Two months post Sandy, guns and ammo prices

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nathan

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and supplies are not normalizing . Whats going on ? I can t even find a decent price for a Ruger 10/22 Target model.
 
People got caught with their pants down, and panicked once supply started to dry up. So now they're prioritizing purchases, so they'll buy more than they need as they can, and they'll pay more for it in order to guarantee that they can get something.

Someone who's always been fine with 5 AR magazines may decide he needs 30 now, plus a spare AR. If he shoots 100 rounds per year, then maybe he'd like 2,000 rounds secured now for future use. Maybe it's time to start reloading, so he's buying up equipment and components.

And on and on it goes. Once everyone can feed their newfound gluttony, we'll see prices stabilize, then some good deals will show up on the used market.

OR we'll find some heinous laws passed, and we'll wish we'd jumped on ammo at $1 per round.

We'll see later this year either way.
 
I'd expect guns and accessories to stabilize once it becomes clearer that various bills in the national and state legislatures are finalized (pass or fail). Ammo is likely to be more problematic as we've likely created a shortage (that will lead to folks stockpiling as inventory comes back on line) and exposed a few bottle necks (the biggest seems to be in primers/rimfire ammo). In other words, I'd guess gun inventory will be normal in 6 months or so, Ammo inventory may take considerably longer depending on how long it takes to fill the new demand for ammo stockpiling.
 
Thats right, the ammo supply will be longer as we are still fighting in Afghanistan until end of 2014. And all the panic buying just not getting any better.

Every night Pierce Morgan keeps pumping the fear mongering on guns and murders. Murders will always be with mankind since the ages. This PM is well paid to get his message across, amazing.
 
Capitalism happened. The demand rose sharply due to political uncertainty, and the supply chain can't meet it. Not all those who want, get. Everyone waits in line, but being willing and able to pay more gets people moved to the front.

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.
- Sir Winston Churchill
 
For what it is worth, I stopped by a couple shops in town and in southern utah duringa ski trip and they said that while demand is high, the are not getting in any 22 LR or .223. It was walmarts and Cal Ranch and a small gun shop. All three said the same thing. For those calibers, it had nothing to do with demand, they were just not getting any in. Lots of 38 special, .40, 30-06, shotgun though. They 'thought' production was directed at other calibers or for government orders.
 
Are there regional or contractual factors in play?

.223 in 1000-rd bulk packs and .22LR bricks arrive a few times each week at the big box sports store here, along with AR15s. Of course, there is line an hour before opening each morning that buys it all up as soon as the doors open.
 
2 months since sandy, but not 2 months since the panic peaked and caused shortages and price spikes. That's more recent. Prices have been rising for years.
It will take months for supplies to "normalize". What ever the new "normal" will be.

This is true for almost any commodity that has a serious change in supply/demand in our "just in time" delivery market.
 
The employee in my nearest Wal-Mart says that they haven't received a single shipment of any type of ammunition since November... The shelves have been bare every time I've checked since mid Dec. Somehow supply is all curfundelled, not just demand.
 
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