I find these threads amusing. As much fun as a year and a half ago when the same folks were crying about the sudden shortages. What seems to filter out is the shooting fraternity sifts out into two distinct groups. The young'ens who complain and cry like mad because they've always know a land of plenty, and the old coots who've been doing this for a while.
I grew up reading Skeeter Skelton, and I heard story after story from my older relatives about how tough it was during the depression. The theme was the same, no ammo and no money to buy any if you could find some. They beat into my thick skull the idea of waste not, want not. Ammo was a particularly sore issue.
When I started to shoot, a box of 22s was an unimaginable treasure. Then when my teen buddies would go out shooting, they'd waste a brick apiece. I was in disgust, but enjoyed watching them miss what they were shooting at. I refrain from saying aiming because very little of that was ever done. They were burning powder and throwing lead down range (and it wasn't a range, we couldn't afford such luxuries.)
And my views were warped more by my uncle. My dad couldn't stand him but I thought the was cool. He just wasn't stingy. He also didn't go away during WWII. Instead he beat the draft, worked 14 hours a day for most of the 4 years the war lasted, and did some really cool things for the War Department. Like worked on the M1 Carbine development they named the M2. He did make good money, probably why my dad didn't like him.
But he had all kinds of little stockpiles of ammo, mostly 22s, but some 45-70s and even some shotgun shells. He was generous to a fault with me. He had daughters, worthless things for a man who liked guns. So whenever we'd go visit my Grandmother, who live with the uncle, he'd bestow gifts on me. Great presents for a gun loving teen.
And my poor little mind was warped beyond all hope. It was ingrained into me that ammo was to be save and cherished, not wasted. Wealth wasn't measured in $, but in rounds hidden away. And I had this burning desire to become wealthy when it came to ammo.
Its why I laugh at you folks who thought the way to live your lives was to stop at WallyWorld on your way to the range for a box of ammo. Or worse, buy it from the attached gun store. Just like it never crossed your minds that ammo might become over priced or unavailable, it never crossed my mind to own less that a few years supply. The ammo we bought up at WallyWorld and the gun shows was really pretty cheap compared to today's prices. My only forecast is for inflation in the near term. Probably a new stability of maybe twice the prices of 2 years ago, but maybe more.
I buy at firesale prices. Whenever I find things available. I don't apologize to anyone for my buying. I have a little cash in my wallet. I pay my bills with room to spare, and I buy ammo when I see it. Believe it or not, there are folks who think ammo goes bad after a year or two. So when some relative croaks, they dump his ammo for the prices on the sticker, or less because they consider it distressed goods.
For those of you who have met Charlie Sherrill, you know he's easily amused. At several of the gun shows a few years ago he came into our tables to cool his heals. In reality, he understands very well why we buy a table. Its a place to call home, sit around, BS (and he's good at that, too.) But he was both amused and irritated that whenever one of my bird dogs (unpaid scouts) would return with a hot tip, I was up and gone for the time it took to cheat the other guy out of his ammo.
At the one show in particular, I managed to score about 15 boxes of 44 special self defense ammo at $9 a box. He was laughing at me. I was proud. Then there were the boxes of 22s someone felt was out of code.
I just buy them and into storage they go. Soon I'll start the end game (the one where I shoot till I die.)
I still have 550 bulk packs with the $13.47 price sticker. You guys like the OP here think thats cheap. I think it was expensive but a needed thing to do. I've also got Remington premium Golden Bullet hollow points with $5 a brick pricing. And all those stupid CCI Mini Mag plastic boxes of 100. Those were about a $1 a piece.
We play 2 totally different games. Ammo is an end in itself. Don't waste a shot, you won't get it back.
