Retail insider's info on the current ammo shortage

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Midwest - I live in the Florence area also and have been to Wal-Mart at the time the truck was arriving by coincendence and I have first hand seen the guys that stand there in line. The first ones in line buy and then take it out to their vehicle and then come back in and buy more. The night I was there they sold the 500 rd. Tula 223 ( I didn't get any of that as I wasn't there purposely to buy ammo) and when I got home I checked armslist and they had them up there for double the price they paid.
 
I recently heard a co-worker say that a nearby Gander Mtn was going to put a policy in place that they have ammo set aside, to be sold with gun purchases only. I know of 2 lgs that have reserved a portion of their ammo for the same reason. I think this is a good idea. Anyone else hear or know of this policy being used?
 
I recently heard a co-worker say that a nearby Gander Mtn was going to put a policy in place that they have ammo set aside, to be sold with gun purchases only. I know of 2 lgs that have reserved a portion of their ammo for the same reason. I think this is a good idea. Anyone else hear or know of this policy being used?
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I've heard of a number of LGS that would only sell ammo with the purchase of a gun, or sometimes for use on their ranges. It just makes good buisness sense. Most people are not going to buy a gun, or pay for range time, if there is no ammo for them.
 
i guess what amazes me is how long the "panic" has been going on. how much ammo, and reloading components can we store anyway? when your house starts sinking 2" a year, wouldn't you think you would get the picture?! 800,000 rounds of ammo / components is just a tad overkill! if civil war II actually starts, the chances are none of us will get to shoot more than a few hundred rounds before we are killed. and the chance of "our side" getting the remained of our stash are small. it has been made very clear to Washington politicians that the majority of us do not want any new gun control. i know that will not stop the anti's from trying. but i really doubt they will find enough support to make anything happen. at some point you have to look at your supply, and say enough is enough. i must say i will be happy when the next pro gun president comes along. guns and ammo will be spilling onto gunbroker at a fantastic rate, and at great discounts. much of it will still be unused and new in the box. those will be happy days. i have a certain amount of ammo and components on hand. it has not really changed much since Regan was in office. i am not a panic buyer. the only thing that has dropped is my supply of 22lr ammo. i will NOT pay $70.00 for 500 rounds of it. i would chuck the guns in the trash first. the sad part is my kids suffer because we can not shoot like we would like to. i can find enough reloading stuff to keep me busy, even if i have to work up new loads to do it. i would like to be able to walk into a store and pick up a pound of what ever powder i would like again sometime soon. so far, the only thing i have had to pay thru the nose on was small pistol primers. and i will not do that again either. i will just stop shooting them until i find what i need at a decent price. if i have to do that with all of it, i will. there are other hobbies out there. i enjoy this one, but i will not let it ruin my finances to keep it up.
 
NoKY guy said:
Midwest - I live in the Florence area also and have been to Wal-Mart at the time the truck was arriving by coincendence and I have first hand seen the guys that stand there in line. The first ones in line buy and then take it out to their vehicle and then come back in and buy more. The night I was there they sold the 500 rd. Tula 223 ( I didn't get any of that as I wasn't there purposely to buy ammo) and when I got home I checked armslist and they had them up there for double the price they paid.
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I see this is your first post here, welcome to THR.

Another place to try Quick-Cash Firearms (that PAWN STORE) on 167 Lloyd Ave (off of Turfway). I bought a box of .45 acp there a few months back and they charged $32 (used to be $22 something). But I have not stepped foot in the door since then, I hate to see what their prices are now...if they have any....

I don't know what is going on with Meijer or when their truck gets in, or if they get any ammo, or if the employees are taking it or if they have someone just buy it out when it comes in. I never see any sales person in the Sporting Goods section. If you go to Meijer and see the sales people back there in the Sporting Goods section...find out when the truck gets in. Meijer's prices for .45acp is $24...but there is no ammo in the glass cabinet...

Maybe I'll take another ride over to Walmart around 4:00 PM tomorrow or so and see if I can buy anything...
 
Maybe the large retailers could get a handle on the scalpers by marking the boxes they sell.

Just rubber stamp the box with the current date and the Walmart logo. That way, buyers on the internet will at least know they are buying from a scalper. Maybe they will think twice.

Pretty simple solution.
 
For the folks here who spend lots of time at the range or perhaps don't get out much, (maybe you don't have teen kids) getto has become slang for something a person does not like or is common, or which the person does not prefer or is unwilling to have or use. Similar to how the word phat or fat is slang for something good. It does not have as much to do with neighborhoods or economics of the person. This is how I understood it to be used. Of course, it can also mean a bad neighborhood depending on context. I don't think they shoot a bunch of 22 LR in the bad heighborhoods, but I don't live or work in a getto so I don't really know. Certainly these are popular calibers outside of the getto, which helps in understanding his meaning when picking from the possible usage options.
 
Talked with a manager at the local Cabela's yesterday- take away was:
__________________

1) Obama.2 and AWB talk caused a run on EBR's. Same people are now coming back to resell them. They are wanting the $1000 price they paid for a $700 EBR and get upset when offered $500 for a 'used' gun.

2) Federal and Winchester factory reps say they are running 3-shifts 24/7/365.

2a) Federal 'was' getting ammo boxed Federal but mfg'd in Israel. Now back to USA production.

2b) Winchester-Olin plant in Illinois, down 3-months for modernization/automation, is now running. Plant in Mississippi at full capacity.

3) CCI at full capacity but scarce because of brand popularity.

4) All Lake City 5.56 is going to Military.

5) New DHS buy is a proposal. No notable increase in actual deliveries.

6) Basic reason for .22 shortage is people switching to .22 because of non-availability of other calibers.

7) Was an initial run by LGS's and GS re-seller's but now strict purchase limits even for [off-the-clock] employees.

8) Hoarders are beginning to having less effect on availability.

9) Do not know in advance what will be received. Best to order online and have shipped to local store.

10) .45/.40/.357 supply increasing - 9mm low - .380 and .22 still scarce
______________

Bottom line: Expect ammo supplies to improve in the next 3-months and back to near normal by year end. 10% price increase is the new norm.

Best advise is to buy extra from time-to-time in advance of next shortage.
 
Great post, to the OP.

I'm an admin on a local firearms and ammo facebook group, a few hundred locals barter and sell firearms and related gear on the group.

I have recently seen quite a lot of the "panic selloffs" happening, with heated exchanges of "well I PAID XXX for it".

A lot of buyer's remorse hitting people right now.

I plan on keeping an eye on it, maybe snap up a deal here or there later this summer when people get desperate to pay property taxes, or catch up on other bills.

Yeah, I'm a vulture circling in the winds. But, I've always been an opportunistic person. :)
 
So basically what the OP is saying is that the same group of people continue to purchase ALL the ammo and ... either hoard it or sell it at profit.

Hate to say it, but here are a LOT of gun people that just plain suck.
 
I was recently at the LGS and range. Previously their firearms inventory was nearly stripped bare. Now their displays are full again. Handguns seem in short supply still - they didn't have nearly as many.

They use to have 22lr for at least range use. They were completely out this time. However, centerfire handgun calibers seem to be more available, but at (much) higher prices.

It would interesting to see when prices will drop and availability increase for 22lr. Being just a casual shooter, I had no idea about past panic-buying, hoarding, and re-selling. Because of this, I haven't bought any 22lr in months.
 
Locally, (N.E. Kansas) I'm finding more .380 than anything else. I've picked up over 300 rounds in the past month in .380 and had to leave another 300 rounds on the shelves.

The only other handgun ammo I've seen was 300 rounds of .22LR truncated cone.
 
This ammo shortage is killing me, I don't have much money and even less time being lower enlisted in the US Army.

The only ammo I have in somewhat abundance is 7.62x54R and .22LR I got gouged on (wont make that mistake again).
 
The resellers are not the root issue. If people were not willing to buy it all they would stop buying and selling it. That means that it has no impact on supply, just price.
 
The resellers are not the root issue. If people were not willing to buy it all they would stop buying and selling it. That means that it has no impact on supply, just price.
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I have to agree. People are still buying bricks of .22LR ammo for $80-90 or more on GB. Until that sort of stupidity stops, the "shortage" won't end. :fire:
 
rdhood said:
Hate to say it, but here are a LOT of gun people that just plain suck.
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It's been pointed out to me that the people buying aren't necessarily gun people. Just people that have found a way to exploit a shortage to make a buck off desperate gun people.
 
Please go back and come up with a post that doesn't come across so rude. I read it and I wasn't responding to it.
 
The "hoarder" is a myth. How can you have a hoarder operate when all he is entitled to buy is 3 boxes at a time? You can't buy the entire shipment that comes to a store by purchasing 3 boxes. The truth is that more people are buying ammo. Now--it is a fact--that when Joe Schmoe customer walks up to the counter and is given his option to buy 3 boxes, he buys them. Previously he might have only bought 1 box to go to the range, but now he never knows when he'll see it again so he buys 3. There aren't any hoarders in operation because they can't get to the ammo any better than any one else right now. What's going on is that everyone is buying ammunition whenever they see it. That's it. No need to loose your faith in humanity just because a your neighbor has decided he wants his 3 boxes.
 
Thanks for the inside info.

I've seen ammo trickle in very small amounts in my area. And as you said, you have to be there at store opening to get it. Many times I get there and its all gone.

Probably a bad time to start reloading too. I was looking into that, but I will probably buy equipement instead of powders/primers/bullets.
 
The "hoarder" is a myth. How can you have a hoarder operate when all he is entitled to buy is 3 boxes at a time? You can't buy the entire shipment that comes to a store by purchasing 3 boxes. The truth is that more people are buying ammo. Now--it is a fact--that when Joe Schmoe customer walks up to the counter and is given his option to buy 3 boxes, he buys them. Previously he might have only bought 1 box to go to the range, but now he never knows when he'll see it again so he buys 3. There aren't any hoarders in operation because they can't get to the ammo any better than any one else right now. What's going on is that everyone is buying ammunition whenever they see it. That's it. No need to loose your faith in humanity just because a your neighbor has decided he wants his 3 boxes.
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Not a myth.

A hoarder is someone who has amassed a very large quantity of an item (in this case ammo), not someone who is just now buying ammo. You can't be a hoarder if you don't already have a large stockpile. Yes I've personally met people like this who have upwards of 5k rounds of a single caliber. I sold a couple of bricks of 22lr to a guy last month who already had 7k+ rounds of 22lr, while I was selling him ammo that I personally didn't need because I don't hoard.
I mean how much do you really need? That is a touchy question for sure...

They hoard it and don't shoot it. They buy more than what the average person does. More likely saving it for a "rainy day" or for shortages like this.

No offense to anyone if they're a hoarder. If you are, then good for you. But it is NOT a myth.
 
The idea that hoarders are causing the current supply chain/retail availability problem is a myth.

The idea that having "upwards of 5k rounds of a single caliber" constitutes hoarding is simply an error.

The word "hoarding" is loaded/has negative connotations, especially in Marxian class warfare. The choice to use that word to describe accumulations of resources held by others at a time when one would like such resources is revealing.
 
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