YAGT: Where has all the ammo gone?

[Sluggo]

I just want to go shooting, it used to be if I wanted to go shooting I could drive to wal-mart buy what I want and head to the range. Now I have to hope that when midway sends me the in stock email I'm close to a computer to order it in the 60 second window that its available.

I am fortunate that the local range I frequent keeps stock on hand for their rental guns and for range sale only, you can only buy that ammo if you have rented a lane. So it is easy to replenish whatever you shot that day when you check out. Last I bought was something like $17 for 9mm FMJ, Independence brand or whatever, which is fine for range use.

 

[pontifex]

I am fortunate that the local range I frequent keeps stock on hand for their rental guns and for range sale only, you can only buy that ammo if you have rented a lane. So it is easy to replenish whatever you shot that day when you check out. Last I bought was something like $17 for 9mm FMJ, Independence brand or whatever, which is fine for range use.

ouch $17 a box for 9mm? isn't independence remanufactured ammo? or i'm pretty sure its at least low quality stuff.

 

[brandonb]

Glad I purchased 2000 rounds of .223 and 2000 rounds of 9mm when I had the chance a few years ago. I knew at some point, restrictions would be talked about and I was going to prepare.

 

[SaurusX]

I know it's already been answered, but hoarders. In the past everyone would just buy what they needed at the time and were happy. Now everybody buys everything as soon as it hits the shelf, because they fear they won't be able to find it later thereby creating the scarcity. It's a messed up cycle we're stuck in. We'll have to wait until everyone's bunkers are full or they run out of money before returning to normal.

The DHS bullet buys are a red herring.

 

[exdeath]

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/rifle-ammunition/762x39

7.62x39 $299 + 20 shipping

 

[gorcorps]

Glad I purchased 2000 rounds of .223 and 2000 rounds of 9mm when I had the chance a few years ago. I knew at some point, restrictions would be talked about and I was going to prepare.

A few YEARS ago? Sheesh... I would have been through that at least 4 times over by now.

 

[Sluggo]

ouch $17 a box for 9mm? isn't independence remanufactured ammo? or i'm pretty sure its at least low quality stuff.

I haven't seen 9mm too much cheaper than .34 a round in the past few months.

But yeah, not the best stuff, fine for the range.

 

[basslover1]

Managed to snag 1000 rounds of .22 from midway just moments ago, it was in and out of stock in less than two minutes. Finally I can go the range this weekend, sheesh.

 

[ProchargeMe]

The only .22 LR ammo I've seen lately was $80. It's in short supply here too. The pawn shops around are selling ammo with a gun purchase only. Glad I have a shit ton already lol.

 

[exdeath]

Another 3x20 boxes of 62 gr green tip 5.56 for $9 a box at the LGS and 3x5 boxes of 00 buck 12ga for $5 a box.

Also scored a 1x20 box of Tula 308. Sadly Walmart wants $10 a box now when it used to be like 8-9. Main reason I like this stuff is for the PTR91, it eats steel cases like candy. It's one of the "precision rifle" chambers with the problem chambers with the out of spec shallow flutes that doesn't like mil surp brass with sticky powder/sealant. Steel case ammo solves the problem.

They had some 525 rd boxes of copper plated .22 at the LGS but wanted $39 a box. Almost picked some up until I looked up normal prices and saw they should only be $19 so I passed. FTS.

TONS of .40 and .45 in stock, just no 9mm again. Holding out for a few more 50 rd boxes of HST in 9mm and .40. Want at least 2 boxes of 124 gr HST to dump through the PF9 then keep 8-15 rds for carry if it likes it.

 

[OverVolt]

This was so predictable. When everyone bought guns in a panic, I was thinking "Just wait until they try to take them to the range and do the same thing to bullets."

Well...

Just like AR-15's were off the shelf, now AR-15's are on the shelf and ammo is off the shelf.

Just wait, don't pay these prices.

Definitely a "well there's a million more guns but the same number of ammo factories" situation.

 

[exdeath]

This was so predictable. When everyone bought guns in a panic, I was thinking "Just wait until they try to take them to the range and do the same thing to bullets."

Well...

Just like AR-15's were off the shelf, now AR-15's are on the shelf and ammo is off the shelf.

Just wait, don't pay these prices.

Definitely a "well there's a million more guns but the same number of ammo factories" situation.

Most of the new owners aren't regular shooters though. Just people making sure they get one to toss in the back of the closet so it's there one day before its too late and figuring they can get ammo later.

Ammo is still hard to get because of preppers and resellers mostly, has nothing to do with new gun owners.

 

[velillen]

Ammo is still hard to get because of preppers and resellers mostly, has nothing to do with new gun owners.

"preppers", resellers, and old gun owners. Know plenty of people who have been into guns for years that still odnt have ammo to shoot. Wasnt an issue before December so they only bought when they needed it. Now you hvae them buying to just to be able ot shoot and also as a bit of a stockpile

 

[corwin]

"preppers", resellers, and old gun owners. Know plenty of people who have been into guns for years that still odnt have ammo to shoot. Wasnt an issue before December so they only bought when they needed it. Now you hvae them buying to just to be able ot shoot and also as a bit of a stockpile

Sadly I'm one of the latter...I've got a good supply now of everything but 9mm...that shit is still like gold:\ We should hit critical mass in another couple months though and things will be on the shelf again, foreign manufacturers have kicked up production so it shouldn't be too long, I hope

 

[clamum]

Most of the new owners aren't regular shooters though. Just people making sure they get one to toss in the back of the closet so it's there one day before its too late and figuring they can get ammo later.

Ammo is still hard to get because of preppers and resellers mostly, has nothing to do with new gun owners.

I find it hard to believe it has nothing to do with new gun owners. There's been a huge spike in the past few years of new gun owners, and even moreso since Sandy Hook. And since Sandy Hook, ammo has been very hard to find online or in stores. Strange coincidence if new owners have nothing to do with it.

 

[corwin]

I find it hard to believe it has nothing to do with new gun owners. There's been a huge spike in the past few years of new gun owners, and even moreso since Sandy Hook. And since Sandy Hook, ammo has been very hard to find online or in stores. Strange coincidence if new owners have nothing to do with it.

I wouldn't say they have "nothing" to do with it but they probably have very little to do with it. The preppers and resellers are the ones buying everything they can get their hands on, new gun owners are buying a couple boxes...I would imagine it would take 100 new gun owners to account for the purchases of one prepper/reseller

 

[Doppel]

The problem is, EVERY store is either wiped out of the common calibers or essentially wiped out. The manufacturers are pumping them out as fast as they can, but when the suppliers are rationing it out to fulfill orders for EVERY store, stores are only getting a few boxes at a time, and when jackasses that camp out at gun stores snatch up the only 5 boxes of 9mm that the store got in it prolongs this issue.

I just want to go shooting, it used to be if I wanted to go shooting I could drive to wal-mart buy what I want and head to the range. Now I have to hope that when midway sends me the in stock email I'm close to a computer to order it in the 60 second window that its available.

It is taking a long time, but eventually guys like the one mentioned above with 14,000 of 22 will have bought all they can or want to and realize "Hmm, maybe I can't sell all this after all" and then they'll need to offload them and ammo will be plentiful.

New gun owners are not entirely to blame. You can see how many have come online since end of last year and yet ammo is evaporated. This is mostly old shooters, hoarders.

 

[jpeyton]

Today's delivery from the ammo fairy:

 

[MrPickins]

The only ammo I've had trouble finding is .22LR. Between late December and April, I've only been able to track down about 5000 rounds of it.

Every other common caliber has been pretty easy to track down given enough time/patience. I don't have an exact count, but I've purchased somewhere in the high 5-digits of ammunition between December and April (9mm, .45ACP, .40S&W, .308, .223/5.56, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, 5.45x39, 12GA). And I'm just a regular guy buying everything at the retail level online or locally.

Today's delivery from the ammo fairy:

Here's your answer, OP.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Given all the copper plating and brass shells to make ammo I wonder how much of the entire world supply of copper goes into ammo...

 

[MrPickins]

Given all the copper plating and brass shells to make ammo I wonder how much of the entire world supply of copper goes into ammo...

Very little:

Applications
Assorted copper fittings

The major applications of copper are in electrical wires (60%), roofing and plumbing (20%) and industrial machinery (15%). Copper is mostly used as a metal, but when a higher hardness is required it is combined with other elements to make an alloy (5% of total use) such as brass and bronze.[17] A small part of copper supply is used in production of compounds for nutritional supplements and fungicides in agriculture.[33][66] Machining of copper is possible, although it is usually necessary to use an alloy for intricate parts to get good machinability characteristics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper#Applications

 

[jpeyton]

Here's your answer, OP.

You give me too much credit. At retail that's barely $300 worth of .22LR, and the only reason it's even that much is because CCI goes for about 2x the price of Remington/Federal bulk packs.

Anyone who shoots .22LR should have a few thousand rounds squirreled away.

 

[pontifex]

You give me too much credit. At retail that's barely $300 worth of .22LR, and the only reason it's even that much is because CCI goes for about 2x the price of Remington/Federal bulk packs.

Anyone who shoots .22LR should have a few thousand rounds squirreled away.

says the guy getting a ton of .22 lr ammo delivered today...

 

[Sluggo]

Anyone who shoots .22LR should have a few thousand rounds squirreled away.

Thats a few thousand in the pic, how much do you have squirreled away?
Do you have about 20k rounds total in your possesion, or am I a bit low?

 

[pontifex]

Thats a few thousand in the pic, how much do you have squirreled away?
Do you have about 20k rounds total in your possesion, or am I a bit low?

maybe i am low also. I have like 3-4000 rounds, but i had that way before all this crap started up.