Ammo - Bullets - Powder - Primers Availability ???

[Jocko]

Been hearing alot of rumors about the powers that be pulling some behind the scenes deals on ammo and reloading supplies being available. Starting to wonder if it's true. Even if every person in the country was buying ammo and reloading supplies every week wouldn't you think the companies that manufacture this stuff would ramp up production even if it is a bubble. Alot of money to be made for a time. Just can't believe that every place I've used in the past for powder and primers is out of everything and has been for some time, at least 3 months now. Got an email from Powder Valley Inc. last month
when I inquired about when some VihtaVuori powder will be available. Email said that they have no idea if they will even get any containers from overseas again this year. Even the domestic powders like Hodgdon and IMR
are out of stock in all popular types. Primers - it's like looking for gold. Good luck finding any of them. Just boggles my mind that if they are producing that they can't keep up - run them machines 24/7 lets go!

Rumors I've heard is the Obama-craps aren't bothering with any guns bills - their just going to limit production of ammunition and the ability to make your own. Sounds familiar - I remember an old Chris Rock show when he said we don't need no gun control - just make every bullet $500 - thats whats going to happen - make it so expensive to shoot nobody will be able to afford the sport.

GOD help the USA

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[DRB]

What I have heard on primers is the manufacturers are not taking orders for delivery this year but if you hurry you may get on the list for next year. The entire projected run for this year is sold already. Nothing to do with Obama antics yet just fear of what mey come. All that ammo being sold uses primers. Most manufactures are running 3 shifts now and everything they make is sold before it comes off the line. As for powder I suspect most powder plants always run 24/7 because the process involved can not be broken into 8 hours shifts, as in from start to finsih on a batch of powder is not 8 or 9 hours it is several days. Thus there is little excess capacity short of building new plants which will not happen for what is percieved as a short term panic buying. I see ammo and components selling at incredible rates at all the shows. People used to buy a few boxes to go with their new gun. Now they are buying a couple cases. To make it all worse there is still a shooting war going on. This has affected the worldwide market for ammo and components and as it should be the US military is still getting priority treatment from suppliers. Many police agencies report a hard time getting enough ammo to practice with.

[Oyaji]

Regulation fears leave Valley low on ammo
Published online on Monday, May. 04, 2009
By Jim Guy / The Fresno Bee

Ammunition is in short supply at area gun stores, and even some law enforcement agencies are having a hard time getting what they need for training.

And the biggest reason, some local gun dealers say, is fear.

They attribute the shortage to panic buying because of legislation being considered in Sacramento and Washington that would affect ammunition sales and manufacturing. They also point to the demand for bullets by U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Longtime Fresno gun dealer Bill Mayfield said he has trouble finding the most popular handgun calibers, such as 9 mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber and .38 caliber. In fact, his supply of .380-caliber handgun ammunition was so low that Mayfield recently bought three boxes from a customer who said he didn't need them.

The demand, Mayfield said, has caused manufacturers to start rationing ammunition to retailers. And gun enthusiasts who assemble -- or reload -- their own ammunition are having difficulty, too. Primers, a key reloading component, are hard to find in gun stores and on the Internet.

Mayfield said concerns about legislation are driving the shortage.

"We're talking about an anti-gun president, vice president, House and Senate," he said.

While President Barack Obama has not directly discussed gun control since his election, as a senator he regularly supported gun-control measures, including a ban on semiautomatic "assault weapons" and a limit on handgun purchases to one a month, according to news reports.

He also opposed allowing the self-defense argument for people charged with violating local handgun bans by using weapons in their homes. That issue came up after a Chicago-area man shot an intruder and was then charged with a handgun violation. In addition, statements by Attorney General Eric Holder and Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, that favor gun control are widely cited on pro-gun Web sites.

The proposed laws that worry Mayfield include a measure introduced in more than a dozen states that would require laser etching on every bullet and shell casing so that the ammunition could be traced back to the purchaser.

Proponents say bullet tracing would be a valuable crime-fighting tool, but opponents say it would be a backdoor ban on ammunition sales. The National Shooting Sports Foundation argues that numbering each round would force a dramatic slowdown in the production process, forcing manufacturers to abandon the market.

Clovis resident Vince Compolongo, a seller of old Winchester rifles, said he was at a Reno gun show last week as hundreds lined up waiting for the doors to open. When they did, there was a scramble to get to the ammunition vendors.

"It was full-fledged panic," he said. "I never saw anything like it."

Compolongo said everyone he talked to said they were buying ammunition. Most cited the Obama administration as the reason.

Barry Bauer, of Herb Bauer's Sporting Goods, said he is concerned about California Assembly Bill 962, which would tighten restrictions on ammunition sales. He said the restrictions, which would shut down Internet sales, might be good for his business, but he is opposed to them. The Appropriations Committee is expected to hold a hearing on the bill Wednesday.

"We have a right to have guns and to have ammunition," he said.

Bauer added that the shortage is partly due to a spike he has seen since November in firearms purchases. Bauer and other local gun dealers had trouble keeping shelves stocked with guns after last fall's national election prompted a similar reaction from gun buyers. Now, everyone who buys a new gun also is buying ammunition.

The demand for ammunition makes manufacturers one of the few industries thriving in the current recession. Winchester, one of the biggest cartridge makers, recently reported an increase in sales of about 17% this year, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

Much of the ammunition manufactured in the United States goes to the military, which consumes about 1 billion rounds a year on training and operations, according to an Associated Press report. The military uses the .223-caliber round, which also is widely used in police rifles.

That has hurt training for some law enforcement agencies. Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Louis Hernandez said there have been problems getting enough ammunition for training.

Sheriff's deputies are required to requalify with their firearms quarterly, and Hernandez said they are encouraged to practice often. The department recently ordered 200,000 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition -- about a six-month supply -- for about $41,000. And because law enforcement often buys from the same suppliers that sell to the civilian market, they can be hit by the same scarcity felt by area gun stores.

"If we get a deal, we're going to jump on it," Hernandez said.

Coalinga Police Chief Cal Minor said his department also is having difficulty.

"We had to search high and low to find some," he said, adding that his normal supplier was back-ordered six months.

Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said the cost of ammunition to his department has doubled in the past several years. Madera deputies carry .40-caliber ammunition for their handguns and fire .223-caliber rounds in the carbines they carry in their vehicles. In 2006, the department paid 12 cents per round for the .40-caliber ammunition, but it's costing 22 cents now, he said. In the same period, the cost of the .223-caliber went from 21 cents to 50 cents, he said.

Not all law enforcement agencies are feeling the squeeze. Fresno police and sheriff's departments in Kings and Tulare counties report adequate supplies. And Mayfield said he believes the shortage for civilians will likely end, too.

"The system got bought dry," he said. "It's a question of how long it will take to catch up."

The reporter can be reached at jguy@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6339.

[mold maker]

I got the following today. (Bullet Points) Is the tax collection increase because of the higher prices, or increased production???
The increased buying (consumer hoarding) began in 2006 when the congress went Democratic.
I would have expected to see an even bigger increase than this.


SALES REMAIN STRONG FOR MANUFACTURERS . . . Firearm and ammunition manufacturers paid more than $98 million in excise taxes in the fourth quarter of 2008, up 31.2 percent over the same period in 2007, according to figures released earlier today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, $27.6 million was collected for pistols and revolvers, $35 million for long guns and $35.5 million for ammunition. Compared to the same period in 2007, collections were up 70.1 percent for handguns, 11.4 percent for long guns and 31.1 percent for ammunition. Excise tax collections are a key economic indicator for the industry. The taxes are calculated as a percentage of wholesale receipts, paid quarterly by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, and earmarked for state wildlife conservation and habitat restoration programs. A total of $345.2 million was collected in excise taxes in 2008, up 13.9 percent from the $303.2 million collected the previous year. These statistics are based solely on U.S. civilian sales and do not include sales to military, police, etc.View Full Chart for 2007-

[jjroth]

counter guy thought I wanted three 1k count boxes of primers and was going ration me.
I Smiled and said I was mis-understood, as I want three 100 count boxes of Sm Pistol, 1 large rifle (got BR large rifle) and 1 Magnum LR.Paid $15.08 for them.

[TDH]

counter guy thought I wanted three 1k count boxes of primers and was going ration me.
I Smiled and said I was mis-understood, as I want three 100 count boxes of Sm Pistol, 1 large rifle (got BR large rifle) and 1 Magnum LR.Paid $15.08 for them.

Where do you live and what's the name of the store?. Do they ship?

[n9vmo]

Sounds like I need to hold on to my 5000 CCI #34s

Just wish I had some IMR4895 to go with them

[Dan In Indiana]

Remember when Uncle Sugar was dumping ammo and milsurp brass, powder, bullets were plentiful and really inexpensive in comparison to todays prices? I gritted my teeth and bought all I could afford, when I could afford it. Still have 6 jugs of CMR-100 [Canadian equivalent of 4895] that I have yet to open, 1 jug of 4895 waiting, 6 jugs of 2230C waiting, 8K of CCI#34 that I got from Wideners for 75 bucks/5K waiting, 4K of the old M72 bullets waiting, 2K of the M2 bullets waiting, 3K of once fired '06 brass and, 1K of LC68 Match brass [never fired] worked up, primed and waiting in the wings. Hoarding? Ain't no way! Started over 3 years ago when I started seeing posts about the "shortage" looming on the horizon. Just watching the market, and being a tight "azz" buying when the time was right. Saw last night where a brick of FGMM LR primers went for $230.00 on Gunbroker. I can go out and plink for a long time now and not have to worry about running out. I did forget the 4K of Win. LR primers that I keep in reserve for my civilian rifles.

[TDH]

Sounds like I need to hold on to my 5000 CCI #34s

Just wish I had some IMR4895 to go with them

I got the powder I need the primers