Thought I was going to get harrassed or arrested by the cops at Wal-mart today

[JLStorm]

So I go into walmart in Jeffersonville, PA and inquire about their $10.97 boxes of CCI blazer brass 45 ACP ammo. I was interested in ordering 60 boxes of the 45 and 40 boxes of the 40s&w as the prices seem to be sky rocketing and I wanted to stock up for a few months. Well I am told by the guy behind the counter that there is a limit for ammo purchases and I cant order that much at one time. I politely asked if this was a state limit or walmart corporate limit (knowing full well there is no state limit in PA...yet) The gentleman behind the counter says that he isnt sure, and looks VERY worried that I wanted that much ammo. I explain that ammo prices are rising and I wanted to stock up to try to ease his mind a bit. He calls his manager and asks me to wait right there, his manager asked to see him. I wait...and wait...and wait some more...about 7 minutes later I see 3 police officers walking very briskly through the store right towards me. I am already thinking how much of a pain in the ass this could turn out to be when they stop about 15 feet short of me. It turns out that they had responded to a woman who called 911 because someone threatened to break her leg if she didnt move her cart and she was pressing charges. I almost forget why I am there while watching the circus act that ensues until the walmart employee finally comes back and states that he can order the ammo for me, but the purchase will have to get cleared by the manager and he cannot guarantee me that walmart will actually let me purchase all the ammo once it comes in. He suggests I call the corporate office to see what their actual limit on ammo purchases in the state of PA is before I order

Although I was entertained by the two women and 3 cops and the sob stories that went back and forth, I think this experience has finally convinced me that it may be time to start reloading....

 

[crazed_ss]

Yea.. all Wal-Marts seem to be different.

At the Wal-Mart I go to, the clerk will go in the back and get you a case of WWB if you want

 

[bogie]

Stormy, just be glad that it wasn't the day after Thanksgiving.

You'd need body armor.

 

[obxned]

Strange about your Wal-Mart, mine is very good about large purchases. All the regular employees in Sporting Goods are very helpful and pretty well informed about guns and hunting. I know at least two of the three are shooters. Oh, and they are all ladies!

 

[inkhead]

Heh I know that feeling where you sweat it, even though you haven't done anything wrong! You should have said "Hey officers, some lady won't move her cart, so I'm trying to get some ammo to solve the problem." LOL just kidding.

I can't imagine what if they did confront you, it would be about, other than harassing you.

You can't blame employees though, putting them at ease is about all you can do. With everything that's always in the news, you know the employee is thinking "I don't want to be the guy that sold a wacko ammo for his spree" ...

 

[Evil Monkey]

How about you don't go to Wal-Marx anymore. Spend your money at gun shops.

 

[JLStorm]

How about you don't go to Wal-Marx anymore. Spend your money at gun shops.

I usually order in bulk from Natchez, but my local shop doesnt give discounts anymore on orders by the case and I just cant afford 17 or 18 dollars a box of ammo. If it means I have to sell my soul to the devil so I can shoot more...I would probably do it. Natchez has raised the price to 12.00 a box plus shipping, last month it was 9.49 a box. when ammo goes up $2.50 in 20 days, I worry and start to look at other options, even if its wal-mart.

 

[Evil Monkey]

I just refuse to buy from such places because of potential rude treatment. I hate that crap. I'm not going to stand there while Mr. Goodie 2-shoe son of a gun tries to make a terrorist out of me.

At a gun shop or gun show, I can relax and buy whatever the hell I want without some bigot getting smart.

 

[JLStorm]

Actually, as much as I do like to bash wal-mart, this guy was really nice. He was also either misinformed or following a BS store policy, but he was very nice about it and very friendly, but obviously worried for his job and quite worried that someone would need so much ammunition. I am certainly not defending him or wal-mart, but I would be lying if I said he was rude.

 

[Geister]

JLStorm,

Have you ever considered getting a multi-stage reloading press? I'm sure you can make .45 ACP ammo for half that with one. It'd save you the hassle of dealing with sheeple who assume you are a madman.

 

[JLStorm]

I hadnt considered a press of any kind until today, I know have a few threads in the handloading forum and I am strongly considering one. If I invest the 1200 or so dollars I was going to spend on ammo, I could have a nice reloading setup it seems...

 

[helpless]

They are all different, I have bought cases of .223 from one and they same store different employee wouldnt sell me handgun ammo.

 

[Geister]

With a decent press it really wouldn't take you long to make a few boxes of ammo. Plenty of people on here reload the .45 ACP and they're more than willing to help.

Be sure to pick a powder that will safely fill up the case so you don't have to worry about double charges.

 

[jeepmor]

1200 will get you a great progressive into the Dillon top of the line with many goodies. I've read good things about Hornady LnL models and really like their LnL die holders for setup time changes. I haven't made that plunge yet, but I can definitely tell you they are worth the timesavings having spent an hour or so changing calibers on my inadequate RCBS piggyback.

Spend the money on your basic good progressive press, get some supplies, then crank em out.

And yes, Wal Mart is always good entertainment.

 

[El Tejon]

I purchase .22s by the case at Wal-Mart.

 

[CajunBass]

Sounds to me like the clerk and his boss were just involved in CYA when confronted with something they didn't know how to handle. Probably never sold more than three or four boxes of ammo to any one person before.

 

[Ratzinger_p38]

My local Wal-Mart doesnt even sell ammunition anymore.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Fair question if you're the clerk and don't know--as long as he was approaching it from the standpoint of championing your desire for ammo.

I used to tell my people to sell the carpet off the floor is the client wanted it.

 

[Radjxf]

I got my C&R FFL, so now I get discounted ammo delivered to my door
Man I loathe Wal-Mart, nothing like sub-par goods, hoards of people and employees who look like they'd rather die than be there (not that I blame them).

 

[heron]

You might have just asked how many you could buy at once, got those, then come back a few minutes later and done it again, repeat as needed until you had enough. Lots of hassle, though, and no telling if that would have set them off.
I don't go into WalMart. They're shutting down American small businesses and increasing our trade deficit with China.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

I hate going to Wal Mart; I'll only go as a last resort. herons' right on, they put the mom & pops out of business wherever they pop up.

 

[qajaq59]

If I invest the 1200 or so dollars I was going to spend on ammo, I could have a nice reloading setup it seems...

If you are spending that kind of money on ammo you should seriously consider reloading.

You'll not only end up with better ammo, but you'll learn a lot about it as well. Check and see if you have a reloading shop in your area and then go talk to the guys running it. They might even know of an NRA instructor or another reloader around there that could help you get started.

 

[cpaspr]

For $1,200 you can get everything you need to start cranking out your own. If you already have empty cartridges saved up you're already ahead of the game. If not, check with a local gun range or watch e-bay. You should be able to get .45 brass in 1000+ lots for no more than 4-5 cents each delivered, and .40 for even less.

Before you buy equipment and supplies, look into getting your C&R FFL. Many of the online retailers such as Midway offer significant discounts for C&R holders.

Caveat: If you've never reloaded, find someone local to meet with and learn from. To show you how and help you get started. Progressives aren't the easiest thing to learn on, and reloading is serious stuff. Check out the reloading pages here at THR. Lots of people happy to help you get started and guide you along.

 

[nico]

At the Wal Marts around me (suburban MD), the people working the firearms counters have never had any idea what I was talking about when I asked for ammo, and I had to pay for it at that counter.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted the first time I bought ammo at the Wal Mart in Morgantown, WV. I asked the guy for the box of winchester 9mm (which, around here causes the person to put their hand on a random box of ammo while I say "to the left, now down, nope, the one above that"). To my surprise, his response was "full metal jacket or hollowpoint?" I hesitated for a minute, because I was taken completely off guard and told him which ones I wanted. He then handed it to me (around here, they ask to see your ID and can never seem to figure out where the birth date is) and started to walk away. I asked if I needed to pay for it at that counter and his response was "you can if you want, but you don't have to." I was even more surprised when the teenage girl at the register at the front of the store rang up my 250 rounds of ammo as if it were no big deal.

 

[kellyj00]

60 boxes? that's 3000 rounds... start reloading.
40 boxes? that's 2000 rounds... start reloading!

You were staring a $1000 invoice in the face there. Why in God's name not start reloading? You said that's a few months supply, I'd practice with lead.

Alright, check this out...
The equipment to reload pistol cartridges is about $250 for a good basic start up set with a scale and a 4 hole turret press. You can go cheaper (or more expensive) With a turret press you can crank out a few hundred rounds per hour... www.brassman.com has brass for cheap as snot, and you can find lead for 5 cents a round... so, if you figure in that a primer is 2 cents, lead is 5 cents and powder is at most 3 cents, then you're talking about 10 cents per round.... versus the 22 cents or so that you were about to pay for that blazer brass.

ok, so at 22 cents a piece versus 10 cents, you save 12 cents per round. At 12 cents per round, how long does it take to pay for your $250 reloading supply? The arithmetic looks like this... (250 / .12) = 2083 or so rounds.

You were about to buy 5000 rounds... so, it would have paid for itself twice. If you shoot that much, be sure to keep the brass and sell it to me.