Over heard at a local gun range.

[plainsdrifter]

Seems to be plenty of ammo out there according to all the solicitations from several retailers in my in-box. And prices are still holding if not going down.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Great tip! I am going to start hoarding Happy Meals!

They probably have a long enough shelf life.

 

[Elkins45]

I choose not to participate in the panic. I participated in the surplus between the last two panics.

Maybe if it gets really bad those old guys who hoarded 22 LR can finally sell the $40 boxes of Thunderbolts on their gun show tables. They’ve carted them back and forth so many times the paper boxes are wearing thin.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I just made my contribution to the GAMIC (Gun and Ammo Manufacturers Industrial Complex)......

 

[P5 Guy]

The problem I have is overstocked. I bought a case when I had the cash for whatever I was shooting. Then I messed up my back and standing for more than 10-15 minutes is agony. Arthritis in my hands was bad enough but I could muddle thru.
So, now I'm stuck with thousands of rounds and no hope of shooting it up.

 

[JohnKSa]

I agree with the folks who say you should keep a good supply on hand and buy when prices are low. I disagree that you should do that based on rumors, whoever is spreading them. In other words, your stock should be relatively constant based on however you much you think you need on hand to keep shooting through the next shortage, not based on hearsay.

There have been a few supply-based shortages in the time I've been shooting, but the demand-based (panic) shortages have been, by far the most numerous and the worst in terms of magnitude and duration. Basically it's the rumors and people's strong desire to act on them that have caused most of the demand-based shortages and kept them going. Rumors and hearsay are generally the cause of the problem, not a means to a solution.

 

[Mk-211]

The problem I have is overstocked. I bought a case when I had the cash for whatever I was shooting. Then I messed up my back and standing for more than 10-15 minutes is agony. Arthritis in my hands was bad enough but I could muddle thru.
So, now I'm stuck with thousands of rounds and no hope of shooting it up.

PM me your address, I'll fly out and help you shoot it up!

 

[jmorris]

I do wonder how much ammo goes unused. I imagine estate sales are a good indicator.

Probably a lot, reloading components too. I have been given more reloading components over the years than already loaded ammo though.

Lost of people worry about what to do with firearms but from what I have seen they pretty much take care off themselves. It's all the other stuff we have that isn't something any normal person would want, that is the job.

 

[DoubleMag]

This is kinda humorous, ppl are all over the map from chicken little to U can't be overstocked

Somewhere is the middle please.

Nothing wrong with an extra brick of 22LR, a few extra boxes of 9mm if that's your current flavor

Just like, nothing wrong with some extra canned foods, but a whole garage full is just as dumb as semi-bare shelves. Or, no extra batteries for the flashlights

Have a few extra $dineros on hand, basic COMMON SENSE.

 

[emb]

I started buying components years ago and stocked up when I could. Got caught in the shortages created by Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Hilliary in 2016. I stocked up each time. I try to have a little factory ammo for everything I shoot, but I mostly roll my own. The only item I can't seem to find is 450 Marlin-ammo or cases. Fortunately, I stocked up on cases some time ago. The prices for components and ammo are quite something. I've come across items I have such as 1 lbs containers of powder with price tags less than $20. I used to (and probably still can with my components) load up 50 rounds of Hornady 300 Ultra Mag for about $12. Now just a box of 20 factory rounds is almost $100. Amazing.

 

[HB]

It's all the other stuff we have that isn't something any normal person would want, that is the job.

This is funny. Ole Uncle Bob had a lot of fishing sinkers and nut crackers in his shop!!!

 

[buck460XVR]

The very definition of "shortage" is not enough supply to meet demand. What you refer to as "panic buying" is simply a temporary increase in demand that outstrips the available supply.

....and that "panic buying" is creating a unnecessary shortage based on nothing but fear. Yet so many here, with these types of threads, are actually promoting the practice. These ol' "Buy before it's all gone" rants, along with the "I've got mine boys! You need to be more like me!" statements are just as much as a driving force of price increases and any perceived shortages, as material shortages and real demand. These rants do nothing to help diminish the issue, only to embellish it. For the most part, it is simply preaching to the choir, as most of us have been here long enough and lived through enough of these, to know what is going on. We are far from naive about the volatile ammo market.

Remember: The prudent man sees the danger and hides; the fool carries on, and is punished.

....no, like Chicken Little and the rant "the sky is falling!", the attempt to push all gun owners to "panic buy ammo now!", punishes us all. The fool is Chicken Little. Not responsible and prudent gun owners.

 

[doubleh]

Am I the only one that noticed price started to rise right after the last election and did so drastically for a time? Bought any groceries lately?

Inflation is caused mostly by three things, more demand than supply, raises to workers that still produce the same amount as they did before the raise, and last our government spending money it doesn't have. Who is the ultimate loser in this perpetual game? The consumer.

Once in a while an outlier like the totally asinine covid lock down plays a part but that is a seldom occurrence.

 

[emb]

"Panic buying" is not the same as making sure you have what you need (want) when you need it. I bought quite a few large rifle primers long ago when they were available. I'll buy more when they become available. Those and large pistol primers is what I use the most, and I go through 200-300 hundred monthly. You still can't find large rifle primers and rarely large pistol primers, and folks like me didn't cause the shortage issue simply because we choose to buy in quantity. I like shooting and the shooting sports too much and engage in them weekly not to have the components I need on hand when I need then. So, I prefer to buy (in quantity) what I know that I'll need or use now or in the future. It is also the most economical way for me to enjoy the shooting sports.

 

[TomJ]

The best advice I can give someone is to view ammo prices as a commodity. They rise and fall based on any number of reasons. When prices drop stock up so when prices go up you can avoid having to purchase it at the higher prices or worse, not be able to shoot because it's not available. I learned my lesson during a shortage when Obama was president. When prices dropped a while ago I stocked up on 22lr and reloading supplies and am set for a while. I don't care about the reason for price spikes and shortages. I just don't want to pay inflated prices for ammo or not be able to shoot because it's not available.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

....and that "panic buying" is creating a unnecessary shortage based on nothing but fear.

I disagree with your assessment in that I do not see this as unnecessary. I remember previous shortage where 22LR and 9mm was absolutely unaobtainium. I remember having to buy a case of 9mm online and paying extra to have it shipped to me on the barge because absolutely no retailer in my city had any 9mm at any price. There have be no primers of any kind for sale at any retailer for any price in my city since 2020, Covid, and the "Summer of Love" riots. I mean absolutely none. They simply do not exist. So now, when I see the danger of ammo/component unavailability, I hide from it by buying whenever it is available.

Yet so many here, with these types of threads, are actually promoting the practice.

I promote people being prepared, taking responsibility for themselves, and acting in their own self interest. I oppose people "not participating in the panic" (i.e. acting against their own self interest) in some socialist utopian nightmare, believing, falsely, that if we all just sacrifice personally, for the common good, and not buy ammo, that somehow the problem will just magically go away.

These ol' "Buy before it's all gone" rants, along with the "I've got mine boys! You need to be more like me!" statements are just as much as a driving force of price increases and any perceived shortages, as material shortages and real demand.

What part of the current demand for ammo and components is not real? Real people are exchanging real labor for real currency which they then exchange for real ammo. That demand seems pretty real to me.

...the attempt to push all gun owners to "panic buy ammo now!", punishes us all. The fool is Chicken Little. Not responsible and prudent gun owners.

Ghandi once said "be the change you want to see in the world." I guess you can stop buying ammo and see how that works out for you, but for you to tell others "nothing to see here, move along" is disingenuous at best.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

...nothing wrong with some extra canned foods, but a whole garage full is just as dumb as semi-bare shelves...

Interesting take. Why do you think that? Have you seen food prices lately? Food, overall, is up 26% in the past four years. People who filled their garages with food four years ago are getting a better return on their money than people who invested in an IRA or bought gold. (or ammo for that matter.) This is doubly true if one has a large family to feed.

It shocks me that so many people simply refuse to acknowledge what is happening around them.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Rumors and hearsay are generally the cause of the problem, not a means to a solution.

There are only two solutions to the problem.

1.) Gun owners simply shoot their guns less and buy less ammo. I think we've pretty much proven that we are, with few exceptions, not willing to do that.

2.) Ammo manufacturers increase production to meet demand. I think they've prove that they are not willing to do that.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Does keeping enough factory ammo in each caliber/gauge for an estimated 5 years of normal usage count as hoarding?

My regret is that I used to buy an estimated year's need of primers at the end of a season (couple of sleeves of MLR and MSP) to be able to load for the next year's matches.

 

[Rockrivr1]

The way I see it prices haven't bounced back from the last big spike. Sure there's been some movement but as always the prices have stayed high. All you have to do is look at the availability right now of popular calibers like 223, 7.62x39 and 357 Mag to see the prices are still fairly high and in some instances it's getting harder to find bulk good deals. Hell, 7.62x39 is very hard to find in 1000 round lots anymore. Online places are selling that stuff out quick. If you haven't started stacking it deep your way behind the curve at this point.

 

[Poper]

That is crazy. I have about 27 pounds of powders. So I am good for a long bit. I think I paid 15 bucks for a pound for some, others 29 bucks a pound. This will pass most likely, but you never know. One time it will be the new normal.

But powder doesn't last forever.
I have way more powder than I am likely to shoot. I am sure a good amount will go bad before I need to replace it because i dhot it all.
Still, I am comforted knowing I will not run out of shooting goodies.

 

[JTHunter]

The problem I have is overstocked. I bought a case when I had the cash for whatever I was shooting. Then I messed up my back and standing for more than 10-15 minutes is agony. Arthritis in my hands was bad enough but I could muddle thru.
So, now I'm stuck with thousands of rounds and no hope of shooting it up.

We have similar problems. I don't have access to an inexpensive outdoor range so I don't get to shoot as much as I would like. I'm also out of .357 brass so I can't reload any more rounds, despite having bullets, powder, and primers.
Where I got lucky was 7-10 years ago when a Gander Mountain opened up nearby and had numerous specials on .22LR. That store only lasted ~3 years then went bust about the time an Academy store opened. They also had numerous specials on .22LR (bulk packs in both cases) and I have ~15,000 rounds of .22LR now. At my age, that will likely outlast me.
I have several hundred rounds of .38 Sp. & .357 each, about the same in .380, ~2K rounds of 7.62x39, and ~5K of 12 gauge, but I can no longer hunt and most of the shotshells are lead #4 - #8 shot. I have a few boxes of #4 Buck, OO Buck, and slugs - JIC.

 

[The Night Rider]

If I were to suddenly die or become very incapacitated- my wife would basically give away my rifles plus ‘multiple’ thousands of rounds of centerfire ammo.

No way would she even consider trying to figure out Gunbroker or haul the guns to be ripped off by a gun store.
She barely has the strength.

A friend was given a basically mint (1970’s) Remington .308 with a beautiful Vortex scope. Given by the widow of a former coworker.

Do you have a friend or a family member who does understand the value of your guns? I highly recommend putting him in charge of liquidating them

 

[The Night Rider]

When I lived in Florida I had a roommate who would buy cartons of cigarettes every time there was a hurricane in the Gulf. This is back when cigarettes were 8 or 10 bucks a carton.

When the Hurricanes hit St. Pete he would go to the hurricane shelter on the second day and sell them for $10 a pack .
He got it too.

When I was in the Army I had a Platoon Sergeant that would max out his ration card every time we went to the field. I think cigarettes were five bucks a carton at the PX. He sold them for five bucks a pack in the field.

There's a lesson in there if you look for it.

To bring this back to the topic, I remember standing in Walmart in 2008 in a line of at least 50 people trying to buy ammunition.

I remember thinking I was doing good if I had two boxes. I also remember promising myself that if it ever let up I was never going to get caught hanging like that again.

Of course, eventually Trump got elected and things eased up and I put my wife in charge of the ammunition and she started buying.

When the covid craziness hit and ammunition was simply unavailable I was (and am) well stocked.

I'm still shooting ammunition I bought when Trump was President.

The point that I'm making isn't to brag about how much ammunition I've got is to suggest that you start stocking now where you're at and you don't stop.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

...I put my wife in charge of the ammunition and she started buying.

Did anyone else just hear the sound a record makes when you drag the needle all the way across it?