Ammo shortage?

Lon C. · Jul 24, 2020

Jeez, I'm one of those new shooters. When I bought my 327, I went to my local Wal-Mart and bought several bricks of .38. The next week or whenever I went to W/M, would buy another, then another. Right now, we've got about 2,000 rounds of .38 and .357.

Last week, my wife and I went to W/M for groceries...Dum-de-dum-dum. Wal-Mart closed out their ammo sales; expanded the camping equipment area with the new available space.

MajorD · Jul 25, 2020

Lon C. said:
Jeez, I'm one of those new shooters. When I bought my 327, I went to my local Wal-Mart and bought several bricks of .38. The next week or whenever I went to W/M, would buy another, then another. Right now, we've got about 2,000 rounds of .38 and .357.

Last week, my wife and I went to W/M for groceries...Dum-de-dum-dum. Wal-Mart closed out their ammo sales; expanded the camping equipment area with the new available space.

Walmart announced they were stopping handgun ammo sales in December 2019 very old news. You got lucky they were still selling off remaining stock
My area is very heavy gun culture, and literally the week after the announcement all 3 Walmart’s in town were completely out of handgun ammo.
I am lucky we have a ton ( probably about 20) gun shops in driving distance from my house within an hour. Every one is almost bare of inventory both guns and ammo.
Lucky I have enough to get me by ( and happy I reload and have components to keep me going)
But in a year or so, my cupboard will be bare too ( I shoot every week a couple hundred rounds minimum.) speaking of my bread and butter calibers ( 22/380/38/9/45.

Dvan34 · Jul 25, 2020

Reading all these posts is concerning. If the LGS's have no ammo or guns to sell they can't stay in business for long. This sounds like another way to restrict the Second Amendment.

Dvan34 · Jul 25, 2020

Interesting here in our local CA Walmarts they took all of their ammo out. But they are displaying gun cleaning materials, holsters, targets and other times. Yeah! Sure!

Dave Lively · Jul 25, 2020

Dvan34 said:
If the LGS's have no ammo or guns to sell they can't stay in business for long.

Are they not getting anything coming in or is demand so high whatever they get in goes out immediately to people that pre-ordered?

I suspect it is much more the latter in which case they the dealers should be OK. The pandemic might have affected production but I think the shortage is mostly due to extremely high demand.

TTSH · Jul 25, 2020

Dvan34 said:
Interesting here in our local CA Walmarts they took all of their ammo out. But they are displaying gun cleaning materials, holsters, targets and other times. Yeah! Sure!

LOL!!!

Funny how that works.

I guess corporate virtue signaling has its limits after all.

TTSH · Jul 25, 2020

Dave Lively said:
Are they not getting anything coming in or is demand so high whatever they get in goes out immediately to people that pre-ordered?

I suspect it is much more the latter in which case they the dealers should be OK. The pandemic might have affected production but I think the shortage is mostly due to extremely high demand.

As I've noted before, the shortages are not affecting all dealers equally. The big, high-volume dealers with money to throw around are still doing okay, even thriving. The little guys in many cases have been shut out. My most local dealer can't even get the time of day from the gun and ammo distributors. His ammo rack is empty but for a few obscure hunting rounds and his gun inventory is now mostly high-priced consignment guns.

Best as I can tell, these (mostly new) buyers are not putting in orders with small shops for guns and ammo that may never appear. They tend to want it right now and they are going to the big shops with inventory that can accommodate them.

Neversink n Klapperthal · Jul 25, 2020

scoobysnacker said:
What I find funny-

Even in the midst of this shortage, there are still some ammo snobs out there

I came across a deal for Tula (steel cased) 223, $250 a case plus shipping and tax. Shipping btw is $13, flat rate, so better than sgammo.
Same place has Tula 7.62x39 for $210 a case.
Total price for me buying 1 of each, $494 to the door.

I mentioned this on another forum, and got the "but... it's Tula junk" remarks.

I get it, I'd rather have brass too. But I've shot this exact stuff, and it runs in my gun. Just clean it afterwards. I'd rather have a case of Tula in reserve, instead of nothing.

I got news for them. I have fired thousands of Tula rounds with zero problems. Most of these haters have no experience with the products they dont like.Pisses me off

sarg1c · Jul 25, 2020

skwchock said:
I went to the range this weekend to shoot. The range/store manager told us that due to a "shortage in getting ammunition", he could only sell ammo that was being shot at the range. He could not sell any ammo to anyone to take home. I noticed that at some gun stores, the ammo pickings are getting "lean", too. Are people starting to hoard their ammo for the 'zombie reawakening'?

no problem here, I just roll my own...

sarg1c · Jul 25, 2020

Neversink n Klapperthal said:
I got news for them. I have fired thousands of Tula rounds with zero problems. Most of these haters have no experience with the products they dont like.Pisses me off

Only reasion I don't shoot some steel cased ammo is the varnish used on them can clog your chamber creating a problem. I also like to reload so no steel for me...but as we say in the Army "smoke em if you got em"

kmyers · Jul 25, 2020

Neversink n Klapperthal said:
I got news for them. I have fired thousands of Tula rounds with zero problems. Most of these haters have no experience with the products they dont like.Pisses me off

We have used Wolf and Tula here in 9mm, .45, 5.56 and7.62 x 39 with no problems. Better to have anything that will fire out of your weapon that wave around an empty firearm because you are too picky to buy up what you can find when other brands are not available.

THE PILGRIM · Jul 25, 2020

Hank Williams sang Yeah My Bucket Got a Hole in It.
I did recently buy these buckets of 22LR.

Gunslinger808 · Jul 26, 2020

sarg1c said:
Only reasion I don't shoot some steel cased ammo is the varnish used on them can clog your chamber creating a problem. I also like to reload so no steel for me...but as we say in the Army "smoke em if you got em"

Really, no.

Steel cased doesn’t conform to the chamber like brass, and allows particles of carbon and unburned propellant to build up between the case and chamber wall.

The result is a lot of “junk” can build up on the chamber walls resulting in jams and misfeeds.
The problem lies in when after firing a bunch of steel case, you then fire brass cased, which will conform to the chamber, causing jams.

Varnish and/or polymer coatings are not the issue, the coating doesn’t “melt” It’s just you can’t fire form steel cased like you can brass.

A good cleaning after every range session will take care of that issue.

Another misconception is that steel cased destroy extractors, I’ve fired thousands of rounds of Wolf out of one of my select fire ARs, I’ve yet to have one fail.
And if it does, so what, at the old prices, I’ve still saved hundreds of dollars by shooting the cheap stuff, extractors are what, $5?

Heck, my MP5s with fluted chambers love the stuff, it’s not as accurate, smells bad, but for dirt shooting does the job!

Dvan34 · Jul 26, 2020

Dave Lively said:
Are they not getting anything coming in or is demand so high whatever they get in goes out immediately to people that pre-ordered?

I suspect it is much more the latter in which case they the dealers should be OK. The pandemic might have affected production but I think the shortage is mostly due to extremely high demand.

Nope! Walmart in the Republic of Kalifornia discontinued selling ammo! They were still carrying shotgun ammo for hunting but I believe they removed it also. Can't believe they would have the gall to carry the other items, gun cleaning, holsters, etc..

Gunslinger808 · Jul 26, 2020

Dvan34 said:
Nope! Walmart in the Republic of Kalifornia discontinued selling ammo! They were still carrying shotgun ammo for hunting but I believe they removed it also. Can't believe they would have the gall to carry the other items, gun cleaning, holsters, etc..

WalMart everywhere quit selling that evil assault Ammo, from 9mm to 5.56 due to the El Paso WalMart shootings.

skwchock · Sep 12, 2020

I went to Cabela's today. Most shotgun ammo is gone. No buckshot. Was told that they do not expect any buckshot shipments anytime soon. Also said that they are out of .223/5.56 and do not expect any large shipments indefinitely. Told to "buy it when you see it" ..

TTSH · Sep 12, 2020

skwchock said:
I went to Cabela's today. Most shotgun ammo is gone. No buckshot. Was told that they do not expect any buckshot shipments anytime soon. Also said that they are out of .223/5.56 and do not expect any large shipments indefinitely. Told to "buy it when you see it" ..

Yeah, things were horrible at my local Cabela's as well. No pistol ammo except .25 ACP and a handful of very expensive premium big bore revolver rounds. Big joke of the day is that we all have to take out our micro-mini pocket guns if we want to go shooting.

Gun selection was also nil as you can see from the photos I snapped. Basically, just a few Ruger Single Action revolvers and some black powder replicas.

9mm range ammo was available up the road a ways if you really, really needed it... at 60¢/round and up.

Golphin · Sep 12, 2020

.38SuperMan said:
I live in East TN. I’ve been here 69 years since I was 3. Things have changed here too and not for the better. We have what we call half backs. Half backs are the folks that sold their houses in NJ and NY and moved to Florida. They get there and hate the heat, humidity and bugs so the pick up and move to ET. ET is pretty much half way back home. Our climate is much milder, fewer bugs and amazing scenery with very affordable housing and no state income tax. Of course they have the obligation to show us illiterate rednecks how we should be living our lives. They bring with them their attitudes and liberal ways. They want life here to be just like where they came from. Funny that they never stop to think about what they are trying to get started is why they left the north, taxes and regulations. Fortunately they live among their own and don’t talk to us trailer trash.

I will say I have met a few at the range and they’ve been decent people but that’s what you’d expect from shooters.

I have lived my entire 62 years here in a rural area of Florida. One of the few good places we have left. South Florida has been completely destroyed already and they are moving further North doing the same. I feel exactly like you do about my home state and now and hate what they have done to North Carolina and what is happening to Tenn.

.38SuperMan · Sep 12, 2020

This week I’ve been to three small dealers near my home and one medium size about thirty minutes away. Three small dealers had a moderate supply of ammo at higher prices. In some cases ammo was double pre covid prices. Some ammo though was the same.

My medium sized dealer only had some odds and ends of 357 Sig, 25 auto and shotgun in birdshot.

But, guns were back to pure covid stock or better. I was stunned today at my medium size dealer, he had a very respectable inventory of AR platform, AK, Smith revolvers, Ruger of all types, Lever and bolt guns, you name it and they had something at least close to what you’d want.

I think the ammo manufacturers were caught sleeping and they’ll get caught up in the next month or two. Figure the millions of new gun owners, they want one or two boxes of ammo at a minimum for their new guns. It just takes time to get ammo in the pipeline again.

smoothshooter · Sep 12, 2020

PeteC said:
Well I get the demand for 9mm, 38 spl, and even 45 acp, but 22 LR target ammo? What are people going to DO with that??

If it is subsonic it can be fired from a rifle in a defensive situation when dealing with a mob without disclosing your location.

Ammo shortage?

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