Socialized Ammo
Shooters, especially reloaders are renown for being free thinkers and self suffient. I have been trying a little louder lately as I read all the whine on this BBS, others and out in the world. Trying to be more vocal to those that were caught flat footed and cannot shoot as much or in some cases all due to themselves being their own worse enemy in this. I have been called everything from a felon, gouger, unfair and much, much worse. Due to this, I am beginning to many believe socializing the shooting sports is the answer. Each American gets their government mandated quantity of ammo so nobody has to feel left out.
For over 25 years I have never gone to Wallyworld without dropping an extra brick of their budget 22lr ammo in my cart. So had I not done that, apparently some believe those dusty bricks from 20 years ago would be stuck behind a Teddy bear in the toy department. For 30+ years I have bought a few boxes of primers more than I actually could use. Had I left them be, the gun stores would all have a bunch of old stock primers in their back room with a 9.95 per brick price on them, eh? So now the crap has hit the fan and all of the paranoid but unprepared shooters are out of ammo and components. There are many like me that have been putting up for the proverbial rainy day and now that its here we are putting them on the open market of a free society for anyone to purchase at a price they name themselves in the auction process.
So we entered a small microcosm of the commodities market to be prepared to support our own needs and maybe sell a few extras to help others while defraying our shooting expenses in the process. Add in that like I, quite a few purchased rifles that they were not particularly partial to because they were priced very well for what their potential worth might be some day. Knowing that some day those products could be declared illegal to own or sell nd thus be out of a huge investment. I never bought rifles just for the express purpose to resale, that said, I don't own a single firearm that offered the right sum I would not sell.
So now I find our country in a state that some rifles I bought in the 1980's are worth a great sum more than I paid. If my intention had to be to mark up and sell, they would have all been gone less than 20 years later. For a six week period I put two a week in my truck, let it be known, and every person that made me an offer that satisfied the two of us it changed hands. During this time 11 rifles were sold. Yes for a good profit but had I put that money in Apple at the same time I would have made a lot more. So are the people that bought Apple stock a bunch of hoarders and gougers?
I had 1/4 million rounds of 22lr above and beyond my need. Eleven bricks were given away for free. Over fifty were sold for price marked on box to people that I knew. About 100 bricks were sold at 38.00 per brick which in this market was a bargain and the people I sold them to said so. The rest went on auction sites to the highest bidder. This will allow me to replace all of my ammo when the market levels. It will help subsidize the next 500 Boy Scouts I help get their merit badge for free. I have used some of the proceeds already to buy three additional 10/22's and parts kits to build them into reasonably accurate semi-customs with iron sights just for Boy Scouts.
Through this all I was able to put a total of 15 people into a gun who didn't have one and needed it. Every single gun I sold was supplied with 500 to 600 rounds of ammo, 12 sets of disposable ear plugs, cleaning kit and the ones (about half) were invited to my business where I showed them how to clean, operate and let them fire said rifles. Five of the men hf never shot anything but a rimfire in their life. Had I not stockpiled this stuff at my risk a lot of folks would be doing without right now. On my primers, 30% were sold at 32.00 plus 7% as that is shelf price in my area currently. 20% were sold at price marked on box. The other half went on auction sites where the bidders chose the price themselves. Not my problem they saw more value in them than I did.
Out of this entire deal only half of my stockpile was sold at panic market price. The rest went at fair price. I tried to help several regular users on this site who turned and left me hanging with product I bought only for them because I had access and they backed out of the deal after I invested my own cash. I have helped a few and will help some more. But now I have separated the wheat from the chaff and will choose more wisely who I do help out. I would bet even money that most of you that have chastised me would do the same thing if you were intelligent enough to have saved up like I did.
The bottom line is there are 1/4 million rounds of rimfire distributed among the people instead of me sitting on it like home furnishing. I sold 75,000 rounds of .223, 5,000 of 7.62x39 and some others. It actually eases the demands on the market from my view. I worded my recent posts purposely to weed out the crybabies and to try and get through some thick skulled, dimwitts that they are going to have to learn or go through this again. Some of the people I sold ammo and magazines to were the same I had to prop up during the Bush 1 ban who were not smart enough to learn. So buck up little campers and realize your guns are useless if your out of ammo. Feds don't have to ever ban guns, just an order that shut down the ammunition supply line would render 90% of them usefully only as a club after their owners went through their last box of ammo.
Now I find as other regions are still barren of ammo I can walk into my local retail vendor, purchase a product that is sitting on the shelf for ANYONE to buy. Then take home, list it on the internet and people who apparently have a need buy it. Is it better sitting on the shelf in my town or up for sale where anyone in the country can access it? Up to each to form an opinion but I promise I am not getting rich. I have purchased a few new nice.rifles to replace the junky Combloc guns I bought in days past. But at least this process has been enlightening as those I have helped were gracious and thankful. The sideline sitters and fans in the crowd seem to be divided and some downright mean. My guess is the mean ones are the ones that will get caught with empty cupboards next time. Just seems to be the way the world works.
So one last tip from your Uncle Huey. The average grocery store in the average city in America has three days food supply on their shelves. We have seen in every major hurricane, tornado outbreak, earthquake or even big snow storm the majority of people began running out of food in just a couple of days. Right now I would wait for components and ammo to level out if I were out because it will. In the meantime, spend your time that is not at the range and calculate how many calories per day it takes to feed your family. Once done, figure out how to buy and store enough to feed them minimum 30 days. Don't tell me you cannot feed them with a rifle. Let all your neighbors get in the same situation and start shooting every game animal in the region and see how that works out for you.
Also do some studying about free market societies, the people who built this country and how. Then next time you see some investor in widgets cash in while your bag of widgets is dry you will realize he made his own luck based on risk and work. Your bag is empty because you chose not to fill it when the opportunity existed. Plain and simple, not the hoarders or gougers fault. It is yours and if you can't see it or admit in, you one of the ones that is going to help drive the good ol U.S. of A. into the dirt. Meanwhile, think I will wander downstairs to the reloading room and pull the handle on the blue beast as shooting a couple hundred rounds a day requires a bit o work.
