The Guy From Federal Again

[LostintheOzone]

I looked for a Redding T7 press yesterday. None to be found. Even loading presses are now scarce. Never seen that. This one is going to be long and deep, maybe two, three years.

I feel sorry for anyone who needs a firearm, ammo or components but not enough to sell any of mine. All I can say is remember the winter of 2020 and be glad you survived it. Next time gear up.

 

[tops]

I remember a new vehicle costing $2,800 but if I buy one now it will be a little higher. I remember when .38 Specials were a lot cheaper than they are now but if I want a box I have too pay the going price. We can't live in the past.

 

[seldon14]

Let's see... 7,000,000 new gun buyers times 2 boxes (100 rounds) each of ammo minimum yields a new demand on the system for an additional 700,000,000 rounds of ammo if you assume that the existing customers continue buying at their pre-panic rates. Seven Hundred Million rounds of additional ammunition demand. What industry can absorb that kind of sudden increase in the midst of all the rest of the complications going on these days? For that matter, how much ammunition was produced during our various wartime years? I remember from history that ammo was rationed or nearly unavailable to civilians during WW II.

Just something to think about.
Green Frog

A great many, probably the majority of gun owners, usually purchase very little ammo.

These ar observations from the last ammo panics.

People who usually buy and use 50-100 rounds every few months or a year, start suddenly buying 10 times as much.

I had a customer that would come in once a month on Friday, he would get done with work early, stop by and purchase 1 box of 45acp, and usually a soda. I don't think I ever sold him anything else. He owned 2 guns. An Ak and a Glock 21. The panic hit and now He was now in twice a week. He made a one time purchase of 10 Ak mags. He would buy the limit usually 4 box's of 45acp every time, 2 box's of 762x39 and 2 glock 21 mags very time.

There where lots of regulars like him. The guys that came in for 2 box's of slugs for hunting season each year, 1 to sight in, and one to hunt with, where now in every week for. 25 round box's of 00, and slugs, and bricks of 22lr.

New gun buyers usually purchased between 0-2 box's of ammo pre panic, and I often need saw them again. During the panic, they usually wanted as much as they could get, and typically where back for more within a week or 2.

 

[rosewood]

If we learned anything from the great TP shortage of 20, people buy what they don't need out of fear. Pretty sure there wasn't an increase in TP usage last year, but for some reason, folks thought they had to stack it high and deep. We were 6 months into it before I bought the first package. My current stock was sufficient to get me through the initial panic.

Rosewood

 

[500SNW]

I'm just curious - and maybe I missed it in the above posts - but have any of our overseas members chimed in on the ammo shortage? Most of us here are talking about the domestic market, but I'd like to know what the forum members in other countries are experiencing? Probably the same thing, but it would be interesting to hear from them on what they are dealing with in their locations.

 

[GypsmJim]

What I don't get is why so many people get/got caught off guard...why in this day and age, so many people failed to stock up ahead of time? Did we know Covid and "social unrest" was going to strike big time in 2020? Nope. But we've had plenty of warning signals over the past...ohh, 12 years...that everyone should know better to have stocked up well in advance. Did everyone forget the lessons of the post-Sandy Hook market? Did everyone forget that 2020 was a really critical election year? IMHO, in these times, there is no excuse for anyone being unprepared...and that goes for both ammo, and anything else like toilet paper, food, medicine. Any reasonably intelligent person can look around at the state of things and know that stockpiling is now a necessity. I think someone else on another forum said it best. They said "look at what you have in your guns and ammo stash. What you see is all that you have into the forseeable future."

Well I get it perfectly. You and I are "shooters" and maybe "collectors" and we are tuned in to the happenings of the world because its our hobby. But the average guy with a wife and 2 kids, and a job, and home repairs, yada, yada has a lot on his plate and probably didn't really think about it.

Last year we were down to only a few rolls of TP before we could find any. I was about ready to bring out the old Sears catalog. While we were stockpiling rimfire ammo and primers we weren't paying attention to poopn. I mean, who wuda thunk it?

 

[ddixie884]

I think there is enough ammo available for self protection. If a person can own a gun he can manage a box or two for function test and defense. If it can be shown that is not the case, I might give up enough for that. When the TP shortage hit it had been over for a good while before I bought any. I wasn't out but it did seem prudent to stock back up in case of a rebound.........

 

[Rudi]

I can still remember sitting in a gas line back in '73? Saying "I don't care how much it costs, as long as I can get it". A buck a round for .38s is still better than 2 bucks. I sure hope this situation gets better.

 

[Dfish1247]

Locally, I'm seeing ammo stay around longer, due to stratospheric prices. For example, federal 150rd .223, 169.99, 50rd cci std velocity 22, 14.99. No components though, go figure. So, there may be a flicker of hope. The tv car auction equivalent of firearm auctions suggests otherwise unfortunately.


But, give it time, it'll calm down like the others have. Take a deep breath and tune out the news and the neck beards.

 

[YkcorCal]

Come on Federal make us .44 caliber snub nose users a .44 Special +P self-defense load we can be proud to carry! Like for carry in the Performance Center 629 2.6" as a ultimate man stopper but with great controllability out of such a great concealed carry gun!