Posted on 12/29/2012 1:22:34 AM PST by lbryce
Reaction to threats by Senator Dianne Feinstein and others to ban certain weapons and serverely restrict ownership of guns generally has caused a run on gun stores, as is widely reported.
Less reported is the run on ammunition, leaving ammunition inventories down 93% since election day.
So reports Traction Control blog, Plunge! Ammunition Levels Less Than 10% of Pre-Election Levels:
Ammunition Stock levels have fallen by more than 90% from the pre-Election Day levels. Less than 10% remains available. Available Ammunition links will be updated throughout the day.
Handguns are down by 80%, Long Guns by 63% for an overall 72.2% reduction in firearms inventories.
AR pattern rifles are becoming particularly difficult to source.
In some locations, ammunition is hard to find:
Gun buyers in Houston have bought up the entire inventory of AR guns. It is not just the guns. The ammunition is sold out. The magazines are sold out, and not just the magazines that hold 30 or more rounds. Even finding a 10-round magazine is elusive. And ammunition? The smaller boxes of ammunition in the 223-556 calibers may be found, but not the larger boxes. Try calling Top Gun, Academy, Carter Country and other stores and you will get more or less the same answer: “We are sold out entirely, we have no idea when we are getting new stock in, and we have no idea what the pricing will be.” Even the online sites that deal in guns and ammo are now low on inventory as sales have spiked.
Investors are noticing what it will mean for ammunition manufacturers in 2013:
Right now, ammo is severely constrained in all major retail stores and online. Local checks by the author at multiple Academy Sports and Outdoors, (which is owned by (KKR), Walmart (WMT), and Dicks Sporting Goods (DKS) have all meet with the same feedback — gun sales, especially of AR-type weapons and pistols, are highly elevated, with some places being sold out of AR-type weapons. Ammo is scarce for popular rounds such as 9mm, .40 cal, .223, and 7.62×39.
Online stores such as cheaperthandirt.com are also sold out on many popular rounds. We had to go all the way to the 9th product page to find 9mm in a 50 round box for sale! …
Clearly, ammo is in high demand right now, and from our point of view, it has never been harder to find.
Well, there goes range time. Don’t want to burn up your stash.
Good plan. However, not to sound like a know-it-all because I am not sure if this is the case this time around....but in the summer of 2009, re-loaders were hosed out too. It wasn't just the inability to keep finished ammo on the shelf, but a lack of components too.
In spring/summer 2009, the largest ammo manufacturers in the U.S. were back ordered 50 million plus primers. And, assuming each gun buyer in 2009 bought 1000 rounds each......that would be over 14 Billion rounds purchased in 2009 by our fellow Americans.......I know I personally bought well over 1000 rounds........and I don't remember the panic being quite to this level even in Nov-Dec 2008 after the election.
I don't reload my own, but from what I've been reading on various forums, other re-loaders try to maintain 10s of thousands of primers on hand at any given time.........all that to say that if you plan on doing that - get your hands on as many primers as soon as you can, FRiend.
2100 ft./sec.
Give up your weapons, lay down your freedom. Not sure the grabbers understand just how passionate Americans are about their freedom.
The keg hasn’t been sparked yet, but I’m seeing folks getting awful close to the powder.
God forbid. I hope the gun grabbers back off, I really do.
Yep ammo is available ..... Merry New Year !
Stay Safe !
bump...
alchemists extraordinaire...
Guess I went overboard. Just over 33K total, 1/3 5.56, 1/3 22LR, and the rest between .308 and scattered rifle/shotgun/pistol calibers. None less that 500 rounds. And looking to get more. Powder and primers just waiting to be used.
I never thought I would be this concerned about things this late in my life; guess I was just not thinking right when I was younger.
My rule of thumb is 10,000 rounds per AR, 5000 rounds per pistol and 1000 rounds per tactical shotgun.
“Has anyone use the THERMOULD Magazines?”
They are second rate. Buy MagPull.
I read on their (CTD) site that they are going back to selling firearms `once the buying frenzy ends’. That’s the excuse they are using for bending over a couple weeks ago.
I use steel mags from former Soviet bloc states and have good luck recently with Tapco plastic mags. Of course you want to test every mag to make sure it feeds OK.
Steel mags over your armor vest helps protect your vital organs.
Hard to believe we’re/I’m talking like this ... Thanks for bring the country together Bam!
Thanks.
I’m hoping that the manufacturers will have had time to restock by the time I get everything else set up. I’ll be building my reloading benches in a large shed in my back yard.
Gonna take a bit of time.
But, between then and now, I’ll stop at Sportsmen’s Warehouse to buy a box or two of primers, brass, powders, bullets, etc. every once in a while, and keep ‘em in my safes.
Ammo-link ping!
I’d rather the 10K rounds of .22 LR. You can carry a thousand rounds on you and can plink, relatively unseen from great distances.
.22 rounds can be lethal up to 400 yards, for a deft shooter. If you only wound, well then that’s 4 people that have to carry the sorry SOB off the field of battle.
You get nailed with a .22 round out of a long rifle you are in a world of hurt.
.22LRs are severely underrated in SHTF situations!
A lot of Pennsylvania deer would attest to that were they not now rendered into provisions for freezers all across the state.
Yorktown
/Harpseal
There's only 7 boxes of .300 Savage in this whole town... what you talking about?
Indeed.
FReegards
The new "gold"?
1000-round cases of .223/NATO and 7.62 x 39 @ $68 - $79 now going for about 10-to-15 times more? Even gold coin bought @ $234-$265 in early 2000's hasn't appreciated that much...
Thankyou Janet and Bill...You aren't forgotten...
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