Where Has All the Ammo Gone?

[SVO]

h_townner- By government LE, I wasn't talking about the Fuddville PD, I was talking about Dept of Homeland Security- FBI, Border Patrol, DEA, Customs, IRS, etc. Those in Washington that have purchased millions of rounds over the past few years.

[kenken]

The Wal-Mart near me is empty except for the standard 270,30-06,7mag and 410. My LGS received some 5.56 and 22lr ammo this week and sold out pretty quick. There is also talk of a FEMA truck being seen backed up to a Wal-Mart truck, unloading all the ammo off and onto the FEMA truck here in my home town in east Texas. Every Wal-mart that I have been to seem to have the exact same stock on the shelf.

kenken

[Skans]

After watching a few episodes of Hoarders and Preppers I know where all the ammo has gone. There is no shortage of people who think the world is coming to an end in short order and believe that having 50,000 rounds of ammo will preserve place for them in New Eden.

[22-rimfire]

It is my opinion that the government contracts are sucking up the ammunition resources at the manufacturing level. Maybe Walmart and other major retailers need to warehouse ammunition rather than the way it appears they are doing it? Why does the government need all this ammunition when the Afghanistan war is coming to a close? We're not in Iraq? Why? I think the answer lies with the government simply manlipulating the market with their big orders so the private citizen his left with nothing. The whole situation sings of Rahm Emanuel politics.

[CurlyQ.Howard]

Underwood has some potent 10mm loads in stock as of this minute. Can't say for how long though.

[h_townner]

SVO, that woud really suck. If the federal government is only looking out for the Feds and leaving the local LEO's out to dry .... Then I understand why there's talk in Texas about leaving the union. This is outrageous. Yet 51% of us believes this admin has the messiah.

BTW, a couple weeks ago a placed an order with Sierra bullets and yesterday I called to check on it only to be told that they were out and wouldn't manufacture any more for about two months. I told her to cancel it. Then within 15 minutes they call back to inform me that they found a couple boxes of the bullets I had ordered and if I was still interested. Hmmmmmm, seems to me they were holding back.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Reality check - TX isn't leaving the union, steer away from politics.

The storage is due to hoarders and flippers camping outside the stores.

[h_townner]

Glenn, " steer away from politics " is one of the best advice a man can ever get. Unfortunately, politics is at the source of the scare. I agree with you tho. Peace.

[Mike Irwin]

"I think some are missing the point of the OP. If he works for the largest gun retailer in the US one would think that that retailer would be in line for new ammunition supplies first before the many other smaller sellers. If the number one seller is not getting the ammunition who is?"

Demand has been spiking for some time now.

It's not logical or reasonable to think that the largest gun retailer in the US would ALWAYS, EVERY WEEK, get its full order to the exclusion of every other outlet.

That would mean that a significant number of other customers would NOT get for months on end.

Manufacturers and distributors are cycling through their customers as best they can.

In other words, you're not getting anything this week, you might not get anything next week, but we're pretty sure we can get you at least something the week after that.

[TDL]

I don't think they've sold a box. You can't tell me that the LGS down the road that's a one man operation run out of a 70's model single wide trailer gets priority over Walmart. He is currently having no trouble coming up with 5.56, 9mm, .40, and .45. It ain't dirt cheap or anything, but it's available.

t's not logical or reasonable to think that the largest gun retailer in the US would ALWAYS, EVERY WEEK, get its full order to the exclusion of every other outlet.

I agree with the second statement.

Having worked in retail, large and small, perhaps I can explain a few things some may not know.

Walmart is huge and it negotiates its prices. It pays way less for the same exact items as smaller retailers, sometimes a huge amount less. additionally walmart almost certainly directly buys direct from manufactures and distributes itself where most small stores, in this case LGSs. is almost certainly be buying ammo and supplies from a wholesaler in the middle.

So the makers have an interest in selling to the smaller stores, and regional wholesalers because they pay the manufacturer more for the same product. Wal-Mart has the negotiating advantage over makers for price and supply a in a time of surplus, but that supply advantage disappears during scarcity once they have sold their contracted amount. the contracts between walmart and ammo makers probably have been fulfilled. a maker of ammunition would not favor Wal-Mart during scarcity.

Secondly it very likely many of the small gun shops bought up a goo deal Wal-Mart's supplies even at retail costs anyway. During either surplus times or potential scarcity that price may well beat the price they get at wholesale.
For my dad' store we used to buy cans tuna at the local large chain. They sold it for about half of what we could buy it wholesale.

there are a combination of other factors this time around, the government has certainly bought massive amounts. The fact that people have new guns means there is a lot of training. On top of that people who are cautious would definaetly be stockpiling some amount, whether it be for three or four training sessions down the road, or more. Lastly in free markets individuals buy with the hope of reselling for a profit.

[seeker_4]

They had a blurb this morning on the radio saying Homeland Security has purchased more ammo than even the US Army, including .22's. Our Walmart has none of the popular brand nor are they getting any. Our LGS says he can't get any either. I don't believe for even a second that hoarders are scarfing it up... I believe it is yet another step instrumented by our politicians to obtain thier goals.... whatever they may be.
OK...they are getting ammo...then what is happening to reloader supplies? LGS says same thing... uncle sugar's taking it.
Wish we knew the truths?? I know when I was a cop, we never used factory ammo for training... reloaded wad cutters at best. Why .22's? Why so many calibers?

[Justice06RR]

My opinion, ACC (or I would just call them American consumers because not all are citizens) have increased their demand for ammo which in turn has dried up the supply.

If we are indeed talking about Walmart, I distinctly remember before November 2012 that they were normally flush with 22lr, 223, 9mm etc. After Obama's re-election and Newtown, AC got the scare and panic bought all they ammo they can afford beyond their normal levels.

For example, I used to buy maybe 2boxes of ammo every couple of weeks before the panic--knowing that ammo was abundant and cheap. After November I ramped it up to 3 or more boxes a week, whatever I can afford to buy if there was no limit. Multiply that demand in millions of AC and you get the shortage that we have now.

The American public would have to calm down and slow their demand/purchase of ammo for the manufacturers to finally catch up.

[Justice06RR]

After watching a few episodes of Hoarders and Preppers I know where all the ammo has gone. There is no shortage of people who think the world is coming to an end in short order and believe that having 50,000 rounds of ammo will preserve place for them in New Eden.

Skans, this also is a high possibility.

With the proliferation of preppers/hoarders/apocalypse, other normal individuals have taken to the practice of buying excessive amounts of ammo and supplies to stash for their own, even if they are not preppers.

Some forum members have boasted over 20k of ammo; at first I thought 5k rounds was excessive before. Now 20k and up is the norm esp if you add 22lr to that amount. These hoarders/preppers who bought countless rounds of ammo before it dried up in January is definitely a cause for the shortage we currently have.

[Greguw]

I also heard the government has increased there ammunition purchasing ... wonder what third world countries are getting our ammo ... Were giving everything else away .

[MLeake]

I have been able to find ammo, but only in lots of 500, 1000, or greater.

Aside from the occasional box of 20 rounds of SD ammo...

Seems to me that this problem lasted until around August, in 2009, after the first big scare.

[Greguw]

I was just reading the social security office also placed a order for ammo .
The Social Security Administration (SSA) confirms that it is purchasing 174 thousand rounds of hollow point bullets to be delivered to 41 locations in major cities across the U.S.

[thallub]

Where Has All the Ammo Gone?

Some is being offered for re-sale at greatly elevated prices.

[Mike Irwin]

174K rounds for their investigative and security arms is pretty much a drop in the bucket.

[elDiabloLoco]

Well, if I were a corrupt gub'mint official looking for a way to launder money from the public coffers to my pocket, what better way than via ammunition?

You buy a bunch for "training", gin up a bunch of false invoices via a newly incorporated PO box, gin up a zillion copies of false training records, kick back ten percent to your equally corrupt masters, and cash the checks. Maybe even have a few actual deliveries which you can part out to your own minions for selling at gun show prices.

On orders that large, the opportunities for graft are huge. With the "freedom of the press" now equating to playing three monkeys, even if it were noticed it would go mostly undocumented.

And to pay for it all the Federal Reserve just keeps creating money out of thin air.

It is certainly at least equally as likely as the gub'mint stocking up to wage war on the populace.

lol

[Greguw]

Possibly the social security office is stocking up for when the checks stop coming ...LOL

[breakingcontact]

Reality check - TX isn't leaving the union, steer away from politics.

The storage is due to hoarders and flippers camping outside the stores.

Who knows about the first one, time will tell.

The second one, I absolutely agree with. Unfortunately it will take the gun hobbyists to stop buying it at inflated prices to stop the flippers. Hoarders? I think lots are turning into hoarders and unfortunately, I don't see how many of us won't load up when the shelves get restocked again.

Local Academy this morning

40
45
556

in stock a few hours after store opened

9mm (sold out immediately, people are getting there an hour before it opens to buy what they can)

22LR What's that?

[zincwarrior]

Well on a mathmatical basis demand is finite. It will decrease, as it has before, and availability will increase.

The new buyers will slow down.
The hoarders will run out of money to buy rounds.
Supplies will increase.

Personally I stil think this will start to ease in June/July. Personally it will ease for me regardless after June until October. Summer temperatures in Central Texas limit shooting, so as to avoid not dying from the heat.

[Joe_Pike]

Some forum members have boasted over 20k of ammo; at first I thought 5k rounds was excessive before. Now 20k and up is the norm esp if you add 22lr to that amount. These hoarders/preppers who bought countless rounds of ammo before it dried up in January is definitely a cause for the shortage we currently have.

I'm not a hoarder or a prepper, but I'm a guy with about 25,000 rounds of various calibers with almost half being .22lr. I've been buying for several years because I realized a long time ago that ammo isn't ever going to get cheaper. I bought Federal bulk .22 for $12 a brick a few years ago and now look at it. I bought WWB 100 round boxes of 9mm for $12 a box also and now look at it. I don't feel bad at all for having what I have. I've never wiped out anyone's inventory when I buy, I just add to my stash as I can.

[shafter]

Most people with thousands of rounds of ammo didn't just buy it all at once after the election. They've been working on it for years. Now their just like everyone else who is trying to get what they can while they can.

This is the second crunch and I think it will ease up eventually. Hopefully the third time around we won't have so many of these threads.

[Newton24b]

well if your dealing about walmart, dont expect ammunition to come in for another 7 weeks. were now told its due to the latest government contract for 16-20 million rounds of ammunition from the civilian factories.

why else would the government buy up sooooo much ammunition when the demand is so great?

disarmament