Have you ever experienced that thing at the store?

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somerandomguy

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You know, when you go into a store and find that there is absolutely no ammo there on the shelf? Anyone ever experienced this? I can't quite tell if i'm cursed or something, because all the ammo seems to magically dissappear as soon as it's stocked...
 
Quite common. Hoarders and flippers camp out for the opening and buy up everything. Go during normal hours and you are usually out of luck.

Hopefully, hoarders will get saturated and the free market will take care of the flippers - IF no one buys from them.
 
I don't reload for pistol, so I've always picked up a few boxes from time to time all alomg. Right now, it's all about the timing.........
 
I'm really surprised import and surplus ammo isn't able to make up for the lack of domestic production.
 
When I read the title, I thought it would be.....ever forget what you went in for? lol

I reload for everything. I have a few hundred rounds of factory ammo for all my guns, just in case I go to an indoor range. I was in my local WallyWorld the other day, they had 2 boxes of 180 grn 40S&W sitting there all by themselves. Not another caliber of handgun ammo in the case.
It was really strange seeing those lone 2 boxes sitting there. I almost bought them, but decided to leave them for someone else.
 
The two Wal-Marts in our town (why we have two I will never know) are so out of stock on firearms and ammo that they don't even keep a clerk in the sporting goods section most of the time.
 
I'm really surprised import and surplus ammo isn't able to make up for the lack of domestic production.

Komrad Slikwilly took care of that back in the '90s (IIRC). No imports from China. I am finding a lot of S&B and PPU headstamps in my range pickups lately.

I'm a little surprised that the current occupier hasn't looked into imports from Russia yet.

...oh wait...:scrutiny:
 
I got burnt in 08 and swore never again. Since then Ihave bought .22 by the case and made sure I always have plenty of primers for centerfire since then. Now if I could only find a S&W Shield.
 
The ammo shelves at my LGS are pretty well stocked, just not for any calibers I shoot. Walmart is looking pretty bare unless I wanted .30-30, .30-06 or target loads for 12 and 20 gauge. I've thought about getting a Judge just to give me reason to buy the .45/.410 combo packs.
 
Quite common. Hoarders and flippers camp out for the opening and buy up everything. Go during normal hours and you are usually out of luck.

Hopefully, hoarders will get saturated and the free market will take care of the flippers - IF no one buys from them.
I'm one of those people who wait in line for the store to open so I can buy my one box each in a max of 3 calibers per day. So please explain how my 3 boxes of ammo equate to hording/flipping. I sure would like to know as would every single person standing in the cold in hopes of getting that box of ammo they need.

The ammo is there and still at a reasonable price but it takes some effort to find and time to amass enough to allow one to shoot ones matches or practice sessions. In fact I showed up at the gun show this morning a full hour and fifteen minutes before it opened and that allowed me to pick up 38super @24$ a box and 1000 rounds of Wolf 22lr match target ammo for $80 which was $56 cheaper than what Wideners charged me for the same thing.
 
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I'm one of those people who wait in line for the store to open so I can buy my one box each in a max of 3 calibers per day. So please explain how my 3 boxes of ammo equate to hording/flipping. I sure would like to know as would every single person standing in the cold in hopes of getting that box of ammo they need.

The ammo is there and still at a reasonable price but it takes some effort to find and time to amass enough to allow one to shoot ones matches or practice sessions. In fact I showed up at the gun show this morning a full hour and fifteen minutes before it opened and that allowed me to pick up 38super @24$ a box and 1000 rounds of Wolf 22lr match target ammo for $80 which was $56 cheaper than what Wideners charged me for the same thing.
Horder...

Buying a whopping 3 boxes while no one else can find any ammo...what are you, selfish or something? :D
 
I'm not so sure who the flippers are buying from. They can go to Walmart as early as they want but they can still only get three boxes. Every gunshop I've been to in my area has a similar rule. Some even refuse to sell to multiple family members on the same day.

My luck has been fantastic though. 22lr and other things every time I stop in.
 
To score;

  • You have to be flexible.
  • You have to be persistent.
  • You have to be decisive.
I've learned that when the stock hits the shelves varies day by day so I am hitting three stores at least twice a day and three times each day on weekends. I'm buying whenever I can but never leave the shelves bare. I have even stepped aside and let other people buy if I perceive their need to be greater than mine. No, I'm not a flipper or a hoarder, I'm a facilitator. I have a list of people who need ammo but don't have the flexibility to stalk ammo that I do. When I get it I review my list and call the folks in need and sell it to them for exactly what I paid for it. The goodwill and favors I am accumalating will pay dividends in the future.

And yes, the clerks are quite annoyed with all of us looking for ammo they don't have.
 
I ordered 2k rds of 9mm and 2k rds of .45 on election night. friends made fun of me and called me paranoid. well... looking back it's nice to have 9mm to shoot at $21 / 100rds ;)
 
I ordered 2k rds of 9mm and 2k rds of .45 on election night. friends made fun of me and called me paranoid. well... looking back it's nice to have 9mm to shoot at $21 / 100rds ;)
Yep. Every time I hear someone around me talking about "crazies with thousands of rounds of ammo" I just try not to grin, pays to stock up when it's cheap. Never seen totally empty shelves yet, always at least shotgun shells even if all other is sold out.
 
I'm not so sure who the flippers are buying from. They can go to Walmart as early as they want but they can still only get three boxes.
Well, thats true.....but isn't taking into account the people who saw the writing on the wall years ago and started buying more ammo then they immediately needed. I currently have about 1000 rounds of 9mm, 15000 rds of 5.56, over 1200 7.62x39, and thousands of rounds of .22. I bought them with the original intent of simply hedging my supply and keeping cost as low as possible. However, recent trends have me wondering if I shouldn't offload some of my .22 to someone who obviously wants or needs it worse than I do. When i can get 70 bucks for a brick I paid 10 for, temptation is certainly there.
 
I've seen guys stare at the empty ammo case for 20 minutes or so, as if they overlooked a box of something hidden among the boxes of nothing. I've tried it myself and the magical ammo fairy never shows up. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Leprachauns have traded the gold for ammo.
 
Sounds like a good game show TBH...lol

I see an opening for you on the History channel at some point in time. ;)
Your chances of getting ammo increases if there is a team. Being serious here. Well I better get ready and head out to my local Academy so I can be one of the first in line. This standing in line an hour before it opens is getting old but if I don't do it I will have no ammo to feed my guns. Plus I will be making a sale of my own to one of those in line. He can't find 38sp and I have some but rarely shoot it so I will sell a box or two to him/her and use that cash to buy what I need.
 
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