AmmoLandOhio –-(Ammoland.com)- I’ve often said that there is no such thing as bringing too much ammunition to a gun fight.
These days you might be lucky to have any ammo for that gunfight.
It seems that it is virtually impossible to find some of the most popular calibers on dealers’ shelves these days.
I went out the other day in search of 9mm Luger ammo — I need about 400 more rounds for an upcoming class I will be taking this coming Spring. Yet it seems there is none to be had. Where one of my local gun shops used to have pallets consisting of thousands of rounds of 9mm ammo, now they are lucky to have just a few boxes, if that.
One of the gun shops in my area will only sell you 9mm ammunition if you are also buying a handgun chambered for it at the same time, and then they limit you to just two boxes.
Most other dealers have also instituted a “two box limit” when they do have ammunition in stock.
My informal survey of four local gun stores — including a Gander Mountain store — showed that 9mm and bulk .22 Long Rifle ammunition have virtually disappeared from their shelves. I also noted a lack of .223/5.56 and .308 caliber rifle ammunition. Stocks of .380 ACP and .45 ACP are down considerably. Just about any common semi-automatic pistol caliber ammunition, except surprisingly .40 S&W, are rare finds indeed, at least where I looked. Ammunition for use in revolvers appears to still be available. When you can find ammunition, it has gone up considerably in price unless it is one of the less common calibers. For instance, .45 ACP seems to now be going for $0.50 to $1.00 per round. I was able to get some .38 Super +P for just a couple bucks more than I was paying before this latest ammo shortage began.
Some Pistol Ammunition Still to be found.
Even reloading components are in short supply. Once again, primers seem to have disappeared. Stocks of bullets are also down considerably. Gun powder is still available, but cartridge cases in the popular calibers are getting hard to find.
So what has caused this dramatic decline in the availability of ammunition?
The re-election of President Obama started a new rush to buy firearms — not that the previous “rush” from his initial election in 2008 had really slowed down at all. Then the Sandy Hook tragedy brought renewed calls for more gun control laws. In reaction to this, concerned citizens have decided they better buy up all the guns and ammunition they can now while they can still get it. Thus there is a large degree of hoarding going on right now. Another cause is the large purchases of ammunition being made by the federal government, not just for the military, but also for those federal agencies that have a role in law enforcement. Finally, there is a shortage of some of the raw materials used in the manufacture of ammunition, brass for cartridge cases for instance.
Speer Ammunition Gold Dot Standard 22 Ammo
Ammunition manufacturers are ramping up production to the extent that they can, but it will take a while to replenish stockpiles to the point they were at before the latest buying rush. The supply of raw materials will likely keep them from reaching 100% capacity though. Prices will go up in response to basic “supply and demand” principles and restrictions on the quantities that can be purchased at one time will likely continue.
Whether prices will stay high after the shelves are restocked remains to be seen, and it is likely those shelves won’t be back to “normal levels” before the end of 2013. As long as renewed calls for an “assault weapons ban” and limits on magazine capacity remain, the scramble to buy all the ammunition in sight will likely continue.
So what should you do? Buy what you need, but don’t horde it. Plan ahead so you have what you need on hand when you need it. You may have to resort to more dry-fire rather than live-fire for your practice sessions. Most of all, don’t panic. “This too shall pass.”
Gary Evans is an NRA-Certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer.
About:
Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots political action committee dedicated to defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities. Visit: www.buckeyefirearms.org
Read more at Ammoland.com: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/02/where-has-all-the-ammo-gone/#ixzz2M1dMt26J
“went out the other day in search of 9mm Luger ammo — I need about 400 more rounds for an upcoming class I will be taking this coming Spring. Yet it seems there is none to be had. Where one of my local gun shops used to have pallets consisting of thousands of rounds of 9mm ammo, now they are lucky to have just a few boxes, if that.”
Yet, idiots like you still feel the need to waste 400 more rounds of ammo on a stupid class rather than saving it for the upcoming fight that will definitely happen by the summer if not by the end of the year. WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU THINKING!!!!!???? Don’t horde the ammo?? ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID!!!!??? You say ammo is scarce and then in that same sentence you say, if you can find ammo, just go and use up the ammo by practice shooting at a target or taking a class where you waste 400 more rounds of ammo. WHAT A COMPLETE ASSHOLE!!!
Dude, HORDE THE AMMO and DON’T WASTE IT!!!! What’s the point of practice shooting live ammo and having nothing to left to use for the real fight. These idiots who are practicing at gun ranges are:
1. throwing their money away
2. even if they do have money to throw away, they are throwing away more bullets, if not all that are needed to be used for when the time comes and,
3. they are throwing away and depriving others of bullets that could be bought or given to experienced people who could really make a difference with that bullet when the time comes.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!??? Stop wasting what little bullets we have in this country. STOCK UP, STOCK UP and use it when and where it counts. The gun range is not the time nor the place to be using them. WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!! GOOD GRIEF, has everyone in this country lost their common sense?? Even if you don’t know how to use a gun, just shoot a few bullets once to get a feel for it, but don’t shoot your entire box of ammo.
If you don’t know how to shoot a gun by now, then that’s your problem. Don’t bring the rest of us down because you waited until the last minute to heed the warning of the coming collapse.
People didn’t prepare for Hurricane Sandy and then when it happened, they decided to prepare. Then after it was over, they got complacent and said to hell with preparing and then a storm happened again and they got caught with their pants down yet again. They just never learn their lesson.
UGH!!! I’m really getting sick of the stupidity in people these days. Dumb down education, what can I say.
I agree with you NC. If you know how to use a firearm you can keep yourself practiced up with air guns. They now make pellet pistols that are exact copies of most popular combat style real pistols. I have several including a walther ppk, and a colt commander. While they don’t give the recoil sensation, they do provide trigger time and live fire like targeting practice. My old Crossman air rifle fitted with a scope keeps me well versed for any sniper or hunting situation that may arise in the future as well. I can go out in the back yard and shoot all day long on just a few dollars worth of BB’s and not waste a single live round that took years to stock up. We all enjoy target practice and training but in todays atmosphere you better be safeguarding every live round to be had, because we are damn sure going to need them.
I would love to know if ammo land and other big ammo supply companies are selling to the govt. if they stopped that there would be a lot more ammo around. drewbama a spring powered airgun gives a nice amount of recoil
Yes a spring powered gun gives some recoil sensation but it doesn’t compare to the recoil of a 45 acp or 9mm for that matter.. If someone is just getting into shooting I would suggest they fire their pistol often enough to be familiar with the recoil produced before swapping over to practicing with air guns. Air gun practice in my opinion is only good for keeping versed in target acquisition and trigger control. Even when using air guns for practice, I still make it to the range at least once a month for a 50 to 100 live rounds from each of my battle guns. Before NC or anyone else starts giving me grief over ammo waste, I do reload my own up to and including casting my own projectiles. If my reloading supplies start to become low with no way to restock, then I guess it will come to air powered only practice. We all have to come up with ways to stay tuned in with our firearms because the enemies are practicing everyday.
When TSHTF: there will be plenty of ammo to capture from the enemy, as well as military grade weapons. One well placed and planned ambush can open a treasure trove of FREE STUFF ! Including communications gear, body armor and most of all INTELLIGENCE if you’re smart enough to get that before the kill shot.
Most important lesson of all. Be doubly sure to pick up ALL the extra ammo, weapons and provisions found ‘laying around’ after a well planned ambush if possible.
The local shop was pretty well stocked earlier today. Only .38 was in short supply. A nice Barret .50 cal was sitting on the counter. Plenty of rounds for it on shelf. Luckily our local shop is world class. The clerk was feeling generous and pulled some hidden private stock. The prices were through the roof and it was standing room only. This was 2/26/13 about 1800hrs.
What many tend to forget is that once the SHTF, the chances of being able to stay in one single location, and engage in a good old fashioned shootout at the O.K. Corral, are slim and none, regarding survivability. You’re going to need to be mobile, in case you have to bug out on a moments notice.
Now, unless you’re sporting nothing but .22 or .223 rounds (which have very little serious stopping power) you going to lugging that ammo along with you.
It tends to get very heavy, very quickly, so unless you’re planning on not carrying any food, and eating all that extra ammo when you start getting real hungry, you’d better forget about stockpiling thousands of rounds.
Personally, I’m going to get in all the practice I can, while there’s still time, because that extra practice may make all the difference between life and death, when things get critical.
Yea, but that extra bullet you wasted on the range, could mean the difference between life and death when the time comes and could also be one more extra bullet used to take out a future insurgent when the time comes and you don’t have any ammo left to do it. I guess by then, you will be thinking about breaking out the good old machete and start hacking people away if you can get close enough to them before they gun you down.
So you’re telling me that those I’ll have to shoot will be completely out of ammo by the time I shoot them?
ALL of them?
No I’m telling you that those insurgents you have to shoot may not get shot at by you because YOU will be out of ammo before they will.
Doubtful.
I’ll carry as much as I possibly can.
There’s no shortage here if you know where to look, so I can stockpile as much as I need to, AND still practice as much as I can.
I’m definitely NOT going to keep more than I can carry, just to have to leave it behind for someone else.
Well, consider yourself lucky then because Texas is in very short supply these days.
Understandable.
Online may be your only option, and screw the paper trail.
Reloading is a fantastic idea. Home casting, too. If you shoot regularly, all you need to replace is primers and powder.
Not to be overly cynical, but this article is from a company whose livelihood depends on a high demand for ammo.
Save the store-bought for actual combat, I reckon.