Post Sandy Hook

[Reloadron]

Don,

Ah, Ron, you're showing your (and my) age. With these politically inspired shortages, it's not a question of if they happen again, but when.

Yeah, I guess.

I do believe come the next election we will see the demand for reloading components increase just like anytime we face an uncertain future.

On a side note just before Sandy Hook over the Thanksgiving weekend my local Gander Mountain was having a sale Thanksgiving day on ammo to include 1,000 round cans of 223 Federal in cans, including the steel can. I think it was something like $290 a can. Reading the flier over coffee I mentioned it to my wife and said this is not a bad deal. It was her who suggested I take the 5 min ride and go buy some. So I took the ride and bought two cans. Did I really need anymore? Nope but figured why not. So I added 2,000 rounds.

Then December 14th 2012 the unthinkable happened and in short order everything was vanishing and what was out there had unthinkable prices. Guys had 223 at gun shows for a buck a round. About that same time Armalite was having a sale on the old style AR 10 Magazines (the M14 modified versions) which I use and I decided to get myself an early Christmas present and bought a 10 pack. Glad I did that too.

I think the Boy Scouts have a good thing going with that "Be Prepared" thing.

Hell Don, I believe at one point I bought a pile of 308 brass from you.

Ron

[hounddawg]

what's the old saying ? better to have ammo in times of no money than money in times of no ammo ? I can always sell the ammo for money

[Reloadron]

So Ammo = Beanies and weenies on the table in times of emergency.

Ron

[hounddawg]

never hunted a beanie weenie but if I were hungry enough those squirrels in my back yard would be make a nice stew

[USSR]

When I became an NRA Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor, I had some business cards made up and included the following phrase on them: A gun without ammo is nothing but a club.

Don

[FITASC]

The biggest company that made the shortage last a LOT longer than it should have was Walmart. They stuck to their normal pricing policy instead of pricing according to the market conditions. We all have seen the results where several guys would show up, buy the ammo cheap and the try to resell it for 300X at the local flea market. And as long as Walmart continued, this BS continued - for years.

[Reloadron]

The biggest company that made the shortage last a LOT longer than it should have was Walmart. They stuck to their normal pricing policy instead of pricing according to the market conditions. We all have seen the results where several guys would show up, buy the ammo cheap and the try to resell it for 300X at the local flea market. And as long as Walmart continued, this BS continued - for years.

My local Walmart had a two box (two 50 round boxes) limit. While not a regular stopping point for me the times I was there and they did get some 22 LR in they seemed to abide by that and had a large sign posted saying that. So yeah, if my wife was with me we could get a whopping 4 boxes between us. While I did read the claims of such activity in forums I never witnessed it and if I did I don't see where it mattered in the large scheme of things. If someone wanted to stand in line at 6:00 AM to but ammo as soon as it hit the shelf more power to them. Anyway, all I saw was the two box limit posted in Walmarts between here in Cleveland all the way down to Columbus.

Ron

[zxcvbob]

I think some were buying it all before it hit the shelf. Not just 2 boxes but the whole shipment.

[berettaprofessor]

I doubt very much the assorted shortages had anything to do with that criminal action.

On the day of Sandy Hook, 22lr was plentiful. Within 10 days after Sandy Hook, 22lr vanished from all the gun and big box stores in my vicinity and it didn’t return for over 3 years. Excuse me, if I wonder what kind of denial disorder lets one think the two weren’t connected.

[Colorado Redneck]

Seems like there was a powder manufacturer that had a plant shut down, that made powder even harder to find. Carrying a good stash of supplies is a safety net that saves money. I am shooting Sierra bullets that were bought for $105/500 and now the same bullets cost $123/500. Primers were scarce, at various times bullets were nonexistent.

[zxcvbob]

On the day of Sandy Hook, 22lr was plentiful. Within 10 days after Sandy Hook, 22lr vanished from all the gun and big box stores in my vicinity and it didn’t return for over 3 years. Excuse me, if I wonder what kind of denial disorder lets one think the two weren’t connected.

It may have been on the verge of disappearing before the massacre and that was the trigger that caused everything to collapse, where if the supply chain was healthier at the time there might not have been a disruption. Or just a brief one. This is speculation; I don't think it was just a coincidence that everything went to hell immediately after Sandy Hook, but that event could have been a very minor part of it all. And if it was, can you really say it caused the drought? (I don't know)

[Reloadron]

Does anyone remember the great toilet paper shortage of 1972? All it takes is a great rumor to get things going or even worse a half truth.

Fear begins to rule peoples minds replacing common sense. Looking at the political climate when Sandy Hook happened people knew the existing administration would once again launch a campaign against guns and everything even remotely gun related. The fear factor started things going. People feared government action and AR rifles and ammunition vanished from store shelves in short order. Then there is the classic proposed ammunition tax of 5 cents a round and other assorted anti gun proposals all fueling fear.

Those who cried the loudest were those who were caught short which many of us witnessed over and over again since the Gun Control Act of 1968. Smart people learn from their mistakes. Some people in a situation like we witnessed unfortunately had not had the time or experience to know what could go wrong. Regardless the blame should be placed where it belongs and that is on the individual and not some single retail chain store. Walmart is not the only mass retailer selling ammunition.

The smart money at the onset was buying primers and 22 LR ammunition. Ever try to make a primer? How about making or reloading a 22 LR or any rimfire round? The problem is when it comes to placing blame those who were without tend to want to place the blame on anyone or anything other than themselves. Then we start seeing more rumors fly.

You buy what you can afford to buy and when times are good the classic rainy day principal applies. You don't max out your credit or go into debt to make sure you have an endless stockpile of ammunition on a gamble we are overdue for another Sandy Hook. It's not so much a question of "if" but when another tragedy comes along and the anti-gun lobby again drags out their soap boxes and it's deja-vue all over again.

Ammunition, guns, gasoline, toilet paper, or any other commodity, take your pick.

Ron

[reddog81]

Powder and primers were both hard to find and you need both for reloading. Even the bullet selection was pretty picked over for a while. If you have 10,000 small pistol primers you might as well have an 8 lbs jug of powder and a sizeable stash of bullets to complement it otherwise the 10,000 primers are kind of useless by themselves.

Anyone who thinks Sandy Hook didn’t have an impact on the last shortage is clueless. That was the impetus for the president to call for stricter gun control which drove everyone to scoop up every last AR-15 in stock across the country and within 2 weeks 22 lr was no where to be found. After that point the shortage became a self-fulfilling downward spiral as everyone scooped up as much gun stuff as they could even if they had no immediate use for it.

It’s kind of funny to read this thread with some people bashing stores for gouging and others bashing Walmart for not gouging...

[TXAZ]

Circa 2010 in retrospect, it’s interesting to note .22 ammo was up to almost a quarter a round for stock LR in some places, but I similarly remember .50 BMG ammo down under $2 / round for some import ball.
Strange world.

[RC20]

Wikipedia is surprisingly good. The scientific journal Nature published a study in 2005 that found it to be as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica. Neither, however, should be considered a primary source for serious research as all encyclopedic information, by its nature, is second hand.

I use it as a standard reference. Being able to read and assess logically of course is needed for ANY information.

Being well informed and widely read works when narrowly read and uninformed does not.

Much like NPR, at times there is nonsense, but they don't yell it at you.

[RC20]

Primers we could get if a bit irregularly .

Powder sucked. Bullets were like primers, you could get but irregularly. Mail order was ok.

Full powder choice is still spotty and not all mfgs and type can be had.

[USSR]

Bullets have never been a problem for me - I make em.

Don