"I used to see .22 for sale at my local Wal-Mart and all three of the sporting goods stores that I frequent. I have not seen any for several months." For certain. That is what kook hoarders can do to the distribution system.
"What you are saying is exactly like the Yogi Berra quote." No, it is not. "...The reason I don't see any of the .22 ammo at Wal-Mart or my sporting goods stores and the reason nobody I know can find any and the reason why my son's scouting group had to cancel the shooting camp out....is because there are just so many .22 rounds being sold." Yes, the marketplace can't sell more than are made. That is the total essence of the problem. Read from a number of posters on this thread that have described their hoards. And they are so proud! Another certainty is all of the extra ammo that has been purchased is not being fired."
"Sorry, I ain't buying it." Do you frequently have trouble handling the truth.
"Any other industry that finds itself in a prolonged period of high demand finds a way to keep the shelves stocked." The ammo industry is not any other industry and you apparently are unwilling to believe the truth.
"There are some outside forces at play here". Oh, boy! The current conspiracy theories are not enough for you? "Whether it is something nefarious like the government messing with supply and demand...."
It is not.
"....or something benign like raw material shortages...." It is not.
"....or ammo companies concentrating production on higher margin rounds such as 9mm, 5.56 & .223...." Ah! There may be some of that now that the opportunity is present and consumer/hoarders have no concern about pricing.
"I don't know". That is for certain!
"Something has changed and it isn't just the "kooks"". Sort of. Too many otherwise sane people have been following the kooks antics and purchasing more ammo than is reasonable, even under the most extreme doomsday scenario. The average gunfight involves very few shots.
Please take a deep breath, recognize reality and have a good day.
True.
Still, if one (as many are) is thinking in terms of long term breakdown, then a "reasonable" quantity becomes a different matter. Ammo begins to look like a multipurpose item. Barter, sell, hunt, and of course shoot bad guys. How much is reasonable if one is seriously considering 5 or 10 years of serious disruption in the economy, social fabric and law and order?
But even with massive hoarding going on, the majority of those stockpiling are going to max out because of either space, money or they simply think they've got enough. Has to happen. Now entities hoarding for purposes of having the commodity for later selling (during civil unrest or such), those higher up in the distribution ladder, they could be filling warehouses. Then supply catching up is going to take a lot longer.
Some calibers are hard to find in brick stores like WM, but are in very plentiful supply (and reasonable price) online. I don't know why that is. But .223 & 5.56 and 7.62x39 are very plentiful right now for example, but in my WM, almost none most of the time.
Just my observations.