Another Ammo Shortage?

[Hawg Rider]

PLEASE MOVE TO ANOTHER FORUM IF APPLICABLE
My son manages a few gun stores/ranges, and while we were talking the other day he mentioned a recent "run" on ammo at his stores. Apparently Lake City will no longer be selling their excess .223 ammo production to the civilian market (Lake City, operated by Winchester, provides about 30% of .223 ammo available to the public). I'm not sure if this shutdown is due to the conflicts in Ukraine and now Israel, or if it's part of the Biden administration's agenda. Whatever the cause, it's apparently resulting in some panic buying. My son's stores sold upwards of $100K of .223 ammo last week after the announcement! Personally, I don't understand this panic buying. It's not like it's toilet paper!

[I don't believe that the tragic accident at the Hornady plant in Nebraska has anything to do with this shortage...the accidental explosion happened in their primer packing facility.]

 

[TJm15.38]

People go overboard on one event in the ammo industry and then the panic buying and hoarding are the result. I think there is plenty of 5.56/.223 out there but the fear of a future shortage results in short term supply problems. Places like SG Ammo are posting notes about extremely high order volume and delayed shipping. That only fuels the panic buying further. We saw this during the start of the pandemic when primers and reloading components were is short supply. I'm not going to be ordering a case of ammo that I don't need; I'll just conserve what I have which is more than enough.

 

[chief38]

I always though in the past "panic buying" was a bit presumptuous. At this point in our Country's history, world wide events and aggressiveness and current leadership, I'm NOT thinking Panic buying anymore, but real issues and attempts to disarm ordinary citizens by any means that will work. By forbidding or severely restricting ammo sales and shipping will only tend to increase prices even higher. Background checks on ammo will also increase prices as will unconstitutional ammo taxes.

I have no crystal ball, but if one can stock up on his/her needs for the long term at somewhat of a fair price, I believe this might be the time. I hope I am wrong here, but I don't see this time around as panic buying, just real situational preparedness.

Act accordingly, but don't cry later if you are caught short.

 

[Rudi]

There was a big explosion at a Hornaday factory last week as well.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I have enough that I’ll lie dead in a pile of hot brass before I run out.

 

[rockquarry]

The ammo/component shortage we've experienced the last few years has been the longest and most severe, but certainly not the first in recent times. These started in the mid-'90s. The one we're getting over now is either number four or five.

 

[LVSteve]

Did you have to say it out loud?

 

[steelslaver]

If the POO hits the fan there will NOT be an ammo shortage. Look at alll the conflicts since WWII, almost nobody ran out of small arms ammo even though most everyone did manage to get their hands on full out military hardware. Odd isn't it

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Except for guys who pour thousands of rounds out annually due to practice for competition events I can't imagine ever panic buying my ammunition. Over the course of time I buy enough to last and last it does. Well, maybe some of you folks shoot your ARs WAY MORE than I do, so maybe it's just me who never runs out.

 

[Imissedagain]

We kept 10K-15K of 5.56 ammo on hand long ago.
Now that we shoot better, a few mags will do.

 

[Tu_S]

Really don't see a shortage in the near future, unless people start panic buying because they read things posted on the Internet that they don't understand

 

[Breakaway500]

I was in my local gun shop Sunday picking up a revolver and noticed the ammo area was pretty much cleaned out. He usually has cases of 5.56, 7.62, 9mm, etc etc. all he had left was a few overpriced cases of 12 gauge birdshot.” Here we go again” when he saw me looking at the empty floor area. He did have some .22 rim fire but he said that will be gone by closing. He also told me nothing in the pipeline.

 

[cd228]

If the POO hits the fan there will NOT be an ammo shortage. Look at alll the conflicts since WWII, almost nobody ran out of small arms ammo even though most everyone did manage to get their hands on full out military hardware. Odd isn't it

Back around 2007-2009 time frame the US Army had a problem getting machine gun ammo, they were even pulling Korean Wall era .50 cal out (and having issues with it). We also had to source 5.56mm from Winchester (supposedly some of that came from South Korea and Israel, but I only ever saw Winchester headstamps (Federal had Lake City at the time)). We weren't out, but we certainly needed more than we had.

 

[Valmet]

I feel like every “ammo shortage” thread on every gun board makes the snowball bigger…

 

[Skeet 028]

Hate to say it...but the horse is outta the barn again I fear. I do hope the Scavengers haven't started buying all they can. I bought 4000 primers from Scheels last night on line Went in the store to pick 'em up and left the store with 3000 more and a couple pounds of powder. Gonna try True Blue 23.50 and an AR type powder that was 26 dollars. The primers ran 59.50 to 75.00 or so according to type

 

[chief38]

There was a big explosion at a Hornaday factory last week as well.

How coincidental ........

 

[Telecaster]

If you buy in bulk before prices go up, it's smart resource allocation.
If you buy in bulk after prices go up, it's panic buying.

 

[Empe]

Another ammo shortage ? Out of curiosity I checked the sites of several other vendors that sell ammo.
It seems the only one experiencing a shortage of ammunition at present is SG Ammo . None of the other vendors I checked with appear to have any problem supplying pretty much what ever you might need.
Subject to change at any moment of course .
Another internet rumor perhaps ?

 

[TXBryan]

I was at my local FFL this morning and he volunteered the pipeline is going to be dry for awhile according to the distributors he works with - perhaps over a year was what he was told. Mostly he said it affects ammo that might fit into an AR platform with the heaviest hits on .223, .308, and 7.62x39 and he was cleaned out over the weekend with some individuals spending upwards of $4K on ammo at his place. I might add that's unprecedented as his place of business is modest and we're a town of under 2000 population.

Seems it doesn't take a whole lot to cause some to go into panic, hoarding, or investment mode. (Not to make light of recent world events.)

Bryan

 

[smoothshooter]

The ammo/component shortage we've experienced the last few years has been the longest and most severe, but certainly not the first in recent times. These started in the mid-'90s. The one we're getting over now is either number four or five.

The two wars we are involved in will suck up a lot of ammo production for at least a couple of years.