OK, SO WHERE'S THE AMMO THEN?

[Rifleman200-10X]

The ammo and component makers all claim to be cranking it out as fast as they can, 24-7-365. Soooooo, since no one anywhere seems to have received more than a tiny trickle of it, where the heck is it going?

[Univibe]

To the same folks that started the Panic: new gun buyers, anxious peppers, speculators.

[BE Mike]

Our local indoor range has cases of 9mm ammo. Looks to me that the supply is starting to catch up with the demand. You should be able to get some calibers of ammo online.

[ZGrand]

9mm, .223, .556, and 12 gauge all seem to be plentiful around my locale. Other calibers - not so much. The guy behind the counter at the local Academy Sports told me they still have people lining up outside the store on mornings they get their ammo shipments.

[505Gibbs]

I would also offer that military and perhaps certain law enforcement types receive priority in their deliveries before the civilian population!

[advent]

In metro detroit area, ammo is plentiful at most places but its the price that is keeping it there. For 9mm, anything over $20 for target ammo sits on the shelf and under $20 gets sold quickly.

[quikdraw67]

Seems like 9mm, 45ACP, and 40S&W is readily available in my neck of Penn's Woods. Ditto .223/5.56. Prices on some is still high, others seem close to "normal ".

Hunting ammo, like 30-30, .243, and 30-06 is still scarce.

[djohns6]

It's pretty plentiful here ,and I get email flyers from Natchez Shooters every other day . If you can't find ammo you ain't looking hard .

[The Norseman]

Where's the Ammo; it's on the Local Gun Stores
from here to Wyoming.

Components are available. One Store I could've
bought Primers, had about 12 Bricks (1000 count
cartons) behind the counter.
One Store had some Powder too.

I am more Optimistic more stuff is coming once the
Cargo Ships, Truckers, Supply Channels can
deliver.

The best to you and your endeavors, and you
should have stocked up when times were good.

[LVSteve]

I'm seeing plenty of ammo out there, I just don't like the price.

[Billylee]

Checked out Walmart yesterday, mostly odd rifle cartridges, several 350 count boxes of Federal 22, and four boxes in two brands of 16 gauge #6 shot. That was it. Local range has 9mm at 17.50 per 50 rounds, 38 spl at 27.00 per 50, and 357 at 33.00 per fifty. 45 Colt, 44 magmun and special still over 1.00 per round. Checked out Wisconsin Surplus auction site also, and prices people are paying for ammo is just nuts. Good thing I don’t really need anything right now. Hope this isn’t the new normal. 🙁

[sigp220.45]

My Cabelas had almost everything yesterday. Even .38 Special at pre-panic prices.

The range where I shoot has so many cases of ammo stocked on the floor its hard to move around.

[ancient-one]

Rogers Sporting Goods has ammo with free shipping on $200 or more purchase. Prices about like every one else.
Reliable outfit. I have purchased both guns and ammo from them with no problems. Got my beloved P365 from them when they were really scarce.

[Wyo]

I'm seeing lots of ammo out there at high prices and mostly all in the high demand calibers - 5.56, 9mm, etc. On the other hand, hunting calibers are still harder to find and good luck if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary. I've been looking for .257 Roberts lately, either loaded or just the brass. Not a chance. No one has it in person or online. I have some 7x57 brass laying around and it looks like I'll be using it to make up the .257.

[JJEH]

Ammo is indeed coming back, unfortunately dealer prices rose too.

The thing is, and I know I have told this story before, as soon as I see ammo available and put in in the chart it's gone before I can complete the checkout process.

I think that either a) big stores have a guy just watch and refresh the page every 3 seconds, or b) big $ dealers call and place orders over the phone with a charge account.

[dave1918a2]

If the manufacturers would just delete all backorders We would have plenty. Of course the military gets the bulk. They don't order 10,000 rounds, They order 10,000,000.

[TX-Dennis]

Last time I was in an Academy I was surprised to see dozens of 200 round boxes of .380 on the shelf. I hadn't seen much .380 in months. They also had plenty of 9mm, .45, .223, 5.56, 7.62x39, .308, and 7.62x51 along with a smattering of others. Prices are also a bit lower than they were a few months ago.

[reddog81]

In the last month all the local gun shops and large chain stores I've been in have had full shelves. Prices will have to be moving down soon.

[The Preacher]

Everyone is in it for the dollar right now....Even ("Thank you for your business"!!!!) Midway...Which used to be my "go to" source for ammo... No longer. Everyone seems to be gouging.... including Midway. Remember these times and who gouged you in the future when things settle down... I certainly will.

The Preacher

[JJEH]

Originally Posted by The Preacher

Everyone is in it for the dollar right now....Even ("Thank you for your business"!!!!) Midway...Which used to be my "go to" source for ammo... No longer. Everyone seems to be gouging.... including Midway. Remember these times and who gouged you in the future when things settle down... I certainly will.

The Preacher

Gouging is one thing, price adjustment another. Many distributors have raised their prices, not sure if manufacturers did. I can only imagine.

Many times I had to cover the difference from the shipping cost I had charged to the ones I was actually charged. And FedEx did raise prices too.

I can't sell just to sell, there's got to be some profit somewhere in the mix!

[shovelmike]

Originally Posted by TX-Dennis

Last time I was in an Academy I was surprised to see dozens of 200 round boxes of .380 on the shelf. I hadn't seen much .380 in months. They also had plenty of 9mm, .45, .223, 5.56, 7.62x39, .308, and 7.62x51 along with a smattering of others. Prices are also a bit lower than they were a few months ago.

I try to go to my local Academy on delivery days, price is down a bit...got to get there early.

[S&WIowegan]

I just did a quick walk through and they had several types of 9mm including Federal Syntech 150 gr 9mm for $21./box of 50. Another guy was looking for 45-70 and they had none. He's frustrated because that's what he uses for deer. We have lots of deer.

[Rifleman200-10X]

Originally Posted by Univibe

To the same folks that started the Panic: new gun buyers, anxious peppers, speculators.

Well, if theres none on the shelf to buy, I doubt it's still the hoarders. I just can't understand why major distributors like Midway, Graf, and etc. show pretty much "out of stock, no backorder" on almost everything, if they're producing what they claim.

[LVSteve]

Originally Posted by Rifleman200-10X

Well, if theres none on the shelf to buy, I doubt it's still the hoarders. I just can't understand why major distributors like Midway, Graf, and etc. show pretty much "out of stock, no backorder" on almost everything, if they're producing what they claim.

Because they don't like the current wholesale price. Several smaller ammo places have all the ammo you want...if you like paying 46 cents a round for 9mm 115gr FMJ plinking fodder.

When it comes to rifle cartridges, I suspect that the manufacturers are not doing runs of many hunting calibers but are concentrating on the bulk sellers, .223, 5.56 NATO, .308/7.62 NATO, and 7.62x39.

[LNBright]

I'm now seeing 'common' calibers. 9mm, .45acp, .357mag, .22, .223, etc.

What I am NOT finding, any at all, are things like .45LC, .45AR, .45 Cowboy Specials, etc etc. I used to be able to find these sitting on local shelves, but they've simply vanished, aren't even locating them available online (maybe they're out there, and I've not found the right place to look).

In a shop yesterday, they had a beautiful S&W in .45LC. When the fella asked if I needed help, I pointed out that gun, that you have it, but do you have any ammo for it... he really hated having to say that he didn't have a thing for it. Kinda puts a cramp on selling something, if you can't feed it.

[The Norseman]

Wow! “A Nice S&W .45colt” ammo would have been the
least of my worries.

I wouldn’t let having “no ammo” make my decision
not to buy a S&W Revolver.

Oh well, to each their own.

[robrossk]

My local places have a lot of common calibers but prices are still very high. Last gun show I attended had LOTS of ammo. I did not see anyone buying (prices again).

[sigp220.45]

Targetsports is advertising steel case Wolf 9mm for 16 bucks a box.

Can $9.99 be far behind?

[LNBright]

Originally Posted by The Norseman

Wow! “A Nice S&W .45colt” ammo would have been the
least of my worries.

I wouldn’t let having “no ammo” make my decision
not to buy a S&W Revolver.

Oh well, to each their own.

I'd just gotten another S&W project, I'd have been in the doghouse if I brought home a second one back-to-back. It really wasn't the S&W that was my goal for the day anyway, I was really using it to broach the lack of ammo availability in the non-popular calibers, without outright just throwing down a "why don't have LC available?", thought it might be gentler to bring up the caliber in such a way...

[The Norseman]

Now that you said it that way, now I understand.
Thank you for the explanation. I wish you the
best in your project. Please share the adventure
when your done.

[HappyJack]

It has to be some folks buying up components and ammo to keep the prices high. I still have primers from years ago and can load my own so I have no need to buy nor do I want to at these prices. Best thing for folks to do is not to panic buy. Just stop buying it period unless you really need it. If folks stop paying those prices for ammo and components the prices will come down. But not until folks stop paying those inflated prices.

[CH4]

They're putting most of their production effort into 9mm, 223/556 and other handgun cartridges. Lots of it on shelves with prices slowly coming down. Still don't see much rifle ammo aside from 270, 30-06, 243, etc. What the heck is 224 Valkyrie. Federal apparently sees a demand for this. Doesn't seem to move fast.

[scoobysnacker]

Originally Posted by Wyo

I'm seeing lots of ammo out there at high prices and mostly all in the high demand calibers - 5.56, 9mm, etc. On the other hand, hunting calibers are still harder to find and good luck if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary. I've been looking for .257 Roberts lately, either loaded or just the brass. Not a chance. No one has it in person or online. I have some 7x57 brass laying around and it looks like I'll be using it to make up the .257.

My observation- my son and I both like to shoot.

My son likes to shoot rifles, "surplus" for the most part, but in our case that includes 30-30 (Winchester 94 lever gun). This being an old, classic "Western" gun.

So... run on guns and ammo started last summer; popular rounds like 9mm and .223 fly off the shelves (you can include 45 acp and 380 acp in this).

Manufacturers see this, see demand, and crank up production of those (9mm, 223 and such). Emphasis on those, other (ie "hunting" calibers) will be ignored... because they weren't in high demand.
*most people weren't rushing out to buy a .243 bolt action for self defense at that moment.

So now, we're seeing the results of the manufacturers. 9mm, 223, and such- now more available. Still pricey because hey, why not?, but it's out there.

Hunting calibers, which generally would be produced in small runs, weren't made in their normal timeframes, because there was such a continued high demand for the other stuff. So now, people are going to the shelves, and not finding what they normally would.

Going back to my son and his rifles- I found and bought 4 boxes of 30-30 (Federal), at Walmart, for $14 a box, last November. Wasn't in high demand. Seems to be extremely hard to find now. We're not interested in flipping or selling, at some point we will shoot them.
Argentine 7.65 Mauser ammo, same thing. Last year, found some PPU at reasonable price, found some surplus at reasonable price (as in, maybe about the same it had been in say 2018). Bought it, going to shoot it up eventually. Not available currently.
308, last year early on came across a clearance on ammoman, baggies of loose brass 308 fmj (Armscor), $20 for bag of 50. Bought a couple hundred. Purpose, shoot (at the time) through an Ishapore in 7.62 NATO, Armscor upon contact assured me they load their 308 and 7.62 NATO identically, that the rounds THEY MAKE would interchange.

You can go on and on, and draw the conclusion: big ammo run on popular calibers, manufacturers then focused exclusively on those calibers. As supply of other calibers dwindled, they weren't replenished.
We bought 'excess' because we plink in those, others might buy a box or two for express hunting purposes and didn't expect to need to buy more than needed that season. Now THEY feel the pinch.

Goes to show you, you SHOULD get 2+ years worth of what you need, even if it's not high demand. Limits of production dictate what gets made, and if you have something 10 million folks don't want right now, it won't be prioritized.

[max]

I was on my 24th annual pheasant hunt in South Dakota a couple of weeks ago and only 1 store we found had any #4, 5 or 6 shot and they were limiting to 2 boxes.

Everybody in my group had enough, but one guy bought 2 boxes just in case for next year.

[GypsmJim]

Originally Posted by The Norseman

Where's the Ammo; it's on the Local Gun Stores
from here to Wyoming.

Components are available. One Store I could've
bought Primers, had about 12 Bricks (1000 count
cartons) behind the counter.
One Store had some Powder too.

I am more Optimistic more stuff is coming once the
Cargo Ships, Truckers, Supply Channels can
deliver.

The best to you and your endeavors, and you
should have stocked up when times were good.

Well, that's just fine for y'all between the Dakotas and Wyoming. But, it's not the same for us back east.

I have been dealing with my LGS for over 40 years now. Just bought a gun there yesterday. They have not had a delivery of primers in over 6 months. They had a few boxes of off-brand 9 mm, at a price point that was 3x pre-pandemic.

My local WallMarts (4 of them) have had bare shelves for 18 months. Maybe a box or 2 of target 12 gauge shotgun shells.

My Local Cabellas used to have a whole room of ammo. Now they have one single shelf, with odd calibers that hardly anyone buys anyway.

My goto online stores are all sold out of primers.

Deer season starts here in a week. In the short time I was doing the paperwork for the new gun, no fewer than 6 guys came in asking for shotgun deer slugs. None to be had anywhere.

Actually, I DID stock up and right now have an 8 year supply of everything I need. But a lot of my friends weren't that thoughtful, or didn't have the cash laying around.

[Univibe]

After Sandy Hook I foresaw all this. Last few years I've been stocking up. Bags of bullets, bricks of primers, 8# jugs of powder. Cases of .22LR when they had free shipping.

[RCL-09]

Originally Posted by Rifleman200-10X

The ammo and component makers all claim to be cranking it out as fast as they can, 24-7-365. Soooooo, since no one anywhere seems to have received more than a tiny trickle of it, where the heck is it going?

To one of my LGS.... more ammo than ever before.... 100 of thousands of rounds...

Of course it all starts at about a $1.00 to $1.10 a round and goes up from there.

[jeffrefrig]

It's turning even MORE people into criminals, apparently. Just this past week, a small local PD had a shipment of 1000 rounds of .45 (I assume ACP, as they didn't get that specific) stolen from the box the delivery driver was bringing into the station; poorly re-taped. The chief said they needed it mainly for annual qualifying. I can't remember if FedEx or UPS. Article said they have 10 full & 2 part time officers. The chief said something about the box may have broken open and it all fell out at one of the dist. points! The box was decorated with "Warning: Live ammunition" tape & stickers. I suppose that means "Steal me" to the workforce. So now he said he has to pay retail.
I would advise anyone driving through Allegheny Township in Western PA to obey all traffic laws to a T for a while!
I've had ammo delivered to my house and never had any boxes labeled with that caution tape.
1000 rounds isn't very much for 10-12 officers, but somebody is gonna have a Happy Holiday.

[g27racing]

I am an FFL for about 5 years now. As many have noted the common calibers are significantly more available now and while prices have come down a lot from a year ago they are not at pre-pandemic prices. I can also say that the prices from distributors are up 50-90% from the pre-pandemic levels so right now. Ammo costs me more now than I was selling it for pre-pandemic. To put this bluntly: The reason ammo was so high for the first year of so of this fiasco we call the pandemic was dealers raised prices on their goods as they were in very very high demand. As demand has lessened the retailers have lowered their prices. However the distributors have raised their prices (not sure if manufacturers have raised prices) which is why at this time ammo couldn't get back to pre-pandemic retail pricing even if gun stores wanted to drop the price. Remember that the price of virtually everything has gone up due to various supply chain and labor issues. Doesn't mean things won't get back where they were but its impossible to happen right now.... and I have had primers backordered for well over a year.. probably 18 months.

[wyo-man]

Originally Posted by Wyo

I've been looking for .257 Roberts lately, either loaded or just the brass. Not a chance. No one has it in person or online. I have some 7x57 brass laying around and it looks like I'll be using it to make up the .257.

Please contact me regarding .257 Roberts brass.

wyo-man

[mrcvs]

Originally Posted by advent

In metro detroit area, ammo is plentiful at most prices...

Yes, I wouldn’t want to walk around metro Detroit unless I had lots of ammo readily available, LOL!

[Greyman50]

Several wal-marts have CCI target for $4.83/ 50 and high priced Win yellow box 22’s plus shotgun shells, 222 Rem, 7.62 ball, and some odd ball rifle calibers.

[Telecaster]

Realizing that gun forums are an imperfect and small cross-section of the gun community, and not all gun people are represented thereupon, it does stand out to me that I have never once read a forum post on any of the six or seven gun forums I visit by someone who stands in line at dawn waiting for the store to open so they can buy all the ammo as soon as it appears.

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen since I have no evidence, but in the two years of this drought the stories, to me, have the dubious status of urban legend.

You’d think by now someone would have admitted to being one of those guys. I read reports of what’s on the shelves during business hours, but no one reports on the booty of their pre-dawn raid.

[sigp220.45]

Originally Posted by Telecaster

Realizing that gun forums are an imperfect and small cross-section of the gun community, and not all gun people are represented thereupon, it does stand out to me that I have never once read a forum post on any of the six or seven gun forums I visit by someone who stands in line at dawn waiting for the store to open so they can buy all the ammo as soon as it appears.

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen since I have no evidence, but in the two years of this drought the stories, to me, have the dubious status of urban legend.

You’d think by now someone would have admitted to being one of those guys. I read reports of what’s on the shelves during business hours, but no one reports on the booty of their pre-dawn raid.

Well, I haven’t done it, but I have definitely seen it.

I stopped in at our local Murdoch’s (a farm supply store) and there was a line from the back of the store (where the gun stuff is) to the checkout area at the front. It included the apocryphal old dudes sitting on naturally occuring folding chairs and ice chests. I got my dog bones and asked the checkout girl “ammo truck?” She nodded and said they knew what day the truck comes and wait outside for the store to open.

There is actually ammo on the shelves all day there now, so I suspect ammo is not so easy to flip these days.

[Bumpus13]

Originally Posted by Rifleman200-10X

The ammo and component makers all claim to be cranking it out as fast as they can, 24-7-365. Soooooo, since no one anywhere seems to have received more than a tiny trickle of it, where the heck is it going?

Seems like the last handful of times I’ve been to my local Cabela’s, they’ve had an increasing variety of calibers and choices available.

Though not to the extent normally, and at roughly 2x pre-madness prices … it IS coming back. And as people are stopping buying everything in sight the second it’s available, the shelves get a little fuller each time I go back.

This too shall pass.

[GypsmJim]

Originally Posted by Telecaster

Realizing that gun forums are an imperfect and small cross-section of the gun community, and not all gun people are represented thereupon, it does stand out to me that I have never once read a forum post on any of the six or seven gun forums I visit by someone who stands in line at dawn waiting for the store to open so they can buy all the ammo as soon as it appears.

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen since I have no evidence, but in the two years of this drought the stories, to me, have the dubious status of urban legend.

You’d think by now someone would have admitted to being one of those guys. I read reports of what’s on the shelves during business hours, but no one reports on the booty of their pre-dawn raid.

I use WalMart as my pharmacy since they sell my pills cheaper than my insurance company allows, so I go in without insurance. They also sell milk and necessary food stuff cheaper than my grocery store.

So, that's my justification and I don't care if I am bashed for going to what many consider to be a horrid place.

Anywhoot, back to the question. I often go early and most every day the sporting goods store has a line waiting for ammo to be set out. IMHO (and I have asked some in line) they are scalpers waiting to screw the common people at gun shows, not simply an old codger that needs some ammo.

[sigp220.45]

Lots of ammo at Cabelas today. Eight boxes of .45 Colt cowboy loads, so I treated myself to a box for 44 bucks, which I think is the pre-Chicken Little price.

I had to pass on the 639, though I will keep an eye on it.

[GypsmJim]

Originally Posted by sigp220.45

Lots of ammo at Cabelas today. Eight boxes of .45 Colt cowboy loads, so I treated myself to a box for 44 bucks, which I think is the pre-Chicken Little price.

I had to pass on the 639, though I will keep an eye on it.

Last week my Cabelas had one single 4' shelf of odd calibers that I had no interest in.

Many years ago I acquired a supply of cheap lead and many many once fired brass cases at discount prices. Now, my only cost is primers and powder.

Last year when the 6:00 news said "pandemic" I went online and bought what I needed for years to come - it was even on sale. Now i load a box of 50 .45 Colts for $2.55.

When primers come down to $40 a brick, I'll buy some more.

[S&WIowegan]

in modest quantities at some stores in some calibers. Our local Mills Fleet Farm had several brands of 9mm on the shelf. Prices seem to be more normal, i.e. Federal Syntech 150 gr 9mm was $22./ box.

I really haven't much sympathy for those who were unprepared and high prices are the market way of rationing. If this is unacceptable, there are probably some countries where everything is controlled. Go for it!

[peyton]

Glad to add to this thread, I was visiting Huntsville Al, over the weekend. My best friend and I went to a gun show, ammo was sparse and expensive.

I was trying to find 32-20 ammo, one of men within ear range heard me and he yelled at his buddy about where did they see it the week before. His buddy said the name of the gun store and that they at least had a case!! I thanked them for the information and was able to buy three hundreds rounds later. (for a dollar a bullet)

The gun shop had an assortment of hunting ammo, and we were looking at the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, he is well supplied so he did not buy any.
We went next to Cabela's looking for reloading stuff. I spotted a woman examining the ammo shelf closely and asked what she was looking for.
She told me 6.5 Creedmoor and I suggested she go to the gun shop we just left. We gave her the stores name and she left immediately to go buy some.

My friend and I laughed at the fact that someone heard a question and helped two different people find what they were looking for!!

So if your in the Alabama/Tennessee area contacting me for more information