# Ammo Shortage



## Fishindude

Last Winter I found a store in Terre Haute, IN "Top Guns" that is the biggest store in the state that I've yet to find. Thousands of guns and just about anything you'd want, big indoor shooting range, etc. 

Last winter they had pallets of ammo of all types for sale in bulk. Stopped in there yesterday, figured I'd pick up a case of .223 and 9mm if they had some decent stuff and no such luck. All you could buy were single boxes, limit 6 per customer. Sales rep tells me it's been crazy since Covid and now the riots.

Seems like the ammo shortages are getting to be more common than uncommon the last couple years. I'm kind of stumped why one of the major US manufacturers hasn't stepped up, built a big new plant, etc. to fill this need? Seems like there is some money to be made here?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

your right that ammo supplies were looking very good last fall even in December and early January.

I noticed it about the first or second week of march , I had a bunch of bullets in my cart at an online reloading supply.
suddenly everything in my cart was on backorder I visited the local Gun shop Tuesday the 17th of March 10 minutes after they opened and it was crazy I wondered if the store would have anything left in it by the end of the week.

I picked up some of the stuff I had had in my cart and some powder

but yes ammo has been tricking in as they make it and off the shelf just as fast.

unless you want 30-06 farm and fleet has a shelf full of 30-06 a little 243 and no pistol ammo a little 22lr very little for shot shells other than some 8 shot.

really haven't been to to many other stores to look

the pistol ammo and 5.56 and such didn't surprise me but 30-30 seems impossible to find also , I suppose they mostly do a seasonal run on 30-30 for deer season

probably a trillion new rounds of ammo in private hands as an up side.

millions of new gun owners 

now everyone can see how the police can be overwhelmed , nothing says we need the 2nd amendment more now than in the last 200 years.


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## GTX63

It would be nice to bring a few large smelters back into the United States.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

during the last ammo shortage lead wasn't the slow down , line capacity was.
nearly every ammunition manufacturer increased line capacity. when it was 22lr ATK makers of Federal , and CCI had about a 4 million round a day capacity that was increased to some where around 6-7 mil

with center-fire now the demand especially 9mm in anything hollow-point. those lines will need time to catch up

that said people have not been shooting as much lately , leagues shut down , many ranges closed or reduced capacity.

there has got to be more ammo in civilian hands than at any time in history .


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## Bearfootfarm

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> there has got to be more ammo in civilian hands than at any time in history


More firearms too.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

March numbers were 3.3 million background checks run and an estimated 2 million new gun owners in March.

that could be a lot more than 3.3 million guns


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## GTX63

I thought I read that a large number were first time gun owners.
It isn't following that old harping about a small percentage of Americans owning the majority of the firearms.


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## flewism

I noticed, as I've been shooting more since the weather broke this spring and went shopping online for 9 mm target rounds.
I found some but 60-80 dollars more per thousand than they were last fall.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

GTX63 said:


> I thought I read that a large number were first time gun owners.
> It isn't following that old harping about a small percentage of Americans owning the majority of the firearms.


 think it was Harvard did a paper a few years ago around 47% of american households have a gun but a lot of people are in the 1-5 guns fewer in the 6-16 and then the 17+ category aka Super users was only about 7 million people owning the majority of actual guns.

they also pointed out that the Super Users were the safest category you could basically imagine this group statistically hardly even got any speeding tickets and was extremely unlikely to commit any more serious crime.

sort of like when they did the article on 50bmg owners and found they were primarily college educated middle age white guys who were financially secure and again the lowest risk category in the nation for being a criminal.


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## Rodeo's Bud

Our background check used to take about 5 minutes.

Recently it was up to two or three days.

Same here on ammo. Good thing I have stocked up if I needed to.

I mean it would be if I had any guns.

Guy I know said that new folks are buying guns. They ask if they would like to sign up for classes when they start up again. 

"Nope, we'll figure it out."

He also said those same folks hold their new guns like it is a snake and might bite them.

Interesting times we live in.

I for one will be avoiding anywhere folks might be going to "figure it out".

If I had any guns that is.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

some stores are booked for months of classes when they start them up again , it is probably a mix and depending on local culture.


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## GunMonkeyIntl

Fishindude said:


> I'm kind of stumped why one of the major US manufacturers hasn't stepped up, built a big new plant, etc. to fill this need? Seems like there is some money to be made here?


The problem is the inherent volatility of the US firearms and ammunition market. 

For just one example, a few years ago, we were in the hottest ammo market to-date, and could not make enough to feed the demand. On the morning of Wednesday, November 9th, 2016, manufacturers came in to huge order cancellations. Amongst just the big three, I know first-hand (well, first-hand for one, and second hand for the other two), over $1 billion was cancelled over night. 

For the first three years after that day, you could barely give away 223 and 9mm for a tenth or two of a penny more than it cost to make and ship it. 

It wasn’t until Covid that ammo started selling profitably again, but, of course, almost 1/4 of the personnel who work the lines were laid off in the intervening years, and the industry still hasn’t fully spun back up to meet this demand surge. 

Sure, ammo makers could invest in new plants, but they’d only go live a year or three from now. What’s the market going to look like then? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Heck, I can’t even tell you what the market is going to look like this winter. Ask me again on November 4th, and I might be able to venture a better guess, but it will still be a guess. 

If you want to insure yourself against shortages, shoot often and stock ammo deep when it’s available. Shoot a little less when it’s hard to get.


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## Chuck R.

I manage to maintain a healthy stock-age of reloading components, especially for the match stuff, which is .223 and 9mm. 

Knowing what's coming, or having an idea of what's coming (COVID-19 II and the elections) I've held off on new gun purchases and focused on taking advantages of component sales. I'm determined to be able to enjoy what I have.


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## wkndwrnch

The ammo shortage is truly here! Went on literarally nothing available. I guess picking up my birthday present 45,might have to wait,if I cant shoot it.




__





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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

try local independent gun shops , they may not be flush with ammo but they seem to have some.

I went to 2 today and they had just gotten some ammo in , the owner of one told me anything you could consider home defense is sold.


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## JJ Grandits

Most of the big box type gun stores around here are pretty cleaned out for both firearms and ammo.
the small stores have some but the price is a killer. Saw .45acp ball ammo at over $32 for a box of 50.


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## Chuck R.

I think this shortage may be worse than the last time and the time before. Those were driven by election panics, whereas this panic is in the perfect storm of; COVID, civil unrest, and election.

Really nothing to do but selective buying while waiting it out. Ratchet up on the dry firing and plan practice sessions to get the most out of live fire.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

plenty of steel shot in the mean time and 7-1/2 lead.

22lr hasn't been hugely effected yet 

30-06 is in full supply or nearly so everywhere I go 

apparently people don't see 30-06 150gr soft points as home defense ammo


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## Grafton County Couple

I'm more frustrated about the sudden/continual increase in price for .22lr than the scarcity.


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## Chuck R.

Grafton County Couple said:


> I'm more frustrated about the sudden/continual increase in price for .22lr than the scarcity.


Unfortunately it's a supply and demand thing, they charge what they can get....as long as the demand supports it.


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## weaselfire

Grafton County Couple said:


> I'm more frustrated about the sudden/continual increase in price for .22lr than the scarcity.


Try 9mm or .45 ACP. $40 a box of 50 at the local gun show.

Jeff


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## Danaus29

My favorite varmint round is being carried by Walmart again, a few bucks cheaper per box than it was 4 years ago. Of course it just might be at Walmart only because no one knows who has the key to the display case.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

very few gun shows have been great deals on ammo , it happens from time to time but in my experience more gouging of late than deals.



Danaus29 said:


> My favorite varmint round is being carried by Walmart again, a few bucks cheaper per box than it was 4 years ago. Of course it just might be at Walmart only because no one knows who has the key to the display case.


if you have a favorite varmint round and they have them for 4 dollars a box below a price a few years ago , I would ask for the manager to unlock the case and buy what they have of them.
if the manager doesn't have the key , they aren't a very good manager and a call to corporate might help them find it.


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## Danaus29

Hubby had just happened to notice the boxes in the case. Nobody around here has had that round for a couple years. I'll have to see if they still have them next week. We had more important purchases last trip.

I'm not close to being out since I haven't done a lot of hunting in the past few years. But having a few extra boxes never hurts.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

we were just shooting 30 year old ammo last week shot just how I remember it shooting 30 years ago. stored in a cool dry basement in original boxes on a shelf. we didn't shoot it up just enough to know it hoe it patterns from a few chokes and at a few distances 

rifle ammo is sealed even better than shot shells , rifle ammo stored correctly will be fine in 50 years 

it will probably never get less expensive there is little reason not to buy it if it works in your budget.


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## Danaus29

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> it will probably never get less expensive there is little reason not to buy it if it works in your budget.


My thoughts exactly. However it just was not in the budget last trip. If Walmart has it the local gun shops will have it. I just hope there is wiggle room in the buget next trip.


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## shawnlee

Nothing the old dillon 1050 will not fix........


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

shawnlee said:


> Nothing the old dillon 1050 will not fix........


if you can find small pistol primers sure. they are harder to find than ammo.


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## random

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> if you can find small pistol primers sure. they are harder to find than ammo.


Including magnum. I can find .357 ammo if I look a bit, but no small pistol magnum primers to be found anywhere.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

last week there were magnum , this week I think even those may have been gone. didn't spend much time looking only 2 in the store at a time currently and I had to wait in line to get in and another guy behind me.


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## Shrek

Took me two weeks since my last trip to the gun shops here to get my 9mm JHP but yesterday one of the clerks called me to say they had what I had wanted and the clerk said for this local LEO re-certification , the cops didn't buy as much as anticipated and since during a past shortage when they called me to ask if I could return boxes I had bought from the civilian stock to help them fill the LEO re-cert needs, they sold me what I wanted from the surplus since the cops who are regular customers are out of their critical need period for awhile since they only buy their own ammunition during pre qualification extra range practice.


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## barnbilder

I noticed rifle bullets in the 30 to 40 buck per hundred range, and you would probably shoot a good part of them working up loads and changing sight in to make use of the oddball powder assortment that is typically available. According to my records, I last loaded anything in 2009, had enough to do me until now, but at a point where I can do it for fun now, having a dedicated area to set things up properly instead of the kitchen table. Need to stock up on components but I'm afraid now is not the time.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

keep checking local shops , know what you want and buy it when available , it keeps trickling in.

much like the 22lr shortage when someone realizes they can't go to the store and buy what they buy every year or every time they run out , they pannic and need 10x what they normally need the guy who is content to buy a box of 100 for small game hunting and around the farm dispatch each year now needs 1000 rounds or more.

hard to argue with a need for ammo while you watch US cities burn and police watch it.


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## JJ Grandits

After the last shortage I stocked up on .22's.
Probably have more than ten years worth.
Finding 9mm and .45's is kind of tough but can be done.
Just takes patience.
And money.
Picked up a box (20 cnt) of Black Hills 185gr. Jhp in the .45 flavor for $27.
Out my way that is cheap.


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