Ammo Scalpers

[tops]

I'm 79 yrs. old and started shooting at 4 yrs. old. A BB gun has helped me become a better shooter. When I got financially able too buy .22s I used them instead of BBs. I have never been financially able too shoot center fire cartridges all the time.
When I was younger and could see I would shoot a 6 in. .357M, one hand at 50 yds. I could hit a quart oil can at least 4 out of 6. I think that's not too bad for an ExBB shooter.
I'm not a professional but I have run the cost of a farm down gun barrels and it might help you too not be closed minded about trying something you haven't tried. Larry

 

[Muddyboot]

Man this thread is getting ugly, take a deep breath guys, were on the same team..

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I'm just a 57 year old first time handgun owner who wants to be a responsible, safe and proficient shooter who will not wind up a usable statistic for the gun grabbers and who also recognizes that that will not happen without practice, which obviously requires ammo. I also recognize that a BB gun will do next to nothing to make me proficient with a centerfire pistol.

I don't know why you, as a first time handgun owner, consider yourself qualified to make the statement which I have bolded. For your information, you are wrong. The first two things which you need to learn are sight picture and trigger control, and these you can learn on a decent air pistol. A close third for many individuals and firearms is how to handle recoil. While there are a few air pistols which even provide for this, you mostly DO need the CF pistol concerned to learn about this, if it is a problem. I do not know how much ammo it will take for you to learn this, and neither do you.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

I also recognize that a BB gun will do next to nothing to make me proficient with a centerfire pistol. Sorry friend, but that's a truly asinine statement.

That's funny, because the #1 reason I am so proficient with a centerfire rifle is because of dryfire and sending untold thousands of pellets down the barrel of an air rifle working on sight alignment, trigger control, and building good positions. I similarly am personal friends with some outstanding pistol shooters who would attribute their success to the same thing.

I would posit that you know very little about marksmanship fundamentals or teaching them.

 

[Rob613]

I guess all the SD classes I took using air soft guns are useless.

I have a Glock 19 Umarex that I shoot in the basement often. In fact, this gun has helped me get my draw to first shot down under 2 seconds almost by itself.

As far as topic of this thread, you pay it or you put in leg work looking for ammo. Daily trips to big box stores will help you learn their delivery schedule. They are the only stores that have ammo even close to pre-shortage prices.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Dislike the term "scalper". Ticket scalpers-you don't have to see that game/concert/special event. Yes, I like to shoot, I don't have to shoot nor am I hunting to put food on the table. If the price of basic foodstuffs go up because someone is manipulating the production, the supply, the transportation or distribution, that is another matter.

 

[geo57]

Man this thread is getting ugly, take a deep breath guys, were on the same team..

Apparently not. That togetherness went out the window when over & over terms like " scalper ", " gouger ", " stabber " , " just the newbies " ( like they weren't newbies when first here ? ) kept reappearing. Then we heard a few either directly or indirectly criticizing an open, free market. Sorry, no, I'm not on that team.

 

[beaverislander]

Tribulus, there's lots of great members and good threads here but you're not gonna win trying to get through to this group. It's kinda like CNN.... you just gotta turn the channel..... unsubscribe and move on.

 

[Tiribulus]

I have no sympathy for you. You are 57 grow up. Ammo was dirt cheap from 2016-2019. Where adjusted for inflation it was the cheapest is was in history and it was absolutely EVERYWHERE.
You got caught with your pants down, lazy, and or cheap.

As I said. I'm a new handgun owner. I didn't have my first one until a few months ago.

===========================
I should have said that I have plenty of experience with long guns and shotguns. I understand sight picture, shot anticipation and trigger break etc.

What I don't have a lot of experience with is recoil and target re-aquisition with a handgun with speed. I don't see how a BB gun would help me with that. I should have been clearer.

I also should have been clearer that I am not looking for sympathy in any way or on any level. I'm a big boy who's been through quite a bit.

I'm disappointed that so many would use a time of perilous attack upon our right to keep and bear arms to enrich themselves.

People who don't actually need ammunition buying it up to price gouge others, especially a sea of new potential allies in this fight is greedy and stupid.

If that offends anybody, that's tough.

 

[Tiribulus]

On another note, I found a local guy who had some 9mm ammo for 80 a round. Not great, but with shipping and everything about comparable to a decent price these days online He also traded me for some of my 45. 115 grain only, but that'll have to do for now.

Thanks again to those who were being helpful.

 

[ElectroMotive]

On another note, I found a local guy who had some 9mm ammo for 80 a round. Not great, but with shipping and everything about comparable to a decent price these days online He also traded me for some of my 45. 115 grain only, but that'll have to do for now.

Thanks again to those who were being helpful.

Did you insult him and tell him he was a gouger/scalper/profiteer/opportunist/[insert epitaph here].
$40/50rd box is far higher than it was a year ago. I am willing to bet he is selling/trading 3-3.5 times the price from a year ago. Or did you grin and say "thank you"?

 

[ElectroMotive]

What I don't have a lot of experience with is recoil and target re-aquisition with a handgun with speed. I don't see how a BB gun would help me with that. I should have been clearer.

Perhaps its time to learn by reading.

 

[Gary M]

On another note, I found a local guy who had some 9mm ammo for 80 a round. Not great, but with shipping and everything about comparable to a decent price these days online He also traded me for some of my 45. 115 grain only, but that'll have to do for now.

Thanks again to those who were being helpful.

I suggest you look up Michigan Gun Shows. There is one in Jackson in a couple weeks and another coming up in Novi first weekend in July.

I was at Flint last weekend and many were less than .80 cpr with no tax and no shipping (6 bucks to get in). If you wanted to buy 500, you could get that down to about 60 cpr.

Also, there was SD ammo that was more than typical, but in the $1.50 range so not quite as obnoxious as FMJ range rocket pricing.

Trading also works there although in my case it was 9mm for 45 ACP. 250 9mm 115 FMJ for 200 45 230 FMJ and 20 230 Federal HST. Not sure how trading 45 for 9 would go.

 

[BC38]

It's actually not. You're ignorant on the matter, and so was the previous long time, blithering on poster who condemned it.

Seems some people need some remedial reading lessons.

I presume I am the "previous long time blithering on poster who condemned it" - it being using a BB gun for shooting practice.

If you bother to really read what I said (as opposed to reading something INTO what I said) I never condemned BB gun practice, nor did I say it wouldn't improve trigger or sight picture practice. Obviously it will.

What I said is that it is NOT a substitute for practice and familiarity with the REAL firearm you plan to use to defend yourself and/or your loved ones. Especially for a NEW shooter with their first gun that they just bought.

Now, if you want to demonstrate real ignorance by attempting to argue that it is, have at it.

I have shot a lot of pellets and BBs myself. Helped me with a lot of the fundamentals. Didn't help me become proficient with the handgun I carry every day for self defense though. Never will either.

You may improve your draw and fire times with a BB or airsoft gun, but you are NOT going to improve your second shot times OR accuracy, because you have to practice those skills while dealing with RECOIL, and a BB or airsoft gun DOESN'T HAVE ANY.

Every new gun owner needs to put a few hundred rounds down range to develop proficiency at shooting a real firearm AND to prove the reliability of that new gun. Trying to argue otherwise is simply foolishness. Or possibly ignorance. Take your pick.

 

[BC38]

On another note, I found a local guy who had some 9mm ammo for 80 a round. Not great, but with shipping and everything about comparable to a decent price these days online He also traded me for some of my 45. 115 grain only, but that'll have to do for now.

Thanks again to those who were being helpful.

If I lived close enough to you I'd sell you a few boxes worth at a reasonable price or trade you 9mm for 45acp. Unfortunately we're practically on opposite sides of the country. Glad you found someone close by enough to help you out. Best of luck with it.

 

[BC38]

Perhaps its time to learn by reading.

LOL, yeah, reading about sight picture recovery, taking follow up shots, and handling recoil. That's the answer...

 

[HorizontalMike]

With all this talk about BB/pellet guns to practice with, I want to insert what many others have learned and that is using a Crimson Trace laser to practice with. What it can teach you is "when" you jerk, "what" direction you jerk, and to a lessor extent "how you reacquire" your target (sans recoil).

And if you REALLY want better feedback, set up your cell phone video recorder, replay and take notes when practicing with your CT. I have them on three different revolvers and I swear by them. PLUS, the CT will also help strengthen your trigger finger in the process...

Just my $0.02

 

[Jaco1234]

I am reading about "buying bots". These are programs that scan the internet for hot products and immediately begin buying all they can.

Because of the pandemic, many products from toys to food items are being bought in this way and then marked up for sell on other sites.
These programs started in the hunt for "rare" Nike shoes.

I believe, paranoid as it sounds, that ammo is being targeted (no pun intended) by these buyer bots.

 

[nbedford]

Call me a crusader if you will. At least I am consistent.

I could make several thousand dollars selling off my ammo and primers. But I won't.

I didn't buy any of it to sell. I bought them for my own use and I'll keep them for that purpose.

I can earn more money. I can't make more powder or primers so easily.

I won't contribute to the current insanity by buying anything at ridiculous prices either.

I agree 100%. I also won't clean out the shelves when I find ammo at one of the big box stores for a reasonable price.

Only factory ammo I have bought in the last few months has been 22LR. I bought two boxes of CCI mini-mags at Walmart for about $375 per box (100 per box). They had just gotten a shipment in, but I saw no need to wide 'em out. I reload everything else I shoot. If everyone used a bit of restraint there would not be a shortage.

 

[BC38]

Only factory ammo I have bought in the last few months has been 22LR. I bought two boxes of CCI mini-mags at Walmart for about $375 per box (100 per box). They had just gotten a shipment in, but I saw no need to wide 'em out. I reload everything else I shoot. If everyone used a bit of restraint there would not be a shortage.

Same here. Not counting 22lr I probably only have 5-10k of factory rounds. I'm much better stocked on reloading components with around 60k worth.