The Ammo Shortage Continues
Scan the ammunition shelves at sporting goods stores, your local gun store, or even Walmart and odds are that you won’t find what you are looking for. The most common cartridges are in short supply, and many stores ration ammunition a box or two at a time to spread their meager stock among their customers.
This isn’t new. But why is this nationwide ammunition shortage still happening?
The shortage began no later than 2007, when law enforcement agencies began having problems placing massive bulk orders, their typical purchasing strategy. The Associated Press tried to blame the shortages on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a falsehood that was easily debunked by pointing out that the military has its own dedicated small arms ammunition plant that — running at peak efficiency — was producing a half-billion rounds per year more than the military was using at that time.
Instead, the primary reason for that shortage turned out to be law enforcement agencies themselves, because of a horrifying incident that shook law enforcement nationwide to its core. On February 28, 1997, in North Hollywood, CA, Larry Phillips, Jr. and Emil Matasareanu, two heavily armed and armored bank robbers, engaged in a 44-minute shootout with an outgunned Los Angeles Police Department. The two suspects fired more than 1,300 rounds of ammunition, and each was shot multiple times with police handguns. The 9mm police pistol bullets bounced off their homemade body armor. Phillips eventually died after being shot 11 times; Matasareanu died after being hit 29 times.
In response, law enforcement agencies nationwide embraced civilian versions of the military M4 selective-fire carbine as a long arm suitable for engaging heavily armed and armored felons beyond pistol range with greater precision and stopping power. This focus on deploying carbines only intensified after the 9/11 terror attacks, as agencies began preparing to deal with potential terrorist threats as well as criminal acts. SWAT and ERT teams first used these weapons, but they quickly spread to supervisors, and within a few years, officers and deputies. They are now euphemistically known as a “patrol rifles” and carried as a standard-issue long arm in patrol cars around the nation (even on some university campuses).
The widespread use of patrol rifles among law enforcement and the possibility of terrorism meant an increase in range time for many officers using their duty sidearms, and an almost entirely new law enforcement market for 9mm, 40 S&W, and 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington caliber carbines. When combined with China gobbling up core ammunition components such as brass, copper, and lead for their exploding industry, the shortage was simply explained by a massive increase in demand that has yet to let up.
That demand only escalated as a result of the recession and the 2008 election. President Obama is no friend of the Second Amendment, which caused gun owners to stock up on firearms and ammunition in fear that the administration would push for a restoration of failed gun control laws that expired during the Bush administration. The economic instability of the recession and a resurgent acceptance of shooting sports also created many first-time gun buyers, many of whom developed into avid shooters who use significant amounts of ammunition.
As I concluded last February:
Shortages of ammunition and firearms can be expected to continue for as long as it appears our overreaching federal government is a threat to our individual liberties, our economy continues to falter, and our police agencies keep militarizing. It’s going to be a long ride.
Indeed, nearly a year and a half later, ammunition is still in short supply.
Remington, which had not tapped all of their manufacturing capacity a year ago, is now “operating at over 100% capacity at our munitions plant and turning out millions of rounds per day.” A national sporting goods chain is still able to stock Remington ammunition in several popular calibers, but restricts customers to two boxes of ammunition at a time.
Jackie Stenton at Fiocchi USA notes an “unprecedented demand” for centerfire pistol ammunition, which has “impacted sourcing components for all centerfire product, and rimfire products.” From this view, it appears that demand for pistol ammunition is so high that the core components are being pulled into manufacturing pistol rounds, instead of rifle and rimfire ammunition — a claim that empty shelves in all three categories would seem to confirm. Jonathan Harling, a spokesperson for Winchester, confirms that the massive demand is widespread and that they are also “still working 24-7 to meet the demand.”
But by far the most interesting comments about the current shortage come from a pair of less widely known but very respected manufacturers, DoubleTap Ammunition and Silver State Armory. DoubleTap is perhaps best known for their high-velocity defensive pistol ammunition, which has a hefty reputation — and elite prices. They are still “ahead of the curve” and have been able to keep their performance-minded customers supplied. Other manufacturers in the niche market of high-velocity, high-performance ammunition are also able to keep up with demand, no doubt due to the fact that customers will fire hundreds or thousands of rounds of practice ammunition, or “regular” production defensive ammo, for every box of premium defensive ammunition.
But premium rifle ammunition manufacturer Silver State Armory’s Mark Thibodeau had perhaps the most interesting comment, noting that according to their research, the shortage isn’t isolated inside America’s shores.
Our information and research tells us that the increased demand is global, not just domestic, and the demand is still increasing further. The demand for the end product, loaded ammunition, further impacts the availability of raw materials: brass, powder, primers, projectiles. Certain calibers are going to be harder to find than others by virtue of popularity and priority. While the retail consumer may be “stocking up,” that pales in comparison to the consumption of product globally that is the real reason for shortages.
Thibodeau’s insight may very well be dead-on, as supplies of ammunition by foreign manufacturers are also in very short supply.
There is no doubt the demand for key ammunition components such as brass, copper, and lead in the global industrial market may be a large part of the current component shortage, but that still leaves us with millions of rounds being manufactured domestically every day that are snapped up the moment they hit the marketplace.
Where is it all going? Are these hundreds of millions of rounds of domestically manufactured ammunition being stockpiled, or are they being shot as fast as they are purchased? I’m sure someone has the answers to these questions, but they aren’t talking. They’re happy to be selling, and I can’t say that I blame them in the least.
Bob Owens blogs at Confederate Yankee.
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I have stockpiled thousands of rounds of 9mm, both target and personal defense. I buy ammo when I find it available at a cost I’m willing to pay, since it may not be available at some time in the future when I would need it. For example, I have 800 rounds of 9mm backordered that was offered at a price not seen in years, $9.99/box of 50, with special $5.00 flat shipping fee. This is a Hungarian brand ammo.
Dandapani,
Where did you find that deal… I could use some 9s
Cabela’s
I have 50rd boxes of 9mm that I bought for like 7 bucks. ALso whats the deal with all the 380 ammo you’d think that someone would step up and make more.
China is far larger a reason than is mentioned in my opinion. Rare earths are also on the shortage list for similar reasons coppers and brasses are. It takes ammunition to train armies for war, and rare earths build state of the art computer components for your military.
Very interesting article…am familiar with the domestic shortage but had not previously thought about the impact of worldwide demand and its impact on distribution. As long as the Blue State President is in office, US demand will remain high. Perhaps the question of the 2012 election will be, “Do you feel safer than you did four years ago?” (Only the LSM/socialists will get this one wrong)
Let’s see…Mirandizing terrorists…demonizing a state that is wiling to do what is necessary to stop the flow of drugs and related violence from Mexico…worrying more about the “embarrassment” of the Fort Hood incident than the facts…cares more about illegal immigrants as voters than people…
LeighB,I reload most all of my ammo except .22 cal. I noticed very shortly after obama was elected that reloading components, powder and primers especially,were almost impossible to find. When I could find it I could only buy a small amount. Things are alittle better now but .22 cal ammo is still rarioned in some stores.
New gun owner here….bought for protection and no longer trust that 2nd amendment will be upheld.. “shall not be infringed” appears to not be understood in washington….
I have several hundred rounds of 38 for my Ruger revolver and hundreds of rounds for my 22Lf and 22mag rifles…
The lefties are winning..and the speed is increasing as they have taken TOTAL control of our schools and parents either dont give a damn, care or realize the kids are being indoctrinated.
Even if we voted in some conservatives…me MUST TAKE BACK THE SCHOOLS immediately after…it has to be the new goal after the elections or it wont matter because all the “new” progressives these schools are churning out!!
We have homeschooled, and for the last few years sent 2 to a Classical Christian school. We get incredible social pressure to stop doing this. It is “weird” and a “waste” of money. The government schools in Northern Virginia are “not as bad” as say California. In fact, the secular education you get is actually excellent and the “Family Life Education” tones down the radicalism whenever parents get restless. This is too bad, because turning down government schooling for academic reasons is socially acceptable. No one understands my objection to the more subtle world view indoctrination (which in my day was called “Values Clarification”).
Our church thinks the money would be better spent on their programs, naturally. One daughter was actually damaged by a church program. She wanted to visit a Buddhist temple to find out what they really believe (having learned at home that 2nd hand descriptions are often misinformed and/or unclear on the concept). The church people were aghast and afraid that she might get spiritual cooties. (“There are, like, demons there!!”) Yet they have no problem sending their very young kids off to government school with a teacher’s union whose mission statement is to create “good world citizens”, not provide an education. The Buddhist temple was interesting. She never went back to church. Ironically, our new rector has instituted a rigorous confirmation program that includes visits to not only a Buddhist temple, but Islamic temple and Jewish temple as well as Catholic and Greek Orthodox. (You can much better understand what you believe in contrast to what other really believe.)
So yes, there is progress of the good kind (as opposed to the “progress” of an egg going bad) in case you were wondering why we are still there.
The “sacrifices” required to attend the Classical school include me commuting by bicycle (15 mi/day), all our furniture is from yard sales and trash pick up (my wife can mend and re-stuff cushions), selling her grandmothers antique silver (which we never used because it was so nice – hopefully the new owner can actually enjoy it), our daughters having to work to pay for their own college, no money for junk food, etc. All these “sacrifices” are actually benefits in disguise.
Stuart,
Many years ago (early 60s) I taught a quite progressive Sunday School class of college-age kids in Mt. Vernon, IL. Our Presbyterian Church set up a curriculum of visiting all types of religious centers in our area from Baptist to Greek Orthodox, to a small Buddhist center. The kids marveled at how different the celebrations, and at how similar the over-all beliefs.
Great exposure, in my opinion, for these kids.
I’ve done my part to fight the Ariz boycott of the Left by ordering ammo from Ariz suppliers such as J&G Ammo in prescott.., Quick service from 2000 miles away
Thanks, sbark. I will check out J&G. Buying ammo and supporting AZ businesses kills two birds with one stone.
You can buy guns from AZ too… see gunbroker.com or gunsamerica.com
How appropriate…
..also thanks from me as well. My effort is running towards getting reloading tools and the dies and materials to lay in a supply of .30-06 for my two M-1s and .223 for my son’s AR-15. Anything I can do towards that and supporting the fine businesses (especially firearms related enterprises) is a bonus.
You can buy reloading equipment manufactured by Dillon. Either get it direct from the manufacturer or buy it from Brian Enos. I did last year and was well satisfied. Have reloaded a few thousand .45 ACPs and am very happy with the results.
Started shooting big bore in 1962 when I had to qualify with the M1 and Model 1911. Two years later, I started reloading. I also had a Lyman mold and cast my own handgun bullets. Handloaders don’t save any money; they just shoot more which means they retain a higher level of proficiency than the occasional plinker.
I am proud to be part of the ammunition shortage problem. These days I reload 30 Caliber M2 ball, 45 ACP, 243 Winchester, 40 S&W and 380 ACP. I keep at least 2,000 pieces of brass in each caliber. I also keep my powder stores at about 80 lbs, 12,000 primers (LP, LR and SP) and at least 500 pounds of wheel weights to cast 45 and 9MM.
If you want to keep shooting, stock up, reload and cast your own.
Sorry, but I have a hard time feeling bad about this. But for what it’s worth, this appears to be yet another of Bush’s lingering legacies.
Stupid comment. Just another anti-Busher finding someone to blame.
To Yankeedoodle: Really, Sherlock? Check the dates of the discussion thread in this link I had included. It *is* mostly Bush’s fault.
So it’s mostly Bush’s fault that private companies can keep up with demand do to low resource supply and high consumer demand?
You’d think with all that power you attribute to the man he would be the leader of the American “Empire”………..
That damned Bush. My dog got snake bit last week and I have concluded it is Bushs’fault.
Bush controls Snakes too? …as if mental control of crab grass was not evil enough!
The only reason I’m answering this is because you seem to be a common problem on blogs these days. BC, you are linking to an article by some guy named “Christopher Bowe in New York.” Who is this guy and why should I believe him? People are throwing around links these days and always taking them as “facts.” Even if this guy (if it is his real name) is working for a reputable publication, nothing in that post proves that he knows what he is talking about or that even his “facts,” such as they are, are accurate. So a lot of these links prove nothing. Added to this is the fact that this guy is writing for a blog and NOT for a publication, so he could be just about anybody. So links like these really don’t mean that much.
As for your primary point, you are wrong. Don’t you know it was all Cheney’s “fault?” He is really hording all of the ammunition in a bunker in Wyoming. If you don’t believe me, I have the blog link to prove it!
What was the majority party in congress at the time BC?
BC,
I just started re-visiting PJM and see that you are still the tool you used to be. As usual, the plate glass window you had installed in your navel is fogged. Get some Windex.
..it’s not Bush, it’s the Joooooooooos.
To The War Planner et al: Why don’t you numbnuts try to explain the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan without mentioning Bush? Would you blame your new wife for the all the alimony you have to pay your old wife, who divorced you because of your cheating? Believe it or not, when a President leaves office, especially after 8 years of making a colossal botch of so many things, that doesn’t exactly count as a form of baptism. The bullet shortage apparently started in 2004 when the military started tapping into a greater range of ammo suppliers. While I’m sure some right wingers would disagree, Obama wasn’t President then.
Riiiiiiight. Military demand is buying up all that .30-30 and .270 Winchester. Uh-huh.
To Bohemond: Ummm…how many different types of ammo you think a given manufacturer can produce at once? Gawd….
As many as they need to.
The machines that make one type of ammo cannot be used to make most other types.
I blame Bush for reducing the insurgency in Iraq from a threat to a nuisance.
When you decide to get it wrong, you go all out.
The military has it’s own suppliers of ammo.
The idea that Bush botched everything is a product of your own fevered imagination, not reality. Bush wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t evil incarnate as you try so hard to believe.
BC, lets reverse the tables a bit. Explain to me how Obama is still in Afghanistan and Iraq when he said he would pull troops out? Discuss how Bush (or his policy some 15 months later) is keeping him from holding true to that promise? How is it Bush’s fault that Guantanamo is still open when Obama said he would close it?
Now to the shortage, if Tula, Lake City, Winchester and Poongsan are still cranking out the ammo like always, commercial manufacturers are going to feel the pinch in raw materials cost. Can’t have FMJs without the copper that China is gobbling up (even the stuff they don’t mine themselves).
I believe I once ran across a statistic indicating that the figure for the number of rounds expended per actual hit by our soldiers was somewhere in the hundreds or low thousands, then think about the increase in firepower and the growing predominance of small caliber automatic fire weapons since WWII, the ammo required for military training—both initial and ongoing, the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the necessity of maintaining “war reserve” stocks at reasonable levels, and the needs of our civilian police forces, and it is a wonder that there is any ammo available for civilian use at all.
So, I do not attribute such shortages to civilian consumption, since I do not believe demand by civilians–even for stockpiling purposes–makes up even a significant fraction of the ammo bought.
I note however, the attempt by the Obama administration–in the first few months of its tenure–to change an obscure federal procurement regulation that would have had the effect of drastically decreasing the amount of spent military small arms brass that could be bought by companies to be used to manufacture ammunition for the civilian market. Fortunately, when arms manufacturers and their civilian customers caught on this administrative change was reversed, but it does tell you where Obama & Co. are coming from.
I am pretty average and so are my friends. I rarely shoot. I don’t have time. I do stockpile ammo though. Mostly 45 ACP. Ammo may someday be currency that can be traded for food. Could be a better investment than gold.
I owned guns for many years before I really got into shooting. Like most of the other folks at the range I shot sets of rim fire followed by sets of centerfire. I had the obligatory Ruger Mark IV in .22 for rimfire and some lame 9 mm double action semi-auto for centerfire. For 9mm I had a friend reload lead semi-wadcutters in a low velocity load to punching holes in paper and always collected my brass. The old timers shot Colt Gold cups with .45 ACP loaded just hot enough to eject the brass. Shooting wasn’t too expensive back then.
Today I go to the range and see guys shooting premium Gold dot semijacketed hollow points at paper targets at $1/round. I reload and hand load from new components these days. I haven’t bought factory ammo in years. I can afford to fire hot loads of Hornady XTP rounds if I want. But for pure target practice nothing takes the place of dirt cheap .22 LR (hmmm…I guess I need to pick up some more of that).
Serious shooters should reload. I couldn’t shoot .41 mag, .44 mag, .454 Casull or .460 mag if I didn’t load my own.
There was a lull in the shortage to a degree over the holidays as suppliers started getting new rounds out to distributors. I get most of my ammo online and don’t concentrate on any single retailer but canvas a number of them, mostly via ammo engine and ammo now. The result is you can track at the retail end who is getting what from the distribution end… there are some retailers that can get product early, but not in a great amount and others that lag by a month to two months, but have ammo in large supply. I concentrate on the 45 ACP and 22LR markets (on rifle ammo I go with C&R guns that have old Soviet ammo available at low cost). One major note: shotshells have not been out of supply… there has been virtually no change on 12GA availability over the past two years, and even an influx of new suppliers (from places like Turkey).
As it stands via online resellers there isn’t much of a drop in availability…at the end of the food chain are the local gun stores that need to address overhead, amount purchased, mark-up and expected demand, and they are the ones not getting supplied. I’ve run across empty shelves at local gun shops and at Walmart. So ammo is available, just not at the local shops… and I’ve laid in a few thousand rounds of my primary ammo cartridges and shells. There are some good deals to be had on the non-popular rounds (like 32ACP) if you know where to look. And for the flat rate shippers it is all you can buy at one, low shipping cost.
In the US the shortage is due to stock piling. business at the gun ranges is way down,but people are still snapping up FMJ and defensive ammo.
FWIW the local wall mart has .40 and 9mm available cheaper than anyone.$340/$230 per 1000.
.45 in bulk is real scarce ,most likely due to it’s high demand and amount of material needed to manufacture it.
BC.good start.you should begin ALL your future posts the same way.
Earlier, the bottleneck was primers. Defense sucked up millions, and domestic sucked up the rest.
Sitting on about 1,000 rounds of 9mm, .38 & .357 right now. I go through a minimum of 200 rounds when I hit the range so that will last me a while.
It’s been so long that I’ve shot .380 ACP that I nearly missed a recall on my PPK.
People ask me what to invest in for insurance against societal collapse: gold?
I tell them to invest in other metals, namely copper, brass and lead – all conveniently packaged in boxes of 20.
The cute little boutique boxes of 20 rounds of ammo are way too expensive. With a little hunting around, you can find the same ammo in 50 round boxes for about the same price as the 20 round boxes.
Not to get longwinded on this but the internet is there to help you out. Cheaperthandirt.com, sportsmansguide.com and a hundred others are very reliable. You gets what you pays for. If this problem has been around since 2007, why wait until 2010 to write an article about it? A little slow on the uptake?
I will vouch for http://www.Cheaperthandirt.com and http://www.sportsmansguide.com as they have been very reliable suppliers of bulk Ammo. I also buy defense rounds from them. They both have good deals on Remington and Magsafe.
SG has 00 buck 12 GA on sale. I almost went for another 500 Rds, but that is silly as I have enough to last the rest of my lifetime. ITSHTF, I may be sorry I didn’t.
I need to re-clear my shooting lane and get in some serious practice.
As an observer from the distance…
The OBOZO regime’s published attitudes have inspired both hoarding and more practice.
This inspires what Owens refers to about law enforcement….
The demand is the result of many of these factors….but they are all political.
Hasn’t it occured to anyone to take a portion of the stockpile of 45000 tons of depleted uranium we have and turn it into ammunition? Sure, we need to keep some on reserve to downblend weapons-grade material before burning it, but the rest can be made into ammo and armor. DU is one of the densest stable materials known to man, and biotoxic to boot.
Myth Buster,
I have read you comment over and over, and none of it makes any sense what so ever.
Oops, that should read “I have read your comment…”
I hate it when I do that.
A good bullet slug is made of a dense metal- that increases its penetrating power. Depleted uranium is one of the densest materials out there, ergo, it makes good bullets. In fact, the military uses it for artillery shells.
I don’t think DU could be used to replace the copper or brass, but it should be able to replace the lead. The only problem I forsee is the fact that DU is about twice as dense as lead. So a slug of the same size would be twice as heavy. The same amount of powder would therefore cause it to have a muzzle velocity only half as fast. Stopping power would be the same, but accuracy might suffer.
Doubling the powder to acheive the same muzzle velocity would dramatically increase breach pressures. Don’t know if all guns could handle it. It would also double the amount of kickback.
Perhaps the slug could be reshaped to make it smaller without losing any of the aerodynamic affects.
A good idea for military use, but not otherwise.
DU aka “staballoy” was the material used for the Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) rounds (aka “long-rod penetrators” aka “Silver Bullets”) used in the 120mm and 105mm tank guns of our M1 Abrams and M60 Patton main battle tanks in Desert Storm. DU is a superior material for anti-armor projectiles because not only is it incredibly dense and hard, but when it is slammed into a hard object (like steel tank armor…) at high velocities (exactly how high I’d rather not say) it compresses even further, resulting in a “pyrophoric” reaction; i.e., it essentially explodes, burning rapidly (almost instantaneously, in fact).
This not only punches a hole in the armor, it showers the interior of the vehicle with molten metal much like a hollow-charge warhead, only nastier (DU’s burning temperature is considerably higher than most chemical explosives can generate). This is why Iraqi T-72s, etc., hit by Abrams main-gun fire tended to blow up; their armor couldn’t stop a “long-rod”, and when it blew up inside, their shell stowage and fuel went up with it. (This is why you often saw a T-72’s turret sailing into the air when the tank took a long-rod; it’s defined as a “catastrophic kill”.)
Staballoy rounds are the tank-killers supreme in armored combat, period. But our armed forces no longer use them, because all the uranium dust they generate is toxic in more ways than one. Even depleted uranium is still mildly radioactive, for instance. (Note I said “mildly”- think “below dental X-ray” level.) Also, due to its hardness, plus its pyrophoric attributes, it is tricky (and expensive) to machine. (You don’t want to know the per-round cost of a staballoy round. Suffice it to say, if tanks weren’t expensive beasts themselves, it wouldn’t be a cost-effective weapon.) There are cheaper ways to kill tanks. (Especially Soviet-designed ones, but that’s another story for another time.)
Plus, we have better uses for the material. For one thing, the same hardness that makes it a good armor-piercing round makes it an even better material for tank armor, when properly alloyed with other metals and backed up with ceramics. (This is more-or-less how the armor on an M1C Abrams “Heavy Armor” is constructed, and no, I don’t want to talk about that, either.)
Considering all these factors, about the only conceivable “semi-civilian” use I could conceive of for DU ammunition would be very limited “law-enforcement” use, mainly in counter-terrorist warfare (CTW) where the tactical team might have to deal with a light armored vehicle in the bad guys’ hands (think Somalia, etc.). But that’s mainly a military responsibility, anyway, and if SpecOps needs DU rounds, you can bet they already have ‘em.
clear ether
eon
The M60 tank was not the Patton tank. The M48 was the Patton tank.
Strictly speaking, the entire M-46, M-48, and M-60 series are officially the “Patton” series, according to the Aberdeen Proving Ground museum. The M-60 was briefly known as the “Cheyenne” early in development, until someone in Army Aviation pointed out that the names of Native American nations were reserved for Army helicopters. However, it is true that the name “Patton” was rarely used re the M-60 except in official documents.
Source; Modern American Armor, by Steven Zaloga and LTCOL James W. Loop.
cheers
eon
Sorry Gump, but the M60 was part of the Patton series. The M47 and M48 were also “Patton” series tanks. Going to have to ask the Army about that one.
Linky here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m60.htm
Well I’ll be dipped in sh*t. Being that the turret configuration was different and their armament was different as well as their weights and I never heard of the M60 being referred to as a Patton tank even when I road in one, its all news to me. Both the M48 and the M60 were damn good tanks.
It actually hurt to find out that the M60 was retired from service. It was a fine machine. The fact that it was retired at Fort Riley made it even more of a sting. That’s where I rode in one.
This is an interesting article but it missed the mark. This ammunition shortage started about 1997. Since about 1990 state after state has gone to “Right to Carry” and presently there are 41 states in which you can attend a course of training, qualify on the range and fill out the forms to receive you permit to carry. The statistics from the FBI statistics have indicated “Right to Carry” has drastically reduced crime in every state that has allowed it. By about 1997 the demand for ammunition for carry guns was catching up with supply. However the manufacturers could increase production by running more hours than 40 per week but the overtime would add a few cents to a box of ammo. One of the commentors said foreign demand and production was using key components. That is not true. The Russians, the Chinese, the Indians and everybody else except the US uses steel rather than brass. Germany developed the technology during WW2 because they were running out of copper. We are almost the only military that still uses brass casing exclusively. After 9-11 ammunition sales started to climb out of proportion to what was being use for hunting and practice. When the blue candidate for president was announced sales went crazy. Why?, Almost everyone does not believe a word that comes out of his mouth. The people of this country are afraid for their personal safety and liberty with him in the white house. If you look at the sales for survival, shelf stabile foods, books on survival those sales are very high. Most people I know who never owned a firearm before now own a semi-automac rifle and a semi-automatic pistol with a lot of extra magazines and ammunition for each member of their household over 14 years old. They also go out if their ammunition supply permits to practice using the oldest ammunition and stockpiling the newest. The people of this country are not stupid and are aware of the massive layoffs of police and fire personell caused by absurd ecomomic policies in Washington. In my area police with less than 18 years on the force were laid off. If there is a major national jihad in this country the police are not able to respond to more than a few small incidents at a time. During the shootout in Burbank anyone could have driven 100 mph anywhere within a 30 mile radius because every cop was at the scene. Two people tied up the entire police forces of every jurisdiction in the area. That was when the police forces were at full strength. Now we don’t have as many police and the threat is much larger. People understand that calling 911 in a major incident may be a futile jesture. To sum it up the people are scared, no longer trust the Federal government, are able to see the economic collapse progressing for the worst and understand if attacked they will most likely need to defend themselves. They also understand the damage to our economy is so great it will take at least a generation to recover.
We are going to have a chance, and one chance only to get this back on the right track this mid-term. And believe you, me We the People are in fact preparing for what is right in front of our lieing eyes. Hard to believe the end-result of the Cloward-Piven strategy, the manufactured crises in 08 and this pretender-n-theif are the end results of traitors within, but this is a fact and We the People had better deal with it and get it right or we will be known to this Country’s history of the ones who let God, guns and guts slip right past our responsibility for our future generations, not a claim I’ am willing to conceed. Good luck and keep the powder dry, we will be need’n it soon, I’m afraid.
Those of us who know how to shoot, know how to manufacture ammunition. No biggie. And very economical. Only the dilittantes need worry.
Great, why don’t you whip me up some primers and a half ton of smokeless stick.
Oh gee we are humble in your presence…clown.
http://pierrelegrand.net/2010/04/07/appleseed-project-making-riflemen-out-of-folks-like-you-and-meno-matter-how-long-it-takes.htm
Who knows, maybe Iran or North Korea will explode an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) bomb over the United States like in that book, One Second After, and then we’ll really, really, need the ammo we have on hand. Either that or Mexico is going to invade us. On second thought, Mexico IS already invading us, they’re only doing it through illegal immigration! Actually, if the drug wars on the border get any worse, you will see more and more Americans defending themselves. Killing that rancher in Arizona did nothing to ease the tensions along the border, tensions that Obama and Janet Napolitano, seem to be willing to ignore. They really don’t grasp the fact that a powder keg is about to explode on the border and those drug trafficers are going to provide the spark.
Good points all. whether it is EMP from Iran or a huge overdue solar flair, we need to be prepared for all contingencies. I am a Ham radio operator and I just purchased a vintage Heathkit vacuum tube radio to add to my shack….just in case.
Here in Greenville, the gun shows that happen 3 or 4 times a year are a good place to get ammo-I can get plenty in the calibers I usually shoot for a decent price. Plenty of 9mm, 7.62×39, etc. for sale. I notice the typical revolver calibers are a little scarcer, but you can still find them. .380 seems to be about the hardest to find. I have had good luck with .22LR at Walmart. . . . Do I stockpile? yep. . . .ammo might become the new coin of the realm. . .
I have to take issue with those of you who say ammo shortage started in the 90’s. My son and I shoot thousands of rounds of several different calibers and never had problems buying manufactured ammo or reloading components until 2008. Since then, we have been stockpiling anything we can buy.
I found this to be a very interesting article as it applies to almost everyone in the shooting community. First, have to declare I started seeing the writting on the wall in 2001 when I was shipped off to the Afhganistan theatre for some major arse kicking of the taliban types. After returning home and retiring from injuries I must admit I once again began to see a pattern in the political arena. I started buying up the .223 rounds when they were still around 139.00 pr 500 round boxes, try finding it at this price nowadays, good luck with that. So it comes as no suprise given the political climate we are facing that the ammo shortage is still on going, fact I think it is going to get worse if the hildabeast has anything to say about it. I am impressed as to the comments from this forum, keep up that fighting spirit my fellow Patriots we do not want to or need to sucumb to the naysayers of our liberties, they do not deserve our attention.
Ret. Marine – it pays to shop around. My favorite online vendor has 500 round cases of 5.56 for US$128. The 1000 round cases are US$254. Prices for other brands go up from there. They are all “in stock”.
I noticed that the local gun shops no longer sell centerfire pistol ammo in 50 count boxes any more. Now they have 25 count boxes at the same price as the previous 50 count boxes. When is the next Greenville, SC gun show? Been years since I’ve been to one.
The next show will probably be either July or August. If you live in the Upstate, or close in NC, check out Apollobullets on the web. They are local and are good guys. I have been buying from them for years.
Find a good online vendor close to you and buy from there. A good online vendor will have multiple manufacturers, better selection, and available in all case sizes.
Humorous cartoon with Sarah and guns at http://drawfortruth.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/clinging/
Geez…the price of ammo is obscene! I just flipped through my usual haunts for cheap ammo and then went to Midwayusa.com for a more complete view (including reloading components). I was utterly shocked at the prices. Even reloading is about 50% more expensive than it was just a few years ago. New, factory ammo is ridiculous!
I hope this old Jew can join this conversation. All you guys who are stock piling all that ammo, get yourself an old fashioned bolt action rifle. You all can be a three minute hero with all that auto fire, what are you going to do after that? Keep it simple, keep it accurate, keep it reliable. That way you can still be a three minute hero and still have lots of lasting power.
Auto Fire??? WTF are you from ABC News? Who has auto fire guns around here?
They censored my original reply to you. Exactly how long does it take you to go through all your magazines and clips of ammo? In a heated situation, you can go through them really quickly. Reloading a magazine or a clip is a pain in the old a** especially if somebody is shooting at you. With an old bolt action rifle and an old revolver, you are ready to shoot much quicker. Therefor your staying power is much longer. Many of the police in this city carry their regulation semi-auto and a revolver as a backup. Why carry a revolver as a backup when there are so many cute little autos around? Why trade all that fire power for such a slow rate of fire weapon? You tell me.
Exactly how long does it take you to go through all your magazines and clips of ammo? In a heated situation, you can go through them really quickly. Reloading a magazine or a clip is a pain in the old a** especially if somebody is shooting at you. With an old bolt action rifle and an old revolver, you are ready to shoot much quicker. Therefor your staying power is much longer. Many of the police in this city carry their regulation semi-auto and a revolver as a backup. Why carry a revolver as a backup when there are so many cute little autos around? Why trade all that fire power for such a slow rate of fire weapon? You tell me.
Holy smokes, Patton had it wrong! The semi-auto Garand was NOT “the greatest single battle implement ever devised by man.” The 1917 Springfield Bolt action was…or was the Sharps better?
When you said AUTO what you meant was semi-auto. There is a difference and you should be clear.
As far as panic firing all of your ammo…maybe, maybe not. Probably the best practice is to learn how to handle all of your weapons so that it doesn’t take you 20 shots to hit what you are hopefully aiming at. For that I highly recommend Appleseed. You will learn how to hit what you are aiming at and learn a bit of American history to boot.
http://pierrelegrand.net/2010/04/07/appleseed-project-making-riflemen-out-of-folks-like-you-and-meno-matter-how-long-it-takes.htm
I am lucky to have a large number of rounds in all needed calibers from way before all this went down, but as a retired cop with many contacts still in the LE community (local and fed) I have been told by friends in the feds that those agencies – and some you might not expect and not able to use the military sources – have been buying HUGE amounts of ammo in the popular calibers for a very obvious reason – they don’t want US to have it. Sounds very reasonable to me. The Dems have recognized that more gun control laws are a non-starter, but an easier way to control guns is to control the ammo guns need.
Don’t laugh this off.
What better way to control the “gun crowd” than by keeping them from buying the ammo for their “precious guns”. After all, what’s a gun without ammo?…just a worthless ornament to hang on the wall, something to tell your grandkids about.
I remember the ads in the comic books where you could buy an honest to god tank gun and ammo for it. I also remember the ads for all the war surplus rifles. Really cheap.
Exactly the reason we are stockpiling ammo and guns. Let the govt buy all they want, I have enough to last me a lifetime.
I use black hills .223 ammo for my semiauto, butthe accuracy in my single shot varmint is irregular to say the least.
I keep an eye on Ammo Engine and Ammo Deals:
http://www.ammoengine.com/
http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php
Both sites track current prices for various calibers. If you plug in your ZIP code at Ammo Deals, it will also estimate shipping.
I buy online, and I’m seeing absolutely NO shortage. My favorite online vendor in Texas has 50, 100, 500, and 1000 round cases available from multiple vendors in all calibers.
I’ve posted this before but I think it fits this discussion. Humorous cartoon on the “Obama Approved Military Rifle” at http://drawfortruth.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/the-politically-correct-militarily-stupid-national-defense-strategy/
I’m afraid even that example wouldn’t be allowed by Obama or your typical anti-gun politician or group.
First, the mere existence of a gun for “civilian” ownership is wrong in their eyes because it might somebody unapproved ideas like the desire to defend one’s life, freedom, and liberty.
Barring that: the rifle is black-colored, making it racist, is less than twenty inches in overall length due to the evil shorter barrel and retractable stock, and features a magazine that holds more than zero rounds. Oh, and it has evil “carrying handle” front sight and an evil triangular rear sight as well as an evil pistol grip.
Not only that, but the rifle has no sound suppressor attached and the magazine probably isn’t loaded with subsonic ammunition. That means someone using it will disturb those yuppie/hipster neighbors asleep at 1:00 P.M and scare those innocent, peaceful, non-violent animals like raccoons, sewer rats, rabid dogs, and grizzly bears. The owner of that rifle could try to get a suppressor and the appropriate ammunition, but it’s difficult if it’s even allowed in those select states because everyone knows that sound suppressors are only tools for assassination (Hollywood movies and television) and not safety devices like in Finland or courteous attachments in our supposedly forward-thinking society.
An Obama-approved “civilian” rifle is an oxymoron.
Damn, I looked at the cartoon again and realized the artist was referring to a rifle that Obama would like for the US Military, not a “military rifle” for prospective “civilian” owners. I feel like an idiot. Sorry for all that. I hope you at least had a good laugh; I felt like I got something off my chest.
Close, but odramas new ‘post DADT’ rifles will be anodized pink, with various pastel accents.
Hey, check out this humorous cartoon on “The New Obama Approved Military Rifle” at http://drawfortruth.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/the-politically-correct-militarily-stupid-national-defense-strategy/
After this gun is massed produced there should be extra ammo for the rest of us since the military won’t need it!
I have found the shortage easing in the past few months. I can routinely find 9mm in wal-mart and online at places like http://www.aimsurplus.com In fact, wal-mart just ended their six box maximum policy.
In fact, I can also find 5.56mm/.223 as well. This situation is still tighter than I would like but far, far better than this time last year. .45ACP is still tight but it also seems to be starting to ease.
I think the article is about 6 months out of phase with the universe. The worst of the shortage is obviously behind us.
There was a time that primers for reloading were nearly unobtainable. I can now buy as many as I want, if I’m willing to pay the price. 22 Long Rifle was in very short supply, but at least one local sporting goods store now has stacks of it. There aren’t as many brands represented, but the situation is definitely much easier than it was a few months ago. Even 380 ammunition is available, though the better brands are hard to find.
Projectile price has definitely climbed. I still have a few boxes of 100 rifle bullets marked $15.99 or less. Today they are generally $26-28 per 100. Fortunately, I have a pretty good stock from earlier days, and I’ve switched a lot of my reloading to cast bullets which locally go for $22.50/500.
I serve as a volunteer range officer. A year ago, there was abundant brass left at the range. Today about the only thing you find is non-reloadable stuff. The exception is if you go to the range after the local LEOs have been using it. When I see plenty of civilian brass being left behind again, I’ll know the shortage is really fully over.
People who frequent gun websites don’t measure their personal ammo supplies in boxes.
They talk about “cases”; thousands of rounds. Trust me, this is no exaggeration.
Hopefully we’ll never know what a modern shootin’ war will look like within this country, but the “good guys” are covered.
Interesting theory. Now explain why there is no 380, 32 or .22 ammo, none used by the police or paramilitaries….Heck, last Christmas I could not find any 410 shotgun ammo at Cabella’s.
They’re stockpiling it. If shortages are easing lately it is probably because people are already sitting on mountains of ammo. My brother, who voted for Obama and now apparently regrets it, has stocked up on a 1000 dollars worth of ammo, and he only has one handgun. It’s also a good investment, apparently.
If ever there was some sort of societal breakdown you’re going to want to be living in a Republican dominant neighborhood, me thinks.
“If ever there was some sort of societal breakdown you’re going to want to be living in a Republican dominant neighborhood, me thinks.”
Not all republicans are 2A friendly, though I think that is changing daily.
Look, I am as guilty as the next guy of stockpiling, but we have to recognize that our system of “plenty” is only an illusion. No commercial enterprise keeps excess stock onhand anymore. It is all just-in-time delivery, which by its definition is not going to handle surges in demand. The last couple of years we have had the perfect storm of high demand in ammo at a time when the credit markets were tight and the future for the economy looked bleak. If I had an ammo plant, I wouldn’t have expanded either. Demand is good and prices are rising. With the uncertainty of whether the market will be legislated illegal by an unfriendly government, why would you expand? Ammo manufacturers are just like everyone else these days, they are hanging on to their cash.
If you are still in the “check the shelf at wal-mart and buy as much as they let you mode”, the shortages will continue. Once we stop panic buying, the shelves will magically fill. The retail shops like wal mart are not set up to handle that kind of volume. Ammo is still a boutique item with them. When Sam’s club starts stocking pallets of ammo, I’ll be convinced otherwise.
Online is a different story. My favorite source only went dry a couple of times after the election, in certain calibers. The selection now is good, if a little more expensive.
Around here the shelves at wally world have been filling – still no .380 or 38/357, though. Glad I don’t own anything that uses them.
I just got back from an international IPSC match in the Caribbean. The shooters from one island are all trying to convert their .40’s to 9mm’s because the huge yearly policy/military ammo order (which they piggyback on) is at least 6 months overdue and all they can get is Central American 9mm (reloading is very difficult in many of these countries)
The shortages aren’t as bad as they were last year. Prices are starting to come down. Even domestically produced primers are beginning to appear at near normal prices.
One thing I noticed through this is that the Russian ammo manufacturers stepped up and kept product flowing when almost no domestically produced ammo was available. As a result of this, I’ve learned as a shooter that the steel cased budget ammo from our former adversary is a viable alternative to the traditional Fed/Rem/Win product. As a reloader, I would have been shut down on certain cartridges were it not for the continuing flow of Wolf primers from Russia.
As a shooter, I’ll not forget this. Also as a shooter, it has caused me to question who our true friends are. I also question whether the normalization we now appear to be seeing would have ever occurred without Russian intervention in the ammo/component market.
I buy a lot of Russian ammo too. They’re routinely in stock and inexpensive (Although they’re not very high quality. I only use it for plinking or self-defense guns). For someone raised in the Cold War Era, I find the act of buying cheap ammo made in the former USSR perversely ironic.
Just because they are willing to sell you stuff, doesn’t make them your friend.
check out ammo engine, you can sort based on price per round or box, in any caliber you are looking for:
http://www.ammoengine.com/find/ammo/.45_ACP
I got a good deal on 500 rounds
also check out http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/Default.aspx
they have some good prices there.
I’m sorry, the .223/5.56X45 round and the M-16/M4/whatever is not a suitable round or weapon for stopping people. The US Mil admin were dumb asses for adopting it, and (after many years of poor performance by both weapon and cartridge) the police were dumb asses to follow their folly. Stupid is as stupid does!
If you want to stop a man shoot him/her with 7.62X51 at minimum. Otherwise piss your pants and shoot them again (and again)
. A 7.62X51 will at the very least knock an armored man down. A 5.56X45 will bounce off an armored target. Don’t believe it? Look up the ballistic/energy tables at any ammo mfgr’s website.
7.62X51 will do, but I like 30-06 and .300 Win Mag for serious game, particularly the two footed variety
.
Charlie
Here’s a suggestion: if you’ve got a lot of ammo, get more. If you don’t, do what you have to so you can have at least 1000 rounds in whatever caliber you would use most in defense of your home and family. I’m not going to make any references to why you might need it, as most here have a very good understanding of the problem, but if you’re lucky enough to not need it for defense now, you very well might not be able to afford to buy it later.
Why am I saying this? I just saw the future of the U.S. in Hong Kong: $48 for a hamburger (small) and everything else equivalently priced. How much ammo are you going to be able to buy at $250 per 20 rd. box, even if it is available?
Future generations are going to curse the boomers and the current administration with the heat of 1000 suns.
Also check Cabelas at http://www.cabelas.com, for a good selection of ammo at favorable prices and with lower cost shipping than most (occasionally offered free during sales — I got about 50 lbs of ammo for about $12 shipping charge).
Example: .22LR Remington Golden Bullet hollowpoints – Brick of 525 for $19.95
charlie:the .223 is a capable round,black hills has been making a hauge compliant round for the military(OTM?) that has shown to be very effective.
LE and civilians can use HP/SP ammo in 5.56,which terminal effectiveness is not in doubt.
naturally being able to carry 280 rds(5.56) versus 100 rds(7.62) with the same load weight,is kinda hard to pass up for a soldier humping gear.
i prefer the .308 as well;superior barrier penetration,ballistic advantage at a distance,handles wind /brush better,you can hunt with it, and of course:the large diameter round puts “holes in souls”
the 6.5 and the 6.8 are looking like good replacements for the military.in the end,it is the archer-not the arrow-that matters though.
People have the instinct to do the right thing and that is to stock pile ammo. In WWI, an infantryman was issued 80 rounds to carry. They used bolt action Springfields and Enfields.Moving up to Vietnam, 400 rounds of .223 became a basic load. I would use canteen cover on my gear as improvised magazine carriers because they carried more than the issued ammo pouch. So how long will 400 rounds last? Depends on what kind of a fight you can expect. But as a concerned citizen, you know there won’t be a supply truck coming to resupply you if things go down hill. You are on your own and the time to prepare is now while there is time, not when society crumbles. Not predicting it will happen, but it costs little to prepare compared to what the costs will be to the unprepared. Ammo is cheap, life isn’t.
I go to gun shows all over the country. Lots of dealers selling 500-1000 rounds of popular ammo at decent prices. No shortages at gun shows that I have ever seen.
rustbelt, pierre;
Those who can, do. And then there are the whiners. I thought all you red-blooded guys were Rambos, not Bambis.
Here in Arizona, land of boycotts, ammo isn’t as difficult to get as it was 6 months ago. Walmart and Bass Pro usually have some of what I shoot (40 SW) but not the 7.62×54R. My own take on the shortage is hoarding. I have stockpiled a bit, but I now people who have bought every round they see, in the tens of thousands. I wish I could afford it.
Well folks get ready for it to get worse. California passed AB 962 last year & all online sells of ammo will be forbidden. Expect prices to rise & inventories to dwindle before Feb 2011 & the law goes into full effect. After that, expect 33 to 37 million plus to be removed from the fiscal equation
I have a backorder with Cabela’s for 500 rounds of .357 that goes back 18 months. I have been purchasing a 50 round box a week from a local gunsmith for about six weeks now. I leave the backorder active just to see how long it will take for the Cabela’s order to be filled. chirp, chirp, chirp, (crickets). What we are willing to go thru for a lousy dry box.
Ammo started to come back into supply in greater numbers around late last summer, when the bottom fell out of the AR-15 market. My friend spent over $1,100 for a well-known brand in May. By the fall, I was able to find one on par with his for less than $750. Now, DSC carbines are available for less than $700 to your FFL.
Ammo around here went on sale on black Friday, and it hasn’t let up since. The same 20-round box of 5.56 that went for over $10 last year is on sale right now for $8.50 at another local retailer, and a third recently had XM193 5.56 for $70 per 200. Not that long ago, I picked up PMC brass .223 for $6 per 20 on sale at a Gander Mountain. I could have had 20 boxes at that price, but opted for 15.
The shortages around my area are pretty much gone, not that they were bad to start with. I managed to find my preferred pistol caliber in enough quantity last year that I don’t buy a whole lot right now, unless I burn some off at the range. $230 per 1000 for 9mm? Slightly expensive. My local Wal-Mart typically sells 9mm Federal 115g FMJ for about $10 with tax, which shakes out to about $200 per 1000. That price hasn’t gone up, either. The same Wal-Mart recently had not one but *five* different makes of 9mm ball ammo on hand at the same time.
People are stocking up for sure, and I don’t blame them. The nomination of Second Amendment-hating Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court should be enough to set off another buying run on both weapons and ammo, provided people still have the means of purchasing them!
Being that I know and am related to a whole lot of rural Americans who are buying a whole lot of bullets, I can tell you exactly why there is still a shortage of ammo. The author missed it entirely, but some of the comments picked it up.
Many people are currently buying ammo the way others buy gold, as what economists would call “a store of value”. Bullets are being stockpiled as a potential commodity money. Don’t expect it to end anytime soon.
Here in Illinois, which is possibly one of the least gun-friendly states around, ammo is not plentiful but it is much easier to find than it was a year or so ago. 9mm was rare and .38 was impossible to find. Even .22 was scarce. Shotgun ammo was never a problem. Things have improved but prices have gone waayy up! I know my experience is not indicative of all market conditions, but it seems to me the problem may be overstated.
Is there a reason why the manufacturers haven’t been increasing production capacity?
Fear that this current increase is short term and they don’t want to be caught with excess capacity when it is over?
Govt regulations that make it hard to increase capacity?
Shortage of a key material needed to make ammo?
I have plenty (actually,more than plenty) of ammo and cleaning supplies stored for both range time, and more dire issues. I might even be willing to share with a few of my fellow Americans, AFTER the fall of course. NOTE; Must provide DoD ID, V.A. card, or NRA life member card to participate…
At the Bass Pro shop near me 6 months ago, the shelves were picked clean of ammo within hours of restocking; each morning the truck came, there were dozens waiting at the door to get theirs. I came in late one delivery day, and except for a few lonely boxes of .40, the shelves were bare.
This past Thursday, I noticed a fresh batch of 9mm NATO at $14.50/50 rds, and there was significant stock of popular calibers, except .38sp and .45. I asked if there had been a shipment that day, and the staff said no, that was two days ago. On Saturday, that pile of 9mm NATO was reduced to half, but was still there, as were much of the rest.
So I concur with others here, things are not nearly as tight as they were in December.
I have found the 22LR 550 box, 9mm 100 round WWB, and 45acp 100 round WWB ammo at Wallmart the last two trips (April/May)to Reno, NV.
I try to buy two boxes of each whenever I can.
M
Don’t worry about me folks,I have around 8,000 mixed rds of .308,.223.45,9mm,12 ga(3″),so I am now no longer depleting supplies.
Don’t forget that along with your ammo,you should have spare extractors,springs,ejectors and firing pins because the weapon will only be a conversation piece if one of those gives up the ghost.
I’ve found this is true in spots, but you can find ammunition at comparably decent prices. In addition the profit in the business is provoking people to get into the business – capitalism at work ladies – I’ve thought about doing this as a small business. Even explored an SBA loan. The devil is in the details with the feds though. I’ve noticed a lot of self regulation going on. In 5 months we will have grid lock and ammo and gun prices will plummet, watch your economic ass out there.
See: http://ammoseek.com/
I recently checked the three major firearm-selling stores in Great Falls, Montana for ammunition. All three stores have their shelves overflowing with all types of ammunition. And, they have many firearms for sale – even the assult type weapons. However, I know that the situation can change quickly.
Then there is the fact that there are millions of new shooters who got off the fence when Obama came into office. Take 5 million people at 1 thousand rounds a piece and add that to the all ready high demand.
Not seeing it in my neck of the woods. Things got pretty tight for a while, .380 is still tight. Other than that though the local gun store has always had all major calibers except .380 (expensive though). Wally World was always sold out (because their prices were set on a national scale, the reason the guns tore kept a stock was they sought out off brands and charged more money, thus reducing sales volume).
In the last month and a half Wally World has kept 9mm, .40 and .45 in stock at a higher price than previously. It has stayed in stock.
I think you have a bunch of factors:
1. The surplus we had been getting in the US started to dry up. Some is the steel core ban, some was just consumption of a lot of the world surplus market for a number of reasons
2. A spike in ammo consumption as the LEO establishment has started training more seriously than it had. It may not be as much as a dedicated shooter thinks is neccesary but for most departments it doesnt take much more shooting for them to double their consumption.
3. A spike in military ammo consumption. The War on Terror has focused the military a bit. Before 9/11 the Army required soldiers to fire at least once a year. After OEF/OIF started that was changed to twice a year. While many combat arms soldiers shoot more than that already, there were a lot of butchers and bakers and candlestick makers that just doubled their consumption. Add to that the requirement that all soldiers going downrange complete a live fire during their trainup and the addition of a live fire to most AIT iterations plus operational expenditures down range and you have a huge spike in use. Not all is produced internally. I know for a fact that the US is consuming 9mm and .50 BMG from civilian manufacturers. Even if all .223 is produced internally it is curbing production overrun “surplus” ammo that usually made it onto the market before.
4. The growth of CCW market has greatly increased the amount of civlian “practice” ammo consumed.
5. Finally, uncertainty about the future both politically and economically has made people wake up and lay in war stocks of ammo and entered them into the civilian training and practice ammo market.
While it sucks that we pay more for ammo, I dont think it is a conspiracy (yet). There is some BS in dragging feet import deals for ammo and the like, but we dealt with that under Clinton also, and the politicos have a much more pro gun environment in the populace and capital hill this time around.
Bottom line: Buy it, practice and have some for a rainy day. Expensive now is a better buy than black market when it is illegal or unavailable (then its dangerous to buy and even more expensive).
At my local gun shop this weekend, I saw more than I have in the last 2 1/2 years. WWB, Blazer, Fiocchi, Remington. Other major calibers as well. They even had some 380. Saw plenty of .223 as well. Hope this is a trend and not just a fluke.
At my local gun shop this weekend, I saw more 9mm than I have in the last 2 1/2 years. WWB, Blazer, Fiocchi, Remington. Other major calibers as well. They even had some 380. Saw plenty of .223 as well. Hope this is a trend and not just a fluke.
Why is this always turned into a bash Obama and cry if anyone says anything about Bush. It all started years ago and will continue for years to come. Both party’s think only of themselves and not the people. We need a 5 party system so at that point the only way they can be elected is if they do for the people not because the last administration screwed up. After the bush admin screwed up the Obama group was elected and now they will screw up and the republicans will be back ( if they find a decent person to run ) and this will go on for generations to come. Obama did not create the problems we have today and many of them have been building up from the 60s and are just coming to a head now. It is not only our country it is world wide. The last administration wasted more money then any other in history when things were on a down turn and did not think or care about the average person or the future. Enclosed is a funny clip form Jay Leno and it tells it like it is about our dear ex VP.
http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/chris-matthews/1229568/