strategies for dealing with the next shortage...

[armenius]

I just watched a You Tube video featuring the CEO of Federal,Remington and another name I forgot discussing the current ammo situation. He wanted to end the rumors of decreased production and other theories of cause of shortage. He showed that they are producing more ammo than ever before but are having problems filling the vacuum caused by hoarding and panic buying. He assured they are catching up.Kind of like the toilet paper problem.

 

[31FordA]

At the start of the year I came up with a list of what I wanted to stock up on by Labor Day, figuring the election would generate higher prices. When things started getting weird in late February I sped up my buying, and got pretty much everything I planned to buy over a few weeks. During the shutdown a hardware store had CCI Minimags for $6.99, so I bought three or four a week. By the time the riots started in June I had a pretty good supply, which is good since I haven’t seen much .22 since.

The last stuff to disappear were the less “popular” calibers. I grabbed every box of .303 I ran across, along with .32 ACP, .32 Long, .38 Short Colt, .357Sig and .44 Spl. I even bought a few boxes of .45 GAP figuring I could shoot them in my 625. I’m glad I bought them when I did, haven’t seen any of them in weeks. At this point it’s easier to get .45ACP and 9mm than any other cartridge in the local shops.

These days I drop in several shops in my travels each week. I generally manage to pick up a box or two of .45 or some .38 in the course of the week. One place has lots of Tokarev ammo, but unfortunately no Tokarevs.

 

[tops]

I am one of those people that consider ammo essential. Last fall I got too thinking about what I needed to buy before the election and started buying. I wanted too have it all by July. In January I decided too not push the time and finished buying. I done good. If I had waited and used July for my cutoff date I would have come up short. Larry

 

[SW Gun Guy]

I started stocking up early in the year thinking about what the election might do. Then when prices went up and picked up the pace. Here at the end I have been willing to even pay the high prices if I just needed some stock of something (.308 which I had not stocked because I thought I was going to sell that gun). The only one that I am a little short on is 17HMR. I think that the oddball stuff (17HMR) is going to take the longest to show up back in stock. Luckily, I am pretty stingy at the range. Mostly I go out there (it is outdoors in the desert) to breath fresh air, get away, visit with a few shooting buddies. I now own mostly bolt action rifles, so I just take my time and enjoy each shot. Like somebody above, I might shoot 75 .22lr, and then maybe 10 each of a couple things like 17HMR, .308 or 204 Ruger. Enjoy your outing and not the number of shots fired.

 

[swsig]

...[*]Don't fret the "back order" options. Early on, when things got scarce but there were still some decent prices, I picked up a couple cases of 9mm on Cabela/Bass Pro. Like, sub-$200 for brass fmj. People were hating on them because of delayed shipping; fine. Mine all came in, and for a good price. And they were running free shipping. Those who posted stuff online about never buying from them... I wonder, in retrospect, would they have liked to have added a few cases at those prices, evne if it took a month or so to receive?...

My one experience with back ordering at Cabela's didn't go so well. During the last shortage, I back ordered a single box of 9mm Gold Dots. I thought about cancelling the order, since I was soon able to purchase a bunch of boxes from other sources. However, out of pure curiosity, I let the Cabela's order stand. It took 13 months to arrive! No more back orders for me!

 

[bushmaster1313]

I will do fine shooting less ammo — but it would be hard to be without any ammo at all.

 

[scoobysnacker]

I am one of those people that consider ammo essential. Last fall I got too thinking about what I needed to buy before the election and started buying. I wanted too have it all by July. In January I decided too not push the time and finished buying. I done good. If I had waited and used July for my cutoff date I would have come up short. Larry

Yeah, July was too late in the year, although there still were some decent options available.

At this point, I have the ammo I need for the foreseeable future, and now that money is going to things like tires, etc. Just put a set on one car, and planning to do the next within a month. Prices and availability remain ok for now (note, I'm discussing Miatas, so there's a certain level of tire I want, not just anything that fits). I suspect, like everything else, we're soon to see a shortage there.

If you think you will need something like that this year, you might want to go ahead and do it now.

 

[HorizontalMike]

I am one of those people that consider ammo essential. Last fall I got too thinking about what I needed to buy before the election and started buying. I wanted too have it all by July. In January I decided too not push the time and finished buying. I done good. If I had waited and used July for my cutoff date I would have come up short. Larry

Great call! I purchased a Sport-II back in April for $659 @BG's. This proved to be quite a positive experience, economically. I now see that going for ~$829. My reason for the buy, was to convert all of my existing reloading .222 supplies to .223 loads. Just needed to add brass. This makes sense because I now can reload either calibers up to ~3-1/2k rounds.

That said, I recently picked up 1k of commercial .223 for $0.60rd and promptly got criticized on here, for doing so. Not a single critic recognized my ability to reload that brass (with existing supplies), thus dropping my cost per round by half or more, at this time when ammo is so scarce.

FWIW, I really get tired of those arguing "...don't buy at these high prices..." expecting everyone else to suffer until THEY can sweep in and stock up at the old "normal" prices. I understand slowing personal purchases, but not "stopping" completely.

 

[glenwolde]

I suppose it's "good" advice, except it will make the next shortage faster, deeper, and longer if we all follow it. In fact, that line of thinking is what creates the shortages in the first place.

We have met the enemy, and he is us.

I stock up when it's readily available. That way I don't have to contribute to the problem at the first sign of shortages. The only thing I've learned from this one is how to balance my LPP vs SPP primer inventory better. I didn't overweight SPP enough. I shoot more of them and they are better for trading.

During the shortages I like to trade ammo and/or components for firearms. Shooters with lots of guns but little ammo sometimes lose their common sense. They see $150 for a brick of primers and start thinking $60 is cheap. Plus they always have a gun they have little money in that they can justify trading away for overpriced primers. But I never sell inventory for cash. That's just feeding the beast.

 

[SW Gun Guy]

FWIW, I really get tired of those arguing "...don't buy at these high prices..." expecting everyone else to suffer until THEY can sweep in and stock up at the old "normal" prices. I understand slowing personal purchases, but not "stopping" completely.
+1 I agree, buy it if you need/want it and whatever price you can accept. It is a personal decision. I just paid way too much for some CCI standard velocity because I wanted it for subsonic use when the suppressor gets the O.K. I think that 22lr will be one of the last things to bounce back in the production cycle of 2021.

 

[Skeet 028]

Recently I bought a small lot of 223 at a gun show. I really didn't need it all and a fellow asked me if I had any for sale...so I got a deal on the ammo and split the whole lot with him. I bought the ammo for a final price of 30 cents a round. 8 boxes were Tulammo but the rest(40 boxes) was all US made. I made a friend happier and got myself a bit of ammo at the same time. Later that fellow brought me a magazine to fit a kinda rare gun I have...for free. I would have paid him for it if he would have let me. I mean you don't find original mags for Springfield 22 cal rifles. I sold some 12 M SPPs and spread them out to about 20 people at the show by limiting the amount each person could buy. I made a friend or two by doing so...I also PO'd one fellow by not letting him buy them all. Right now if you NEED ammo or reloading supplies you will usually have to pay a premium. If you do so I can't understand why you would tell everyone what you had to pay...You wanted it and it was your money to spend as you see fit. Once this "shortage" ends...if it does..don't be like a turtle and pull your head into your shell...remember what you will need and buy for the future...at whatever the hopefully normal price will be. But there are other folks who would rather pay an increased price at some point just to be able to get/have a certain item. Those are the folks I don't understand

 

[bigggbbruce]

For quite a few years now I've kept quite a few years worth on hand.

Next shortage.. get through this one first..

 

[Dave Lively]

FWIW, I really get tired of those arguing "...don't buy at these high prices..." expecting everyone else to suffer until THEY can sweep in and stock up at the old "normal" prices.

Is not buying 9mm FMJ at $.70/round causing anyone to suffer?

When we tell people this is not the time to buy it is more like gently suggesting to someone on their sixth shot of tequila in the past hour maybe they should slow down a little, that's how people end up sleeping naked in the bathtub. Or advising people not to dump all the stocks in their 401k when the market takes a dip. Good advice but nobody wants advice they didn't ask for.

Its friendly advice mixed in a with a big dose of very annoying "I told you so!" smug superiority. I can certainly understand resenting the latter part of that. But when prices were low and we were stocking up anyone that wanted ammo, not just us, could buy as much as they wanted. We don't expect others to buy their ammo at high prices so we can buy it a low prices. We want everyone to be able to buy as much as they want when prices come down. We will be standing in line with everyone else once prices come down.

If someone needs a couple of boxes of ammo they should buy it. But buying it in case quantities at these prices is just plain crazy.

 

[Telecaster]

Construction and real estate are sky high right now too; people are buying and building homes left and right. If they got the money, let 'em.