What is going on with ammo????

I'd always heard that any new weapon should be purchased with 1000 rounds to keep on hand and buy what you need to practice with or replace what you shoot 1 for 1. Seems a good policy to me.

We have a lot of new owners who likely stocked up AND are trying to buy for the training and practice they need for their new property. Consider that many are taking CC classes to get into the sport, and it's no wonder what's going on with the run on pistol ammo.

Now, add to that an uncertain political climate where all Constitutional rights are under attack and people who buy guns and lots of ammo are smeared as "extremists" who need to be watched and possibly raided and robbed as potential terrorists and the whole thing becomes that much more crystal clear.

Buy up, Americans! Spur supply to follow demand! Load your own and sell sell sell! Start new ammo companies! Compete! Where's the entrepreneurship for this soaring new demand? Why are Americans whining about this instead of making it work for them? What's happened to us? Get with it, America!

I find this laughable. Obama signed a credit card reform bill, that consequently included a provsion allowing concealed carry.

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Psst....the provision does not "allow concealed carry." It simply says land managed by the NPS will follow state rules. If you're in a state that doesn't allow concealed or open carry, you still can't carry. If you live in a state that allows both you'll be able to do both.

You can choose to be a part of the problem and continue to blow through hundreds of rounds in a fun day at the range or you can help be a part of the solution and limit how much and how often you shoot.

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I think I'll take the fun day at the range. Several of them, actually. I'm sorry if you didn't see the writing on the wall; I really am. I know it's harder than normal to obtain ammo, but there are still solutions to procuring it. I got friendly with my Wal-Mart sporting goods supervisor and I call every couple days to find out when ammo's hitting the shelves. You might try the same thing - just be careful not to go over your self-described 'psychopath's 100 round limit.'

Using a few hundred rounds of each caliber is a typical day at the range for me. I dont think buying a few hundred at a time is "contributing to the problem".

Except for financial reasons, I really dont understand buying a box or three of ammo...just costs way too much that way. Its not like ammo goes bad if stored correctly. Guess Im lucky when I stocked up years ago when 762x39 was 8 cents a round and 9mm was at 7 cents. Like the above poster said, the writing was on the wall for a long time. Fortunate I am that I got into this hobby 10 years ago.

The people that suffer the most from ammo hoarding are new shooters. A few weeks ago I agreed to train a girl from work on the use of a pistol, but alas we could not find any ammo. So, I let her have a box of 50 round blazer brass from my meager stash. However, if ammo was in stock like it was last summer she could have bought more and got much better training.

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The flip side of that argument is that now I'm seeing far fewer idiots at the range step up to the line and blow through a full mag in 10 seconds, maybe hitting the target twice out of 15 shots or so. I usually load my mags with no more than 6 rounds for most practice, 1 or 2 if I'm practicing mag changes. You can get a lot of quality practice with one or two rounds at a time, if the range allows you to holster and draw between shots. When ammo is precious, you tend not to waste it. That's a plus. I know I've been slowing down a little and paying more attention to detail so I can get the most out of every round and I find that my marksmanship has improved. Funny how that works. There's actually a lot of training to be had out of a box of 50 rounds if you do it right.

Except for financial reasons, I really dont understand buying a box or three of ammo...just costs way too much that way.

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Even now, if you can find bulk ammo to purchase it's usually cheaper that way. That usually requires purchase of at least a case (1000) at a time, but it still helps. It's just harder to find ammo in case lots any more.

I'd like to go live in the cave that you've obviously just vacated. Not hearing the news is much better!

I am working on a ray gun that shoots beams instead of ammo.

How can a person stay proficient with different weapons shooting less than a 100 rounds a month. On a bad day at the range I shoot a minimum of 50rounds per weapon. I normally take 4 or 5 pistols and a long gun to the range.

I read an interesting article two days ago.

Seems the military hasn't purchased small arms handgun ammo in larger amounts for the past few years. They got behind the curve and have found themselves low causing contracts to go out. now Winchester has been awarded a massive contract for 9mm. I would guess production will either be used to fill the voids or to fulfill the contract. Now add on larger than normal civilian purchases and here we are...

Ammo shortages started showing up in departental purchases in late 07 and early 08 when orders were not filled for weeks or months. The buying frenzy pushed it even higher.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...ent/article/2007/08/27/AR2007082701793_2.html

A month ago i had a different view on ammo. I did not own a handgun until a month ago. And had only had shotguns for trap and hunting. 100 round was fine for a Sunday at the trap range. But now that i have found how hard it is to shoot accurately (AND HOW FUN) I find my self shooting 200 to 250 rnds when i go to the range. Even more if i go out to the woods with friends. I now get buy what you can when you can.

Up until this last year I shot IDPA on a regular basis. I shot 1000-1200 rounds a month. Now that reasonably price ammo i.e, WM is scare, I am lucky to shot 100 rounds a month. I've been calling local Walmarts daily to get updates on available ammunition. So, the other day I called one of my local WM's and they said they had (4) 50 round boxes of 40 S&W. Needless to say I was out the door in minutes (btw it was a 30 mile drive). I get there and to my satisfaction 200 rounds are staring me in the face......maybe 20 seconds later while I am waiting for the clerk, another gentlemen looks around and spots it. Here's where I need forgiveness I bogarted all 200 rounds..lol. (he was bummed ar me) I felt justified due to all the hard work finding it and the drive. At the same time I feel ever so slightly a bit of guilt.
Inclosing, it will be nice once there is a adaquate amount of ammunition for all at a reasonable price.....My story and stickin to it!
Bill

I found some .380 today at Academy. I'd not been there for awhile and was curious what they had. Answer: not much.

They had about 8 boxes of .380. A sign said there was a two box limit.

I bought ONE. Why? Because I only wanted one. (I didn't need one, as I have a mix of about 400 rds of factory and reloads at home.)

It was "Monarch" brand, loaded up in brass cases.

This .380 was the only pistol ammo they had.

I also bought a 20 rd box of Monarch .308 for $8.99 to check out.

.

20 seconds later while I am waiting for the clerk, another gentlemen looks around and spots it. Here's where I need forgiveness I bogarted all 200 rounds..lol. (he was bummed ar me)

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How I hope this was in the Chicago area !!!

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I guess I'd have to classify myself as a "recreational shooter". I like to go to the gun range at least once per week, and shoot a box of 50 rounds.

I'd like to go more often, but it would then become an issue of economics. I simply cannot afford to spend $50 or $100 a week on shooting. I really wish I could, but I can't. I really admire all of you who CAN go to the range weekly and spend $100 or more on ammo to enjoy your hobby, but it's not in the cards for me.

With that said, I've found that by scrounging 2 boxes here and there, and ordering ammo online every month, I've wound up with a stockpile of 200 rounds of 9mm ammo, which is the only ammo I shoot. Plus I'm waiting to receive additional 200 rounds I ordered 2 weeks ago from Cabala's. Very reasonable at $11.99/box. I'll wait, and go shoot my 50 rounds and be satisfied.

The ammo shortage WILL end, and I am unanimous in my decision. Just when is hard to predict. Maybe by mid-summer? Perhaps by next Thanksgiving? Who knows. But I DO know ammo can be had. It just takes foraging for it, calling on the phone, and ordering it online.

In fact, maybe as a measure of good faith, Obama passed a resolution allowing guns into all national parks today. So he's not the big, bad boogieman everyone initially portrayed him as.

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Ah no... The boogieman didn't change his stripes. The only reason we have the right to carry guns in national parks is because it was made part of an unrelated bill that imposed controls over credit card issuers - something that the president strongly supported. If the gun part had come to his desk as a stand-alone bill it wouldn't have stood a chance.

The reason that people are buying large quantities of ammunition is because they don’t trust the president – or his party’s – intentions. In addition some are afraid of possible social upheaval during hard economic times. They may be right or wrong, only time will tell, but until they feel more secure panic buying ammunition and guns will continue.

Although the point has already been brought up, I too thought that handgun ownership in Chicago was banned. So, why would you need handgun ammo in Chicago?

In addition to what Old Fuff just stated, obama has appointed every gun grabber he can to fill his cabinet. Ever hear of HR 45?

I have over 3000 rounds of 9mm 115gr FMJ in Blazer or WWB. Does that make me a hoarder? I bought it (and more) several years ago when Academy was selling it for $3.86 and $4.86 a box. I didn't figure I'd ever see prices like that again so I lined the bottom of one of my closets with cases of the stuff. There was plenty left at the store too.

Supply and demand.

Free market system at work.

Any other questions?

I am working on a ray gun that shoots beams instead of ammo.

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Awesome

I don't know why some folks think you need to shoot x number of rounds per month to stay "proficient." I could go years w/o shooting and still be proficient. Even the military and police only qualify at the range a few times a year.

I don't know why some folks think you need to shoot x number of rounds per month to stay "proficient." I could go years w/o shooting and still be proficient.

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You're fooling yourself then.

Even the military and police only qualify at the range a few times a year.

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That's true, but in order to qualify you need to practice more than twice a year. I've noticed lately an increase in the number of our officers who don't qualify the first time around, maybe by a few points and then qualify the second or third time. Universally this is being blamed on the fact that our officers aren't able to get enough practice in on their own and the department doesn't have funds to give them ammo to practice with. This is a very bad situation and I don't see anything good coming from it.

Police qualifications are pretty stringent and if you don't get plenty of practice you're not likely to qualify the first time "cold".

You're fooling yourself then.

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Hardly.. There just isn't as much to pointing and squeezing a trigger as some folks make it out to be. It's like riding a bike. I took my dad to the range not too long ago. He hadn't shot for like 20 years and did just fine.

I think it's one of those things that once you learn, you don't soon forget.

If you haven't learned, by all means, practice until you do.

Police qualifications are pretty stringent

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Surely you are joking? Please say you are joking...

I don't know why some folks think you need to shoot x number of rounds per month to stay "proficient." I could go years w/o shooting and still be proficient.

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Now that's funny, right there, I don't care who you are!

dictionary said:

proficient
–adjective
1. well-advanced or competent in any art, science, or subject; skilled: a proficient swimmer.
–noun
2. an expert.

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I suppose everyone has a different definition of "expert" but after "years w/o shooting" I certainly wouldn't claim to be one.

My opinion... "proficient" is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

-Sam

I'm to the point where I've ordered 102gr Rem Golden Sabre bullets to reload for CCW (ie. the BIG NO NO... carrying reloaded ammo! ).

Gave up a while ago trying to find defensive ammo. Everything else I load myself anyway. In the very unfortunate event that I must use it, I'll just have to explain to the jury that it's the same as factory, probably weaker.

/sorry, tired of the ammo BS that's going on

edit: And, BTW, have been waiting a month for my .380 Rem GS bullets. Still not here.