More stockpiling ammunition: Fear of potential Obama laws causing mass sales

Missoulian.com ^ | May 20 2009 | PERRY BACKUS

[mbynack]

I actually tried to consolidate around common calibers, but even this wasn't all that easy. I narrowed things down to 9mm, .45 ACP, 7.62x39, and 7.62x54R.

I'm actually going the other way. I found a source for 357 SIG ammo and bought a conversion barrel for my 40 S&W. I figure the more different calibers I have, the better the odds of finding ammo.

[ChocChipCookie]

Our shooting range now has a limit on one box per PARTY to be used only at the range.

[thefrankbaum]

Not only have sales been 30% higher, but remember too that one of the largest sources of brass - the military - had a policy for approximately a month of destroying it rather than reselling.

[tbw2]

It demand has multiplied faster than production facilities, it makes sense.

[ChocChipCookie]

I can't believe the manufacturers can't meet the demand. Somewhere there is an induced shortage holding up production, IMHO.

I can believe it. I've been married almost 14 years,and it wasn't until last October that I decided I needed to learn how to shoot. When Obama was elected, both dh and I saw the gun-grabbing handwriting on the wall and began to purchase additional firearms and ammunition. We had purchased virtually NOTHING in the previous 13.5 years. I guess there are millions of us all doing the same thing at the same time, pretty much for the same reasons, thus a serious shortage of ammo.

Of course I always love a good conspiracy theory, so you may be right that there's something else causing the shortage.

[Lurker]

“Somewhere in lots of basements around the country, there are millions of rounds of ammunition being stored.”

And this is a very, very good thing.

[EternalVigilance]

Minuteman Right to Keep and Bear Arms BUMP.

[aimhigh]

We had purchased virtually NOTHING in the previous 13.5 years.

Ditto, I started buying after purchasing my first gun in 50 years.

[ChocChipCookie]

You know, the folks who don't have even a single can of Pork N Beans stashed.

I can't believe the number of people who are 100% oblivious to what is happening now and the very scary future we face. I timidly broach the subject of, "maybe buying a few extra groceries to have on hand..." and am met with blank stares or, "Now why would I want to do that?" I was going to organize a food storage workshop and invite friends and family, but then just gave up on the idea. If what people see and read in the news isn't enough to scare them into taking some sort of action, then nothing will, and I'll end up looking like the lunatic carrying a "The End is Near" placard. No thanks.

[ChocChipCookie]

I posted on another thread an incident in the Phoenix area where three private citizens were sent letters from the BATF stating that they were now on their “watch list” for buying excessive ammunition. My friend who knows these people has a copy of the letter, and I’m hoping to get a copy for myself. According to her, these individuals also received phone calls from BATF agents. Scary stuff. As to how they knew about the purchases, I don’t have an answer for that. However, at the last gun show in April, my husband was required to show his driver’s license when he purchased some ammo. He used a credit card but said the guys paying cash were also told to show photo ID.

[goodnesswins]

They are the same people as those who voted for OBambi....

[texmexis best]

Does anyone remember that just before the Bush Administration let out the huge new military contracts Congress banned import of some ammunition?

I don’t remember what class of ammo it was, but I thought it might be to clear the decks for the military contracts.

Doews nayone know when the military contracts will be fulfilled?

[texmexis best]

The reason for the lack of expansion is that the political risk is extremely high. One signature and the market disappears.

A second reason is that no one knows what will happen after this bubble pops and people start shooting their stores. Just how many round will you buy per month when you have 250,00 in the garage.

Lee Precision has doubled their factory size and labor and is seriously considering another expansion and they seem to be the only exception to the above.

[SampleMan]

Ammo manufacturers ARE all running 24/7. Adding more capacity is a whole different animal, as it requires long term capital expenditure. The back side to bubbles is a steep drop and a bad time to be carrying extra fixed costs. The one “good thing” here for the manufacturer is that Zippy guarantees demand.

My guess is that ammo will continue to be sold at the current rates until Lord Zero leaves office at the soonest. Increased prices and lack of availability have cut sales, or I think we’d be seeing 50-75% increases in sales of ammunition.