What fairly common ammo stayed available during the Corona virus freak out?

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Probably two weeks ago I walked into my local Cabelas and the ammo was wiped out except for one section. I checked to see what it was and it was 10mm. Everything else was gone.
 
There are various smaller gun shops and hardware stores carrying ammo around my area, but the largest stock (& best prices) has been Academy Sports since the Walmart betrayal. Three weeks ago I went to Academy and got what I needed - 200 rounds of .32acp to test out the new spring set on a Kel Tec P32 I’d gotten cheap and had been tinkering on.

At that time shelves were bare of 9mm, .223 & 5.56, .40s&w, .389acp, .38spl, .357mag, .22 of all varieties. There was a little.45 and scattered boxes of the odd calibers (like .32acp) and the premium $ SD rounds.

I learned my lesson last time w Obama and have my stock, but it does surprise me how fast we can go from great prices and abundant supply to nothing on the shelves. (Although the same can be said of toilet paper!)
 
Seems like .223/5.56 and 9mm were cleaned out here.
Hunting rifle & pistol ammo are still around.
9mm pistols are non existent.
 
Just as with the last panic run on ammo, I can still find some 40 S&W, but little of any other handgun calibers.
This is precisely why I still have two guns that can shoot 40 S&W.

On a similar note, this is exactly why I keep my Shield in 40 cal. Even though I don't shoot it very much, I have 600 rounds as backup, I'm pretty sure that I can always get ammo for it in a crisis. 9mm and 45ACP, not so much.

Although, I reload most of everything and have plenty of components on hand.
 
This is different than the post 2013 panic.
Then everything was gone. I couldn't even find 243 or 8mm Mauser.
 
you know when I got worried about ammo supply I went and looked and there was plenty of .38 Special, 9x19mm, .380, .32 ACP, and .45 Auto and plenty of .22LR and rifle ammo was sufficient....

in the lockable steel sea trunk in the back bed room.

Guys assuming this blows over treat ammo like "preppers" treat any other consumable.

Store what you are comfortable with and rotate stock.

Don't take ammo out of storage until you have bought replacement ammo ….except in emergencies, then replace ASAP.

Teach others to do the same. I know there are some on THR that go through ammo like the lady across the street waters her plants. But most of us have lesser needs.

Consider for a moment... I have seen ".50 cal cans" the large rifle ammo can the military uses to deliver 5.56/.223 to the field for sale in places like Rural King. In Military use they hold safe from the environment (except heat and cold) 880 rounds of 5.56 Ball ammo.

They are actually "Smaller than a Bread box".

Guess what? they are resealable and hold whatever will fit in them.

So for "times like these" drop 200 rounds of hunting/defensive ammo for your favorite home defense "carbine" in the can and stack neatly.

whoa! 5.56/.223, 7.62x39, .30 carbine, 5.45x39, .300 BO? you still have round about 3/4 of the can space left and what was a "combat Load' for 1970 Infantryman of ammo in the can. Got a service pistol in a service caliber? Room for 100 rounds of SD ammo with no problem. Know anyone that regularly carried six loaded 15 round mags and a 10 round extra? There is still room for 100 of Mim Sahibs .380, .32 or .38 Special favorite working SD rounds. Like grandpa in hard times you feel better with a 12 gauge behind the front door? Fine, toss in a couple of sleeves of your favorite buck shot. Darn what will we do with the remaining room? Well I may have to break open the 500 round brick of .22LR to make it fit, but it does.

All that in a container "smaller than a bread box" stashed in the back of the hall closet behind the last seven years of Christmas wrapping paper leavings until you "need" it. Then you can walk through the stores and look at the empty ammo shelves and go "Man. Bummer for everyone else!"

BTW There is still plenty of TP stored in an unused corner of the barn as yet untouched.....

Mods,

Notice this is not about Zombies, Invading hordes, or Yellowstone blowing up after a massive meteor strike, but only addressing CURRENT real world conditions and concerns far from any of the above.

-kBob
 
I didn't participate either.
I bought some shot gun shot but I have been slowly working back towards getting the mec going and do some shot gun shell reloading going again after about a 15 year break. This time focusing on loading my own buckshot, some 00, but mostly uncommon stuff like 12ga in #1 buck, #4 buck, lead T and lead BB. Maybe some slugs too.
The buckshot and bird shot dealers barely saw an uptick in sales.
 
I have no idea as all our gunshops have been closed as no-essential along with almost everything else. Funny thing though, the liquor stores are still open.
 
It's been a week or so since I specifically looked at the ammunition shelves in my area stores. At that time as with the rest of you everything popular was pretty well gone. There were some 22lr on the shelves, plenty of birdshot, a very little buckshot, but anything popular was just gone.

Surprisingly enough when I went into the Ocala, FL Rural King (think farm supply supermarket) the one rifle/pistol ammo they had the most of was 30 carbine. A couple of boxes of 300 Win Mag, and 208(?) Ruger?

Stopped at the Gander Outdoors store for the first time since Gander Mountain was bought out. Again, they had a little 30 carbine, birdshot, 22lr, and I got their last two boxes of 32acp. Just recently bought the wife one of those surplus Beretta 81s and don't have much of that caliber on hand so I have to scrounge what I can.

Before they were shut down the Bass Pro in Gainesville has been pretty thoroughly picked over as was all the Gainesville Rural King.
 
A couple weeks back I was in WalMart and noting CA they do not sell handgun calibers anymore. They had sufficient stock of .223/5.56, .308... I was hoping to find some 12 ga. 00 or slugs but they were out. Enough bird loads like #8.
 
A couple weeks back I was in WalMart and noting CA they do not sell handgun calibers anymore. They had sufficient stock of .223/5.56, .308... I was hoping to find some 12 ga. 00 or slugs but they were out. Enough bird loads like #8.

They had 223? Walmart nationally quit carrying handgun ammo, 223 ammo, 300 Blackout, and 7.62X39 in December.
 
A few pics are worth 1K words... Local Academy store on 3/25/20
Academy 3-25-20 -1.jpg Academy 3-25-20 -2.jpg Academy 3-25-20 -3.jpg

I stopped by the next week and it was worse than this. Should have taken pics then also. The only handgun ammo they had were CCI shotshells. The gun counter was hilarious too: not much on the back wall and 3+ handgun cases filled with scopes.
However... 22mag, 17HMR, rifle cartridges other than the usual panic buys, and shotgun shells (among a few other things) were available at typical Academy prices.
Btw, I may panic gawk, but I don't panic buy - haha.
 
All gun shops closed in my state by order of the governor as of ten days ago.

"In response to the Covid 19 outbreak, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the closure of all businesses she doesn’t consider “Essential.” The Governor did not designate firearm stores as “essential,” but many remained open because the Governor’s order did not explicitly order them closed. Your NRA-ILA has now learned that Governor Grisham is making her anti-gun proclivities clear by tasking the State Patrol with driving by gun stores and telling dealers that they are, and will remain, closed to the public. New Mexico residents are encouraged to contact their local firearms dealers to inquire about the potential to make online purchases while the Governor’s order remains in effect."

M
 
All gun shops closed in my state by order of the governor as of ten days ago.

"In response to the Covid 19 outbreak, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the closure of all businesses she doesn’t consider “Essential.” The Governor did not designate firearm stores as “essential,” but many remained open because the Governor’s order did not explicitly order them closed. Your NRA-ILA has now learned that Governor Grisham is making her anti-gun proclivities clear by tasking the State Patrol with driving by gun stores and telling dealers that they are, and will remain, closed to the public. New Mexico residents are encouraged to contact their local firearms dealers to inquire about the potential to make online purchases while the Governor’s order remains in effect."

M

A lot of politicians are showing their true colors as being wannabe dictators and using the virus as an excuse to attack gun owners.
 
They had 223? Walmart nationally quit carrying handgun ammo, 223 ammo, 300 Blackout, and 7.62X39 in December.

They had long gun ammo at the location I was at. I haven't kept track of their updated policy other than not selling handgun calibers and "assault" type. If I go in I'll snap a pic of the ammo case offerings.
 
Having 'numerous' cans of 7.62x39 is a benefit.

Did most first-time gun owners expect to be on guard like the "Roof Koreans", whether on the roof or peering out the front windows all day long?

Or they anticipate an armed skirmish inside Kroger or Walgreens?
 
All gun shops closed in my state by order of the governor as of ten days ago.

"In response to the Covid 19 outbreak, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the closure of all businesses she doesn’t consider “Essential.” The Governor did not designate firearm stores as “essential,” but many remained open because the Governor’s order did not explicitly order them closed. Your NRA-ILA has now learned that Governor Grisham is making her anti-gun proclivities clear by tasking the State Patrol with driving by gun stores and telling dealers that they are, and will remain, closed to the public. New Mexico residents are encouraged to contact their local firearms dealers to inquire about the potential to make online purchases while the Governor’s order remains in effect."

M

She is a real piece of work isn't she? State Police didn't have to bother with my LGS. The city cops came by and closed them down. They also did the same with some other businesses. Good little minions they are.
 
Id say the bigger driving force for the uncommon sizes not selling as big besides not as money guns use them is the price per round. People are panic buying but most aren't going to spend a lot. You can see the same in grocery stores. All the regular was was gone, but still had stacks of Evian and the like. I wouldn't mind owning some of those hunting caliber sizes just haven't found a rifle I love yet
 
They had long gun ammo at the location I was at. I haven't kept track of their updated policy other than not selling handgun calibers and "assault" type. If I go in I'll snap a pic of the ammo case offerings.
Stopped at the local WM today to see what was up with their new forced social distancing policy.

Took a picture of the ammo case, which was well-stocked compared to a week ago. I got a box of .308 for my AR-10 to try and 400 CCI Magnum large rifle primers.

IMG_20200406_160319991.jpg
 
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