Ammunition shortages.. the long view

Trekker · Feb 4, 2015

Mooseman said:
My local Walmart does not have a "spot" for anything. They fill the cabinet with what they have. You may find the same exact ammo in a couple of different spots at the same time. When they do not have enough ammo to fill the cabinet, the will put game cameras, more expensive fishing reels, knives, scopes, etc. in there to fill the space.

From a retail background, I can say that making the shelves appear "full" is important, and corporate pushes this down to the stores. An empty spot on the shelves implies that the store cannot keep items in stock or is not efficiently moving products from off-the-truck pallets onto shelves. So, if there is an empty spot for ammo, protocol calls for spreading adjacent items or moving something else {game cameras, knives, scopes, etc.} to fill the hole. This is also why the base level store employees pull forward items to the front of the shelves, again to make the shelf appear fully stocked and tended.

Traveler said:
Bread, milk, toilet paper for snow.

Ammo for the threat of possible ammo taxes or limitations.

Artificially created hoarding shortages. Learn to reload, or stack it deep so you don't have to overpay. I hope the gougers on 22 LR get theirs.

Ammo is more like toilet paper than bread and milk; as long as you don't store it in bad environmental conditions it really doesn't have an expiration date. So, as previously mentioned, buy when cheap and stack it deep. Reloading helps since even when factory manufactured ammo is not available, reloading components may still be around. Since shortages happen periodically, it is something to prepare for the same as that biggerish snowstorm ever couple years.

Alutacon · Feb 4, 2015

Pretoria78 said:
I'm stocking up on reloading components as well.

I'm stocking up on instruction manuals that tell when and how to stock up on ammo :lol:

Beat that!

Doctor_M · Feb 4, 2015

Before Newtown, my modus operandi was to buy 2 boxes for each one I shot.... I've upped it to 3.

Uncle Duke · Feb 4, 2015

ras_oscar said:
So, we are coming out of the most recent ammo shortage. I have seen full shelves at more than one retail outlet.

Question: I am a recent arrival in the shooting sports. Is this shortage a one time thing or has it happened before? What in the past has triggered shortages? Trying to polish my crystal ball and not get caught short next time.

Nothing new OP. Has happened many times before. Just a matter of time before it happens again. Sure as sunrise.

Ammo availability is generally increasing right now. Prices are generally falling. 22LR remains spotty. Reloading component availability is slowly improving also. Empty brass and pistol powder in particular are the 2 persistant supply challenges.

Buy all of what you think you need, and at least some of what you think you may want for use over the next couple of years. Properly stored, ammo doesn't "go bad". Neither do components. I'm shooting 22LR and in some cases using primers that I purchased in the 1980's. On the flip side, I've also found myself having to swap another member here for primers, when I ran out of a size 2 years ago. And I know better than to let stock run so low. Neither extreme is necessarily ideal, but better to have and not need, than to need and not have. That's my take on choices anyway.

Threeband · Feb 4, 2015

Half-cocked said:
Other that .22, I'm pretty sure the "shortage" is way over.

The ammo case at the WalMart near me is literally packed full - not an empty spot in the whole cabinet.

But that same double-wide ammo case is now 50% devoted to knives and such. They're only using half of it for ammo.

------

"Buy it cheap and stack it deep."

I have usually bought ammo 500 or 1000 rounds at a time, online. Shop around and compare prices, and don't forget to include shipping costs. I've also made it a point to pick up one or five boxes or so whenever I stop at WalMart. It adds up.

When things got crazy after Sandy Hook, I was in pretty good shape, and I still am if when things get crazy again. Not as good as I'd like, but pretty good.

I do like to maintain a minimum "base" of 1000 rounds for calibers I shoot a lot, but that means I need several thousand rounds for those calibers at least.

It can help if you restrict yourself to only a few calibers, and avoid developing an interest in guns requiring new ammo stockpiles. Some people own only .22 rimfire, .223/5.56, and .308/7.62 NATO rifles, for instance, and avoid adding rifles shooting other calibers to their collection.

Unfortunately, I like odd and interesting old guns, so I have some odd calibers. I think I only have about 10 rounds of 7x57 Mauser...

Rapture · Feb 4, 2015

I "dollar-cost" average on cases and as a previous poster mentioned, pick up a few boxes when at Wallace World for range paper punching and testing different manufacturers. I don't think you can ever really have enough. I pack it away in .50 cans and forget about it.

chevellenut71 · Feb 4, 2015

Everyone should have at least 10,000. rounds of all the common calibers. I'm mean who doesn't

Mr H · Feb 4, 2015

I'm a believer in the 1000 per formula, but that doesn't mean I might not have more for some, less for others (and maybe not as much as I should in some cases).

It can be cost prohibitive on occasion but, as I mentioned earlier, I've done OK with the shoot 1/buy 2 process, unless the price was too good to pass up AND I really needed it.

But I can guarantee you I'll be the one leaving some on the shelf for the next guy, too.

501st · Feb 4, 2015

Just follow the lead of the mali army.

Minuteman · Feb 5, 2015

For a new shooter, now is a good time to start stocking up. Prices may continue to slip even a little more; but I wouldn't chance it. Put a little away here and there, general rule of thumb is ~1000 rounds per gun. Competitive shooters usually store more.

jporter617 · Feb 5, 2015

umm if you guys are looking for any kinda ammo,let me know if i can find it here
in NC ill be glad to box it up and ship it! i have paypal

ironpony · Feb 5, 2015

I'm guessing as soon as the dems pick a candidate retailers will raise prices and therefore concerns ....
I might need more ammo cans, buy the sales for now.

Pretoria78 · Feb 5, 2015

Minuteman said:
For a new shooter, now is a good time to start stocking up. Prices may continue to slip even a little more; but I wouldn't chance it. Put a little away here and there, general rule of thumb is ~1000 rounds per gun. Competitive shooters usually store more.

I love Precision Bullets. $65 per 1000 shipped is a smoking deal. They're extremely accurate in my Beretta 92G and CZ P09. At that price I'll order more for a rainy day.

ras_oscar · Feb 5, 2015

ok. I'm in good shape. I have been buying cases online. Getting ready to pull the trigger on my reloading press (because it sounds ike fun) and restricting my firearms to 3 calibers. Too bad MD only allows 5 LBS smokeless without a license. Ah well.

Bisleyfan44 · Feb 5, 2015

Even IF there never is another tragedy or event to cause price spikes or shortages, ammo is always gonna be more expensive down the road.

Am currently fortifying the stash myself. And without getting into details, I ain't running out of 22s again, EVER!

ryu · Feb 5, 2015

jporter617 said:
umm if you guys are looking for any kinda ammo,let me know if i can find it here
in NC ill be glad to box it up and ship it! i have paypal

We don’t allow PayPal members to buy or sell any kind of firearm, whether it’s in working order or not. The same goes for certain firearm parts and ammunition.

Be sure any documentation says "scrap metal" or something...

ericahls · Feb 6, 2015

I hand load everything. Depending on the caliber your able to get 5x the ammo for the same price as buying.

Bolts Rock · Feb 6, 2015

Traveler said:
I hope the gougers on 22 LR get theirs.

I've seen the same few bricks of grossly overpriced .22lr on the table of the same two douchebags at HoCo and Frederick shows for close to 2 years now.

Second Amendment · Feb 6, 2015

ras_oscar said:
So, we are coming out of the most recent ammo shortage. I have seen full shelves at more than one retail outlet.

Question: I am a recent arrival in the shooting sports. Is this shortage a one time thing or has it happened before? What in the past has triggered shortages? Trying to polish my crystal ball and not get caught short next time.

Short answer to the most recent one? SB281.

Myself, I keep in stock the amount of ammo I would shoot in a year, plus home defense and SHTF inventory.

rockstarr · Feb 6, 2015

Bolts Rock said:
I've seen the same few bricks of grossly overpriced .22lr on the table of the same two douchebags at HoCo and Frederick shows for close to 2 years now.

same at dulles. I almost intervened in a sale where two women were buying ammo for their men and were about to pay like 40 bucks for a brick of thunderbolts or 35 bucks for cci tactical 325 count.

It took all I had to walk away and not look back so I didn't become that guy...

Ammunition shortages.. the long view

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