wiped out of everything except for some .22lr and shotgun shells. The local hardware stores have everything in stock, more than ever. But at $40 a box for 50rds of 9mm or even more for .357, I'll pass. Anyone know of better deals anywhere else locally?

 

[dyeguy21]

50cal: same problem for me. Only places I see that have it are Michigun and Action Impact.

Talking to some ammo reps at Gander: Meijer's is done until sometime in August, Gander gets some every Friday but they have no idea what's in the shipment (so wait list if lucky), Walmart has pretty much said we, uh, dunno. Dunham's said he gets his shipment around thursday and they could stock the shelves anywhere from thu-sat, but he also has no idea what he's getting. Bass, over at great lakes, said they are getting random shipments that vary from weds and fridays.

Cabela's had some the last time I made the Trek. Decent amount of 9mm and .22lr, some .38, some .357, .40, .45acp. But they were a little expensive. They said they are expecting a larger shipment in about 3 weeks.

Other than that, I guess ration and shoot some .22lr as those are still bountiful.

 

[GEM]

Cabela's near me had tons of 223 and a fair amount of premium SD 9mm. No practice FMJ 9mm though.

 

[Six]

Dick's sporting goods in Columbia, SC has dozens of bricks of Remington .22lr for under $15.

Hurry and buy as much as you can afford before it's all gone!

 

[Acera]

dyeguy21, that was a great first post.


Welcome!