Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Is the ammunition shortage real?

They're not imaginary characters.

renegade50 (not that I care, just using him as an example) posts on here about rounding up 9mm all the time.

He's a recreational shooter. He's not shooting three USPSA matches a month and practicing in between.

He buys it to buy it. And there are thousands of renengades out there.

There's no evidence of a shortage.

I wish I could have afforded more towards hoarding when the hoarding was easy.

Im saving for a testicle reduction surgery. Dr Kenneth Noisewater is getting pretty sassy.

I know you're not calling me names, because I'm not whining and I'm not buying ammo..... Simply made an observation of what I've seen. Panic buying is contagious and exacerbates the problem. Same thing with TP, meat, and whatever else has been in short supply in 2020

No, I can still get it for $16 a box at the feed store, that's what makes sense

Since the prudent accumulation of ammunition/components is not only wise, but laudable, why do so many people feel the need to spend so much time defending it?

Now that's funny!

LOL, this is funny stuff. Ammo scavengers, rats, whatever....short term plans suck most days. Another tack is to not throw stuff away, but recycle instead. Last conventional brass I bought was about 5 years back and before that maybe 10 years or so. Damn if it don't still shoot. Over and over and over again. New Green Deal I say!

-HINT-

Just a few of my kid toys. The ones on the right are certified for crowd control. Well, so are the others, but you might have to bust a few extra primers.








And you gotta be creative I tell ya...



Other than the brass shell on the left the smallest caliber here is .50. Don't be intimidated by .56, it won't hurt long, I promise.


And don't think just 'cause you're 500 yards away it's a good idea to flip me off.

Yes it is. And there are other options.

I don't shoot except for hunting purposes, so as little as 3 rounds per year per rifle is "enough". A box or two if wringing something out. Then it's back to "as little as 3". One to check zero, 2 for the critter. Maybe only one....but I like insurance head shots from a few yards away. There have been occasions, tho....

I have several rifles, only two (excluding .22) in the same caliber. I likely have enough components, reloaded ammo, and factory ammo to last me the rest of my hunting life. I may run out for any particular rifle or caliber, but I have backups. Like the .338WM RU77. I have nearly 40 rounds of 250 gr Hornady RN reloads, MOA. Sighted in. Loaded 'em up as not-worked-up junk loads to get rid of - whoops! - too good for that! Haven't shot the rifle in 10 years or so. That alone should carry me for the next 5 if I use it exclusively. And I have at least 100 or so bullets in other weights for reloading if I need it, all of which I have data for already. If I can find it. That's another 5-10 years or so, minimum. I'm good.... But I might change scopes.....that will entail a few extra rounds.

That said, I too feel the urge to buy when these "shortages" hit. I usually don't, but that plastic slides out awful easy. I can wait, or do without. I have to keep telling myself that..... I will buy a few more pounds of powder first chance I get. I have only 2 of IMR 4350, and 3 of 2878, if I recall the # right, and both are versatile for hunting purposes in my calibers. Haven't reloaded anything at all in 10 years or so....

I had a couple Cabela's gift cards to burn a few weeks ago - went into the Anc. store. Shelves 2/3 empty. Nothing in components or live ammo that I would use in .243, 260, 30-30, 30-06, 7X57, or .338. Only the exotic stuff - Lapau, Rem. Ultra Mag, Wby. , that kinda crap. And some few boxes of ridiculously priced Premiums in various calibers. Ended up buying a couple electronic ear muffs and a candy bar, with 68 cents left over.

Same is true in the local Sportsman's Warehouse.

However, I do have ammo, and some bullets, acquired incidentally over the years, more or less by accident (people keep dying on me) for which I am not chambered. I might have to buy some rifle barrels, and fool the hoarders..... . I

'm not getting rid of the couple hundred 7 Mag rounds I have. A barrel would go on that current 338 receiver real easy. I have all the tools for the swaps already. 10 rounds for sight in, and I'd be good for years. Or I could pull the bullets and use them in the 7X57. Powder too.

I may screw on a factory "in-stock" take-off 270 bbl on the "Stub" RU77 '06 if I get time this winter to see if it shoots.. Take it back from 17 inch "carbine" to standard length bbl. Make it a little kinder on the ears and recoil.... I have several hundred rounds of 270, and that will make me no-two-rifles chambered the same. Easier on the 30 cal supply, and one more caliber reserve arrow. In case I get short somewhere...

Or I could buy $1000-$2000 (250-500 rounds) of the available exotic-crap ammo, AND a rifle chambered for it. As if I needed another one. But then I'd "need" dies, and more components..... Nah - that's for rich looneys.

I need to go thru what inventory I do have and record it, by caliber, so I know what to jump on in due time, as available......

If it gets real tough, I have a couple ML, and 40 lbs of lead. Need to stock more powder and primers, tho, and molds.

No, I’m not.

I haven’t witnessed anything I could call panic buying myself, just perhaps the aftermath. I’ve been buying stuff in bulk for years to reduce the need to travel to the store. Now with the Plague, I go to the grocery store maybe twice a month or less to reduce my chances of catching it. I buy enough to last until the next trip, but I also have some reserves, just as I’ve always had because it’s prudent. Waiting until you’re totally out of anything of importance is foolish, and running to the store all the time is wasteful, and now a little risky.

But this is about ammo, and for the most part it’s about ammo for recreational shooting. For whatever reason, some have failed to learn from the past and are caught short again. The name-calling began with that bunch: Hoarder, Greedy, etc, and I’ve gotten tired of hearing it when their situation could’ve been easily avoided with a little (here’s that word again) prudence on their part. Not only would they not be in the plight they are, but there would be less demand on current supplies and production.

I can sympathize a bit with those who finally realized that they need some protection and didn’t know what would happen in a crisis. I’d even help them out a bit if I could, just like I’d give them a little TP so they wouldn’t have to use their socks.

It’s real...

The bottom line is none of the manufacturers, distributors or retailers planned for this. The pandemic, the civil unrest, the first time buyers and the hoarders. Inventories were depleted at every level and they simply can’t produce components fast enough to catch up, fill backorders and meet consumer demand.

It’s gonna get worse.

This is just in the downstairs utility room. I have more in the bathrooms and basement. Life is too short to wipe your ass with socks.

"Where never is heard-
an encouraging word..."

My dad told me when I was 16 yrs. old to spend 20 bucks out of every paycheck to buy ammo or reloading supplies and have been doing it ever since, so I think I'm good

that is disgusting

Depends OldHat.. You got ammo? Yes? Ain't short!

Them that don't got ammo are suffering the real shortage.

Cheaper Than Dirt has plenty.

There isn't a lot of excess capacity in the system when things are normal. All it takes is a blip in sales and there's a shortage. Think about it. You build facilities according to normal demand. Just like you don't build a 5 car garage if you only own 2 "just in case". It's a waste of money.

Ya' think that's sick, you oughtta see the stacks of .22LR & .223 in my gun room.

Maybe, maybe not, but how much effect those guys have on the overall situation now is debatable. A year ago ammo was cheap and plentiful. If renegade and others like him hadn’t bought what they did then, do you really think that ammo would really be still on the shelf? Doubtful. More likely it’d be on GB for $2 a round. Those guys plan for this stuff.

About a year ago I bought my first 9mm. Bought some Fiocchi ball, liked it, and bought some of their HPs as well. When I went to buy some more ball for practice, it wasn’t available, so I started looking for something else, and definitely didn’t want to buy dollar a pop premium for that. Only ball I could find was 1,000 round packs of Winchester white box, so I ordered one. Would of settled for a few 50-round boxes, but there weren’t any. Out of curiousness, I checked that source soon after, and it was gone, maybe to someone like me, but just as likely to someone hoping to flip it, or maybe renegade50. In that case to buy what I needed, I had to buy more than I needed, and buy it I did.