HankB
Member
The difference was that the gas shortages of the 1970s were real... an ammunition shortage of any caliber (at least as of right now) is merely perceived. Quantity limits are exacerbating that perception.
Gas shortages real? I have my doubts. I was in high school at the time, and one of the guys in my class was the son of an executive for Shell Oil; according to him, his dad's biggest problem at work was finding storage capacity for the gas they were holding back from the market.
Ammunition shortages are "perceived" due to an absence of ammunition on store shelves and unavailability from online and mail order retailers. A while back, perceptions certainly matched reality.
I've seen .22 ammo gradually making its way back into the market over the past 6 months. When Bass Pro Shops opened nearby, they had plenty of CCI Mini-Mags for around 6 cents a round with no limits during their grand opening. Federal stuff was similarly priced. The local Dick's usually has .22s, although as always, Dick's prices are inflated. Ditto for Cabela's. ("Inflated" means 10 cents a round and up; sometimes WAY up.)
I haven't seen .22 at any of the local WalMarts for a couple of years.