Increased ammo sales = increased shooting?

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Kansan

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Since so much ammo is flying off of the shelves, I'm kind of curious to know if that means that people are shooting a lot more or if people are mostly stockpiling. If they are mostly stockpiling, then this increased buying will slow down as soon as the majority of people buy all the ammo they feel comfortable having on hand. However, if there are now (post-election) a lot of new gun owners / gun shooters, then I would guess that even when the "panic buying" slows down, ammo demand and consumption will even off at a higher level than pre-election.

I'd like to hear from a few of you who go to shooting ranges a lot to hear if there has been an great increase in activity. Are your ranges more crowded? More people getting CCL's? More people attending Appleseed/defensive handgun classes/ shooting schools / etc?

I haven't noticed an appreciable increase really whenever I go to the local pistol range.
 
No.

We ration ammuntion shoots each month at the range. I think every gun we own times two people gets a minimum of X shots aimed as good to center mass in typical HD, SD and maybe 20 yards at most.

I purchase a specific number of ammunition every 4 months adequate to replace the fired amount the previous 6 months and gain 20% more towards the stockpile.

I can fire off X bullets and shotgun rounds each year but our total supply will increase if not double every 9 months or so regardless of our rationed shoots.

Example. I fire 5 bullets this month. That makes 30 for 6 months worth of shooting. I buy a box of 50 or three boxes of 20 every 4 months. That adds to the stockpile.

We shoot a hell of alot more than 5 but budget it so that we go shoot at least once or twice each month no matter what.

But it is not panic. I buy as much specific ammuntion as I see it on sight.

I always leave a few behind on the shelf or online for the next shooter to buy. I try not to be the one taking the last one.

There seems to have been a decrease in giggle shooters at the range, but a monster increase in CHL (CCW) Classes at all the shops offering these classes each month filled to overflowing by the hundreds in total on top of the 65 thousand permits already issued.

Never mind some of these Permit Seekers already buying or owning at least one or several other guns like shotguns, rifles etc etc etc.

Gander Mountain by my count of number of weeks between visits managed to sell off 300 boxes of 50 rounds EACH of Speer Lawman 45 ACP caliber full metal jackets in the 230 grain. At about 25 dollars a box that works out to a cool 7500 dollars worth of just one caliber every few weeks.

NOW that is moving volume sales.

I ignore the pricing of the ammo. I see it not any different than buying ... gasoline or desiel. 25 dollars a box? Sure. 35?.. ok... 50? well now... but buy I will.

At the same time we are ridding ourselves of any debt. Because of this debt that has been wiped off our finances, we are able to realize a net gain in profit each month cash flow and can even buy MORE ammuntion if necessary.

At some point in the future, both containers will be full. And they will always stay full until such time that the USA Domestic ammuntion supply system fails. Even then, we can probably continue our rationed aimed shot visits each month for years to come in addition to whatever else we might do with the weapons.

If that happens, maybe half of the stock pile will be sold off at face value and the funds put aside.
 
We've had a huge increase at our range. Wait time on Saturdays is usually between 30 minutes to an hour. Last year it was almost no wait time even at the busiest times.
 
In the last few months there have definitely been few people at the range. Dunno if that is a factor of it not being hunting season or some other factor might be at work. This time of year is about as good as it gets in Texas and every time I go I expect a crowd but a lot of times it has been empty.
 
Here in the Miami area I have noticed less and less people at any activity that costs a more than a few dollars to partake in, shooting, movies, etc... I think it has to do more with the economy than the ammunition situation. The beach though is as packed as I have ever seen it in May here, because it doesn't cost anything.
 
My shooting time is limited by time. I'm very busy these days. Ammunition is a secondary factor. I buy what I can, when I can.
 
I go to the range about once a week. I have definitely seen less people. The range I go to is mostly LEOs so I still see the regulars in there to get their practice in. But I see less of the casual shooter.

I would say people are stockpiling.
 
Less ammo and less shooting... far less.


People are stockpiling. They used to be okay with a couple dozen or hundred rounds, and now they feel like unless they're sitting on 50,000 rounds, it's not enough.

Just a few days ago I bought my first box of 9mm this YEAR. I've had 0 all year (not by choice). Did I hold onto it like it was the only box in existence? NOPE. Blasted it off as fast as I could. This was only the 4th or 5th time i've been able to go shooting this year because of the hoarding. If I get ammo, I go shooting within a few days and blow it all off.

People are unjustly afraid right now that there will be NO ammo tomorrow, regardless of the fact that manufacturers are pumping out ammo 24/7.
 
If that fear is still here among the people in a store then we have a problem.

Personally I have not felt it. Only groups of people divided by caliber pawing through pallets fresh off the truck. The 9mm mafia over here and the 40's in the middle followed by the off calibers over there.

I dont understand how the Media can present to us a picture of a Nation broke and in recession if not outright depression with many people making spending happen in the firearms and associated areas of spending activity. Is it all on credit cards?

That is what I would like to know... is this thing being fueled by debt as a Nation or paid with cold hard cash?
 
At the range i go to it's extremely overcrowded lately, wait time can go 1 hour. NRA basic and CCW courses are back-loaded about 2-3 weeks. Saturday's are unbelievable with the amount of new shooters. Alot of women are showing up. The only day of the week possible is late Sunday Afternoons till closing. I had to wait 1/2 hour to receive my new year membership card from the counter person. Definite sign of the times. But, it's good for the sport.
 
There have been less people at the two ranges that I frequent. The last time I shot at the indoor pistol range, it was very, very strange. My brother and myself were the only shooters. Usually 2/3 of the points are full.
Pat
 
Thanks for the answers. It sounds like a lot of people are stockpiling more than shooting. Can't say that I blame them. If no AWB or ammo taxation or tracking scheme goes into place for the next year or two, we might be able to find some good deals at garage sales or online forums or such with people getting rid of some of it. Of course, if the scales tip the other way... we'll be happy with what we have.

Hopefully, these past few months have got more people thinking and have created some new gun enthusiast. Peace of mind is great, but shooting is fun too :) At least, the increase in CCW training and the like sounds promising.
 
We have a IDPA match once a month at our club, IDPA is alive and well here, lots of new shooters. The hi fifty members seem to be in the 80s recently, may be more I would say at least a 20% increase.

My carry loads 127g WW Ranger +P+ gets shot off maybe once a year, 33 rounds, my carry gun is the newest Glock 19 I own, I use a different one to shoot in matches, all the same set up, sights, trigger weight.

I have a few thousand rounds sitting of match ammo, a few hundred of carry.

Would I feel under gunned using mil spec hardball to carry, no way, carried it for years. Like my 127g much more though.
 
Hi my name is federalfarmer and I am a horder.............."Hi federal"
I have no public range membership and do less outdoor shooting in the winter. But have continued to purchase ammo, primers, and powder at a good pace.
I will do more shooting this summer and more reloading all with cold hard cash.
 
in charlotte less shooting but MORE gun sales. When people don't see ammo on the shelves they AIN'T gonna shoot something they may need.
 
Here's a question to ponder.
Since we have seen unprecedented purchases of guns,
(and ammo) why haven't we seen MORE unlawful use of guns?
 
ANy why havent we seen a million open carry march onto DC yet?

Rethorical question of course... such a march would be intercepted at various spots around the DC freeway.
 
that might be all it would take to touch off open civil war.No,thanks.
Click to expand...

Sadly this is my thoughts as well.
Even if all the people did nothing wrong I suspect
that there will be some type of 'problem'
that will to give the gov.
the excuse to go 'WACO' (not wacko) on the peaceable demonstrators.

FWIW I've seen reports that during the Tea Party demonstrations last month, the FEDS were indeed taking notes and putting people on 'lists'. If you know what I mean.
 
I don't consider the bulk of the buying as "stockpiling", but a nasty wake up call to those who had more firearms in their safes than they had bullets! I see it as more of a "revival" of our sport and lifestyle amongst oldtimers and newcomers. The newcomers who purchased pre and post Obama election, realized that bullets did not come with the firearm, and that time flies and ammo disappears when having fun with their newly acquired weapons. Shaking off the dust from a well documented and important American pastime and lifestyle, is what I see is happening. And remember, ammo production for civilians stays at a ragged edge in meeting demand, so the whole production and retail side of the chain does not suffer from a sudden halt, due to demands being met from the consumer, causing an ammo glut, and therefore a stop in production. Also, civilian market ammo isn't packaged like military ammo, i.e. sealed tins and gasketed metal cans, so the shelf life of civilian ammo is not as long as surplus stuff. Lastly, with all of the current events going on, there as many different "scenarios" put forth for the near future as there people on this planet, so the tin foil hat crowd are filling their bomb shelter inventories for "just in case the SHTF'! I myself have a more respectable nomenclature for my headgear: Reynolds Cranium Cover. :D
 
There seems to be more shooting. But the shooting is heavily weighted toward rimfire these days. I shoot but I can't afford to shoot much centerfire. I have it, I just don't use up my meager supply of most calibers. 22LR, yeah, got a bunch. Looking forward to even more 22 ammunition as inventories increase. Tis my nature to keep a supply on hand of everything.

At a gun shop yesterday and their shelves were pretty full with 223, 7.62, 9mm, 40 S&W, some 357 mag, some 22 rimfire, and a mix of rifle calibers. The lack of ammunition keeps folks from dropping by. If I window shop guns, I will usually buy some ammo anyway. They also had a number of AR lowers and a case full of revolvers and pistols. Prices are up however.
 
They finally had ammo in stock at my local store and I bought all that I could (they limited it to 4 boxes per caliber).

I'll actually be shooting it though. I haven't even gone to my local range that I joined back in March because i didn't have enough ammo to feel comfortable shooting it off (only like 50 to 100 rounds in a couple calibers).
 
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