"Assault Rifle Ammo" behind counter at Academy

[John Wayne]

So I was making the rounds, looking for ammo once again, and stopped by Academy Sports. They usually have a pretty good selection, and fair prices to boot.

All handgun ammo is kept behind the counter. Before now, I always assumed that it was because with the scarcity of ammo, this was a particularly high theft item. But, as I was looking for 7.62x39 ammo on the shelf, I noticed that not only was there none there, but there wasn't even a space for it! I asked my self, "How can a store that has 15 boxes of .300 Savage not carry 7.62x39?!?"

So I asked. Turns out it's an "assault rifle round" and is kept behind the counter. Maybe this makes some folks feel better, but if that's the case, here is the list of calibers I came up with that ought to be taken off the shelf and put behind the counter:

-.223 Remington, as chambered by all the AR-15 rifles (which they sell)

-5.56x45 NATO (M-16, SAW)

-.308 Winchester (oddly enough, 7.62 NATO was behind the counter but ".308" was not), (HK G3A3 and FAL)

-.30-06 (BAR)

-7.62x54R (PSL, Dragunov)

And of course, the .303 British! If the argument is that assault rifle rounds have to be restricted, what'll happen if people get their hands on a water-cooled machine gun round?

 

[Kind of Blued]

Just a bunch of stigmatized political junk.

They do know that .300 Savage is way more powerful and "deadly" than x39, right?

 

[starkadder]

I have a friend that works at Academy Sports and I asked him about the so -called "assault rifle" ammo being behind the counter, and he told me that the company had to move it there because of theft. Just as anything else when the price goes up on a certain items (ammo prices are up 65-75%) higher theft always follows, I have no reason to doubt this because my freind has worked there as a manager for about 6 years.


This is this! It's not something else, it's this!

Don't pull it if you don't plan to use it, and don't use it if you don't plan to kill!

ALWAYS REMEMBER OUR MEN AND WOMEN OVER THERE.

 

[marktx]

A guy at my local Academy said it was due to theft. He said that someone had even gone to the bother of swapping the expensive Hornady .223 in the boxes of cheap Monarch.

 

[wideym]

Theft is the reason Academy in my hometown put popular ammo behind the counter and by popular I mean "assualt weapon" ammo.

 

[woodybrighton]

stands to reason .338 or other exotic ammo may be more expensive.
but shooters don't a shoot as much of it
not as popular so less likely to be nicked

 

[Kind of Blued]

Loss prevention makes sense. How quick I am to claim brainwashing, propoganda, etc.

 

[Speedo66]

Maybe the people who ran out to buy "assault" weapons at rediculously high prices now find they can't aford both the gun and the ammo for it.

 

[hso]

Did they tell you why or are you just assuming a political agenda?

Perhaps they put it back because it was being stolen more than anything else and they did it to stop losses?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Academy has all of its non-shotgun ammo behind the counter, at least the three I go to fairly regularly. They always have.

 

[SaxonPig]

Obviously an asinine idea from morons.

 

[1987rx7guy]

Local Academy stores place it out with shotgun and other rifle ammo but at the top shelf. I guess that would make it hard to do sleight of hand moves if its 6+ feet in the air. Pistol ammo and .22 cal is all behind the counter though.

 

[femoralis]

Our local academy has lots of evil black rifles. I don't think they are trying to be PC with this.

 

[daorhgih]

WalMart status

The only counter in my local Wally that is continuously, 24/7/365, staffed is the ammo center. I talked to the day-manager and found that even with 3 cameras in the area, stuff was still missing in inventory. Staff was scrutinized and eliminated as thieves. But the biggest loss is in groceries and baby-items. Cheese, lunch-meat, and Pampers-type stuff walks out all day long. Whiskey used to, until it got its own checkout station. Go figger.

 

[Walkalong]

We just got an Academy here. I will have to check it out. I am interested to see what they carry. I have already been told that they have "assualt rifles" by someone at work.

Like it or not, correct or not, the media has ingrained that into the public, and "assualt rifle" is like "bandaid" brand now. It stuck.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think your post has three relevant points; (1) That Acadamy Sports has ammunition. (2) Acadamy Sports takes steps to reduce shop lifting (through interpretation). (3) That you want to make a political statement about ammunition for "assault rifles versus centerfire for "sporting rifles". Walmart locks their centerfire ammo up due to #2. Dicks does the same as sales people have told me that they find many boxes of ammunition with missing rounds or mostly empty if they leave them out in the open. The solution is to have a constantly vigilant staff for shop lifters who like to steal ammunition (like at Bass Pro) and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

Point #3 (your primary point) has been beat to death on these forums. So, it's nice to know Acadamy Sports has ammunition on their shelves.

 

[SteveCase]

huh didn't know assault weapons had special ammo but then again im not a smart polictian

 

[Lurp]

I work the gun counter at Academy part time after I finish classes and can tell you that 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 (.308) are two of the most stolen calibers. I have a few boxes of each that I got at extreme discounts after they had been picked apart by theives who only stole a few rounds.

Their was a guy caught a couple of months ago who had a warehouse with over $100,000 worth of ammo he had stolen from Academy . They caught him at our store trying to walk out with $1500 worth of ammo in a shopping cart . After that incident Academy started to move more of the high theft ammo items behind the counter. People will steal anything that is not chained down.

 

[Mot45acp]

It just got moved back out on the isle (with a lil price drop ) in my neck of the woods.

 

[kargo27]

I was in Lewisville, TX just north of Dallas yesterday, helping my friend pick out a home protection weapon and the .223 ammo was in reach, handgun ammo (what was left of it) was behind the counter. It must be a regional thing or did I read the post incorrectly?

Oops, nevermind, I just re-read the OP.

 

[John Wayne]

No, I am not trying to make anything a political agenda. I understand if you want to keep high-theft ammunition behind the counter, but it does not make sense to me that the very same caliber of ammunition be stored in two different places, on the basis that it's an assault rifle round. If the store wants to call it that and keep it behind the counter, ok. It's not any trouble for me to just ask for it.

It is, however, inconvenient for people who would rather check for themselves (like me) than ask haggled and poorly-informed sales clerks about the availability of ammo. If I see a well-stocked shelf with dozens of boxes of .223, .308, etc. and a few empty slots, I am going to assume that the 7.62x39 ammo I was looking for is sold out, instead of waiting behind 8 customers to ask the kid behind the counter if there's any left that I don't see.