I'm sure most of you have already noticed this, but it just hit me the other day as I dropped into our neighborhood LGS.

I hadn't been there for a while, so I was nonchalantly cruising around the ammunition section. WOW!! What a surprise!! There was plenty of 9mm ammo, but what I would normally classify as the common stuff was not to be found...at all! I'm talking about stuff like .38 Special, .30-30, 20 gauge field loads, .22 LR, etc. You know...the kind of ammo that you used to be able to pick up at the local filling station. Crazy times.

All I can say is, I'm darn glad I re-load.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

I have been darn glad for 48 years. Many good things happened after my AF discharge.

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S&WHF 366

it's no surprise.
It's really just a logical function of shifting production to where demand is.
While difficult to deal with, I was a bit concerned that it took this long for the industry to adapt.

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it just needs more voltage

I'm seeing some 9mm and .22LR, but still no .38 SPL or .357 Magnum at my LGSs.

I haven't seen any 30-30, 45-70, 303 British or even 30-06 ammo in years. Not any 38/357, 45 ACP, 380 ACP, 32 ACP or 45 Colt in a long time either.

Seeing some 9mm, 223 Remington, 7.62x39mm and a little .308 Winchester ammo but not much of anything else where I live.

A few months ago one local store somehow got skids on Norma ammo in several hunting cartridges but the prices were prohibitive. None the less it didn't last long but $35 for 115gr FMJ 9mm ammo is ridiculous.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Yes, ammo is back, but at higher prices. Lots of powder too. But primers...

John

Add .35 Remington to that list. Stuff has been unobtanium in these parts for over a year. I have a few boxes (and I reload for it) but wouldn’t mind picking up a few more.

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Some Might Say.

My local GS actually had (3) 20 rd boxes of 150 gr Remington Soft point.

I reload and use 168 GR BST bullets, so did not need any but was surprised to see it on shelf. Cheaper by $3 a box than Midway.

If you are looking for 9mm or .223/5.56 there is much selection. Revolver ammo,in the two big box stores I checked on tuesday, is non existant.

Good thing I reload. Now just have to look for primers.

Hardest handgun ammo to find around here is .38/.357 magnum. Very rare to see on shelf. All the deer calibers are also gone the way of the dodo bird. .30-30, .243, .270, .30-06, etc. All the rest of the basic stuff is available, including .22 LR, and prices aren’t beyond the pale. I even found some Aguila 12 gauge mini shell slugs today for less than $1 a round.

Stuff shows up and sells out. Constant vigilance is the key . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Dang OP, do you live in a cave? This has been going on for a long, long time; like years. Glad that you reload. Hope you have a huge supply of primers! TargetSports has .38 SPL as of today.

Nope. I don't live in a cave...and I realize we've had an ammo shortage for quite a while. I just never paid much attention to the fact that the more common calibers are harder to find than the proverbial hen's teeth. I mean...c'mon!! .30-30 ammo hard to find?? I would've never believed it.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

My local Bass Pro shows 150 gr. and 170 gr. .30-30 ammo in stock!

He's a couple thousand miles away from you . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

This week I was surprised to see some 32 S&W and 32 S&W Long on a local gun shop shelf.

John

Local wally worlds have 30-30 and several other well known hunting rounds. GT Distributors have 38 Spl. and 357 Mag but more than I want to spend, just reload more. Get 6 or more emails from Palmetto State with lots of 9 mm, 5.56/223 ammo at almost old prices, but then theres shipping…..

Our LGS's have almost anything you want, but you are going to pay for it. I am saving my money for primers when they are back again. Bought 1k SPP for 85 not too long ago. All things considered this is still cheaper than off the shelf since I have all of the other components purchased at pre-panic prices. Glad I bought and held on to the SD ammo many years ago. I have enough that I will never have to worry about it. The same goes for 30-06 which is my standard big game cartridge. I am a bit short on Dove loads though. 250.00 for a case of 2 3/4 7.5 low brass just grinds my gears. Used to buy AAA for 70 bucks a case, Remmington was 55.00.

I do believe we're considered "old-fashioned", "not with it" and retail, especially big retail, caters mostly to the 20-40 year old set.
Seems to me 9mm is the new .38 spec, 7.62x39 is the new 30-30, and 5.56 is the new 30-06.

Funny thing is that our generation, mostly with kids grown up and out, mortgages paid off, for the most part, probably have more disposable income.

Most of the people who use 30-30 or 35 Rem. or those types of calibers don't buy a lot of ammo. If they use 2 boxes a year that's a lot of shooting. I hunt with some Maine hunters who have had the same box of ammo for ten years. Most of the people who shoot 223 or 9mm are going through it by the case. Not to mention all of the Government contracts from around the world. It's not hard to understand what production the manufacturers are going to prioritize in a time when production is limited. Having said that, I have been seeing a lot of 30-30, 30-06 and 45-70 starting to show up on a regular basis. For some reason I see a lot of 350 Legend around. I guess it's not moving like they want it to. A couple of shops I go to had it on the shelf all through the scamdemic. I guess it's not in much demand. Of course everything, primers, 35 Remington, 444 Marlin is available to those who are willing to pay for it.

In the Vegas area, there’s a lot of 9mm, .40, 45acp, 5.56 and 308. Other than a few boxes of 38 fmj, there’s no revolver cartridges, 10mm or rifle cartridges other than 270, 243 and 30-06. When you do see 35 rem, 300 sav, 47-70, it’s $3 to $4 a round. I am still pissed I didn’t grab 3 boxes of 30-30 I saw at Walmart a few weeks ago $23.

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213th FBINA

If you don’t reload, Freedom Munitions and Norma have pretty good prices.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Plenty of fairly priced (for current pricing) name brand 9mm, 45ACP at on line vendors including free shipping (PM me if you need specifics). Norma has 38spl and 357 magnum pretty regularly with occasional pricing specials, too. I'm using my reloading components for 44 spl and 44 magnum- hard to find in stores or on line, but when you do - ouch!