So Much For, "Buy a 9mm Cause You Can Always Find Ammo For It"

[COSteve]

Another myth shot down about the superiority of the 9mm over all the other pistol calibers. That being that ammo is always readily available everywhere for it. In times of panic, everything is in short supply so to be prepared, you have to have stock on hand, no matter what caliber you use.

That's why many of us who reload don't bother with the 9mm. We can load any caliber we want, any way we want. With a stock of components on hand, we can decide what type of ammo we will make when we make it. Plinking to powerhouse, the choice is ours. Not some bean counter's in an office deciding what he makes the most profit on.

I'm not knocking 9mm but just reminding all those who promote it as 'the best', that it's not, it's just a choice. There are many other calibers to choose from and each of us is entitled to our own choice.

[laytonj1]

Actually, being a NATO round, 9mm is probably plentiful overseas

Reloading does not guarantee availability either. I clearly remember primers and powder being near impossible to find back in 2009 and 2013.
You pretty much have to stay stocked up, be it factory ammo or reloading components.
We all knew there would be a shortage this year because of the elections but nobody was expecting the covid or riots to happen.

Jim

[osbornk]

I don't shoot 9mm because it is always available because it is not. I shoot it because it is the cheapest centerfire cartridge you can buy and it is more available than most other calibers. It shoots well in my PCC rifle as well as my handguns ranging from 15 ounces to almost 40.

[seanc]

Strawman argument. I've never heard anyone say 9mm will always be available. I've heard it said that since it's so widely used/adopted, it's cheaper. That's how I had to explain to my wife that .380 ammo is smaller & weaker, but not as common as 9mm, so it's more expensive.

As far as stocking up, what's the difference if you stock up on components or loaded cartridges? Sure, I have the choice in how I'm going to use my primers, but at some point, I'll run out. Same with powder. For pistols, I'm all small pistol primers, even on my .45acp. The powder I have is good for 9/380/45 too, but I'm counting my primers and what I have left the same as I do loaded cartridges. I got lucky before everyone ran out of stock and got primers and bullets, but that's not an infinite supply.

[FrankenMauser]

In times of panic, everything is in short supply (...)

There's plenty of .32 S&W Long on the shelves here.
Also .25 Auto.
.17 Hornet is well stocked, where carried.
.338 WM sure hasn't flown off the shelves.
.454 Casull is abundant.
.50 BMG is gathering dust in the usual quantities.
Shotgun ammo appears almost untouched, except for slugs and cheap buckshot.

And, in the last couple weeks, I've still been able to obtain .303 Savage and 7.35 Carcano.
Diversify.


Reloading is great, but it still doesn't do you any good unless you stock up on powder and primers. ...Which is just a roundabout way of stocking up on ammo.
Right now, I know quite a few reloaders that are just as screwed as factory ammo guys, because they didn't stock up and can't get primers.

[stephen426]

.40 S&W is still available. Maybe time to show it some love. I am sitting on a decent amount of ammo. If prices keep going up, I’m going to sell some. I have plenty to shoot and I’ll pick up more when supply catches up.

[gwpercle]

I had been reloading and casting bullets since 1967 .
After 2013 I saw this panic buying thing was going to happen at least every election year and I've watched the panic's happening again and again ...the herd spooks easily on social media !
I stocked up on enough powder , primers and brass to last me a lifetime .
Made sure I had plenty of different styles bullet moulds and reloading tools for every firearm I own , might own or someone might give me .
The ammo shortages , which will be happening every few years now , are not going to catch me with my pants down again .
You might want to think about how often the panics are happening ....see a trend ?

[Onward Allusion]

I actually found 357 Sig at 0.40 per round yesterday. Crazy times.

[Forte S+W]

Yep, you're honestly better off buying a .40cal with a couple of conversion barrels in 9mm Luger and .357 SIG if you can, that way you have one gun that can shoot 3 different cartridges, and obviously the less popular cartridges will always be more readily available.

[TX Nimrod]

....obviously the less popular cartridges will always be more readily available.

Wow, who would have believed this a few years ago...



.

[JohnKSa]

Yep, you're honestly better off buying a .40cal with a couple of conversion barrels in 9mm Luger and .357 SIG if you can, that way you have one gun that can shoot 3 different cartridges, and obviously the less popular cartridges will always be more readily available.

For the prices of 2 conversion barrels, if you wait until the prices are good, you can buy 1000-2000 rounds of 9mm.

If the goal is always to have ammo on hand, I think it makes more sense to spend money stocking up on ammo than on buying conversion barrels. Remember, even after you buy the conversion barrels, you still have to buy ammo--why not spend all the money on ammo?

[jetinteriorguy]

I think the notion of availability is more of a SHTF driven scenario where your only way of getting ammo is scrounging. Not so much finding it for sale during a panic buy.

[stagpanther]

if you wait until the prices are good, you can buy 1000-2000 rounds of 9mm.

I never worry about running out of 9mm--I did exactly this and have a couple of thousand CCI RN on "ready reserve" (yes, not the best defensive ammo but it is still going to hurt) in case I run out of reload components--which is also unlikely since I have thousands of cases and bullets as well, my only real vulnerability might be powder, but even that will take a very long time to run out of. I have to admit the run on 9mm components seems worse this time around than I've ever seen before in other market panic-buying surges.

[stephen426]

I think my cost average is about $.22 per round for 9mm. This is for decent quality stuff that is reliable reloadable. No steel case or junk ammo. I saw prices as high as $1 per round during the last panic. I could have sold half my reserves and tripled my stockpile when prices came back down. When prices get high enough, I’m selling. In a real life poop hits the fan scenario, I can easily transport all the ammo I have. There are too many other essentials to worry about.

[COSteve]

Again, I'm not knocking 9mm, just pointing out that the myth that it's always available is false. The fact is that the supply chain of anything can be disrupted for many different reasons.

As far as caliber selection is concerned, each of us will use what we think is best for us. I have no issue with people who decide 9mm or 380 or even 25 cal works for them. That's their choice and their results. However, just because someone picks a caliber, it doesn't automatically mean that it's by definition the best for everyone.

That's what I'm against. The attitude that, "I picked this so it's the best choice for everybody and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it" that's so prevalent on discussion forums. So, once again, for me, calibers other than 9mm are my choice. Further, stocking up on handloading components to make ammo rather than stocking commercial ammo works best for me.

However, as always, YMMV

[seanc]

stagpanther:

I have to admit the run on 9mm components seems worse this time around than I've ever seen before in other market panic-buying surges.

2 weeks ago, I was doing my weekly price/quantity/components checks at SGAmmo, etc. and life was looking good; stocks were filling up again, even if prices weren't coming down just yet. Then 2 days later, I see the 1st "WHERE'S THE AMMO!!!" thread. I'm well stocked (I don't give out quantities, in person or on the internet!) but I like to see what the trend is. Something DEFINATELY changed. This has a whole new feel to it, doesn't it?

[7.62 man]

Originally Posted by TX Nimrod

Wow, who would have believed this a few years ago...



.

I you were around when Obama got elected it was the same thing. It hit rifle ammo harder then. I remember paying 60 cents a round for .223/5.56 if you could find it.
That's when I learned to reload & stock up for this crazy gun & ammo market.

[GarandTd]

Always available was never my attitude toward 9mm. Cheaper and more common, most definitely. This is during normal times. This all goes out the window in situations like these. My choices are the best for me and me alone. I shut down pretty quickly when somebody tells me their choice is the absolute best and mine is not. Especially with firearms. I make my own decisions and haven't been disappointed yet.

To each their own.

[Hawg]

Local gun shop sells Norma tactical for 60 cents which is the cheapest .223 around. OTOH they sell S&B 9MM hardball for 24 cents.

[Mike38]

But all of that 9mm that's been bought in the past two months is still out there, it's not being shot up, it's being stored. They will make more. Be patient young grasshopper.

[CDW4ME]

Originally Posted by Onward Allusion

I actually found 357 Sig at 0.40 per round yesterday. Crazy times.

Couple weeks ago 40 S&W FMJ obtained at .36 - .38 round (25% higher than prepanic), its all gone now.
I too saw 357 Sig for .40 a round ...

Sure is nice to have a Glock 32 and a Glock 23 with 357 Sig barrel, options.

I paid 25% more for the 40 S&W, thats the price of not stocking up better.

[COSteve]

Originally Posted by 7.62 man

I you were around when Obama got elected it was the same thing. It hit rifle ammo harder then. I remember paying 60 cents a round for .223/5.56 if you could find it. That's when I learned to reload & stock up for this crazy gun & ammo market.

Those days are back!!

American Eagle .223 55grn FMJBT ammo is currently $600.00 for 1K plus shipping at BulkAmmo.com and BulkMunitions has the same for $664 plus shipping in large part because they both have them in stock.

ETA: I just found that Palmetto State Armory has 1K boxes of American Eagle .223 55grn FMJBT ammo for $579.99 + $26 shipping which works out to right at 60¢ per rd delivered.

(I guess that it's not the time to say that I still have some 2K+ worth of M193 55grn bullets, powder, primers, and tons of empty LC NATO brass to keep loading the same thing for $81 per 1,000 [8.1¢ per rd] . . . . . . is it? )

[GarandTd]

I saw American Eagle 5.56 in a local shop for .50¢/rd. I wasn't impressed with the price at the time. Went back a few days later after I decided they had some so it was worth it, but it was gone. Lesson learned.

[Forte S+W]

For the prices of 2 conversion barrels, if you wait until the prices are good, you can buy 1000-2000 rounds of 9mm.

If the goal is always to have ammo on hand, I think it makes more sense to spend money stocking up on ammo than on buying conversion barrels. Remember, even after you buy the conversion barrels, you still have to buy ammo--why not spend all the money on ammo?

Because the ammo isn't available or otherwise demand has driven the cost up past the point of being so economic.

Case in point, currently in my area, 9mm Luger is most often cleaned out locally, and when it is available, it's expensive premium high pressure stuff which has been marked up substantially.
.40 S&W on the other hand, has so far been readily available everywhere and is only slightly more expensive than it was was previously.

Also, currently I've been seeing Conversion Barrels going for about $90-$120 online lately, so I'd like to know where you can get 1000 let alone 2000 rounds of 9mm Luger for that price at any given time of the year, much less currently.

Oh, and if you're talking components, not the actual cost of ammunition, then be sure to factor in the price of reloading tools, since not everyone is set up to reload, and if we're going to assume that everyone is setup for reloading, then for the sake of fairness we might as well remove the cost of Conversion Barrels from the equation as well and assume that folks already own them to begin with as well.

[jmhyer]

Originally Posted by COSteve

Again, I'm not knocking 9mm, just pointing out that the myth that it's always available is false. The fact is that the supply chain of anything can be disrupted for many different reasons.

As far as caliber selection is concerned, each of us will use what we think is best for us. I have no issue with people who decide 9mm or 380 or even 25 cal works for them. That's their choice and their results. However, just because someone picks a caliber, it doesn't automatically mean that it's by definition the best for everyone.

That's what I'm against. The attitude that, "I picked this so it's the best choice for everybody and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it" that's so prevalent on discussion forums. So, once again, for me, calibers other than 9mm are my choice. Further, stocking up on handloading components to make ammo rather than stocking commercial ammo works best for me.

However, as always, YMMV

I get your point. I went to buy my first semi auto before the elections in 2008. I would have liked to have gotten something in 9 mm for all of the reasons that have been discussed above. However, due to my timing, 40 caliber was the only ammunition available. All 9 mm and 45 ACP ammo was gone from the shelves. Therefore, I had to buy a handgun and 40 Cal... It was the Springfield Armory XD service model. Well I don't shoot 40 Cal very much these days, I still have that firearm and it is easily the most accurate one that I own.