# Ammo shortage



## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

What is the status in your area for obtaining ammunition ?

It's difficult to find a sustainable supply of .22 cartridges
especially. The store shelfs are consistently ru out
and the supply always in question as to what is available to
order.

What's it like where you live?


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

i believe distributors are buying ammo and hording. only selling a little at a time, to keep the price up. you can get pretty much anything on the internet but it's expensive. i spoke to a fellow at CCI and he assured me that they are loading 2 million rounds of .22 daily. he said he thinks everybody is hoarding. i just don't buy that. ammo manufacturers are also loading for the gov't right now. couple years ago the gov't ordered 2 billion rounds of ammo. they can make more money loading for the gov't than they can loading for you.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

I have picked up a thousand rounds of 22 LR at the local Wally World last month. They are usually out so I got some when I could.

I have primers, wads. and shot to load up thousands of trap loads but the powder is nowhere to be found. No Red Dot, 700X, Clays, Clay Dot, American Select, or Winchester powder. 

The shortages of ammo and components can't be just the result of hoarding. I suspect the gun grabbers are having the gooberment buy up most of the production. When we get a more conservative gooberment they will sell off the accumulation, driving down the prices. The manufacturers will have a hard time with a glut on the market and some may go out of business so the gun grabbers win again.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

Locally, it is whatever walmart, gander mountain, dick's sporting goods, etc get in. There is an app for finding out which walmart stores will have .22 - it is called brassbadger or one can go to the site at brassbadger.com. Using wikiarms or gunbot.net will throw the net wider and allow one to see what places online have .22 for sale. If near a Cabela's or a Gander Mountain, it is easier to order online and choose the free ship to store. Then if there is a limit of how many can be ordered per customer per day - They can be shipped to the store for free and picked up when one is going that way (saves gas). OR companies that have .22 for a decent enough price and no limits can allow one to order a larger quantity and have it shipped to their home (like sgammo, etc).

Gunbot also has a section for reloading supplies (powder, primers, bullets). I was able to find enough powder for reloading, not from gunbot, but by reading on another forum that a company in Wisconsin had powder in stock. I didn't see a particular kind I wanted and so instead of ordering online I called in a phone order and they had some left for sale. Widener's and Natchez have been getting powder in from time to time - but just like .22, one needs to move quickly if they are looking to order any.

All other common calibers (except .380) seem to be in stock locally - .380 is hit or miss locally, but can be found online.

goodatit - the cci rep was probably underestimating the amount produced daily - as I've read a few different places that the amount of .22 made daily is more than that. With that said, some simple math will show that even with 2 million rounds a day how quickly that would be sold out, even if just sent to walmart and not to any other establishment. Anymore it seems that 6 to 10 cents a round is the going rate for .22 LR ammo (unless from walmart). Will we ever see 2 cents a round again, probably not. I also see that unless there is a large glut of .22 ammo that prices will stay in that price point. Look at .223/5.56 - it went up in price but came down some and there seems to be .223/5.56 available everywhere I look (my local walmart has a bunch, so does gander mountain, etc - I see it in stock online too).


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

In this area all your going to get at a box store as far as ammo is an excuse. Dunham's has had 22 mag ammo right along. the local gun shops has 22LR ammo at 100 rounds a week so the flippers and hoarders are not buying it all up and no one else gets any. They put your name on the list every week you buy so you can't go back a day later and buy more.

I can also get all the popular shot gun powders here like red blue and green dot. Haven't checked on any of the others as the a dots work well in the pistols too.

 Al


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

.22 has been hard to find for a bit, when it comes in it sells out fast. Part is hoarders, part is government and part may be that there are more people new to guns and .22 is a common load and not something most people fear.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I went to a gun show a couple months ago.. .22LR everywhere, but no one was buying much because most vendors were selling it for $75-80 for a brick of 500.... about 4 times the old normal prices of about $22 a brick...


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

simi-steading said:


> I went to a gun show a couple months ago.. .22LR everywhere, but no one was buying much because most vendors were selling it for $75-80 for a brick of 500.... about 4 times the old normal prices of about $22 a brick...


 I found the same. I had a person with Federal Government tell me he could get me all I want  I didn't buy from him but I did think what the heck??? I did buy some from a County Sheriff friend of mine at very reasonable price.

Truth I was going to buy a New Rifle but thought again as far as Ammo. Decided to use mainly Muzzleloaders. In past for Small Game I have used .22 but with shortage I have been using Muzzleloading Shotgun. And even with Muzzleloaders I use to use Pistol rounds with Sabots, found I couldn't get the rounds so just mold Full Caliber rounds with pure Lead.

big rockpile


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Around here it can be found if you spend the time to find it. Most is just regular .22lr but I am partial to Stingers. I've got enough to go squirrel hunting next month and pop off varmints until spring. 

.22 wmr and .22 magnum are another story. Those can be found relatively easily.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Brother in law told me yesterday he went and stood in line at Gander mountain for 2 hours before they opened. He got 1500 rounds of CCi's for his troubles for 12 cents a round.

 Al


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

No shortage here. Prices are high. I don't know if there's a limit? I just got 200 rounds 9m for $60. Was a sale/ good deal so I bought x5 no problems.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I am told that the local hardware store has 22's for----$4.95----box of 50.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Around here .22LR are stocked right next to the hens teeth. One store I know will sell you a box if you first make a $20 purchase.


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## JawjaBoy (Jan 21, 2013)

Around here, .22LR is hard to get but most other calibers are usually available. Reloading components are a bit harder to find. Several places I've been to have had primers, but powder and bullets are slim to none. Glad I have enough rimfire rounds and centerfire components to hold me for a little while longer.


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## MOSSYNUT (Aug 8, 2014)

Same here in the sand box .22 is a unicorn. luckily long before everything got so hard to come by every week on our trip to get groceries i would grab a box or two of ammo. each week a different caliber. Also I've lucked up on the net from individuals selling cheap and yard sales. One that comes to mind they had 12 gauge #6 for $1 a box he had something like 40 boxes I got them all. That must have been 10 years ago. I haven't bought any since.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

moonwolf said:


> What is the status in your area for obtaining ammunition ?
> 
> It's difficult to find a sustainable supply of .22 cartridges
> especially. The store shelfs are consistently ru out
> ...



that's funny , you Canadian fellas was telling us how it was everywhere last year 

thats ok we have been feeling the pain for a while now dec 2012 was the big run , but it wasn't in great supply since 2008 

no not a government conspiracy , no the manufactures are making more than they have ever made before 

I have spoken with ATK , back when i got our youth shooting sports order in , they said they are making more than they have ever made before ,3 shifts a day , and people are just buying it that fast 


the problem is US in some ways , I found some 6 moths ago and you bet i bought my 3 box limit i haven't seen any since either , the way my kids shoot if i take them to the range 3 boxes doesn't last long 
so we have't been to the range very many times , and when we do i bring the bolt action 22 and not the semi auto 

I know a bunch of farmers who probably bought a brick a decade if that one had the ammo his dad gave him with the gun he shoots ***** around the farm and thats about it and i am trapping most fo them for him now, guarantee if he could find a brick right now for 25 dollars it would be purchased because he is tired of looking , he asked me if I knew where he could buy some he was down to his last 10 rounds after the last **** he shot this summer from next to the chicken coop, I gave him 25 rounds to hold him over till i can find some for him 


so anyone who can afford a box and sees it on the shelf , is buying it 

yes some people who know when the shipment comes in are waiting and buying their limit and going to gun shows and trying to sell it at 3x the price but i think that is tapering off people are not willing to drop 3x on 22ammo if they can make due till they find some at the normal price 

manufacturers and distributors are not price changing a brick of bulk ammo is still 25-30 dollars if it can be found 


on the up side there has probably never been more ammo in civilian hands in history when every one has a few K things will get better , maybe 
or maybe everyone will need a few more K

I generally figure anyone who is willing to wait till they find it at a fair price has a brick or two put up 


but no one will say what they have , don't want to be seen as hoarders but I can tell you it is not hard to burn thru a brick in a day with the kids


like some of the others said just about everything but 22 is on the shelf and at fairly normal prices 2-3 dollars more than it was 4-5 years ago but that's about how much the value of money has gone down


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Picked up 4 boxes of 50 last week, cost me $4.25:huh: each out the door with the taxes..First 200 rds. I've bought outa the store in 3 years...:grumble:


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> Brother in law told me yesterday he went and stood in line at Gander mountain for 2 hours before they opened. He got 1500 rounds of CCi's for his troubles for *12 cents a round*.
> 
> Al



Holy cow!


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> Brother in law told me yesterday he went and stood in line at Gander mountain for 2 hours before they opened. He got 1500 rounds of CCi's for his troubles for 12 cents a round.
> 
> Al


And I thought paying 6 to 8 cents a round was bad, lol.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> Brother in law told me yesterday he went and stood in line at Gander mountain for 2 hours before they opened. He got 1500 rounds of CCi's for his troubles for 12 cents a round.
> 
> Al


WOW.. back in 2012 before this happened, I was paying $66 at most for that many rounds... Man am I so glad I was buying up a lotta ammo back then.


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

^ ^ What Greencountypete said.

The local wal mart gets 22's in 2 or 3 times a week, but it sells out within a few minutes to a couple hours. Their price hasn't gone up much, just about normal inflation. Anyone else either is paying too much and has to charge too much retail, or is just charging too much. I believe that certain wholesale buyers that had contracts are getting it somewhat regularly, but many other sellers are playing catch-up to find any to sell. They are making TONS of it. People are BUYING tons of it as fast as they make it. I don't buy the .gov conspiracy for a second. There are scads of new gun owners, and they and many of the previous owners are buying whatever they see.

Other than new gun owners, I'm surprised anyone was caught without ammo. I cant imagine only having enough ammo to go shoot once or twice. I've been fine for 22's and reloading components through all this nonsense. After the first time I ran low when loading ammo, I never just bought barely enough supplies to get by on. Back when it was cheap and easy to get, besides having a fair bit on hand, I bought a bulk box of 22's every month or so for a couple years. Doesn't take up much room, and lasts a lifetime. I've hardly made a dent in it. When I was young and poor, I still kept a couple extra boxes of shells around for whatever I used. I guess not everyone thinks to do that. :shrug:


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

for a lot of people , it was just always so easy to go buy a box that they never thought to stock up on it , same goes for rice , cereal , flour sugar , sure it keeps but the store always has some on the shelf , till they don't

son has been taking hunters ed this week , i learned that casters are not normal re-loaders and re-loaders are not normal gun owners , that must make me an extra extra special gun owner


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> son has been taking hunters ed this week , i learned that casters are not normal re-loaders and re-loaders are not normal gun owners , that must make me an extra extra special gun owner



And guys who shoot cast in wildcats are really abnormal!


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