Shooters are adjusting

That's kind of like a reloading store near me. They have primers at the normal price. But you can only get as many primers as you do bullets.
I applaud stores that are trying to keep ammo and components available to people. They could be chasing more profit if they wanted.

If this ammo shortage isn't eased soon I'll be limited to my Webley Tempest air pistol.

Id rather have a limit then pay more because itll only reinforce the justification to up the price later. It would also help others to have a chance to come shoot if they thought they would be able to.

Also, I have no idea the dynamics of your range

My 9mm sits and I just shoot .22lr but id rather pay less for 2 boxes to run thru my EDC then buy all I want for twice the price

Market forces (even the greed) does not bother me as they are compelled by and react to behaviors that are agenda driven and agenda controlled - there is a mindless entity balance. Taxes on the other hand can be used very effectively by a government who’s skewed party power can dramatically effect an entire behavior with minimal counterbalance - have the same or greater effect than a severe ammo shortage - tax/ price the behavior out of existence.

I'd like to see them offer both choices: a selection of high-priced ammo at no limit, and a selection of normally-priced ammo at rationed limit. Of course, in reality, it's not the retailer's choice. It's going to depend on who sells them their ammo.

Steve S. said:

Taxes on the other hand can be used very effectively by a government who’s skewed party power can dramatically effect an entire behavior with minimal counterbalance - have the same or greater effect than a severe ammo shortage - tax/ price the behavior out of existence.

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Some people may naively believe that taxes are only for revenue. In reality, taxes have also been used over the ages to dis-incentivize selected goods, commerce, or activities. This has, in our world, been the case repeatedly with outrageous taxes proposed or enacted on selected firearms, gear (e.g. suppressors), and ammunition. The story gets even worse when transfer (sales, VAT) taxes are supplemented by possession (e.g. personal property) taxes.

Personally I'd rather make my ammo purchases "off campus" and on my own time. I'll just bring what I intend to shoot and a little extra to carry home. I dont really like ranges that have clubs, shops (and even bars!) attached. I want it simple and as noncommercial as possible. I used to use state ranges exclusively, or the lands of friends and relatives. Three years ago I moved and now dont have a state pistol range much within an hour in any direction. Now I'm kind of forced to look at local private gun and sports clubs or get permission to use private land. When I go to a range I dont want a commercial or social experience, really. Although I do like to shoot with a buddy occasionally.

I am a member at a local indoor range that currently has their 9mm at $28/bx.
I am an RSO at a range that does not sell ammo (thank god) and our customers are now coming in and shooting about one half of their previous sessions and those that never took our advice over the last three years, shoot one, buy two, are not showing up at all.
I thank my paranoia for keeping me well stocked with powder and primers.

brewer12345 said:

If this keeps up, I wonder how many of these ranges will go out of business.

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I can definitely tell you there's no shortage of shooters showing up at the ranges around here. They must be getting their ammo somewhere.

I will stop shooting completely before I pay $25 a box for 9mm. I can reload for like $6 a box.

Wow! You guys are really opening my eyes. I just told my wife the new norm and you all choosing limited ammo at a less price or more expensive and all you want. This might sound odd but during the Clinton administration I felt led to buy 200 to 500 rounds of Winchester 115 9mm per week during my wife and I's weekly Walmart trip. I also bought 5.56 and 12 gauge self defense loads. By "being led" I mean God was telling me to do this. Now that 2020 has showed up and we're 3/4th's of the way through it, and Covid, and the election is three weeks away I see why! One of my coworkers mentioned that his wife had bought a small Ruger 9mm for personal defense but couldn't find any ammo to practice with. The next day I brought him a zip loc bag with 50 rounds in it. You'd have thought I named my kid after him or something. He tried all day to pay me for it and I refused. I also took advantage of a Primary Arms sale on 34 round Glock mags. I pulled the box out of my mailbox on the way to work and when I got there I opened the box. One of my coworkers said he wished he had something like that for his Glock 19. I pitched him one. I think he wanted me to be his daughters god father. At my job we are all like family and I'm glad we can help each other. God works in mysterious ways and Im starting to see what he had me do all this for. When someone needs something and I've got it I'll help them out. It feels really good to be able to make them feel better prepared. I'm not telling you guys this so you'll think I'm a great guy. I'm just mentioning it so if you have a little excess maybe you can pass it along and help someone out. I firmly believe that something BIG is coming after the election and people are going to have to fight for there lives and possessions.

I sure hope you're wrong, but it's wise and prudent to be prepared in case you're right.

wiscoaster, I've never wanted to be so wrong about anything in my whole life!

Club level USPSA and IDPA match attendance is down around here. I think the heavy hitters are saving their ammo for state, regional, and national championships.
And the Wednesday evening USPSA match has reduced the round count by 10-20%.
I'm going to the local indoor this afternoon, I'll see how they are doing.

There is plan "A" purchasing commercial ammunition and there is plan "B" purchasing components for reloading. Those that are plan "A"& "B" advocates are far better prepared for interruptions' in the normal supply & demand market place. Thus I have reloading components and commercial ammunition, I'll weather the storm.

Most of the stores around here have 223 at somewhat inflated prices but I don't think there is a limit. Their 9mm FMJ is a few dollars above what they were Pre-C19 but there are limits. 380 are nearly nonexistent and when a shipment arrives there is a limit on them. One of the stores that has a range near me tries to keep enough for those that shoot there. Occasionally they have surplus that they sell with limits.

A buddy bought an AR back during the Summer and paid 50cents a round for a thousand rounds. He's not a gun guy and these shortages were something new to him. He was disappointed that he couldn't find magazines for his new AR. I gave him 3 along with a GI ammo pouch.

wiscoaster said:

I can definitely tell you there's no shortage of shooters showing up at the ranges around here. They must be getting their ammo somewhere.

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People are buying all the ammo as soon as it hits the shelves or paying inflated prices. There’s still ammo being produced, it’s just selling immediately. The problem is that the number of buyers increased greatly over the last 9 months. Ammo companies cannot increase capacity 100% in a matter of months. I don’t know if Covid has impacted manufacturers but that probably has effected the ammo supply to some extent also.

My adjustment is to shoot my blackpowder revolver and my reloads. But given the primer shortage, I have been doing more slow-fire rifle shooting and leaving the 9mm in the case. It actually takes a while to shoot 100 30-30 rounds. But longer to shoot 100 rounds of .44 blackpowder.

$6.28/box including sunk costs for me.

460Shooter said:

I will stop shooting completely before I pay $25 a box for 9mm. I can reload for like $6 a box.

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I was lucky enough to buy 1000 rounds of cheap 9mm by mail order for about $12/box before the craze hit. I have now seen Winchester 9mm from the same website for $50/box !!! Who buys that stuff?

I have an old .69 cal flintlock I built from a kit about 40 years ago. Been hanging on a wall for 30. If I recall all I need is some FFFF for the frizzen, some FF for the muzzle, some patches and a ball. I'll be at two rounds/min in no time...