Our ammunition cost have sored in cost to unbelievable heights in stores all across the USA. I seen costs go up from $18.00 to $36.00 on ammo that you have multi-purpose usages for, from Training, CC, Target Practice, Hunting, and just for your storage, and for hard times.
The stores have left their supplies and merchandises that we buy and use daily, go to near ZERO SUPPLIED; worse than toilet paper shortages. The stores make a lot of money, by doing this nightmare and the managers are not being honest to the customers. It took almost 2 months to find and purchase the well used and bought .380 and 9 mm ammunition common used for CC and target practice. The demands for other ammos are high in cost too. Defensive ammunitions: 9 mm, .380 ACP, .40 SW, .45 ACP, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, 10 mm, and etc. COSTS !
Rationing has been in force on 9 mm, 223/556, and others for a long time. I know a little on marketing and this is also on pistols, rifles. and shotguns. Shortages on all merchandise are being found and seen by everyone of us and the prices are climbing continually and management hopes that no one will see it and still seek to buy secondary merchandise that is not what the client wishes for.
Know this that ordering things from places like Sportman’s Guide or Bud’s Gun Shop are being effected too, but not like the retail markets. Still, you face the statement, NOT AVAILABLE.
We must keep moving forward and not give up. Please be careful on people that could be selling unsafe merchandise and things can become worse. Thank you !
Yes, I am struggling just to find large pistol primers. I have managed to find other items needed so, I am good there. The stores are empty of everything. I have had people talking about buying a gun and I had to laugh, you might get a gun but you will not have any ammo. It isn’t really funny though, really concerning.
Thank you very much ! Maybe we can find a Licensed Ammunition Supplier that we can find a source to order from. You know how things are done on that special field of work; reloading. Buying in bulk maybe helpful.
Yep! I have seen the local shops slapping 40-100$ over MSRP on firearms. Mostly the most desired ones(ar’s -pistols). I call them out, and ask what’s up with that?
As far as ammo, like the t.p. storage space is a premium, both are also quite flamable, and noone expected a run on either one.
Not to mention that some of these companies were/are boarding on bankruptcy so yep, they see an opportunity and they took it. Supply and demand. As far as ammo/firearms I am sure they make a certain amount to start and when they start to see if John q. Public is purchasing, then they make more, sometimes it’s too late and they can’t keep up.
I was just reading an article about Remington in bad shape with it’s financial’s. (Who knows how!) Lol.
I know distributors play a BIG part in this, at least that is what I hear from the shops.
Good luck!
I reload almost everything but defense ammo, and components are constantly in short supply. Sure, in pandemics like this, components get scare. But it always pays to stay stocked up. Last year for instance, there were some very popular powders that get sourced from Australia that had supply disruptions and they became hard to find.
Also, one would think, why dont the ammo companies just hire more people and crank out the ammo 24/7 to meet the demand? Well, I was talking with one of my industry contacts once and they say that its not worth it to them from a financial standpoint. This is a temporary buying binge and in a couple months after the election, things will get back to normal and supply will catch up with demand. Financially, they cant commit to all the new equipment and people only to have to shutter production lines and lay off employees once the buying binge is over.
So, another lesson in staying prepared. We as shooters have gone through enough of these cycles to know that supply gets tight sometimes, especially in an election year. So, plan accordingly. We by nature are planners and like to be prepared. That is one reason we carry a gun. We are prepared. So, keep a stock of ammo and reloading supplies, food, water, fuel, etc. Plus, if you have “lots” of ammo on hand, I think you will be more likely to practice more. Its just a matter of grabbing a box or two of ammo off the shelf instead of having to stop by the store, etc. So stay stocked so you can ride these waves out. After all, we will make it through this shortage, and it WILL happen again, so be ready.
With the drawdown of overseas troops, reduced training, and a general downsizing of the miliary, ammo suppliers are to the point of tightening their belts. One CCI plant can produce 4.5 million 22cal bullets per 10-hour shift. My point is: No company is so rich that they can stop the production of their product. Russian ammo is in supply albeit the price has doubled or more, Korean ammo (9MM) is in supply at .36-.55 cents per round. American companies,e.g., Remmington, CCI, Fiocchi, and Sig are still in business. I think the businesses are trying to cash in on the panic and to enlarge their profits.
We have the power to rebuke this action, with our wallets. Don’t pay high prices and tell the company that via CS or by calling names on forums like this. If all of the USCCA members put the shoulders to it the prices would go down.
It only takes a snowball to start an avalanche.
My rant is over, I will return you to your normal schedule program.
Its to the point now that if you don’t have it you are not going to find the ammo you need. Prices are sky high and rationing is common place. And that AR you saw back in March for 600 is now 800 or higher. I use the price of guns and ammo as a panic index and the country is on full blown panic mode.
Hi William. I’m not sure that I understand your point. This is simple supply and demand the same as for anything, no? Are you saying that ammo suppliers and their supply chain are somehow exempt from those forces, or that people should not plan ahead and buy when supply is available so that they are not affected by these things?
You will find some ammunition very costly and you will have to plain ahead for training and practice. Prices have doubled and there maybe some trouble in importing the supplies of ammo. Somewhere, there is problems due to a virus that has been effecting our nation and countries.
The ammunition at hand like 9 mm are rationed heavy, including 223/556 ammo. Other ammos are hard to find.
Somebody may be planning a bad game on us and it is not funny to hold back supplies and hike the cost. Please research other options and I have to stock pile some ammo
As a follow-up to my previous comment, the other side of it is that the manufacturers only have so many production lines, so they are going to run those producing the crap out of the .223, 9mm, etc. As a result, less pandemic popular calibers will be available on the shelves, but will not get replenished at the same rate as they will not make it to the production schedule.
I have a tendency to only buy loaded ammo for a new platform to give me a base line and then start gathering components for building bunker stocks. This past October I built an AR-47 for deer hunting and bought 2 boxes of 7.62x39 Hornady Black because I am a fan of the SST boolit and the battle cans I have for my AK and SKS platforms are really not good deer medicine as they are 2 -4 MOA. I already had an ammo can of reloadable brass that I had been gathering for some time. The SST boolits were like $35.00 / 100 so I ordered 2 boxes and scored some bulk SP boolits for like $35.00 for 500 and a couple hundred more rounds of brass for $12.00 / 100. I had a couple pounds of various powders that were recommended sitting on the shelf from other projects. Primers were getting hard to find but having a friend in the business I was able to lock down 30K of various flavors for less than $28 / 1K. Obviously having a bit of disposable cash is handy or a CC for OH Man!! That’s a good deal!!
Staying ahead of panic buys is tough if you are not able to bunker some ammo or components to make more. The total amount of ammo I keep on hand at any time makes most people uncomfortable. Even more so the amount of components to make more. The panic buying will continue well into October. If Biden wins it will be hell’s bells until it is all banned. If Trump wins it will go back to “normal” long about March 2021. Hunker down, get it when you can and dry fire.
You survive Panics by not panicking.
Keep a cool head. Having 500 or 1000 rounds of expensive “iffy” ammo is a waste of resources compared to a couple of boxes of quality ammo you trust and a whole lot of dry firing.
A few bricks of .22lr helps too.
So does a reloading press.
My thoughts anyway.
Ammo is going to be unavailable for a while, especially at reasonable prices. I would compare this to the .22 drought.
I’m dry firing more and reloading.
Fortunately I am an ammo hoarder. I bought so much 9mm, 40 Cal, 556, and 22lr last year that I’m not concerned for my personal stock at all right now. I haven’t been shooting in three weeks now because of supply and prices. I don’t see an end in sight for this. That said I have to wonder if someone (wink wink) is buying everything so we the people don’t have access. I see a place like Freedom Munitions with their production capabilities just flat out of all 9mm for months now and it makes me wonder if they are cutting production to increase cost or someone is buying all of it up before it is available to us. Just a thought.
Same with guns as well, ARs in particular. Try and find one at a reasonable price. I have a hard time believing this is all liberals buying their first gun. I’m not buying it. Something is going on.
I tend to stay stocked up on ammo also and since March have been frugal in my expenditure of it, although last month I went through 3 boxes vs the 1 box I’ve been limiting myself to.
My regular online source had dried up currently, however I’ve been pleasantly surprised that my favorite gun shop has had ammo (9mm and 40), although the prices are a little higher than normal (as it is everywhere), but happy to support my local shop by purchasing a couple cases.
I’m with you on this one. I honestly had to read OP twice to make sure I was understanding what was trying to be conveyed. I’ve read allot of comments but yours was the 1st that mentioned the fact about supply and demand! I also have not seen anything about how components are also in short supply. Components go up, the ammo goes up. This has been the case for months now, nothing new. I know of one site that is gouging but I have yet to pay more for any ammo I regularly use. But yes, prices are in the rise and will continue. It also appears that many have forgotten about the last time we faced a major shortage not to long ago. It took 4 years for many calibers to return to “regular” prices. I don’t like this, but it’s simple cause and effect! Thank you for you rational post lol!
I spoke with Bayou Bullets last month. Interesting conversation. China Virus was the culprit (prior to the riots) according to him. Rationing employees work schedules and getting raw material for manufacturing was a major player in his business. You can’t produce what you don’t have. Ammunition companies apparently were affected as well. Pile that on to the panic buying/hoarding and well we all get the picture. I hope the price and availability stabilize quicker that the last event.