7.62x39 Ammo Buy-out --myth or real?

[Thin Black Line]

I saw this posted on another site and it smelled of urban legend
mixed with the actual Wolf boatload running late. My bullcr@p meter
is running in the red --any other info on it?

"I'm not sure things are about to get as bad as the picture you present, but there IS a pretty impressive (oppressive?) ammo shortage developing in military calibers.

In early January, a friend in the arms/ammo business told me a tale of mysterious people showing up at his business at opening time. They had an open treasury check and several of the new type military cargo trucks. They pulled the trucks into the warehouse, paid the asking price for all the palletized 7.62x39 on hand, and filled the remaining space with 5.56 M855 linked for SAW. They waited till after dark and rush hour before leaving. They SAID they were going to Africa!

From what rumors I hear, similar things are still happening and smaller lots are being bought.

Some small dealers who don't advertise still have decent supply, but at higher profile dealers and online the "out of stock" label is commonplace."

 

[secamp32]

Wolf shortage

I think someone figured out that a short term shortage would allow them to double their prices. Let see if the prices go back down when the supply picks up.

 

[pcf]

They had an open treasury check and several of the new type military cargo trucks.

Can you name a business that let's strangers write "large" checks and leave with the merchandise on the same day?

 

[MechAg94]

Can someone tell me how many new and surplus AK's and SKS's have been sold in the last year or two in the US? Do you think that may have something to do with it? Demand increased a little?
Stuff like Katrina might also have woken up a few extra people to buy a little more ammo than they would have otherwise. Considering that much of this started last Fall, that might be part of it. Once the shortage is apparent, more people start buying more ammo since they don't know if it will be there next time.

 

[AmYisraelChai]

Folks, I am not having a problem getting 7.62x39. I call up, make my order, and it shows up. Seems to be that simple.

Prices have gone up, but this is not a supprise. The cost of the raw meterials has gone up (Google Copper or lead prices in the last few years) If you combine this with the rumours and the run on buying (witch I have not seen....but a lot of people ask me about the shoortage, so it is getting around) it just makes for a pricy situation. If a retail store is short on something, that doesnt mean their is a shortage, it could just mean someone is buying it all. I saw this with WWB 223 not that long ago. They could get all they wanted, it just didnt stay on the selves, which is the only place most of you have to judge what it out there.


Ammo is going to get more expensive accross the board. The plus to this is reloading will come back.

 

[Rexrider]

If everyone believes there is an ammo shortage......then there will be an ammo shortage.

People who used to buy hundreds of rds are now buying thousands of rds. Once the prices go up, people start panic buying. Coupled with what might actually be a slow down in the supply chain (for whatever reason) and there is your ammo shortage.

BTW, At every gun show I have ever been too there is always "that guy" who buys so many crates of ammo, he has to make several trips with a handtruck. Nothing mysterious about it (but I am always envious).

Concerning the story from "the friend". How hard is to export a pallet of ammo out of the US? Seem it would be cheaper and easier to just buy it before it was imported into the US (the story does not specify where this happened, but I am curious).

 

[Thin Black Line]

Roger that, my bullcr@p needle is still in the red.....

 

[Longbow]

I don't believe there's a shortage, just increased demand. My local Academy sill has them.
As for the price increase, its simple, when the price of gas go up, everything goes up.

 

[albanian]

There is a shortage of cheap 7.62x39mm ammo for whatever reason. I think it is a temp thing. I bet ammo goes back to normal or below normal prices within a year or two. Supply and demand. There are a lot of people asking for cheap blaster AK and SKS ammo and if Wolf doesn't want to make it, maybe Winchester will make some Wal-Mart specials like they do on 9mm. Or better yet, maybe CCI will make a cheap Blazer 7.62 round that is better and cheaper than Wolf. I hate to use the Wolf junk but I am not going to pay $10 for a box of 20rds of Rem just to rip through a mag in my AK for fun.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Wow, that sounds like a rumor dreamed up by a 16 year old who just saw the movie "Lord of War"....


BTW, here's the BS meter's read-out:

 

[Jeff Timm]

" They had an open treasury check " I've been in the Government 33 years, military and civilian. Ain't no such beastie as an OPEN treasury check.

If you have the authority, a Government purchase order to the factory or distributor is good as gold and paid in 30 days or they get interest.

Make DAMN SURE your invoice is accurate, if you are the seller.

Geoff
Who notes some NG units heading for the sandbox got some donations and paid cash for items needed.
Who didn't miss his allowance that month, figured they needed it more.

 

[Rexrider]

I just realized there is one piece of information missing from the "story".

had the story ended with the pallets of ammo being loaded onto black helicopters and air lifted out instead of using trucks, I might have beleived it.

 

[loki.fish]

A buddy of mine told me about most of the military surplus ammo drying up pretty quick. Said most of the popular rifle calibers will be jumping up. I'm think his reason was something about importing....restricting how much is imported or not allowing importing at all. It's been a few weeks since he told me, so I don't remember very well. All I remember is .223, .308, ak rounds and such are gonna be harder to find and more expensive.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

There are only 2 possible rational explainations as to why there is a shortage...


1] Our government is restricting in some form or another the importation, be it by quanity, type or whatever. Remember, we have no "right" to bullets, especially those which are imported. We only have a right to those available here. This is why they can easily get away with absurd interpretations and extrapolations of already unconstitutional laws. They control foreign trade. That supercedes any constitutional argument, because the constitution gives them that power. They can turn off the flow of all firearms and ammunition from overseas anytime they want to, and the courts will back them every bit.

2] The main producers of this ammunition have procured serious and substantial contracts to other governments/militaries. They pay better, and there is less BS involved legally. Orders are biggger too. So follow the money.

Given the state of the middle east right now, there are dozens of nations in total panic mode. A war alone chews up mass quantities of ammunition. But there's more than just that. A country that is anticipating trouble must stockpile ammo for the war, the duration of that war, for a possible insurgency, civil wars, for sanctions where they will not be able to get ammo for years and years....think about the dozens of possibilities and contingency plans. Ammunition storage facilities might be desroyed. So to prevent keeping all your eggs in one basket, you buy everything you'll need 5-10 times over and spread it around.

Also, many of these nations may be replacing old surplus that they feel is expired for their needs. Many of these nations might be replacing millions of rounds of ammunition with new ammunition. The old stocks probably saved for SHTF or sold off to even needier 3rd world cesspools.. they cannot trade or sell this ammunition to markets like the U.S.

Look at Iraq, that nation will be digging up small arms and ammo for the next 50 years it is so saturated, yet they need more at hand for the war going on. In some small parts of Europe, there are villages where some people still have access to WWII German small arms. I personally know of a couple.


Just my specuation.

 

[Mannlicher]

yeah, myth. pretty dumb one too.

 

[Seven High]

Both Iran and Venezuela recently purchased large quantities of AK47s. I believe that Venezuela bought 100,00 rifles. They would also have to buy very large quantities of ammunition for the rifles. Thats where the ammo went.

 

[MechAg94]

I think it is just higher demand in the US which the manufacturers didn't expect. Take while to overcome the high demand and the higher demand by people worried about a shortage.

 

[Terminus]

Whatever the reason, all I know is that my formerly-best local source of 7.62 x 39 Wolf and Silver Bear ammo has had empty shelves for over a month now. Additionally, one particular seller at the Marietta, GA gun show this past weekend was selling 20 rd. boxes of Wolf for $7.50 a box.

I never thought reloading for x39 would ever make sense. Now, I'm not so sure.

 

[MechAg94]

I have seen it available, but less of it and more expensive. I have even seen the FMJ ammo which was scarce a couple months ago.

 

[Crosshair]

Does anyone make a brass catcher for an AK? Might come in handy for my Siaga 308.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Folks, I am not having a problem getting 7.62x39. I call up, make my order, and it shows up. Seems to be that simple.

This has been my experience as well. I've bought 2 cases of 7.62x39 recently, and it was available. It was a bit more expensive than say early 2005, but not a lot (~$5 per 1K maybe?) more.

I've heard all the rumors: Wolf making Ammo for the Iraqi Army, *insert country here* stocking up on ammo in fear of being the next target of Invasion USA. The story posted above nearly made me blow Dr Pepper out of my nose.

I think it is a combination of increased domestic AK/SKS sales, internet ammo sales, and *possibly* some truth to the Iraq story, and the most likely explaination is people think there is a shortage, so they start buying it up. Just like Gas Prices before the Hurricanes made landfall.

 

[beerslurpy]

It's BS. I did notice that demand has been way high since Katrina and hasnt really gone down much. Especially 7.62x39.

But there are all sorts of shortages lately. Getting bulk 40 and bulk 380 are both difficult at the moment. I need to pick up some more 12 gauge as well.

I have about 2-3000 rounds of 7.62x39 handy, so that shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Spiggy]

I dont get the 7.62x39 shortage thing... that stuff is just as easy to find as .22lr

Really, the stuff that I'm having a hard time finding locally is some 7.5x55 GP11's for the K31

 

[Thin Black Line]

Both Iran and Venezuela recently purchased large quantities of AK47s. I believe that Venezuela bought 100,00 rifles. They would also have to buy very large quantities of ammunition for the rifles. Thats where the ammo went.

7hi brings up an excellent point......And from which country did V buy
their AKs? And from which country does Wolf come from?

Likewise, "old" surplus has been sold and either sat on or shot up already.
This is why I have Jugo and East German ammo from x years ago. Once
it's gone, it's gone.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I've heard everything from it's the Iranians contracting w/Wolf and buying up all the 7.62x39, to Katrina and surplus US AK/SKS sales, to outfitting the Iraqi army, to "mysterious" people showing up at warehouses with government checks.

Supply and demand. There are a lot of hotspots in the world right now. If I had to guess, I'd say Wolf, Barnaul, etc. have probably been filling some big contracts with governments in the middle east, and slowing the supply down to the US civilians to keep up with military demand. Sure, there have been a lot of SKS and AK's sold in the US lately, but we don't use anything near what the Iraqi or Iranian army is probably using for training, etc.

Have you seen the pics of the captured weapons in Iraq lately? That's just a drop in the bucket to what is really in theater and being used by both sides.

As for mysterious people with open treasury checks, I don't know if that happened, but it wouldn't surprise me. This country has a HUGE black budget. If the govt was outfitting some rebels to fight in Darfur, Latin America, etc., it'd be a lot easier for the spooks to buy up locally, drive it to an airport, and ship it out on one of their planes than to have the hassle of contracting w/a manufacturer, importing it, etc.