Time to stock up on ammo?

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gunsrfun1

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I am very hesitant to post this question because I do not want to induce a panic (not that one post could do so; at least I hope not), but still, I am a bit curious. I was at my LGS this past weekend and the owner said that people are starting to pre-order "tactical" guns because they are afraid that come Nov. 9 .... you get the point.
My question is about ammo. So far, I am seeing no shortage of ammo at my local Wal-Marts, where I purchase. But I am wondering if the same panic-buying that ensued following Sandy Hook could occur again.
My question is NOT "what do you think," because none of us has a crystal ball, so opinions don't really count. My question is: Are you actually seeing or hearing of people "stocking up" on ammo in advance of a possible Hillary victory. In other words, is inventory holding up so far in your neck of the woods?
The reason I ask is that while I am not really short of ammo, there are a few items I might want to buy ahead of time if I think the shelves will get cleared on Nov. 9. I am not a hoarder and have no plans to be, but I also don't want to have to wait a year to buy some ammo in basic calibers.
Thanks
 
Shelf stable in my area.

I predict that will not be the case after Nov 9.

Experienced a shortage? You ain't seen nothing yet.
 
My brother called me last week and asked me pretty much the same question: should he start stocking up on ammo. He also wanted my thoughts on a decent AR; he already has one and was considering getting another one before prices go up. I told what I considered were some good manufacturers to look at and that if he was getting another .223 then he should definitely start buying as much as he could find locally and online.
 
I was in my local Sportsman's Warehouse today. Ammo shelves completely full, powder shelves full, not a soul at the gun counter.
 
Been in to two different Cabelas in the past week and also my LGS. Lots of inventory everywhere and as yet no signs of panic buying. In fact I was able to snag the S and B primers at Cabelas in both SP and LP. $24.99/1000 (best price I have seen in 4 years)
If anything, inventory levels seem higher than normal. Wondering if they have bought in more inventory in anticipation of increased demand.
my LGS has more powder on the shelf than I have seen in the past 4 years. Lets hope it stays that way.
 
The only thing I am buying is green tipped 5.56 and .22 when I find a good deal.

Figure I will have all I need for a few years by mid-November.



.
 
I just stocked up last week. But that had more to do with the fact that I just got a major pay bump by adding some new revenue streams at work, and I found some prices I liked on things I needed anyway.

And I may have bought a lever action that I've been craving for a few years.
 
This is the time of year when I buy a good charge of primers and propellant anyway. Locally the SPP have been hit or miss so I will order a pile of them and some more pistol/shotgun propellant in a slightly larger amount than usual. This is more of a hedge on increased future prices than anything else FYI.
 
Everything is fine near me. Even when Hillary gets elected, I don't see any reason for "panic buying". Nothing is going to happen overnight, and probably not at all.
 
I think bho will make a lot of executive orders as a lame duck to save hillary from the political fight with them. Plus it adds to one part of his legacy that he is disappointed in. I expect more from the BATFE poking sharp sticks in the eyes of gun owners. Ammo restrictions is one area I think they will focus on, specifically what armor piercing is defined as.
 
Acera said:
I think bho will make a lot of executive orders as a lame duck to save hillary from the political fight with them. Plus it adds to one part of his legacy that he is disappointed in. I expect more from the BATFE poking sharp sticks in the eyes of gun owners. Ammo restrictions is one area I think they will focus on, specifically what armor piercing is defined as.
Click to expand...

The ATF has had a history of playing fast and loose with technical definitions. I can see them designating just about anything as "armor piercing".
 
I was at Cabela's the other night buying a duck stamp, and I wandered over to the ammunition aisle. The handgun ammunition looked fairly well stocked (maybe 85 percent of normal capacity). The rifle ammunition looked fairly well stocked...except for the .223 / 5.56, which was noticeably depleted. It's not a full-blown banic yet, but you'd be wise to buy a little extra now of that if you have the money. I saw plenty of .380 ACP, which was hard to find around here a few years back. I doubt .40 S&W or .45 ACP or .38 Special is going to disappear. The only caliber that I stopped shooting during Ye Grande Banic of 20-whatever was .22 LR, and I've been buying 100-round boxes every time I see them. Can't reload for those. Short answer: buy some extra now if you can afford it. I doubt prices are headed lower, even if they're not headed dramatically higher.
 
I've been building reloading supplies inventory since 2009. I'll put buying on hold on November 8 and see which way the wind is blowing.
 
My observation is that both sellers and buyers expect there to be a shortage/price increase and have been increasing their on-hand stock over the last several months. I see some of the common guns at 2000+ inventory levels at the distributors. Now, should more negative events happen than expected, then we will have a shortage. For example, another large mass killing and HRC getting elected. Or the Senate going Dem.
My suggestion is that now is a good time to get into reloading and stock up on supplies. Not only does it give you more options it also reduces the cost of practice ammo.
 
I've been doing it for several years. I have 200% more than i had in 94. In fact I haven't touched my 93 stash yet.
 
From what I've seen ammo shelves are full and guns are in the racks. And with said, for me personally, I've seen a pretty major increase in gun and ammo buying in the last month or so. I want be overly surprised to see things dry up a bit in a couple months.​
 
I've been telling friends for years to buy what you need before you need it. Same now.

As far as pre-election buying, I don't recall anyone going out and buying guns or ammo to excess prior to Obama's election. Afterward was a different story.
If you haven't already started stocking up a little extra, it may well be too late to really stock up.
 
people on the sites have been talking themselves into a panic for months.
i see no way to avoid one.
as to gov action, i expect, at the very least a ''sin tax'' on ammo.
that said, i monitor online ammo prices daily. so far, it's stable.
 
My suggestion is that now is a good time to get into reloading and stock up on supplies
Click to expand...

Have you shopped for reloading supplies recently?

Most of the big on-line vendors are either out or limiting quantities on primers, powder is available if you are willing to use what you can find, but if you want a popular favorite like Unique good luck -- out of stock or quantity limits -- with limits of 10 lbs of powder and/or 5-10K primers for an order the $20-30 HazMat fees on top of shipping eat you up. Local stores have "plenty" of primers at $40+/1000 and powder at $30+/lb so your cost of reloading practice ammo is going to run about the same as buying Wolf/Tula/BrownBear for 9mm (ignoring the cost of the tools).

IMHO if you are looking to "get into reloading" right now, I'd suggest buying ammo instead of reloading equipment and scrounging for primers and powder.

Let's hope for a big "Brexit Effect" where the polls are all wrong because anyone thinking Trump could be better than Hillary is being vilified as some kind of "*ist" so they lie to the pollsters.
 
Hammer059:
Your response reflects the fact that new Presidents reserve most of their initial 'political capital (support)' for major bills which have Nothing to do with guns or ammo. Hillary would probably wait a while before she turns her ATF loose. And she will appoint a new Supreme Court Justice (if the Senate approves) who is anti 2nd Amendment. She will have time on her side.

Is everybody out there planning to vote for Senate candidates also? This can determine the future balance of the Supreme Court, among many other critical issues.
The "Affordable Care Act" and other serious problems will distract Hillary's team for a while-unless a terrible event gives them the pretext they are waiting for.

Back to the OP: the fact that Academy Sports had a 1,000 rd. limit on .22lr (today) has no connection to the public's capacity to stampede like a flock of totally unprepared turkeys when Hillary wins the election.
 
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"When the time for action has come - The Time for preparation has past!"
Abraham Lincoln

You should have been buying ammo months ago. After last election I sat here and listened to people complaining about hoarders endlessly. Anyone that had ammo was a hoarder and contributed to the panic. The truth is, if you started buying ammo six months out you contributed nothing to the panic, if you plan on shooting the ammo you were not hoarding, you were preparing. I don't understand waking up now and realizing there is an election in a couple of weeks that is probably 50/50 on there being a panic. All I can say is "Duh". I'm good for two years if I don't buy another round. Ammo has been cheap and plentiful. There was never a better time to buy it. You should have taken the opportunity. I will have less sympathy this time then I did in 2012 and I did not have a lot then.

"Should" is a manifestation of the intellectual disease, the pretense that one's aesthetic preferences somehow override reality.
-Tom Kratman
 
Oh, poop -- someone else trying to start more panic buying. C'mon now, guys please stop ... just stop. Even if HRC is elected and we lose the Senate, it's gonna take 'em a couple months past January 21st to get the bad stuff rolling ... Can we please wait until then?
 
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