Can the ammo situation get much worse?

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vito

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I hadn't been to my local Gander Mountain store for quite awhile, but went there yesterday to see if they carried speed strips (they don't) and thought I'd at least see what pistol ammo was selling for. I looked around and then had to ask a sales clerk for where the pistol ammo was, since the entire area was now taken up by other merchandise. I was directed to an aisle end cap, which was labeled "Self Defense Ammunition" and told that this was all the pistol ammo that they had. It consisted totally of some boxes of 17 caliber, 45 colt, and 410 shotgun ammo. That was it. I asked another clerk and said there must be other handgun ammunition in the store and was told, no, what I had seen was it. This is really unbelievable. I don't keep large stocks of ammo for the several calibers that I shoot at the range, maybe 500 to 800 in each caliber and 1,500 or so in 22LR but not I am not sure I am ready to shoot what I have and risk having none.
 
Can the ammo situation get much worse?
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I stopped in Cabelas yesterday to see if they might have some AA 2 powder (for reloading handgun ammo). The only powder they had was 5 cans of something that reloaders hardly ever use.

The ammo manufacturers claim they are running wide open but when the popular ammo hits the stores it's immediately bought (many times by friends of people that work at the store).

But yes, it can still get worse. The Feds have ordered millions (billions) of rounds of ammo. As I understand it the Feds can demand these orders be filled (in parts, in the future) whenever the Feds say so. It appears that whenever they want, the Feds can cause a ammo shortage, or cause the current shortage to last a lot longer.

Whether this is fact or not, when ammo comes availably again, smart shooters will do well to stock up a bunch.
 
I've not been living in a cave, and I've seen shortages recently, but nothing as severe as what I described at Gander Mountain. As recently as a month ago I was able to buy a box of 525 22LR, a box of 100 rounds of 40S&W, and two 50 round boxes of 38 Special. The prices were higher than usual, and I could not find any 45 ACP that day, but I was still able to buy the above mentioned ammo. About 6 weeks ago I was able to find small pistol primers, although I did buy about the last two 1,000 primer boxes that were left. I had been getting the impression that the shortages were starting to ease up, so yesterday's visit to Gander Mountain really surprised me.
 
Like anything, it could be worse. It is definitely not good right now. I managed to pick up a 100-round box of .38 Special last week and that was it. No 9mm, .22, .223 or anything else lately. .308 is available in hunting/defense rounds in limited numbers.
 
I don't see it getting any better anytime soon either. The fear of more states getting more laws and possibly a federal set of law. Until all is said and done ammo will be scarce.

IMHO the libs are in no rush. Whatever they don't finish in obama a second term they will use it as good momentum to win the next election.

I found a bunch a 9mm they other day along with a dozen boxes of .308. It was odd seeing that stuff there. I'm sure alot of people have given up finding ammo which may explain the slight increase in availability.
 
I'm sure it is not outside the realm of possibilities that one of the major manufacturers could have a catastrophic event that completely shuts down their plant(s) for weeks or months on end.

That would cause a supply shortage... worse than what we are sitting in today.
 
I've not been living in a cave, and I've seen shortages recently, but nothing as severe as what I described at Gander Mountain.
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What you describe is certainly exactly what I've been seeing in every Walmart, Academy, Dicks, or Gander Mountain I have visited for months. Empty selves, people waiting in line for new shipments, and rationing of what little ammo does show up every week. Likewise, the online retailers are either out of stock, or selling ammo for outragous prices.

Actually, some people have suggested that there are signs the ammo situation is actually improving, although personally I have not seen any indications, yet.
 
Ammo is gone everywhere I see, don't see how you can get worse than 0.
Give it a few months it will get back to normal just like AR's did. They went up to $2,000 for a Stag and are now back down to $700-$800.
 
The only reason I am still shooting is that I reload, and bought a bunch of components right after the Newtown shooting. I have never seen anything like this in my decades of shooting firearms.
 
Went to Gander Mountain yesterday because I was nearby and there is NO 22 rimfire ammo at all and the clerk has no idea when there will be.:cuss:
 
It's not government agencies that are responsible for shortages. It's store employees, their friends and people waiting in lines that are responsible for the status quo. Except for Walmart where I get few select things to eat I do not go into places that sell ammo. I don't bother looking in Walmart ammo case because they never carried 10x25 ammo anyway, but I'm sure ammo spaces are empty at this time.
Since the Republican Party is not capable of taking back the White House any time soon the shortage will continue. I do not know what it is but Democrats are seen by gun owners as gun control legislation prone.
 
I believe that here in middle Ga, we are on the downhill side of the craze, and ammo is slowly starting to become more available. In the last week or so, 40 S&W has started to show up on shelves (and stay there, at least for a little while) in my local gunstore, and at walmart. When I was at academy the day before yesterday I picked up a box of .22lr, a box of 5.56, and a box of .380 although it should be noted that purchases were limited to one box of each per customer. There were also several types of .308 at Academy, although they were mostly hunting type rounds. I would predict that over the next month or two, the big 3 pistol calibers will start to sit on shelves longer and eventually remain in stock. I'd bet .22 lr will be the last to come back into equilibrium, but even that should not be more than 3-4 months in the future.
 
Well here the guys I know at Sportsmans, good guys actually in Reno Nv, had told me its all sold as the shipment gets in, says it does not make it to the shelves. That was on Friday.
 
I have not seen any improvement in the shortage. What little you can find is outrageously priced too. The only calibers that are still available for a "decent" price are Soviet rifle calibers. Even with those, it's only online and you need to buy a case to make it worthwhile.

Conversely, if you don't already own a rifle in one of those calibers then be ready to pay double what the old price for one.
 
While it could get worse, I haven't seen any evidence that it's getting any better...

I regularly check a number of sources, looking for primers, powder, bullets, ammo, etc....people like Grafs, Midway, Powder Valley, SGAmmo, Ammotogo and others.....and it doesn't appear to be improving.

It MAY get better at some point, but I suspect that it'll never, ever be as it was in the past.
 
Of course it can get worse. It could be unavailable. Right now it is avaliable if you want to pay a premium.
 
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