Strange days with ammo and range use

[FlSwampRat]

We are out of 9mm, 5.56, .223, 38 Spl, and almost out of .45 ACP and 10mm

What the heck is everyone shooting at the ranges and aren't they afraid of shooting up all the ammo they have?

I'm confused. My Nephew wants to go to the range and has been bugging me. For an ex-Marine (I always tease him about that, being Army myself) he seems a bit dim on the concept of resupply.

 

[George P]

I shoot .22lr and shotgun (clay targets)

 

[FlSwampRat]

I shoot .22lr and shotgun (clay targets)

I'm a 22 fan if anyone couldn't tell from previous posts and we have lots of that, but Nephew Jack wants to shoot my EP9 and that's unicorn horn scarce

 

[somethingbenign]

I've backed off 9mm almost entirely. Pulled out an old 32acp that was just a collection piece but now is getting some use. Otherwise it has been 22lr and shotgun as well. This time of year I'd normally start focusing on shotgun more anyways as hunting seasons start opening up starting this weekend.

 

[edwardware]

What the heck is everyone shooting at the ranges and aren't they afraid of shooting up all the ammo they have?

Maybe they're just eeevil hoardersss who planned ahead and could shoot every week from now to Christmas and burn less than 10% of their supply on hand.

What were you doing when 9mm was so cheap it "wasn't worth reloading"?

Edit: better question: what will you do next time 9mm is so cheap it "isn't worth reloading"?

 

[indyk]

I buy regularly always looking for the deals. i try to get a “can” of something at least once a month.
100rds of 9mm get spent, another 500 comes in the mail the same month or soon after, I started doing this in 2015. Always take the option to be notified when vendor stock gets replenished and lowball the overzealous armslist sellers. Funding is the most important, sadly if you cant afford to keep purchasing ammo your more than likely not going to be seen at the range very often.

 

[.308 Norma]

What the heck is everyone shooting at the ranges and aren't they afraid of shooting up all the ammo they have?

Ain't no regular "ranges" around here, but yeah, we're taking it easy on ammo by not going shooting down at the gravel pit as much as we used to. We have enough 38, 9mm and 45ACP to see us through this (hopefully), and I handload. But we're not seeing the light at the end of this tunnel yet, so we're being kind of "frugal" as far as our ammo and components go - for now anyway.

 

[George P]

Edit: better question: what will you do next time 9mm is so cheap it "isn't worth reloading"?

That's a very BAD assumption - that 9mm will be so cheap it isn't worth reloading

 

[reddog81]

If people have bought up all the ammo in the supply chain, they should have enough ammo to go shooting... if people are buying up cases of ammo, they can go put 300 downrange and still have some left over.

During the last panic I’d see people buying up .22 ammo by the bricks. Yet at the range people would act like shooting 50 rounds was some special occasion. People are irrational.

Unless you just started shooting there’s no reason to not have at least a one year supply on hand.

 

[Speedo66]

That's a very BAD assumption - that 9mm will be so cheap it isn't worth reloading

We've seen this before, it's cyclical depending on election years, public events, i.e., news worthy shootings, etc.

Based on previous experiences, things should calm down and prices return to normal.

At normal levels, to me, 9mm isn't worth reloading.

In any event, as mentioned above, since we've been through this several times, we all should have stocked up to the point where a drought isn't a problem.

 

[Hangingrock]

Shortages are reoccurring events. If by circumstance, you are caught short then its on you for not being prepared for such incidents. I have commercial ammunition and components for reloading that will get me thru this occurrence and beyond.

 

[FlSwampRat]

Maybe they're just eeevil hoardersss who planned ahead and could shoot every week from now to Christmas and burn less than 10% of their supply on hand.

What were you doing when 9mm was so cheap it "wasn't worth reloading"?

Edit: better question: what will you do next time 9mm is so cheap it "isn't worth reloading"?

When it was cheap I hadn't bought a 9 yet.

I have what I consider enough at the moment, so I'll just hold off on shooting for a bit with the centerfires

 

[brewer12345]

My local range is indoor and tends to be crowded, so I haven't been there since March, unfortunately. Trying to avoid the
'rona. I have been shooting almost weekly out in the forest, but it has mostly been cap lock muzzleloaders with the occasional 22 plinking session with the kids. I have enough caps to keep me busy a long time and bought a capmaker, so at the rate of a shoot maybe ending up being 30 or 40 home cast round balls sent downrange, I could string this out for a long time. If I ever feel comfy going to the indoor range again, I was shooting like 250 rounds a week alternating mostly between 38, 45 and 22. Even at that pace, I could keep going for a long time.

 

[Mark1964]

Been getting into longer range .22lr rifle matches, some paper and some steel, out to 250 yards. So, mainly been going through match-quality .22lr and everything else is getting a rest and the stashes getting preserved. Been getting a little .22lr pistol in, too, just 'cause I have plenty of .22lr ammo and I'm going to the club, anyway.

 

[FlSwampRat]

Been getting into longer range .22lr rifle matches, some paper and some steel, out to 250 yards. So, mainly been going through match-quality .22lr and everything else is getting a rest and the stashes getting preserved. Been getting a little .22lr pistol in, too, just 'cause I have plenty of .22lr ammo and I'm going to the club, anyway.

Double deuce ammo is cheap, pennies a trigger pull, and the guns don't beat you up after a couple of hundred rounds.

 

[George P]

We've seen this before, it's cyclical depending on election years, public events, i.e., news worthy shootings, etc.

Based on previous experiences, things should calm down and prices return to normal.

At normal levels, to me, 9mm isn't worth reloading.

In any event, as mentioned above, since we've been through this several times, we all should have stocked up to the point where a drought isn't a problem.

Except we have never had the country on the verge of internal war like we have now; even if Trump gets re-elected, I do not see the left going away, only ramping up, thus folks will want more and more ammo. Since increasing capacity takes years, I see shortages running on popular cartridges for quite some time.

 

[whughett]

One if the advantages of being a black powder shooter is things go slow enough supplies on hand tend to last a while. Currently I have enough powder and caps for a couple of years. Lead is free.
A two hour range visit results at most in 96 shots thru my various revolvers. Compare that to blowing thru hundreds of center or rim fire in pistols or revolvers.

Those same revolvers have conversion cylinders also. I’ve enough powder, black or TrailBoss and primers for them also. Same source of lead for bullets.

 

[Speedo66]

Except we have never had the country on the verge of internal war like we have now; even if Trump gets re-elected, I do not see the left going away, only ramping up, thus folks will want more and more ammo. Since increasing capacity takes years, I see shortages running on popular cartridges for quite some time.

Have you forgotten the late 60's, anti-war protests, and the Chicago Democratic convention? I think we've been here before.

 

[AlexanderA]

If people have bought up all the ammo in the supply chain, they should have enough ammo to go shooting..

My guess is that people are hoarding the ammo they feel is "adequate" (that is, not shooting it), and shooting only the additional ammo, over and above their "adequate" supply, that they can obtain. This distorts both the ammo market and the use of ranges. In other words, there's panic buying both for hoarding and for current use.

 

[Robert]

That's enough of this round of, "Where, oh where, did the ammo go?"