ammo shortage

many new gun owners today are not even aware of 2008 shortage

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Yup. That's me. I had a gun back then, but I didn't do a whole lot of shooting.
The only shortage I remember was the .380 shortage of 2011.

I bought three boxes of .380 Tula from Walmart on Wednesday. Went back today and they had about 10 boxes of .45 so I bought three. They are getting it in in dribs and drabs but selling it as soon as it hits the shelves.

I had slowly been trying to stock up , but hadn't gotten to a level where I wanted before the madness began. So now i'm trying to hold off and let things get back to normal, but yeah - once stock becomes available in a more regular fashion, I'll be one of those people that needs to stock up for a rainy day.

I remember being able to find ammo in 2008/2009. My strategy was to hit up the local Walmart at 1am after getting off from work. The pallets were on the floor after being unloaded and a bored employee would always dig through a box or two looking for ammo.
Sometimes they had what I was looking for and sometimes it was a hodge podge of different calibers. I could always find ammo every week though.
The last time I was in Walmart the gun counter clerk said they had not had an ammo shipment all week.
I could find ammo online in 2008/2009. Good luck buying anything online today without having to sell a kidney first.
Some areas are clearly better than others but I wouldn't claim that there isn't a shortage of ammunition merely because one store or Walmart has a few boxes of 9mm.

I have a decent supply and can probably keep shooting until about summertime. I've decided to help out a few friends that aren't quite as well stocked so that may cut into my shooting a bit. Hopefully that Karma thing will work out.

Ive bought in the last two weeks.
120 rnds .308 Federal 165 grain Bonded Soft Point $23 a box.
90 rnds Winchester .308 150 grain Powerpoint $22 a box.
1K rnds 123 grain 7.62x39 $388 to the door.
1K rnds 124 grain 9mm $348 to the door.
I've spent a bit of money, but I don't find the prices obnoxious. I do however shop hard.

I have pistols with two calibers, .40 S&W & 9mm. I purchase ammo at two main places--Wal Mart & Academy Sports. I've bought both .40 pistols within the last 45 days to move to a larger caliber from the 9mm, as all I owned before were 9mm's & ammo was hard to find. I've learned the truck unloading times of the 3 Wal Marts I shop at regularly, & know that Academy trucks arrive and are unloaded before they open each M-W-F. The last time I found 9mm locally was 3 weeks ago at a Wal Mart, & I can get .40 once a week at a Wal Mart. I don't know the last time I saw 9mm at an Academy, but they regularly have .40 but at higher prices than Wal Mart. However, if you are diligent in your internet searches, you can find 9mm, for a price, & I have a good supply. It is amazing to me to see the empty shelves on a daily basis. As I've stated elsewhere, we don't have to worry about gun control laws if there's no ammo to shoot those guns.

Wal-Mart(s) around here never have pistol ammo, just guys waiting looking at bare shelves.

40 was mentioned in post above.

There are other options:

http://www.bulkammo.com/1000-rounds-of-40-s-w-hi-shok-ammo-by-federal-classic-180gr-jhp

http://www.luckygunner.com/40-s-w-180-gr-hi-shok-jhp-federal-classic-1000-rounds

.64 cents for each .40 round? That's probably why they're in stock.

.40 SW is about the only I ammo I can find. Have plenty. Rather shoot .357Sig.

CDW4ME said:

Wal-Mart(s) around here never have pistol ammo, just guys waiting looking at bare shelves.

40 was mentioned in post above.

There are other options:

http://www.bulkammo.com/1000-rounds-of-40-s-w-hi-shok-ammo-by-federal-classic-180gr-jhp

http://www.luckygunner.com/40-s-w-180-gr-hi-shok-jhp-federal-classic-1000-rounds

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You need to go to Walmart located in a large city near or in bad neighborhood to get some pistol ammo. If you live in small town you're pretty much screwed.

22LR

Definitely a What-The-Freak moment for me! Nothing in the stores, nothing online but the 0.50 per round stuff. I seriously don't understand this at all. 9mm, 38spl, 45ACP, 40S&W, 357mag sure...those calibers I understand, but 22LR???!

It was not this bad in '08 & '09.

Just picked up a case of Winchester 500 rounds (RA9115HP+) this morning for 310.00. It's pretty zippy for a 115 grain +p+ load. Almost identical to the Federal 115 +p+ 9BPLE loads. I would normally have considered this overpriced...but now I think it was a decent deal.

As I see massively inflated prices across the board for a multitude of items (not just ammo), it makes me wish I got more into gold a few years back. At least gold would hold it's value vs. depreciating like the dollar.

Onward Allusion said:

Definitely a What-The-Freak moment for me! Nothing in the stores, nothing online but the 0.50 per round stuff. I seriously don't understand this at all. 9mm, 38spl, 45ACP, 40S&W, 357mag sure...those calibers I understand, but 22LR???!

It was not this bad in '08 & '09.

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If people don't stop hoarding ammo there is no end in sight. Pretty soon less popular rounds will disappear from the shelves as manufacturers will focus on what sells the best.

PabloJ said:

If people don't stop hoarding ammo.....

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Sure getting tired of the "hoarding" word. It's a pretty meaningless word right now, since it means very different things to people.

.....manufacturers will focus on what sells the best.

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T'was always thus.

Example of why

So I stop by my local Walmart for a sled for the kid and take a walk over to look at the bare ammo shelves. Guy says that the Cabelas down the road just loaded up the shelves with .223 and 9mm so I make a run over to finally grab some 9 for our upcoming plate shoots and such.
The 9 is gone by the time I get there and people are reaching past each other to grab whatever they can. I pick up 3 boxes of PMC .223 and one of the guys says "you know you can buy 10 boxes". I reply that I only need 3 and he looks at me like I was nuts. He has 10 boxes of .223 10 of 7.62, and 10 of something else...... I asked him how many rounds he has thru his new AR and AK and he says he has just sighted them in and is loading up on ammo.

People who have never been into shooting are hoarding ammo for no damn good reason!!

I am in Maine and we got 12" of snow today and these boneheads are snatching up ammo that will sit in their closets for months or years until they decide to unload it.

Nomad1972 said:

...People who have never been into shooting are hoarding ammo for no damn good reason!!...

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I feel your pain . Yet the aforementioned statement is subjective and can be argued effectively both ways with the outcome or answer far from empirical (either way IMO). We may look back on this run as yet another example in our great Nation's history of a temporary yet unprecedented paranoia that swept through the Country as an "exaggerated" result of "unfounded" panic that arose from several tragic shootings of which politicians tried "unsuccessfully" to exploit for their political goal of "enhanced" gun control (AKA to some as outright confiscation). Or conversely, we may look back on those that scooped up all available ammo when "it could affordably be had" as clairvoyant, clever individuals of whom clearly analysed current events, correctly anticipated the "potential" forthcoming government restrictions/regulations regarding ammunition and acted accordingly (even in light of the ostensible criticism).

Only time will tell...? I will say the scare we saw in the late 20th Century with Clinton's AWB pales in comparison.

I gave up and bought bunch of ammo for my handgun. I suspect in few weeks shelves will be empty of almost all handgun cartridges. Thankfully selection was very good, no box limits and price was same as before last election. Life is grand.

10 years hence prodigy may well say 'them was the good ole' days'

Which doesn't change the fact. The 1968 GCA was a wakeup call, as were proposals for an ammo tax of 10,000% (yeah, 10,000) and other draconian measures.

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Thats not the issue. Its because many people weren't born in that time frame and are not familiar with that. I don't even know what 1968 GCA is.
For the younger generation, all that is foreign.

many new gun owners today are not even aware of 2008 shortage

Are they also unaware who won the election??

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Of course not. But Obama's second term he is actually vocal and specifically stated his gun-grab intentions.

In short, many new shooters are NOT aware of anything that has happened before 2012 that has to do with ammo shortages and such.

Sure getting tired of the "hoarding" word. It's a pretty meaningless word right now, since it means very different things to people.

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Get used to it. Hoarding is pretty much what it is, having thousands of ammo stockpiled and buying more even when you have a sufficient amount.

Its as prevalent as the terms 'prepping', SHTF, zombie apocalypse, etc.

justice06rr said:

Obama's second term he is actually vocal and specifically stated his gun-grab intentions.

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Prior to the 2012 election, many people dismissed any concern about obamas anti-gun history raised by "paranoid" people who simply took a look Obama's words and actions on the topic. Some of those naysayers are regular posters here, so it's incumbent upon YOU to do your own research on things that matter to you.

In short, many new shooters are NOT aware of anything that has happened before 2012 that has to do with ammo shortages and such.

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Reread the previous. New shooters "not knowing" have no one to blame but themselves.

Get used to it. (the word "hoarding") Hoarding is pretty much what it is, having thousands of ammo stockpiled and buying more even when you have a sufficient amount.

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What qualifies YOU to determine if what others have is sufficient?

STRESS_TEST,

I wish you lived close to me, I just found 6 full 50 rd. boxes of .22 mag in my stash box. I had a rifle sometime back, guy didn't want the ammo when I sold rifle to him, so I put in the stash box. $100.00 bill takes it all.

Onward Allusion, my buddy found some .22's about 2 weeks ago at Sportsmans Warehouse, they wanted $89.00 a brick for .22's ! $8.90 a box, I remember when a single box cost 29 cents, and I'm not that friggin' old.

Now two boxes of .357Sig per fellaw.....OH BOY. Few more weeks and no ammo....MAMMA MIA!

Here is how we stop the ammo shortage. Nobody buy any ammo. None at all. Just let Walmart and Academy and the LGS load up their cabinets and don't buy any. Then we can trickle back in and they can have a one-three box limit and everyone will quit worrying about it.

Yeah right! That will happen just like we will force the gas stations to lower their prices by not buying gas.

jrdolall said:

Here is how we stop the ammo shortage. Nobody buy any ammo. None at all. Just let Walmart and Academy and the LGS load up their cabinets and don't buy any. Then we can trickle back in and they can have a one-three box limit and everyone will quit worrying about it.

Yeah right! That will happen just like we will force the gas stations to lower their prices by not buying gas.

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I get two boxes per day which is great because I have to drive by the place every day. Oh
yeh, life is grand!

I learned my lesson the last go round. However, I was surprised by the lack of 12g and .22. When things calm down, I guess I'm going to start reloading for shotgun too. In the meantime I'll start picking up cases at the range. There is not much I can do about the 22s.

Good luck guys. You can buy it, but its here and there and only 2-3 boxes at a time.