Ammo shortage turning off new shooters?

I have introduced 2 people 2 guns and shooting, my cousin and neighbor, both bought a gun last fall, both shot 100 rounds of WWB and can't find any ammo 2 shoot again.

I'm not angry about it, but it does affect new people like me. I'm in the market to make my first purchase, but won't buy until I can purchase the appropriate rounds to practice with it and take a course.

Right now, I'm on hold until things normalize. I accept that it might be a while, but I can't get my family involved either until we all have something to use. I worry that by waiting, their views may change as they are currently on the fence, and I do feel that education is the best way to influence opinions.

Got my Nephew into reloading then panic buying made it hard to do that.

A friend of mine in Vegas just bought his first gun in his life at 35 years old. I got him on the kick last summer when I let him put a couple of hundred rounds down range out of a few different guns. He was actually quite natural with a pistol. Smart guy originally from Jersey. Anyway he bought a 9mm from an LEO who was selling off a few to get something new. He called me asking for ammo because he couldnt find any. the LEO had met him and sold him the gun at a gun range. They scrounged up about 100 rounds and shot off 84. But now what.

So yes, it is a problem. But let the market correct itself. It will come around.

That is the way that they are instituting gun control, if there is no ammo around, it kind of makes shooting a hassle to do, especially to people who are on limited incomes and can't afford to spend a dollar a round.

Ammo is available; it just might not be at the price one would prefer to pay.

Some stores "stock" empty shelves full of invisible ammo marked at pre-2013 prices; other stores stock actual ammo at current prices. The trick to getting ammunition is to shop at the latter, not the former. Good places to look are local shooting ranges, small gun shops, etc. rather than at the big-box stores.

Yes, one might have to pay $12 for 20 rounds of .223, but that is more effective than daydreaming about paying $5 for ammo that is no longer available for $5, if you need to actually buy some.

The ammunition shortage may be a bit of a hinderance to pursuing the shooting sports, especially just starting out. Most people really don't shoot very much or often and I don't see the ammunition situation as changing much of anything in the long run unless there are legislative measures taken to make buying more difficult. Even active shooters aren't shooting much. There is always tomorrow and the first step is to buy the firearm.

You can find ammunition. It can just be a bit more expensive than normal as some gunshops are increasing prices because they have trouble restocking. If they don't have merchandise to look at, customers won't stop and visit the store. Makes some sense although I will remember how they handled the ammunition shortage when deciding on making future purchases at these stores when things get back to normal.

gym said:

That is the way that they are instituting gun control, if there is no ammo around, it kind of makes shooting a hassle to do, especially to people who are on limited incomes and can't afford to spend a dollar a round.

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This is the way WHO is instituting gun control? Gun owners? Cause, that's where all the ammo available for retail is going. Since ammo manufactures all claim that they are producing and shipping record amounts of ammo to the retail market, where else can it be going.......or are they in on it too?


Like many folks here, I learned my lesson well back in '08 and have bought very little ammo or components since last October. Thus it is not us that is making the shortages we see now. It either is being created by those that don't learn, or those new to the sport that are doing the present hoarding and stockpiling. Many folks I know that are new to the sport and are unaccustomed to normal ammo prices didn't really know they were getting hosed when they finally found ammo somewhere to buy. They didn't realize the reason it was still there was the excessive price, or even if they did know they were getting hosed, they needed something to put in their new gun.

Somewhere I suspect someone will do a study/poll to determine how much the average gun owners ammo supply/stash has increased from pre-Obama times. It would be interesting to see just how much of a n increase there really is or if folks are just shooting that much more.

Somewhere I suspect someone will do a study/poll to determine how much the average gun owners ammo supply/stash has increased from pre-Obama times. It would be interesting to see just how much of a n increase there really is or if folks are just shooting that much more.

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If such was done, it would be highly inaccurate as most people I know would never reveal quantities in their cache in any poll or people doing a "study". If a study was done, it would some how be done to further gun control legislation. I don't even reveal that information here or on any of the online forums.

^^^ In that vein MY ammo/reloading supplies are at 4X what they were 10 years ago quantity wise. I now can afford to buy in bulk for savings. More as a hedge on inflation than any other reason however.

I have always subscribed to the buy two shoot one theory before I was seriously reloading so I am not the one that is causing pain to those that want ammo TODAY either. I feel that a run on firearms purchases before possible law changes and those new owners wanting practice/spare ammo is the bigger reason we are in this supply shortage for the time being. YMMV

It's nearly impossible in my neck of the woods to get started in shooting. There's a group of people (with their associated GF's and extended family members) that watch the trucks like damn hawks. They sit out at wally world at 2 Am when the trucks come in and buy everything right as the shelves are being stocked. Then they wait till fleet opens up at 9 am and repeat the process. I've seen them out there every week - every dang week - for over 3 months now. I asked if I could get a box or two from them and they laughed. This stuff's like gold one of them said. They're basically buying it to flip it. And they have enough people in their group to buy out the shelf, even with purchase limits.

Also at $50 dollars a box for 45 caliber, "that's the rate near me" the cheapest I got 9mm for was $31 a box, it is still too expensive to shoot.
And 223, is not 12 dollars anymore in FL, It's between a dollar and a dollar and a half a round. Maybe in other parts of the country it's cheaper, but I looked at the online at "gun bot" the other day and it was the same there and that was without shipping, a dollar to a 2 dollars per round. So if you want to shoot a couple hundred rounds, it's a couple hundred dollars. In this economy, most folks don't have an extra $500 a month to shoot.
To a new shooter this is discouraging, unless they want to shoot 22's.
I would be happy to pat 12-13 dollars a box for 223, it just doesn't exist here. Yesterdays trip to wall- mart was just a waste of time as they had no ammo, nor could give a date when they expected more, "unusual because they usually say come back around 7pm, and we will be putting some out.
Gun show prices this past week were a dollar a round for 9mm, "by the case", and were selling. After much shopping around, I was at least able to pick up some Hornadey xtp for $35 for 20 rounds, so I don't know where all this cheap ammo is. Even a look at Florida Gun Trader shows prices in this range and higher.
http://www.gunbot.net/

Yeah the current ammo shortage is turning off new shooters and prospective shooters. We know it will eventually come back around and we'll be able to shoot again. Or some of us have accumulated ammo having learned the lesson in 2008.
I took my coworker to the range last fall. We shot my 10/22. He liked it and wanted to get one for himself. He saved up a little money for one. Sandy Hook happened and a 10/22 was running about $400 here, if you could find one. That is stupid money to pay for a $200 rifle. Yeah I know, the market dictates the price, blah blah blah economics..... He nor I felt it was worth the money. So here he is wanting to buy a rifle he saved money for and he can't get the instant gratification of going to the store and buying one like he could have a few months prior. I happen to be in WM at the right time and pick one up for him for $199. Awesome, now he has a gun. Too bad we can't find affordable ammo for it. I've shared some and we've picked up a few boxes of 50 here and there. But he choose shooting because he liked it and because it was not a "rich man's sport" when he decided to get into it last fall.
I can imagine the frustration of buying a set of golf clubs as a new hobby, but golf balls quadruple in price overnight. Great, now I got a nice set of clubs to look at, just like his 10/22.
Long story short, maybe new shooters will come back around when ammo is available, whenever that is. But I can't blame them for bailing on the hobby. I would.

I think new shooters (or recently re-awakened shooters) are a large part of the CAUSE of the ammunition shortage.

A buddy of mine just bought a beretta 9mm and wants to shoot really bad, but alas no ammo. we are going to throw him a reloading party sunday and crank him out 1k rounds. he has no interest in loading but thats the only way he can get unlimited shooting.

I would love to get into reloading and have a press but components are impossible to get my hands on. I wasn't a shooter yet during the last shortage and apparently I am stupid and shortsighted for not seeing this one coming. Oh well, people have short attention spans; it will level out.

M2 Carbine: True. Those who are not brand-new shooters might have been totally unprepared.

But as for the more experienced who had cash, it must have been complacency.
The most-publicized string of recent mass murders which began in Tucson should have helped, but so many were not receptive to the mass media.

Maybe the focus on Facebook and other social media (as a substitute) has not worked out so well for the younger, new shooters?

I just got an email from our "friends", at CTD, PMC, 9mm range ammo, 50 rounds, $69.95, 223, 20 rounds, $29.95, that's just embarrassing.

There's plenty people in the country who have hundreds of thousands of rounds. Us around here may not be that we'll stocked but we are a few out of many. I've personally seen people walk out of stores with carriages full to the top of ammo. Those are the ones who complain they can't find ammo. The 100k rounds of 223 isn't enough

I'm not playing this game. I have a new 9mm that i will shoot when ammo is available and reasonable. I spent one morning in the line at Wally World only to be dissappointed when they brought out 6 boxes total of .380, .357, and turkey shells. I have better things to do with my time. I'd love to shoot my new pistol, but i'm drawing the line. Maybe i can point pistol and make BANG! noises. That should get my by until ammo is available.

Don't forget it was the government that closed down many of its own ammo plants (Lake City stayed open) and decided to let private sector companies fill their orders. Maybe it's time to re-open some of those plants to supply law enforcement and the military. That would free up the private sector market.

Another determent to supplies is the trend called "Just in time Inventory"......technique that allows more efficient management of capital. What was once stockpiled by the manufacturers is now stockpiled (hoarding) by the consumer.....

Just called Wall-Mart, as I have been told on prior occasions, the truck will be unloaded at 7pm tonight. That's from a woman I know casually, who works the Gun area.
Now that is "if" the ammo is indeed on the truck, "which they never know until they open the crates". I don't know if this is true for other stores, but Vero Beach on 58th ave and 20th St. "does it this way". I did get 223 last month after 2 try's along with 12 gauge. 3 boxes each person, and they had 45 at the time. I will attempt a couple of runs in the next 2 days to see if this is still worth doing.
Looking for 9mm and 45, I am ok with all else. I shoot those the best, although a 38/357 is nice to have around. I can't imagine stocking 7-10 different pistol and rifle calibers anymore, although I am sure many guys who reload do this, as would I if I hadn't retired .Perhaps this is their policy in all their stores regarding ammo.

^ I would be way in favor of the Twin City plant to be recomissioned. I know several quality people living in Savage and Apple Valley that would be hard working employees - and that area could use an economic boost. Although it's current condition is probably hopeless..

threefortyduster said:

How about we ponder this for a little?

Say you just bought your first gun (like my neighbor who just turned 18 Monday and bought a rifle in .30-06), and want ammo. Well, the store you bought the gun at only has Fusion Lite loads for your .30-06 (again, like my neighbor). Where is the incentive to want to get into a hobby or whatever you may call it that you can't enjoy for lack of knowing if you'll ever actually get to shoot your gun more than once in a while?

My 2 cents is those that are stockpiling factory ammo left and right are doing their part to hurt the growth of something where we need all the growth we can get.

If you were getting into a new hobby and couldn't get the pieces required to enjoy it, would you stay in it?

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In long term there is little chance of saving individual citizen gun ownership and shooting sports. The only way to assure future for the sport is to recruit new members into the community. It is all but impossible with current shortages.

I was just on vacation in Vero Beach. The only gun store I saw was in the Orlando area going to gatorland. haha

I would have bought ammo down there but didn't want to have to worry about bringing it back on the plane.

Sorry off topic. But nothing will be done about the shortage to law enforcement, the libs are blaming the "paranoid extremists" and telling all the sheep that our police cant be armed enough to protect us because we are buying all the ammo.