Lessons learned from the recent Guns/Ammo Shortage

[Double-O-Dave]

Just curious, but what lessons have you learned from the recent guns and ammo shortage? Anything anyone would like to share as "lessons learned"? I'll start: one thing I was preparing to do was consolidate my collection and winnow out the calibers I don't routinely shoot. This would result in my handgun collection consisting of: .22LR, .38Special/.357Magnum, 9mm, .40S&W. and .45ACP. One lesson learned is to keep, and or obtain, firearms in calibers that aren't as popular, but are still regularly manufactured and stocked. This meant I kept my .32ACP, .32H&R Magnum, and .44Special calibered handguns, and I recently acquired a CZ-82 in 9mm Makarov.

As crazy as the shortage got, I always recall seeing some flavor of .32 and 9mm Makarov ammo on the shelves, and I don't recall any buying limits on those calibers.

I'm 57 yrs. old and I cannot recall a previous "shortage" of this magnitude. Previously, .22LR was never in short supply, and I always enjoy shooting .22LRs. So, something else I'll be doing in the future is routinely storing .22LR ammo when possible. My plan is that rather than buying one bulk box of .22LR ammo at a time, I'll probably buy 3 instead - one box to shoot, two boxes for "just in case". I had plenty of .22LR ammo on hand, and still have several additional bulk boxes on hand. My son and I shoot Steel Plate competition, and as before the shortage, fellow shooters would loan, or sell you (if you insisted) sufficient ammo to complete the competition if you ran short.

Any advice or strategies from others would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[charliefox]

I've learned that the current administration is the best sales force gun and ammunition makers could ever dream of! I've also learner to never take anything for granted...here today, gone tomorrow.

 

[Arik]

Buy a little at a time but often. Each time you walk into a LGS buy a mag or a box of ammo. It adds up

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fishinfool]

Well, the obvious is to keep well stocked for future shortages. But what really surprised me was the number of first time buyers who are not gun enthusiasts, who are buying out of panic; and what that says about the trust the American public has in its government. If I was an elected official, I would be embarrassed at how little faith the public had in my honesty and desire to follow the Constitution.....

Larry

 

[Peter M. Eick]

What shortage?

Oh, I guess I learned from the last shortage to stockpile. I still have about a years worth of supplies staged at various friends houses to keep within the various fire codes. The key lesson I learned was buy when on sale, know your fire codes and keep a lot of resources.

 

[vito]

I learned that I better learn how to reload. I've bought all the equipment, even have primers and powder, and one of these days I will actually try to do some reloading. I've also learned that it makes sense to stock up to far higher levels of ammo than I ever would have thought I might need. I like to shoot 22lr, and used to feel comfortable with one full box of 500. Now I have 4 boxes sitting in my cabinet and would like to find about 4 more before I start shooting any of this. And I probably should have tried to keep my handguns to one or two caliber, for ease in maintaining an ammo supply. With 7 handguns I have 5 calibers (22lr, 380acp, 38 Special/357mag, 40S&W, 45acp), so I think I have made life more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[kozmic]

I learned to question those who showed desperation and panic. And to respect those who showed common sense and restraint.

 

[Grimjaws]

Ammo is key

I live in the Anti Gun land of NYS. I had a 9mm auto, a Colt .380 safe queen and a 686. Since our stupid Act went into action I have decided to standardize on .38 and .22. I bought four more revolvers (all currently off the radar than those media hyped autoloaders) and got rid of the 9mm. I am a bigger fan of revolvers and got tired of policing brass at the range as my 9mm would kick them all over the place.

My collection is now
Colt Pony Pocketlite .380 safe queen
Marlin 25N bolt .22
Henry Golden Boy .22
S&W 6" .357
S&W 4" 19-5 .357
S&W 10-7 4" HB for my 13 year old .38
S&W 10-14 4" HB for my 15 year old .38
(both 10 bought from the Site Admin - a great guy to deal with)
S&W 37 no dash snub my CCW .38

What I learned
1. stock up on .22 whenever you get the chance. I have about 1300 rounds but that is not enough with two boys who like to shoot

2. Remember family - my brother used to reload before joining the service. He recently retired after 20 years of service overseas and was bored so started to reload again. He stockpiled back in the day (12,000 pistol primers, 1000 brass, 30 lbs powder, 2000 bullets) and recently gave me and the boys a present of 1000 .38 LFN reloads. That plus the 600 rounds I bought at WalMart have put me in a very comfortable position. I help him out when I can in return with computers and such

3. Remember the price gougers. I trust my local FFL who helped me get the revolvers and WalMart for ammo. Local gun stores jacked up prices on ammo, sold out AR-15 for a higher profit when someone else had already put a down payment on it for the lower price (told sorry and given their cash back) and overpriced all used guns to ridiculous levels. I will never visit or give any business to them again.

4. The politicians who voted yes will be voted out come election time. You vote against me I vote you out.

Good post topic by the way. That felt good.

 

[doublesharp]

ammo = inflation proof currency.

 

[diamonback68]

I learned that stupid people do stupid things after they have elected a stupid government does stupid things.

 

[blujax01]

I learned a lot about the nature of folks.

Name calling became the order of the day.

Those who prepared were called "hoarders" "preppers" and "braggarts".

Those who saw the opportunity to profit were called "Gougers" and worse.

Those that chose to complain were called "Whiners" and "Haters".

Me personally, I saw that I needed a goal. Just how much ammunition do I need if I desire to maintain my current practice? How long will this last? How expensive is ammo likely to become?

I decided to reload a few years ago. And since I am only 58 and have plenty of room, I can comfortably entertain the thought of keeping on hand seven years worth of ammunition at all times. Nuts, some say, but if the Dems Three-peat (and I have seen nothing coming from my Party to think otherwise) it's going to get worse before it gets better. I don't stand in line at that famous variety store but when I see a bargain (bargain being defined as "looks good to me), I snatch it up.

 

[Muddyboot]

If you can afford it, buy ammo for guns you don't yet own but plan to buy. Finding a rifle or pistol is a lot easier then finding ammo to feed it.
Also, ammo can be stored long term. The future is hard to predict, but if prices continue to rise its a hedge against future increases.

 

[growr]

Anyone have change for a box of 45 ACP's?

Ammo could be the new currency for some.........

Randy

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Didn't learn anything new... but it's been disappointing to see so many in the shooting world complain that the reason they didn't have enough ammo was that others had more than they needed. A general sentiment shared by way too many people these days to explain all their woes in life.

 

[4506517]

I learned that most folks in the shooting world aren't as far separated from the rest of the "flock" as they think they are.

It is amazing the number of threads I have read not only on this forum, but on others, where "gun folks" are whining and crying about prices, about other people paying high prices, about other people waiting 7 hours to buy ammunition, etc. Browse through the threads on any board you frequent, and someone is crying about people "buying up all the ammo". Come on, really?

I learned that even most "gun people" are waaayyy more left wing than they espouse to be. They want things to "be fair" for everyone.

Wait......isn't that socialism?

It's probably me.....

 

[GaryS]

You just summed up the basic premise of socialism in a nutshell. I'll not comment on which person in a certain office in a building in Washington, DC capitalizes on that sentiment.

Didn't learn anything new... but it's been disappointing to see so many in the shooting world complain that the reason they didn't have enough ammo was that others had more than they needed. A general sentiment shared by way too many people these days to explain all their woes in life.

 

[rburg]

I'm shocked at the tiny numbers posters report as having. And even more shocked at the goals they set for themselves. Yes, this is the worst shortage in my lifetime. But then I was born after WWII. That shortage of all calibers was apparently much worse. The shortage of 2008 wasn't as bad, but 22s were still not to be found for a few months after the election.

When I was young, I never had enough ammo. A really good day of shooting was one where I had enough to take a full box of 22s along with me. I always had some of them "left over" when I came home. I learned early how to conserve my ammo. And I was disgusted with the other guys who had rich or splurging parents who just burned all the ammo they could get their hands on. I even learned to scrounge the ammo they dropped on the ground or ejected as duds. They almost always fired. I never subscribed to my dads theory that a box or two of 22s was enough. And I've gotten so much worse over the years that its disgusting. On the other hand, a case is a box.

My oldest doesn't trust my reloading. He's never seen or had a misfire or Kaboom from one of my work, but he doesn't trust. I guess that's good. But he's suggested I not reload all my supplies. My guess is he wants to inherit the ammo room. Guess he figures his brother won't want components but will fight over loaded ammo.

I not only don't agree, but I disagree strongly with the guy who says buy 2 or 3 at a time. If its what the store limits you to, you have little choice. But I prefer having large stocks (my term, defined by me) of the same loading lot of ammo. If its good, keep it and ratio it out. If it turns out to not be accurate or dependable, sell it. Yes, stick my fellow ammo burners with stuff that's below my standards. The only way to tell if ammo is up to your standards is to shoot some. In this day and age you can't go to a store, buy a box of ammo and go to the range to test it. If the guy at the ammo counter will sell you a case of 22s (thats 10 boxes of 550), just buy it. Who cares how much the outlay is today. Its still cheaper than driving to wally world a dozen times and finding it out of stock.

And just for the record, the end of my 2008 ammo buildup happened at wally world. The sporting goods manager was huge, I'm guessing 500# easy. He was sitting on a low stool checking something in. So I was polite and waited. He reached a stopping point and asked what he could do for me. I told him I wanted to buy 22s, and asked if he had a limit. He said how many do you want, so I said 2 cases if I could. Remember the really big guys have to move all that weight every time they get up. So he pivoted and took two cases or 22s, 11,000 rounds off the pallet and put them on top of the counter. One smooth fluid move, no grunting or anything. I paid him cash, $288. Then embarassed my self by picking them up one at a time and placing them in my cart. And grunting.

I'd made the rounds of all the Walmarts I knew of in my travels. And had managed to buy way more than that.

So when the shortage hit....I went to the powder magazine to inventory my meager supplies. And I found way more 22s than I thought I had. Including 9 bricks of WW, 19 plastic trays of CCI, and of course the extended hoard of Federal 550s. So I sold into the market. At least some of the buyers got some ammo to shoot. The only one critical of my decision was my oldest son who coveted the ammo for his oldest. Instead I sold off 34 of the Federals and all 9 of the Winchester. Yeah, it was a bunch of ammo but a bunch of money, too. The money is all gone now and so is the ammo. My youngest son sold some bricks, too. His wife spent the money for him, or so he says.

I've learned a lot over this. But I'll still do as I please. No one here can shame me or talk their version of sense into me. I have to live with the results of my folly.

 

[GaryS]

It's probably me.....

If it's you, then it's me as well. A lot of so called libertarians who don't want the government to do anything suddenly wanted the government to do something... that would benefit them.

 

[webley green]

Yep, the .22 drought was a surprise to me, I wasn't caught short or anything but have never seen the dismal avaiablity of the lowly .22 long rifle. The rest I'm well stocked having reloaded for years and been shooting almost exclusively. A casting buddy is kept supplied with lead and I get 'boolits' in return.

 

[blujax01]

And a tip-o-the hat to members Novalty and BuckskinMcnelly for their threads on the availability of reloading gear and WM ammo. They took advantage of the social media "like a boss" and made have things better for lots of folks!