Sign of the times...

[imarangemaster]

Talking with several local dealers, .223/5.56 is the most in demand (and out of stock) ammo, followed closely by 9mm, 7.62x39, and .40 S&W. With prices of .223 being close to a buck a round ($0.80 to $0.90 a round + tax or shipping), my shooting recreation with my ARs has become a thing of the past. For two AR15s, I only have about 800 rounds of LC M193 and 500 rounds of assorted reload or steel cased in my stockpile. With ammo prices being the way they are (or worse.. a local gun show was selling .223 for $400/200!), and availability being almost non-existant, I can afford to replace anything I shoot! It is a shame, as I carry an M4gery as a patrol carbine, and would like to do usual practice, at least 100 rounds a month, to stay proficient.

At least I reload cast bullets for my M1 Carbines and .44-40s.

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[Midmichigun]

What is interesting, is that after the "panic", and for a month or so afterward..... I was still able to find AK's and AR's in 22lr on the shelf at local gunshops. Long after the "real" AR's disappeared!

Which sorta shocked me. As was indicated, the AR in 22lr would have the same "muscle memory" function as a "real" one. Ideal for training at a low cost. But they didn't move off the shelf!!!!

However, as of right now, I haven't seen 22lr at a store in some time. At the last gunshow, a 525carton was about $50.00.

And yes, all rifle training has been discontinued in my neck of the woods... same with additional building....

[vintage hunter]

I'm fairly well stocked on ammo and components so I haven't looked around much lately to see what out there but a post on the carbine forum yesterday got my curiosity up so I looked around some this morning. There just ain't nothing out there in the form of loaded ammo or loading supplies. Even the once plentiful 7.62x54R is getting hard to come by. It appears to me that the ''panic'' is far from over and if the prices and availability of .22lr is any indicator it's getting worse. At least one place I buy from has posted a notice stating that their suppliers have been unable to meet the expected delivery dates on out of stock items and can't say with any certainty when they will. I'm afraid that if you don't already have it you may be in for a long wait or will have to resort to paying gouged prices to get it. I sure picked a fine time to get back into shotshell reloading. Can't find any primers anywhere. Double Phooey!

[Midmichigun]

VH,
I have resorted to buying up shotshells and buckshot... and slugs. As I am NOT in a panic, I keep to my budget each week of what I buy (like for the past 2 years). So far, here in the Mid-West, as far as I can tell, shotguns have been largely ignored... but there is some indication that this attitude is changing. I have purchased 100rds of target/ light hunting 12gage until the shelves are bare at both the local Dunhams and Meijer.... and they are not being restocked. 20gage and 410 doesn't seem to move...

However, there is plenty of 243, 30-30 and ($$) 30-06, 7mm... etc. on store shelves. Not much in the way of handgun ammo, with the exception of some .380!

Ya, even the local $99.00 for a spam can of 7.62x54r is looking good.

Last gunshow I got 100rds of reloaded .223 for $50.00. All Lake City head stamped. At first I thought it was factory... but learned otherwise.

As far as ammo and "clips" (aka magazines).... it can be found in good quantities at gunshows in Michigan.... but at MUCH higher prices.

My Brother "out west" says that Folks he knows at ATK believe that resupply is over 1 year away on most popular calibers.

Word on the street, is that most recreational and match shooting will eventually slow/ stop as resupply doesn't happen.

The icing on the cake, are the Folks who called me a hoarder and idiot for buying ammo by the case several years ago... and who are now asking for me to sell them some!!

[A. F Medic]

I went to the ammo counter at Wally World and the cases were empty! If there was any, you were allowed to only buy three boxes.

I was told that the secret is to go early Thursday morning when the shipment comes in. Your store my have a different arrival date....

Regardless, the price stickers on the empty shelves were still high.

Did buy a box of .38 Special wad cutters for $20.00 plus tax

A friend of mine who is a gunsmith was told by his ammo suppliers that restock ammo is not even in the pipe line and they did not know when there would be. So, make each shot count.

[GUTS]

I haven't said anything about this untill now. When the gov. started hollering for gun control, thousands of people tuned into fools. I am a collector, reloader and a shooter. I shoot in silouette matches every weekend from the start of May till October. I shoot smallbore, lever, Military, Garand, and high power. I use up a lot of ammo in the enjoyment of our shooting sports. I also enjoy the originality of my collection including the correct magazines that these rifles would have come with no matter how big they are. I will say one thing about gun control and I believe it is the crux of the biscuit so to speak. Someone who is going to commit the horrible crime of murder, and lately it seems mass murders, is set on committing a CAPITOL CRIME and they are not worried in the least about gun rules of any kind. There are always going to be people like that and they will not be stopped. If they can't use large capacity semi-auto weapons they will find another ILLEGAL way to do it. What is making me angry is the damage the panic buying fools have done to our shooting sports. There will be some people in our club that will not be able to afford to shoot even .22s in the matches anymore. I have a very nice supply of reloading components because I always bought in bulk because I shoot in bulk. My supplies will last this season at best and I will be screwed also. I go through around 5 thousand rounds of .30 and around 10 thousand .22 shells each year. You have to practice to be good. And I truly believe that most of the ammo in particular was bought up buy a bunch of tin-foil hat wearing basement dwelling punks, excuse my French.

[imarangemaster]

I stopped by the gravel pit up in my patrol area to try 30 rounds of M193 LC with my new H buffer and check zero (that's another story). When I was done, a mall commando with a tricked out 10.5 pound M4gery (kinda) with all the whistles and bells came there to shoot. He had a stack of 50 round boxes of reloaded 223 that he was stoked to have paid ONLY $1 a round, including tax! He was bragging he bought all he could afford.

Maybe he had a tinfoil hat in the car, I don't know, but this is the guy you are talking about. They gobble up the ammo at insane prices, driving up demand and price with it. I appreciate a free market economy, and understand supply and demand. This beats anything I have ever seen, however. Manufacturers are producing more to meet demand, yet they are falling farther and farther behind. Even "niche" retro lowers from Nodak Spud are backordered maybe a year.

I have enough powder, primers, and lead to reload 44-40 (for Cowboy Action Shooting - one match a month) for the rest of the year, and 12 ga. shells for the same. After that, I will be out. I can probably find 44-40 lead, (not in high demand) but no primers or 12 gauge ammo. I can reload 12 gauge, but can't find lead or wads, and only have 300-400 primers. If the draught continues into the fall, I will cease even CAS, wanting to have the makings of a couple hundred rounds, at least, to have on hand.

I have lead bullets (some moly, some copper clad) powder and primers to load about another 1000 .30 Carbine, so I have some .30 carbine plinking ammo without touching the 1400 rounds of factory I have for the two M1 Carbines. I have about 1,000 to 1,500 .22 LR still. With that said, I imagine by fall or winter, those will deplete to the level where I cease shooting them, also. This is very sad.

[kenwest516]

I would always buy when I find ammo at a good price. I don't always shoot it all up and have a little,but by no means a stockpile. If that makes me a hoarder then so be it. I have enough to shoot for a summer or two if I don't go crazy. Something I don't have much of is .22lr. I would like to get some but not at these prices. What I don't understand is why it went as fast as some of the other stuff. I understand practice and all that but wow thats alot of .22 ammo the stuff can't be found around here. Maybe I'm missing something.

[vintage hunter]

I think theres two kinds of people that Guts is referring to, one that probably never owned more than 50 rounds at any one time in their life. They'd just go buy some when they needed it. Now they in a mad scramble to build up a supply while they can. I know some like that. Then there's the crown that bought up all they could get hands on with the intentions of making a killing selling it to the first bunch when supplies run out. There's nothing wrong with stocking up on something you use on a regular basis. But to buy all you can get your hands on just for the sake of having it without a real need is hoarding in my book.

[WarPig1976]

Last week at the local fun show just outside Philadelphia Wasr 10 AKs were going for $1300.00. SKS stripper clips $2.00 apiece and the crates full of Mosin Nagants are a thing of the past. ONE guy had eight left $169.00 for round $200.00 for hex. I couldn't get near the ammo tables to see prices "way too crowded" I agree, I suggested a month ago that the course of fire at my clubs various matches be reduced from 100 to 50 rounds. I have a stockpile of factory stuff that will not be touched unless the tree of liberty needs some watering which was bought at $3.19 box of 20.