TOTM September 2020 - The Ammunition Shortage

IMO it's all driven by urbanites finally realizing they need guns. Multiple reasons from election year sensationalism to the very visible effort on the part of elected officials in major urban areas letting riots get out of control while they throw the police under the bus. Mom and Pop Kettle are finally seeing that WROL may ne just around the corner and they need to be able to save their own skin. Also interesting that the BIG rises in sales are to African Americans and women.

More guns = more need for ammo. People are panic buying because they are worried about life threatening scenarios than hunting or recreational shooting.

Manufacturers of firearms and ammo learned a costly lesson during the last panic where they increased production based on a Clinton Presidency, then when Trump won, the bottom fell out of the market. That destroyed profits pre-current panic and some well established manufacturers like DPMS didn't survive while others just managed to hang on. Extra shifts this time around - yes. More investment in production facilities - no, and that includes ammo.

I'm so freaking glad I went long when ammo was inexpensive. Don't exactly have an infinite supply, but have enough that if I use it all it's likely I will dead before I load my last mag.

 

The current crazy has turned a LOT of the not-in-my-house crowd into first time gun buyers. I'm sure I've mentioned it here but I come from a hard core liberal family and no one in it owns guns. They always thought I was nuts. They don't now. They've seen first hand the crazy that's coming. Some have friends who were on the receiving end of BLM "justice" recently and they're scared witless. As of now, my uber liberal sister in law (DFW), her two Bernie bro boys and their equally leftist wives(Los Angeles and San Diego) are all strapped and seriously re-evaluating their politics. SIL's baby sister (also DFW) who was always afraid of guns? Has two 9mm Berettas now and is taking shooting lessons with a private instructor. Other SIL who never wanted a gun just asked her husband to buy her one.

But it's not just the noobs buying up all the 9mm and 00 buck. One of our friends here in town runs a small gun shop and he said he's got a waiting list a mile long from locals wanting to add "a few more boxes" to the pile. Soon as he gets it, it's gone.

 

We got so damn lucky in my family, something just seemed wrong, and while we couldn't quite put a finger on WHAT, we all talked it through and all decided to bulk up which we did immediately! Turns out we got in just before the first hint of panic and rona, and boy are we all glad we did get what we wanted/needed when we did! It's so bad, you cant find ANYTHING except high end factory hunting fodder, and even those if there a sorta common caliber are getting tough to find! Example, my .375 Weatherby Magnum, factory stuff normally runs about $85.00 per box of 20, today, that same stuff is $120 IF you can find it! I have never bought a box, I reload that round, but still, DAMN! Got super lucky, scored the super hard to find/get Czech 9X18 NATO ammo, basically +P+ stuff The Mil issued in the 80's and 90's for their Politzi, got a full case of it and will horde it till I die!

 

I decided to take a view of the AO today.
Store 1, big box farm supply, no pistol of any caliber save 22lr, no 223,556,762x39,300blk. no buck no slugs
Store 2, dunhams, no pistol anything, no 22lr, and no 223,556,762x39,300blk. no buck no slugs.
Store 3, local coop. Birdshot only.
Store 4, medium farm supply. no pistol anything. no 223,556,762x39,300blk. no buck no slugs.
Store 5, Dicks. Birdshot only.
Store 6, local hardware, Birdshot only.
Store 7, LGS: again, no pistol anything. no 223,556,762x39,300blk., 308, 30-30, 30-06. Had expensive slugs and buck (2.50 a rd). but heck you could get 338, 224 valk, 6.5creed, 50bmg and something cheytac and a couple of cheap 50 dollar boxes of 375H&H. Only powder they had was trailboss in those big jugs, no primers for anything. Had hulls but no brass. no projectiles except muzzle loader round ball and and saboted.

found that there was ammo available in 1-2 box per person qtys of 22lr, 243, 270, 30-30, 30-06, 350 legend and 450 bushmaster across the 7 stores

Not a single AR platform in any of the stores to be found. no pump shotguns, no SA shotguns.
I saw a few SA handguns in 9 and 40, alas .. you can use it as a hammer because there isn't any fodder for them.
revolvers were mostly 22, but a couple of 357s and a few 38spcls
shotguns were over/under skeet
lots of lever actions but most were in 22lr. Some 357/38 special, 30-30
a number bolt guns in multiple hunting cals. 243,270 and 1 in 308

Wow, this is getting interesting. Now all the gov't needs to do is buy up all the ammo or put the ammo makers out of business and it's game over as resupplying the launcher is nigh near impossible.
I predict no warning shots ... ever.

On an interesting sidebar, In the past i took a few of my coworkers for a team building exercise a the local range. We are talking bernie/biden supporters who had never shot a firearm let alone pistols. I broadened their minds by showing them that firearms are not evil. they just sit there with their chamber flags when you go down range to change out the targets. Seriously, no one got shot. Considering how much ammo we burned through that day, and today's current prices at say .. jgsales .. we sent about 500 bucks down range.

Well, one of the fellas who has a biden sign in his yard, called me up and said ... I need to buy a gun, I'm thinking about getting a pistol like the one we shot. That started the conversation that lasted a couple of hours. He's worried about the world going to hell in a handbasket and wants to protect his family, he wanted something that would stop an assailant. He thought that the 1911 was the way to go. I convinced him that he was better off with a 20 or 12 gauge pump shotgun. multiple projectiles vs 1. Easier sight picture to master plus more likely to hit target if misaligned, and finally ammo availability.

He went to 3 different LGS / Big Box sporting goods stores before he finally found a pump in 12 gauge.
He is now the proud / nervous first time gun owner of a mossberg 500.
He also grabbed 2 boxes of #6 birdshot, a box of BB steel waterfowl and 2 boxes of low recoil buck.
I'll be going over to his place in heart of liberal land and we are going to go over and over and over gun safety, gun care, the manual of arms, and then off to the field to burn up one of the boxes of birdshot i'll bring a couple of slugs and another box of HV buck so he can see how those pattern/feel out of his shotgun.

Lord, please don't let him blow a hole in his house or hurt anyone before i get there next weekend.

 

Glad I scored some deals when I did, its a dry hump now days every time I look. Even the family gun shops shelves are bare. About the only thing I have seen at the 5-6 places I visit is hefty supply of small game and bird loads for 20gauge. Gun Racks are pretty much empty of rifles as well a couple .22 AR platforms and some bolt action .22s

I will quote my uncle that owns the gun shop said a few months back "God Damn Leftist Scum is arming up heavy, Great for business but bad for America!" Seen way too many people in the gun shops and farm stores holding a weapon and acting more like they holding pit viper............. And then purchase the shiny new Pit Viper that they are afraid of. Scary situation when you have scared people, that are scared of their own weapon.

On the bright side, the average newly armed Lefty does NOT have much in the way of ammo and for all practical purposes bough a new club.

 

Seen some pretty scary stuff running around the streets around here, lots of these ultra leftists are arming themselves up with old Mosins, and crap M96/98's and real crappy stuff, most likely the last dregs of the Big 5 stores, still, they are a threat, but they can be dealt with as needed!
The other thing I note is the numbers of black market arms and ghosts that have recently been seen, lots of them getting caught with illegal hand guns and SBR/SBS guns, which is telling!
They don't have the benefit of having stocked up before hand, before they were WOKE, and they do not have the quality or quantity to sustain much action for very long, and they suffer worse then us, as they are forced to pay more for what ever they can get or steal, and are also extremely limited in their supplies/resupply chain, and they seem to be practicing nightly, using up even more of their limited supplies! Use this to your advantage, know that once they blow their wad, they got nothing but fancy clubs to beat you with! Unless their buddies in power provide a resupply or Fast and Furious comes back across the border, they are screwed long term! Hold Fast and you should outlast them, then it's payback time, spend it wisely!

 

Always the danger of the left idiots with a few rounds and a cheap 12 ga setting outside your house and waiting you out. A single barrel shotgun with bird shot at the right distance can kill you just as dead as a 50 cal high end sniping rifle and then they have whatever you stocked up with. Next who wants to die when the goberment shows up to confiscate your guns if the democrats win? Might work in Texas, but don't look good in NY NY.

Stay away from crowds, be gray, Pray a lot for better times, and vote and talk all of your like minded friends into voting. Might not help as they are trying to steal the election, but not voting gives them control.

 

And never having fired one probably won't a second time. Wonderful battle rifle, but brutal on the shooter.
My LGS is one of the little guys that runs his shop on the side. There is some of everything on his shelves, but not much. Has a decent selection of emitters, including some that will sell to dumb snowflakes if they can find his shop. His ethics will not allow him to sell to the ignorant without a few quick lessons in this'n'that if they stand still long enough.

 

Same as last time pretty much DR. Folks afraid of Biden winning and the coming gun control laws that would result. BLM and the boyz are starting to put the fear of God into the lefties as they get closer to their gated communities. This will last until well after the election, no matter which way it goes. I'm waiting on a mixed order of 50k primers. They are harder to get but dealers can still get them. I operate by appointment only except for a few locals and LEO's. Most of my NFA stuff are dealer samples so I don't deal with the saggy bottom boyz. 99.9% of my clients are from word of mouth. We have cut our training back to the bare min as far as center fire goes and are using .22LR conversions and dry fire drills more.
We have more loaded ammo than we are likely to use, and even more in the form of reloading components.

As far as shotgun goes there is still plenty of bird shot on the shelves and folks shouldn't poo poo it. At close range it will kill you just as dead as buckshot/slugs. Shotguns are loud, and to me that can be a plus. If a baddie gets hit with #8 at say 300 feet it most likely will not be fatal-but it will scare the average guy. Unless they are highly trained anyone getting shot, no matter how slightly will at the very least take pause, and many will just plain freak. Not saying it's the end all be all, but you use what you have and it's better than a pointed stick.
Just my

 

Given today's leftist craziness, this could almost be classified as aiding and abetting the enemy...akin to training a terrorist cell...
Just sayin'.

 

Nope, still Americans. I don't have to agree with their views. There are crazies on both sides. Can't lump everyone to the left or the right with extremists. It would be like saying all police are bad.

I'd rather have this left leaning novice gun owner standing next and possibly a bit forward of me than a raving right lunatic fringe member within a few hundred meters. He'd be less likely to provoke a confrontation.

Like it or not, all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness even if their political / social views differ from mine. So, getting armed and trained to protect his own in the land of crazy people is his right, and I'm all for that.

Most Americans are not the crazy lunatics we are made out to be. It's not black and white but mostly gray. It's just the PTB want America to be divided and not united, easier to control them.

 

Don't know how much Ammo between my residence and stored at the BOL. Hope the fire department never sees just how much powder and primers are on hand, and what the neighbors don't know won't hurt them. I strongly suspect there are others in the neighborhood who are just as well stocked, if not even better.

But they aren't talking either. Good for them. SHTF and I'm sure we'll all find each other if I don't break for the BOL first. A little research showed that there are no less than four home-based FFLs under a mile radius. That's just one small zip code, one small area of town.

Hard to believe for a city that has turned so blue. It was a cowtown when I first moved here in the mid-70s.

I learned after the first major shortage back when Clinton was elected. Since then, the ones that have occurred have been only a minor inconvenience at worst even though I remember one that lasted a couple of years.

Rioters must know how well armed this blue town is too. There has so far been only one incident. It occurred in the downtown section and a restaurant had some windows broken out. That happened at the beginning of this mess and haven't heard of any more shenanigans since. Maybe the troublemakers got a clue from the locals, or from the local sheriff.

 

You are the freaking poster child for ammo scores!

 

There's a joke running around some of the antifa crowd that "the nazis" may have guns but they have unlimited molotov cocktails and we have -10 damage to fire. Of course, given last night they tried to throw molotovs on the cops but their weak pitching arms only allowed them to throw them on their buddies standing next to them, that may not be much of a concern.

More on topic, we made a run to the city today to get a part for the boat and swung by two sporting good stores. Academy and Camping World which used to be Gander Mountain but now is primarily for the RV crowd with a moderate supply of hunting gear. I wasn't thinking and left my phone in the car or I'da taken pics of the shelves. Camping World, the shotgun shelves were 100% empty. Nothing, not even birdshot. Only handgun ammo was .22. Rifle ammo consisted of about a dozen boxes of 30.06 and 7mm. Academy had #8 birdshot only for shotguns. Saw a few boxes of 40 cal for handguns and some subsonic .22. Rifles had 30.06, 7mm, and 2 boxes of 243 Winchester.

Also I don't really pay attention to firearm prices but man they all seemed overpriced to me. I guess it's really a seller's market ATM so I shouldn't be surprised.

 

I work at Rural King, and we can't keep ammo on the shelves or guns behind the counter. All that we have currently is 12 ga. bird shot ( it is dove season), .22lr for pistols, and some common hunting rounds for rifles. IF we do get in some 9mm ammo, it's gone before closing time...the same for AR-15s. People call the Gun Barn all day long searching for a certain gun or ammo to no avail. My advice is don't be so picky! Also you might want to let ammo availability determine the caliber you buy. No use buying a gun if there isn't any ammo. It might not be the gun or caliber you want, but it's better than NO gun or NO ammo!
Yes, there has been an increase in the number of Blacks, women, etc. buying guns of all types (handguns, shotguns and rifles) and ammo. A while back I helped a Black women load a case of .223 ammo on to a flat-cart...so yes some are buying ammo in bulk. Most people buy a few boxes and shoot it up as fast as they buy it. If you don't currently have a stockpile of ammo you are SOL! If you shoot up all of your ammo at the range you are a FOOL!

 

That's why I'm getting a CMMG 22LR conversion kit for my AR's. No way do I want to train right now and deplete my 5.56 reserves. Also why I bought a 22LR identical to my 9mm - everything the same except for the ammo. Training makes Jack a dull boy where skills are concerned.

While ammo is scarce I'm focusing on other things (zigging when they zag) so for firearms it's cleaning supplies, optics, slings, spare parts, but in a related tack looking at trauma kits and antibiotics along with natural pseudo opioids. Stocking up on pain relievers, vitamins.