Price gouging vs hoarding

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"For a SOF guy, 5k rounds a week is the norm. Just wanted to quantify where the line between [strike]"active shooter" [/strike] someone shooting out of his own wallet and [strike]"professional"[/strike] someone shooting on the taxpayer's dime is."

There, fixed that for you. :)
 
Ammo prices are rising much faster than my paycheck, and I do not get a lot of interest for my money in the bank. So I buy a little extra and sit on it. Since I will end up using it, I am saving money a year from now.
Unless supply catches up with demand, and prices return near "normal"....
 
There are many guys who shoot 5k rounds a month. Those guys need to buy in quantity just to shoot and/or compete. This is not directed at them but I feel they are a small percentage of the people who have mass quantities of ammo stashed away.

The guys I'm talking about are the ones who bragged 4 years ago when the Big O was elected the first time and we had a rush on guns and ammo. Posters here bragged how they would stop in Walmart every morning at 7:45am to buy as much ammo as they could in case some came in on the night delivery. Those of us who were unprepared last time couldn't buy ammo because the true hoarders thought of no one but themselves. They even bragged about bribing a kid $10 to put a case or two aside for them each load.

Yes, I said among us. Maybe not you and maybe not me but they are the guys who won't come forward because they know they are hoarding and don't care. Why would they come on this thread and brag about how they hoard ammo and don't care about anyone else. We've had threads about the amount of ammo we had on hand and it's incredible how much some people have who are not volume shooters.

Personally, I have enough to get me by because I learned in '08. I don't shoot as much as I used to due to cost and time. Twice a week went to once a week went to once every two weeks to once a month to now, once every two months. I have about 1k rounds for each caliber I own. I wish I had more, many have less but I am not crying about gouging at the stores. If you snooze, you lose. This topic was started to point out that, in my opinion, "we" (the gun crowd) are the responsible parties for the shortage and higher prices. I blame the hoarders, not the volume shooters. Some guys have a hooray for me and a screw you attitude and that's not right in a brotherhood like we have. As they say.... if the shoe fits....
 
Why would you call them your brothers? If they're as selfish as you say, then they're probably just a bunch of jerks. No shortage of those.
 
I'm guessing that the ones complaining the most are the ones that were not prepared. This has happened enough over time that most of us can predict it. The school shooting was a surprise, and tragic, but the election was not. Lightman
 
Just hoarded a bit myself

because I got to thinking what if they restrict manufacture of the ones I just paid a bit of premium on? I figure if I lose a little in the future (assuming prices went down) then that is ok because at least I have the ones I want. Odds are the premium I just paid will be the norm price before long, so I have a few soon to be in the "grandfathered in" class.
 
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It strikes me that the OP may very well have been caught with his pants down and now he's looking for someone else, anyone else, to blame rather than drawing the conclusion "I guess I could have been better prepared."

I'm sitting on the sidelines now, not buying much of anything. Thankfully, some of us had the means, priorities, and foresight to be prepared for this situation as best we could. For those that didn't, I feel for you, but maybe you ought to look at your own decisions and take responsibility before lashing out at others. It's just a matter of time, hopefully, before the market rights itself. Until then, good luck.
 
I've watched ammo double in price the last few years, well before the unfortunate events of December. Buying whenever you can afford it now is a hedge against not being able to afford it later. WWB .45acp was $19.99 four years ago. Right now it's $39.99 for the same ammo. Hell yeah I got a boatload of it in my basement. Along with everything else from .22LR to 7.62X51. If you've got it, you call it "stocking up". If I've got it, you call it "hoarding".

About twn years ago I went to a hardware store going out of business. They had .22LR for $.69 a box. Clerk assured me that qwas indeed the price and asked how much I wanted. They took it to my truck on a pallet jack. Costs a lot more than that to buy now. I'm still shooting cheap ammo while others can't find any.

Kinda like buying toilet paper. You know you'll use it, so buy a lot of it when it's on sale.
 
For a SOF guy, 5k rounds a week is the norm. Just wanted to quantify where the line between "active shooter" and "professional" is.

Recon Marine here, granted we don't fall under SOCOM so our funding isn't nearly that of SEALs or ODAs but 5k a week is a bit much. There's actually a ton of other things that go on during missions that don't involve shooting a gun that people need to be prepared for.
 
The only hoarding/gauging that bothers me at all is the people that snatch up as much as they can the moment it hits the shelves just to resell for major profit. You can argue capitalism, but this helps keep the panic going and prices high. Hopefully people'll stop buying the $1/round m855 and they'll get stuck with the ammo they bought just for resale.
 
The only hoarding/gauging that bothers me at all is the people that snatch up as much as they can the moment it hits the shelves just to resell for major profit. You can argue capitalism, but this helps keep the panic going and prices high. Hopefully people'll stop buying the $1/round m855 and they'll get stuck with the ammo they bought just for resale.
If they're paying these high prices for ammo they're snatching up, how are they reselling for a major profit? I can buy a case of of .40 S&W right now for about $400. Could I buy all that up and sell it for a "major profit" right now? I don't think so.
 
If they're paying these high prices for ammo they're snatching up, how are they reselling for a major profit?

probably because the big retail outlets havent raised their prices at all.. I can walk into wallyworld, academy, etc. and buy bullets at normal prices and put them on GB. and let the war begin for those people in areas that are less fortunate.

(NO I havent done it nor sold anything in this current panic/grab)
 
probably because the big retail outlets havent raised their prices at all.. I can walk into wallyworld, academy, etc. and buy bullets at normal prices and put them on GB. and let the war begin for those people in areas that are less fortunate.

(NO I havent done it nor sold anything in this current panic/grab)
I can see your point there. I think the phenomenon is, at most, a drop in the bucket compared to other factors though.
 
I don't have much ammo and can't get any more because everyone is out. The most I have is probably 600 .22lr. Everything else, I'm out of or have less than 200 rounds. My goal this Winter was to slowly stock up for the next shooting season. Its not working out so well. I'd be happy with a few hundred rounds per caliber for now.

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I have a few boxes (well under a thousand) in the calibers I have at home. I'd love to have more, But I'm not angry...I bought when I could, might've gotten another box or two each trip if I wanted to have a little less extra cash (fixed income), but what I have at home is entirely my responsibility. This isn't this first time prices spiked, definitely won't be the last.

If I had to direct any ill feelings, it's the idiot in front of me in line a few days ago at one of our local gun shops. bought every last box of .40 on the shelves....ball, hollowpoint, whatever. left with several stacks (I'm guessing 25 or more). I also put some on the shop owner as well...he had to know that he'd sell every one of those boxes even if he did a "5 boxes per customer" limit, But it is what it is...getting pissed is going to change nothing. Accept, adapt, adjust.
 
I really don't know what to say about this. Part of me thinks that if someone goes out and buys up all they can afford just to turn it around for a profit that would be ok. If they do it just to stock it away for a rainy day that to would be ok also.

What everyone is failing to understand is that there is and has been a large influx of new shooters into our little world and that has had more effect on the availablity of ammo than those that have been purchasing large quanities of surplus ammo, they have been around for as long as I have been shooting (about 50 years).

I must be getting old, because I just don't see the need for shooting 200 or 300 rounds at a range secession. Generally 50 rounds is more than enough for me to check my zero and keep my skills up.

Am I a hoarder, maybe, I have plenty of ammo on hand, but haven't purchased a commercial round in over 7 years. Actually I haven't reload a single round in the last 6 months, not that I don't have components, I do. I just ran out of room to store any more ammo, cases, bullets, primers or powder.

So for all of you that do not reload, tough luck, we have been saying for years that you should get into reloading, not just for the cost savings, but so you can have ammo when times get rough like now.

Good luck and I hope you do get into reloading.
Jim
 
I know it is my fault that I was not prepared but like a lot of people I do not have a bunch of expendable income that I can just throw at ammo and guns. I have my AR my .308 semi and my CC sidearm and HD 1911, but have been drooling over a Uzi and other smaller assault rifles but because of the supply and demand they have jumped out of the realistic range for me, and soon it will be hard to even justify the pre craze price. Just find it rediculous that even imports are getting the price gouge, old PPS and Sterlings are doubling in price. Just hope this craze dies down soon.
 
I think the phenomenon is, at most, a drop in the bucket compared to other factors though.

Not sure... Manufacturing is of course backed up due to the massive demand. However, prices of steel is down over the course of last year (Coil, Wire, Sheet, Block), Brass has remained relatively unchanged, Lead has changed about .10 /lb over the last year. Salaries have remained stagnant. etc. etc. So there is no reason for huge price increases on manufacturing. Fuel is also down so there goes the distribution aspect too.

nothing more than demand outstripping supply.
 
I subscribe to the same far fetched conspiracy theory.

Yeah but it seems to me I need to aquire more Reynolds Group stock. Judging from the board posts over the last several weeks, apparently there are mass quantities of foil being used right now... :D
 
For me it's called PREPPING.

It makes sense to stock up when prices are low and buy in bulk.

Prepping for the zombie apocalypse.
Prepping for the Chicken Little apocalypse. What JOY!
Prepping for economic meltdown.
Prepping for ant-gun, anti-2A government.

Just like they do with canned goods, toilet paper, beans and rice.

They do it because they have the will, the drive, the finances and live in a free country that, for the time being, allows it's citizens to exercise their free choice and will to spend their money on things they see fit.

People who whine about having to pay high prices now are probably those people fist fighting over the last tin of green beans and the last loaf of bread on the shelves of the supermarket after a natural disaster hits.

Remember the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper.
 
I really don't know what to say about this. Part of me thinks that if someone goes out and buys up all they can afford just to turn it around for a profit that would be ok. If they do it just to stock it away for a rainy day that to would be ok also.

What everyone is failing to understand is that there is and has been a large influx of new shooters into our little world and that has had more effect on the availablity of ammo than those that have been purchasing large quanities of surplus ammo, they have been around for as long as I have been shooting (about 50 years).

I must be getting old, because I just don't see the need for shooting 200 or 300 rounds at a range secession. Generally 50 rounds is more than enough for me to check my zero and keep my skills up.

Am I a hoarder, maybe, I have plenty of ammo on hand, but haven't purchased a commercial round in over 7 years. Actually I haven't reload a single round in the last 6 months, not that I don't have components, I do. I just ran out of room to store any more ammo, cases, bullets, primers or powder.

So for all of you that do not reload, tough luck, we have been saying for years that you should get into reloading, not just for the cost savings, but so you can have ammo when times get rough like now.

Good luck and I hope you do get into reloading.
Jim

Jim, you made some excellent points.

What's probably more of a factor is all the new shooters and gun owners that recently bought firearms and are trying to buy ammo all at the same time.

Although the point about reloading to save ammo may not apply to everyone. From what I've researched and learned (also from Vlogger Hickock45) you don't really save money when you reload; when you reload you shoot more.

If you have been reloading in the past and have all your equipment that you bought at low prices in the past, then you are ahead. Those who just want to start now will have to pay higher startup costs due to demand and inflation.
 
Seems to me the only people who call it hoarding are the ones that failed to plan ahead.
They are also the ones who are complaining about gouging.

If you didn't see this coming years ago- what's your excuse? Just come down from the mountain cave after living as a hermit for the past ten years?
 
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