22Lr and other ammo shortages

[mbliss57]

I am officially declaring myself an ammo shortage conspiracy theorist. I can no longer believe that the ammo pipeline has been sucked so dry that even after or going on a month there are not signs of a recovery, That goes for mags too.. from stores to internet suppliers that would have them in quantities to be at normal prices. No BX 25 mags in a month? Even directly from Ruger...?
There is just something wrong about all this...I smell something that stinks.

 

[Joe A.]

I would say this is the worst shortage since WW2. Not just firearms and ammo,but even holsters and other accessories.

 

[Smitty357]

This is why we constantly preach to the newer guys about buying ammo as often as u can afford to. I've made it a habit for the past few years to purchase some ammo weekly. When i find it on sale, i purchase a little more. I will bring my lunch to work, just so I can have extra money to buy ammo at the end of the week.

My point is, there is nothing wrong with buying ammo from time to time, even if u dont need it at the moment. Because when times like this come around, u'll be good to go and wont have to risk spending 4x's the amount of money on ammo @ market price.

I always tell my ole lady that no matter what, someday my ammo will get used. So its not like im spending money and never using what i bought. I'll either bring it to the range from time to time, or i'll have it for when the SHTF. Either way it goes, its money well spent.

 

[crofoot629]

It's no worse than 4 years ago.

And there's no shortage at my house.

Emory

 

[Smitty357]

It's no worse than 4 years ago.

And there's no shortage at my house.

Emory

Exactly my point......very well said brotha.

 

[37airweight]

The only ammo around me is 17hmr, 45 acp and 30-06. Everything else has been empty since re-election

 

[silentflyer]

Gun Shows have had little or no ammo for the last month, at least the last 3 I went to, the 1st one guys had 2 wheel carts hauling it out the door, picked clean in a couple of hours.

 

[richeyo2]

I've been buying something every week for a few years or at least trying to if finances allowed. I could usually swing a box of something at least & have built up a decent stock except for .22lr.

I never imagined a .22 shortage it was always everywhere.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

SGammo.com sold 180 5000rd cases of CCI 22LR in 30 minutes!! Thats almost a million 22LR rounds gone in half an hour.They where selling them for $32/500 they used to be $19/500.

 

[Grayfox]

I've been to two gun shows the last two weekends. People are buying anything and everything. Especially ammo. The stuff is selling by the case. Dealers are selling completely out. Reloading supplies are also selling out. Right now there are no small pistol or small rifle primers to be found anywhere.
I went through 94 and 08. This is far worse. Estimates of up to two years before supplies get caught up.
Its no conspiracy, its a full blown panic.

 

[Smitty357]

.45 ACP is the way to go. Its all over the shelves down here. Including Bass Pro and Academy. Just remember this for the next time **** like this starts to happen.

 

[beemerphile]

.45 ACP is the way to go. Its all over the shelves down here. Including Bass Pro and Academy. Just remember this for the next time **** like this starts to happen.

Next time it may be different. Pays to have a gun or two in each major caliber. Click all the boxes. Could be next time all you can get is 10mm, er sumptin.

 

[dg101win]

A couple of days ago a co-worker stopped at the local gun shop. They had just got in some 40cal and 45acp. He bought a case of 40cal for something like $170+tax. So some is leaking through and the shop is not gouging.

 

[littleriver1]

ammo shortage conspiracy theorist? It almost looks like some one is arming them selfs. What ever could cause that? May need to cut back on range time and save it for something else.

 

[shocker]

'Men think in herds, they go mad in herds, and they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.'
Charles Mackay Extraordinary Popular Delusions, The Madness of Crowds

100 rd. 22lr packs of the better quality brands are returning to the shelves in the local stores. Bulk is still hard to find.

 

[mbliss57]

I am a firm believer in diversity. I have plenty in .22LR, 380, .38 spl, .357 mag, .9mm. 45acp ,10mm, and 44 magnum. AS well as .223 and 7.62. I started the thread. I did not say I was short. Just that I am in shops almost daily and there is just nothing out there. Maybe it's panic buying...maybe something else

 

[beemerphile]

There does not appear to be a shortage of twenty cent .22LR rounds, just the four cent ones.

 

[Smitty357]

I'm not going back to the range until everything settles. In this case, i should say. I'm not going back to the range until gas prices go back below $2.00 a gallon.

 

[Loader.]

Next time it may be different. Pays to have a gun or two in each major caliber. Click all the boxes. Could be next time all you can get is 10mm, er sumptin.

Very true. My last trip out looking for a synthetic stock, I noticed that the only thing on the shelves were .40 S&W

 

[gregintenn]

Last night, a 550 round box or WalMart Federal 22 cartridges sold on Gunbroker for $84 + $20 shipping.

How crazy is this going to get before it gets better? The shipping charge alone is more than the retail price of the ammo.

 

[MichiganScott]

At these prices, I'm having a hard time not selling my stash. Even though I handload, I've picked up a ton of .22 LR and mil-surp over the years. If I kept the rimfire, I could probably still pay off the house.

 

[Lost Lake]

O-boy!!!!!

I just found a guy offering 6K rounds of .22 ammo for sale. He also has a picture of 7 (SEVEN!) BX-25 mags shown...

I texted him how much? He replied make an offer...

I offered $300...

Waiting for a reply....

What is this package worth right now? It's hard to say. Realistically if you get the BX-25 mags they are going for $85 a pop!!

And even .22 ammo is crazy.

If I make a deal on this I'm going to sell some of the mags.... I don't need 7!

 

[thardgrave]

I think all of the hysteria and concern is fueling this....kind of like some of the gas shortages several years ago, where people re-fueled their tanks constantly...a lot of the gas was sitting, stored in cars! People are so worried about it that many are just buying all they get their hands on...guaranteeing a shortage in the short term, and the more talk and worry about, the worse it will become...........

 

[Lost Lake]

The guy wants $700...
If I figure 4 cents a round x 6K that's $240
The seven mags used to sell for under $30 a pop, will they get back to that eventually? Who knows? But even at $50 that's $350 for 7 of them, so even $600 is too much...

I asked how much for the mags and he said $300... So that's $43 each....

What to do.... What to do.....

Update: I offered they guy $250 for the mags and he said he'd think about it. No response back yet. In the mean time I ordered 5 from Ruger at $32 each, plus $3 each shipping, so $35 total. We'll see when they come in....

 

[David Johnston]

I suspect everyone is stocking up and hoarding ammo because they fear the government is going to try and over tax, control, or ban guns and ammo. It's not just preppers', but gun owners in general who are fearful and stocking up on ammo. A well armed civilian populace may be the only defence we have against an increasingly socialist government. A ban on civilians owning guns is exactly what happened in Russia during the 1800's. And you see how that went down. We may be in trouble if we don't ban together and resist and protest the loss of our rights.

 

[Loader.]

You are exactly right. We think it can't happen here, but it is done one step at a time. Check the newly proposed law for Maryland. New descriptions of guns, all kinds of new bans, can't even own ammo for banned firearms, and an estimated $335 cost every 5 years to be checked, fingerprinted, and licenses just to RENT or purchase your favorite Glock! Feinstein wants to ban everything. We have to stand our ground, and not only fight this but take back ground lost - like Illinois!

I suspect everyone is stocking up and hoarding ammo because they fear the government is going to try and over tax, control, or ban guns and ammo. It's not just preppers', but gun owners in general who are fearful and stocking up on ammo. A well armed civilian populace may be the only defence we have against an increasingly socialist government. A ban on civilians owning guns is exactly what happened in Russia during the 1800's. And you see how that went down. We may be in trouble if we don't ban together and resist and protest the loss of our rights.

 

[mbliss57]

The guy wants $700...
If I figure 4 cents a round x 6K that's $240
The seven mags used to sell for under $30 a pop, will they get back to that eventually? Who knows? But even at $50 that's $350 for 7 of them, so even $600 is too much...

I asked how much for the mags and he said $300... So that's $43 each....

What to do.... What to do.....

Update: I offered they guy $250 for the mags and he said he'd think about it. No response back yet. In the mean time I ordered 5 from Ruger at $32 each, plus $3 each shipping, so $35 total. We'll see when they come in....

CCI High vel is $8 a box of 100. So 6000 rounds should be $480. Even at $10 a box which is way to much it would be $600. I would tell this guy to pound salt. I would wait for Ruger on the mags too. They just filled a guys back order from 12/27 yesterday on BX25's

 

[walnutred]

In talking to the three LGS they said the first wave was regular customers stocking up a little. The second wave was regular customers and non regular shooters buying things they thought MIGHT be banned but never wanted bad enough to buy previously. Next round was people with the attitude "I've never really owned a firearm but I don't like the idea of not being able to buy one in the future. What do you recommend?" The current wave is people saying "What type of firearm can you sell me that you also have ammo for?".

So far the shortages have not effected me but in 2009 when the local range opened it was impossible to get a lane because of all the new shooters.

 

[Smokester653]

In talking to the three LGS they said the first wave was regular customers stocking up a little. The second wave was regular customers and non regular shooters buying things they thought MIGHT be banned but never wanted bad enough to buy previously. Next round was people with the attitude "I've never really owned a firearm but I don't like the idea of not being able to buy one in the future. What do you recommend?" The current wave is people saying "What type of firearm can you sell me that you also have ammo for?".

Don't forget that small segment of people that are buying up anything firearm related as an investment/for future sale. I have a couple of co-workers that have been scouring the planet for ammo, mags, ar15s and they don't have any desire to keep them. One of them has been burning up his credit card and another couple just did a 500 mile round trip drive looking for and I quote "Anything".

 

[Stainless44]

There is no conspiracy...it's just that many gun owners in the country are panicky sheep who run whichever way the wind blows.

.22 ammo is cheap enough that even a poor man can hoard it.

Next you have to throw in the "speculators" who will spend a bunch of money thinking they'll be able to flip it all for a profit forever...these people are related to the same speculators who lost their collective butts in the real estate bubble recently.

Next you have new gun owners who just want something to shoot...sucks to be them.

You also have normal shooters who can't get the stuff they would have been shooting anyway without all this commotion.

It'll all blow over after a while.

Years from now when the hoarders start passing away their kids are going go be going through their belongings and wondering "what they heck were they doing with all this .22 ammo?"

I've been loading .44 and .41 mag all week...I'll keep shooting what I want...one of the benefits of being a reloader.