Cutting throught the crap on ammo shortage: The sky is not falling

[davevabch]

The sky is not falling! The chicken little's of this country seem to buy into every media propaganda that comes out. There is always some guy at the ammo shelf at Walmart spewing nonsense conspiracy theories. Hopefully this article will put some of it to rest. In reality there is NO reason to have this shortage going on. The people that shoot for a hobby can be their worst own enemy.

http://blogs.militarytimes.com/gearscout/2013/03/15/homeland-securitys-ammunition-purchases-should-not-worry-you/

 

[Slowhand]

Actually there are a combination of reasons, creating the Perfect Storm. The election being the fore most cause, followed by Sandy Hook and some knee jerk reactions in New York and other states. The gun grabbers cranked things up again, showing that for some folks paranoia is a higher form of awareness.

I've talked to several folks (Forget the Wal-Mart Guy) in the distribution business and they say come July things should pickup. Unless of course those politicians in Washington D.C. do some under the table stuff and in the name of compromise really screw it up.

 

[davevabch]

Ok, so what is going on with a above normal buying of ammo for Law Enforcement demand for training and readiness

Department of Defense demand for training and readiness. This should be part of a defense contract standard order. They buy ammo as usual. Why would they triple or more their normal procurement? The article says they are not. Of course commodities are going up, that is just higher price for everything from bread to copper to orange juice. That would not make a shortage. The spike demand is real. But is the spike caused for legitimate reasons? Not much has changed due to firearm regulations, none in my state, nada. I find it hard to believe that ammo manufacturers are working 24/7 to full fill strange new enormous orders for the military etc especially when you read the article about what is really going on. How much 22.cal ammo does Homeland security need? How much does our military need for 22? While ammo is going up across the board, it is COMMON ammo that is hurt the most IN shortage, 9mm and .22 cal. .40 cal is very easy to get.

I just talked to the local owner of a gun shop. He is getting a lot of .40 cal in. HARD TO GET 9MM AND .22 cal.
Also why are all the primers, bullets and even a lot of reloading equipment sold out? Is the military, etc buying up all of that as well? Why would a company like Berry's be wiped out of bullets and even posting that they will most like not have any for months? Military and Homeland security buying from them as well?

Sorry to disagree Slowhand, but I believe the "chicken little" little theory is the reason for ammo shortages.

 

[3Coyotes]

When I stop at my LGS and consistently find people standing 6 deep at the counter, that to me is a pretty good indicator of where the product is going. Last year, there were only a couple people at the counters who were not waiting to get into the range.

I do believe the potential of our government to throttle any phase of the industry, legally and logistically, has most people running scared. Panic buying is obviously rampant in both guns and ammo. As mentioned previously, a perfect storm, but it is of fear, not of calculation... IMO.

It will probably continue till the votes on the hill are counted and then we'll have to learn how to train all the newbies in the care and handling of their acquired weapons.

I can still get plenty of 38 spl, .380, .40, .45... but not .22, 9mm, or .223 which would seem to be hot tickets for new buyers. Also, the hot ticket for me right now.

 

[Slowhand]

I's say the shortages vary by what state you're in. In SC .223, 7.62 x39, 9mm, 40 & 45 ACP are hard to come by. The Big Box Stores like Palmetto State Armory and Sportsman Warehouse are packed deep when they get the ammo in and it goes fast. Lawman's has restricted sales to Police or Veterans only, with ID for guns or ammo. A bad move for them once this thing blows over.

I'd think that the high demand for ammunition in the calibers I have listed has also led to manufacturers cutting back on the ever popular .22 Long Rifle. Since you can't "covert" .22 rim fire ammo manufacturing equipment to crank out center fire 9mm. I suspect they have diverted the labor to working shifts on the center fire and turned off the 22 machines.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/15/where-has-all-the-ammo-gone/

The Daily Caller has an amusing article and identifies who the main culprits are concerning the .22LR shortage. The clowns who went out and bought 5,000 rounds or more and backed up sales through online sources.

I noticed in what I call the more "Gun Friendly" Wal-Mart out of the 6 in my area that yesterday the have put the Bush Master AR and Colt AR-15s back on the shelf and are selling them.

The Senate is starting to line things up today about what they can and can't do. With elections coming up and a flood of communications from the folks back home I'd sat they are going to tread lightly. Universal Background Checks and creating a Nation Registry are career killers.

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mark Begich (D-AK) have introduced S. 480, the "NICS Reporting Improvement Act of 2013", which will provide accurate definitions of persons who pose serious threats to themselves or others and therefore should be prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, while protecting the rights of those who should not be included in NICS.
So let's sit back and watch.

I'd say within the next couple of months if things go right, the ammo short will be history. New York and several of these other states will be up to their necks in law suits no doubt supported by that pesky NRA who keep throwing up obtrusive things like a Constitution, Bill of Rights and that limited big government way of thinking. 2014 is coming.

 

[TRIGGER_1]

There may be lots of 22 ammo for sale when this is all over.....

 

[framedcraig1]

Scored a brick of 525 remington .22 LR today... $19.95. 3 Boxes of .40 S&W Fiochii 170 grain $17.95 each (Boxes of 50 rounds). Stick with your LGS guys...They are going to make it work again. Don't pay those ridiculous prices on line from jerks who buy it and jerk us around.

 

[Slowhand]

I scored 3 boxes of .380 Caliber ammo,yesterday and the day before. 150 rounds . A range trip or two coming up this week. Second time out for a Ruger LC380 and first for a Cobra 380 ACP. Should be interesting. I've never bought ammo online. S&H looked too high. I'm not cheap, I'm just not easy.

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Wowww.....You guys are doin good.....im goin shoppin Tomorrow.....

 

[framedcraig1]

Good luck Trig!

 

[Verticoli]

One thing not mentioned is that LE just may be taking their practice ammo and selling their allotment where before they just didn't shoot it.

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Yaahooo.....I got 3 boxes of WWB 100 round packs of 45 ACP At Wally World today.... 8)

Walked into sporting goods and there they were on the counter....

The Clerk said they had only been there 2 minutes.....I got lucky.....

 

[3Coyotes]

.380 hasn't been much of an issue locally and I owe my younger son some range and some face time. So the Bersa T380 will be broken out along with his Mark III. I still have some bulk .22 to round out the time.

We have some business issues to discuss and there's no time better than after an hour of putting holes in cardbourd. That's what I miss most when you feel like you have to ration your ammo and range sessions. This is a family tradition getting stretched a little too thin.

 

[Sassi]

Last week I was in a local Academy Sports store. I was told that they expect to see an increase in ammo availability by the end of April.

 

[SkipD]

Last week I was in a local Academy Sports store. I was told that they expect to see an increase in ammo availability by the end of April.

That, of course, is very good news. I hope it's the same across the country and for other stores.

 

[framedcraig1]

Yaahooo.....I got 3 boxes of WWB 100 round packs of 45 ACP At Wally World today.... 8)

Walked into sporting goods and there they were on the counter....

The Clerk said they had only been there 2 minutes.....I got lucky.....

YOOOOOO Trig...Good snag there.

 

[Slowhand]

http://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2010/05/cartridges-centerfire-cartridge.html

Make a few stops today at the local shops. No 380 ammo but plenty of 9mm.

Above is a little article that explains some thing about how center fire ammunitions works. Manufactures priming material consists of mercury fulminate or potassium chlorate which is used in both rim fire and center fire ammunition. Due to massive processing of ammunition in the larger calibers, manufacturers have cut back on their production of 22 LR cartridges. There is also reported to be a shortage of the priming materials.

Just another consideration in the fueling of the "Perfect Storm" that has left us in the midst of the ammunitions storage.

 

[Slowhand]

I went out and made some of the rounds this afternoon. No .22LR or .380 ACP available until I got to Palmetto State Armory. They had just started stocking their shelves with some Federal 525 Round Value Packs. I picked up 3 of them. I spoke with their Assistant General Manager, he said they had tons of it. Who knows?

I called a friend of course, who was out and about. He came by and picked up 2 boxes. It worked out to be $24.60 per box, including that neat little 7% sales tax.

This ought to hold me through the Summer, along with my reserve. I normally burn through about 200-400 rounds of .22LR a week and a hundred rounds of .380 ACP.

 

[framedcraig1]

great news Slowhand

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Maybe things will start to loosen up now....Its been a long dry spell again... :-\