The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Conference Center > General Discussion Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 16, 2020, 03:56 PM   #1
Cheapshooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 2, 2007
Location: Missouri
Posts: 8,306
Coronavirus panic Ammogeddon 2.0?

What is your LGS like today? I've seen a few news stories (who can trust them?) about gunshops being swamped with people looking to buy guns, and ammunition. Even pics of lines out the door. But then again, it is the media I am seeing this fom. So it might be file photos from 2009!
That's why my question. I can trust what members of tfl say they are seeing.


<<<Warning. Since TFL is a firearms forum, topics must be firearm related. Ammo shortages are firearm related, but that doesn't mean it's ok to branch out into detailed discussions about Coronavirus or Coronavirus policies. Thanks JohnKSa>>>
__________________
Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!

Last edited by JohnKSa; March 25, 2020 at 12:10 AM. Reason: Added Warning.
Cheapshooter is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 04:14 PM   #2
rickyrick
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 15, 2010
Posts: 8,235
There’s people that are going to be out of work today for something they were told was a media hoax. I’m curious to... as of last week, I don’t remember hearing about gun purchases... this week is going to be quite different.
rickyrick is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 05:09 PM   #3
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,401
I've been in a few stores, multiple times, over the last two days.

No 9mm left.
Other popular handgun cartridges are in short supply.
.223/5.56 is all gone.
There's a little x39, .300 Blk, and 6.8 Spc left, but not much.
.308/7.62 Nato are just about gone.
.30-06 and .30-30 supplies are dwindling.
Rimfire is still okay.
Most other traditional hunting and target cartridges are still well stocked.
Some of the newer fad cartridges, like 6.5 Manbun, are close to sold out.

Powder is slim pickin's. Primers are gone. Bullets are slowly disappearing.
Reloading dies are selling far quicker than usual, but there's still a good assortment.
Plenty of brass, still.

Handguns are selling out.
ARs are moving well.

Survival type equipment and food stuffs are selling well. -Not 'flying' off the shelves, but selling substantially faster than usual.

Fishing departments are a wasteland, except for compact 'kits' or poles selling out.


I bought what I needed and would have bought anyway, under normal circumstances, and left the crazies to their business.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 05:36 PM   #4
bamaranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 9, 2009
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 8,273
combination

The bug, the economy (market) and the election have tipped folks past the edge.....again.
bamaranger is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 06:10 PM   #5
pgdion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 22, 2010
Location: MPLS, MN
Posts: 1,214
Hmmmm haven't seen any issues here yet. I think most people are simply better stocked than they were last time. And everyone of my friends already has multiple guns. Want more? Sure. Need more? Nope.
__________________
597 VTR, because there's so many cans and so little time!
pgdion is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 07:16 PM   #6
Adventurer 2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 5, 2006
Posts: 661
I think because normalcy has fled the building (everything closing, cancelled, market in a free fall) people are on edge — I’m in Northern VA and went to the shooting range this evening - firearms for sale that were left were 22 LR or $1k plus (expect those to sell soon). Buckle up Spring/Summer is going to get weird.
Adventurer 2 is offline  
Old March 16, 2020, 09:39 PM   #7
Colorado Redneck
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2008
Location: Northeast Colorado
Posts: 1,993
A few days ago the hair on the back of my neck raised and I had a vision of times past. Bug eyed hysteria seems to be cyclical in the gun community and having been thru several of those times I don't want to be caught short. So after doing an inventory I ordered enough bullets for varmint guns to last three years. If you haven't experienced one of those panic driven self induced shortages, heed my advice. Get some stock on hand. It is miserable trying to locate supplies and paying thru the nose for very limited amounts of powder or primers.
Colorado Redneck is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 12:43 AM   #8
Ignition Override
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 18, 2008
Location: About 20 nm from the Big Muddy
Posts: 2,884
No anxiety here--none at all. Breathe deeply and slowly.

Nothing in three locations today, southeast of Mobile.
Fairhope/Daphne Alabama.

I was curious: visited a gun/pawn shop "Gold.." on Highway 98. Nobody was buying anything, or looking at any ammo.
* Very well-stocked shelves with many ammo types.

Also at "Elite Guns" in Daphne, north of I-10 in a shopping center, only three of us were there, no purchases taking place.
* Well-stocked ammo, various chamberings.

Then on to plink at 'Three Brothers Gun Club". Nobody bought any ammo. Full ammo shelves. Very quiet.

?? Internet Sales Taxes might be limiting demand online. You want to pay shipping Plus sales tax? Go right ahead.

If 'flipper's want to pay normal retail prices and hope to later resell it, it's their financial risk.
Ignition Override is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 05:09 AM   #9
Spats McGee
Staff
 
Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 8,819
I haven't checked my local stores, but it's my sincere hope that gun owners will stay calm and not panic like they did in the Great Drought of 2008-16. Or thereabouts. I suspect that many of us swore never to be caught flat-footed again. I know I did.
__________________
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
Spats McGee is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 06:00 AM   #10
TruthTellers
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 22, 2016
Posts: 3,878
About all I need is primers. Guess I should drop by my lgs and see what they've still got in stock.

I guarantee the used Hi Point with a $200 tag on it is still there after all these years...
__________________
"We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out."
TruthTellers is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 07:12 AM   #11
Onward Allusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: Back in a Non-Free State
Posts: 3,133
9mm & 5.56 gone from Bass Pro. Online-wise, the couple of sites that I'd typically buy from are either bare or have increased their prices by 25%-50%. When you have localities & even some States institute "recommended" curfews, people get freaked.
__________________
Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying
Onward Allusion is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 08:23 AM   #12
TBM900
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2015
Posts: 777
I use times like these to flip a lot of surplus firearms, great way to fund more toys

Things are busy locally, stocks are starting to dwindle.
Its been ramping up for a few weeks but our leftist mayor pushed it over the edge when he announced a reinstatement of an old 1960's "civil unrest" powers act. Among other things, it would effectively shut down all firearm/ammunition sales from FFL's, and make it illegal to do private party transfers.
__________________
Playboy billionaire
Retired Colonial Marine
1st to walk on the moon without a spacesuit
TBM900 is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 08:51 AM   #13
MarkCO
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 21, 1998
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 4,296
Strongly considering unloading a few guns that have been hard to sell.
__________________
Good Shooting, MarkCO
www.CarbonArms.us
MarkCO is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 09:02 AM   #14
DaveBj
Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2019
Posts: 61
I dropped by Van's Sporting outside Cullman Saturday morning. Lots of customers, but they seemed to be primarily interested in the fishing section; Smith Lake is gonna be busy this summer. Ammo shelves were completely stocked. I got a few boxes of 9-mil and .223.
DaveBj is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 09:38 AM   #15
TXAZ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 5, 2010
Location: McMurdo Sound Texas
Posts: 4,322
I was low on 9mm, found 1000 rounds on line yesterday for a fair price, but the website was incredibly slow, took 20 minutes to get through about 5 web pages from select product to credit card entry.
__________________

Cave illos in guns et backhoes
TXAZ is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 11:42 AM   #16
Desmosedici
Member
 
Join Date: April 1, 2016
Location: North Texas
Posts: 72
i don't know if it's full on panic mode where i live in N. TX, but stuff is flying off the shelves here. I dropped by Cabela's on my way home as I live extremely close to it, and the line to purchase firearm stuff was well over 60 people, and the handgun case were significantly diminished. There wasn't any 9mm or 45ACP on the shelves. There was plenty of shotgun ammo, and other odd calibers, but the main ones were way down. They had a bunch of 10mm in stock. Made me rethink my idea of buying a 10mm, honestly. There was absolutely no magpul mags left in 5.56 or 7.62mm. One of my favorite gun shops got raided hard this weekend and they may have to close, they ran some deals and then the timing was such that folks went in and stared making large purchases, there was hardly anything left except revolvers, and those were being bought at a rapid pace also.

In looking at the news around America, it looks like there is a massive increase in purchases in guns and ammo. Some of my favorite ammo websites said they were already backlogged and the popular calibers were already gone.
Desmosedici is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 12:28 PM   #17
osbornk
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 11, 2012
Location: Mountains of Appalachia
Posts: 1,598
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankenMauser View Post
I've been in a few stores, multiple times, over the last two days.

No 9mm left.
Other popular handgun cartridges are in short supply.
.223/5.56 is all gone.
There's a little x39, .300 Blk, and 6.8 Spc left, but not much.
.308/7.62 Nato are just about gone.
.30-06 and .30-30 supplies are dwindling.
Rimfire is still okay.
Most other traditional hunting and target cartridges are still well stocked.
Some of the newer fad cartridges, like 6.5 Manbun, are close to sold out.

Powder is slim pickin's. Primers are gone. Bullets are slowly disappearing.
Reloading dies are selling far quicker than usual, but there's still a good assortment.
Plenty of brass, still.

Handguns are selling out.
ARs are moving well.

Survival type equipment and food stuffs are selling well. -Not 'flying' off the shelves, but selling substantially faster than usual.

Fishing departments are a wasteland, except for compact 'kits' or poles selling out.


I bought what I needed and would have bought anyway, under normal circumstances, and left the crazies to their business.
My local Rural King was the opposite. There was no 22, 380 or 38 Special. They had a lot of 9mm and 223 in place of the 22 that is normally on a table. I bought 3 boxes of Armscor 115 FMJ for $8.99 per box.
osbornk is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 07:05 PM   #18
MarkCO
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 21, 1998
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 4,296
Went by my LGS to get some Black Rifle Coffee. Not a box of 9mm left and only a few steel framed pistols and a few ARs plus the really high end stuff. No poly pistols or shotguns left.

Went back with 8 cases of 9mm and 2 9mm M&Ps, walked out with a check.

Owner is a friend of mine and I am building him a rifle anyway. The pistols are two I wanted to get rid of and the ammo was actually a mistake on a shipment. It would cost me more to shoot it than my reloads, so we are both happy.
__________________
Good Shooting, MarkCO
www.CarbonArms.us
MarkCO is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 07:12 PM   #19
Kreyzhorse
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2006
Location: NKY
Posts: 12,463
I was at one last week. Still had ammo, but there were a lot of folks in there buying, at 1030 in the morning.

Everything was still in stock, but the shelves weren't as full as I've seen in the past. No bulk ammo left.

I've got to teach a couple of ladies to shoot so I bought a bit of everything and bought some 5.56 to top of my rifles though.
__________________
"He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson
Kreyzhorse is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 07:52 PM   #20
TBM900
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2015
Posts: 777
This afternoon our local AM radio guy (retired Sheriff) said the shelves were nearly bare at the several stores he visited in the AM.
Callers were then saying they had just come from shops and there were only antique guns left, with no ammo on the shelves.
Sad that so many people will never learn to prepare.
__________________
Playboy billionaire
Retired Colonial Marine
1st to walk on the moon without a spacesuit
TBM900 is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 08:11 PM   #21
Kreyzhorse
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2006
Location: NKY
Posts: 12,463
Sad to see panic buying again.....
__________________
"He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson
Kreyzhorse is offline  
Old March 17, 2020, 08:30 PM   #22
mk70ss
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 12, 2008
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,593
Ammo flying off the shelves here in Tennessee
__________________
Say when.....
mk70ss is offline  
Old March 18, 2020, 07:44 AM   #23
Hal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 9, 1998
Location: Ohio USA
Posts: 8,563
Quote:
Sad to see panic buying again.....
To quote the late,great Scotty - of Our Gang & Little Rascal fame..."They'll never learn"...spoken nearly 100 years ago...
Hal is offline  
Old March 18, 2020, 03:04 PM   #24
spacemanspiff
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 16, 2002
Location: alaska
Posts: 3,498
Bought a 10-22 yesterday. Shop said Monday was busy, but not stupid-busy. Plenty of ammo on shelves too.

Stocked up on some more 22lr ammo too. I should be fine.
__________________
"Every man alone is sincere; at the entrance of a second person hypocrisy begins." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Soren Kierkegaard
spacemanspiff is offline  
Old March 18, 2020, 03:38 PM   #25
HiBC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 8,273
I have no problem with fokls buyng guns or ammo

Just as I have no problem with folks buying food or toilet paper.

There is a virus going around.OK.

Do I need an extra 1000 rounds of 9mm to defend my 4 rolls of toilet paper?

I don't understand how my fellow citizens are so easily manipulated nto a hysterical panic.

We aren't pooping more,or eating more food,or shootng more.

I haven't bothered to go to the LGS. The "enough" I had two months ago s still enough.

We are our own worst enemy.


I'm not giving up any guns,but it just does not occur to me I can protect myself from a virus with more ammo.

Its like folks are choosing to live inside some bad "B" movie.

We could just deal with the real,live problems of today

Last edited by HiBC; March 18, 2020 at 03:46 PM.
HiBC is online now  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:45 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.11945 seconds with 9 queries