Ammo shortage over???

[bikerbill]

Got an email from Natchez this am offering a full range of handgun FMJ ammo and a few SD versions. It's the first time I've seen ammo offered like this in months. Is the great ammo drought of 2008-2009 over, or is this just a blip? Haven't been to the big box stores in a while, but have been hearing rumors they are stocked also. Is our long national nightmare over?

[wvshooter]

Was in Gander Mountain last night and the shelves looked fully stocked although I didn't see and 380. I've seen the same display shelves almost empty a couple times during the last few months. Things are looking better to me.

[chopz]

at this point i've got enough of about everything (well, could use a little more .45acp) that i don't care how much longer there's a shortage. when enough people (especially the hoarders) feel that way, the shortage will be over. it's inevitable.

[overkill556x45]

Is it over? Not quite, but it is getting much better. I'd give it another six months before we see prices drop a little more (on guns and ammo). The days of cheap shooting are probably gone though.

BUT, remember that it would only take one silly statement from D.C. to start the whole cycle over again. Please, distinguished representatives, don't say any such thing until I get my new job and purchase my AK74.

[jglsprings]

Was in Gander Mountain last night and the shelves looked fully stocked although I didn't see and 380. I've seen the same display shelves almost empty a couple times during the last few months. Things are looking better to me.

Well, things may be easing up a little. But after a walk through the Denver Gander Mountain, I'll never set foot in that place again. That company was price gouging so bad I'll never give them a nickel. $65.00 for 20 rounds of 44 Special Silvertips??!!!! - I won't forget that as long as I live.

[Technosavant]

Is it over? Not quite, but it is getting much better.

This is my take on it. Shelves are gradually filling up, even in .380ACP, but it still isn't quite to the point where you can pick up anything you want anywhere you want. .45ACP seems to be a little thin at the moment, and some places known for low prices (Walmart) still has mostly empty shelves for now. But supplies are starting to come back up and I think we're through the worst of it.

[Wishoot]

Not here in lovely Southeast Wisconsin.

I've been to two Gander Mountain's, a couple of Farm & Fleets, More Walmarts than I care to think about and a couple of local stores and the shortage continues in-force. Every once in a great while I'll get lucky at Cabela's, but beyond that, I've resorted to ordering through the internet.

In a word: "Ugh"

[sakeneko]

I'm still seeing short supplies of a few very popular calibers, such as 9 mm and 38 spl. (Unfortunately, the calibers we use here.) But even those calibers are available now, unlike last spring when you could not find ammunition of any type in either of those calibers for love or money for a few months.

We still have a (mostly) capitalist economy in America, which means that demand usually will lead to increased supply til they match. :-)

[Ron]

I was in Gander Mountain down in Orlando, Florida last week end. I couldn't believe how expensive they were, That trip was my first and last time I'll go there. With that said, It was stocked to the ceiling with inventory. Guns,ammo,etc. Very nice store but to rich for me.

[Stuohn]

Here (Peoria IL) you can find 9mm and .40 at most walmarts. All the other calibers are stocked high at the gun stores but, prices are still too high. (exception of two stores one had .40 @ 16.00/50 the other had 9mm @11.00/50). Out of the 7 gun stores (not including walmart) I've been to in the last few weeks no one carries 357 sig and will not order it.

Gander Moutain is full of ammo/guns but, are way too high. The only use for this place IMO is to handle a specific type of gun, get a feel for it and then go somewhere else to buy it.

When I visted Texas (Galveston/ Texas City area) in early August there was only ammo at one gun shop but He wanted $25/50 for 9mm range junk. No Walmarts or Acadamy had any.

All in all I would say its getting better but, still aways from acceptable.

[stevieboy]

I've been able to find more lately but I still have a couple of backorders with Cabela's. I'll relax when they're finally shipped.

[ninjatoth]

a month back or so my wife picked up a 50 round box of magtech .38 specials for me from our local store.I looked at the receipt when she got home,$24!!!.And this guy stated to her that we could only buy one box a day.Back in jan/feb I was buying .38 reloads for $13 a box until that store was completely out exept for 1 20 round SD .38s.I haven't been back to the stores in a month or so in mid michigan,but from march/april till july everything seemed to be empty.I should go back and see how it is now.

[Blue Grass]

I saw 2 .22lr bulk packs at a local Wally World. It was subsonic Rem but they were the first bulk packs of any .22 I have seen in a year. They had a good selection of Fed, Win, and Rem rifle ammo but no pistol ammo. As much as I dislike Wally World, they will continue to get my ammo business. They haven't tried to get rich quick during this ammo shortage. They're still selling ammo only a little higher than before the Obamanation of America. I've seen a couple of local gunshop owners buying ammo at Wally World and trying to sell it in there shops for 100% mark up. I no longer shop there.

[89240]

Around Pittsburgh, 9mm is fairly easy to come by now but other handgun calibers are still hard to get--haven't seen much .38 Special, 357 mag, and what I do find is almost $20 a box. Hello, reloading kit.

Josh

[m&p45acp10+1]

Here in Temple, Tx. you can find ammo at Walmart and Acadamy. Walmart is usualy at least a couple of dollars cheaper per box. Most Walmarts recieve ammo shipments at night. Show up between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM to get .380 ACP they usualy get some and it sells the fastest. 45 auto you can get for around $15 a box of 50. 9mm usualy around $10 .40 S&W is usualy in the middle of that price range. I have been seeng more 9mm, and .40 after 3 pm still left on the shelves. They usualy also get a fair amount of .38 spcl.
I have a close friend that works for Walmart Distribution here in Temple and he says they have been getting slightly larger shipments lately. It still is not staying on the floor long enough to be put into pick slots in the warehouse. It is taken from the recieving dock straight to the loading dock to be broken up to fill the out going trucks. It is still going out as fast as it comes in. The good news is there is more of it, and localy the scalpers are no longer able to buy all of the ammo on the shelves.
Local gunstores have fair supplies of ammo at more than twice the price that Walmart of Acadamy charge:barf:. People are not buying it. That is why they still have it on thier shelves.
I think some one should have said that the goverment was going to enact an SUV, and full sized truck ban. Maybee the auto industry would be doing better.

[skoro]

Not around here it isn't.

[javabum]

not here in the sunny state.....at least in the part where i live it's not over.
but then again they just might be hording the ammo in the back just to keep
the prices up.....I wouldn't put anything past them here in this state.

[DiscoRacing]

guess i need to stop reloading so much..... i didnt even know that there was a shortage to begin with... still have all the components to load over 10,000 rds.

[wvshooter]

Gander Mountain is high but I don't buy ammo there. I did buy a bunch of powder from them over the last few months. I buy bullets online and reload everything I shoot. Both JHP's and hardcast lead for target shooting. It's been a couple years since I bought any factory ammo from anyone. Otherwise the only thing I've bought there are a couple used handguns that were priced right.

[benford360]

Not over here in Columbus. Barren shelves still plague Walmart and the smaller gun stores. Larger gun stores have plenty, but for a nice markup. However, a quick call to the local Walmart Sporting Goods section every day is good enough to keep me stocked for my shooting needs...

[jal5]

Good to hear the ammo situation is easing up elsewhere but not here in eastern Ohio. Walmart still has bare shelves but the 2 local small gun stores have a bigger supply of ammo than a few months ago, prices a little inflated but not terrible. Primers are what is missing from the picture almost entirely though powder is showing up in more variety now.

Joe

[chopz]

sorry to nitpick, but increased demand does not lead to an increase in supply. not in capitalism as i know it. increased demand leads to higher prices. in fact, in most cases it's optimal for a savvy capitalist to walk the line between discouraging too many buyers, and increasing supply sufficiently to warrant reducing prices. only when demand tapers off, because of market saturation, will supply increase and prices subsequently decline.

[ritepath]

Last evening I was talking to a friend that was about to head into WM and I told him to pick me up some 9mm....I'd found it 1 time this YEAR, he called a few minutes later and he'd bought me two boxes. I can find 223 and 7.62 at any of the three wm I go to almost every trip. I can buy all the over priced ammo I want at gun shops these days. I've even been able to turn down 22 ammo 3 or 4 times here lately at Wally world.

[Tom Servo]

Joe Bob's got 30,000 rounds of 9mm sitting in the living room.

Joe Bob's ready for the Huns/Zombies/Secular Humanists. Joe Bob's wife really wishes he'd move it downstairs, as it's a rather awkward subject come bridge night.

Funny thing is, Joe Bob shoots 100 rounds a year. Joe Bob has 300 years worth of ammo. He doesn't have to buy any more.

Therefore, the Wal Mart sporting goods manager doesn't have to worry about Joe Bob hovering over his shoulder every morning at 7:00AM when the deliveries arrive. Which is good, because the Wal Mart manager really likes to have his coffee at that hour.

It's good for those of us who shoot, because we can actually get ammo.

I think the first sign was when primers started appearing on shelves again. I'd heard that the reason manufacturers weren't sending them out was because they were having to use everything they had in-house to produce loaded ammunition.

We are, however, left with two significant problems. First, people are conditioned to pay outrageous prices on ammunition. It's like thinking $3.00/gallon gas was great last winter.

Second, the milsurp appears to have been gobbled up during all this mess. I can't find certain (non-military) calibers to save my life...

[Daryl]

It's not over here.

Wal-Mart had virtually no ammo when I looked there today, and they haven't had any since zero was elected.

A few days ago, my local toy store had a bit of ammo. The only .22 LR ammo they had was Rem Thunderbolts at $3.30/50. $33.00 a brick for the equivalent of bulk ammo seems pretty high to me. I'm glad I have lots of .22 ammo.

The toy store still had no primers, and the owner is pretty good about looking and finding things like that. No new powder, and very few bullets for loading. I'm glad I'm stocked up on that stuff, too.

I'm a handloader, and I've kept a decent supply of components and ammo on hand since way back in the 1970's. I'm glad I have, even though I've really never needed it until now.

Seems to me that some non-perishable food stuff might be a good thing to stock up on, considering how fast ammunition disappeared.

Daryl