Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How many ammo and reloading shortages have you lived through?

Question for you experience handloaders/reloaders. How many ammo and reloading shortages have you lived through? My memory is crap and I don't remember the break down in years very well.

The Obama presidency years seemed pretty bad: 2009-2017. Think I remember primer shortages in 2009. More ammo and reloading shortages in 2011 and 2013, particularly 22lr ammo in 2013 that didn't seem to come back until 2017-ish timeframe?

This current shortage seemed to start around the second half of 2020 with the riots and Covid and seems it going to continue for all of 2021.

Let's hear from you experience guys!

Clinton, Obama and Bidden

There's a pattern here.

With slightly lesser panics in between these... basically every pres. election year since the late 80s.

The 1st primer/powder scarcity was around the time they started the Hazmat BS & prices increased significantly.

So about since 1993, or about 27+ years and whatever Biden adds. Kind of depressing!

I was hoping to see if anyone remembers in more detail/specifics about what shortages where happening during those times.

For example, I remember in 2011 the Sandy Hook shooting and AR-15 sales double or tripling in price overnight and flying off the shelf!

I trying to remember if it was 2013 that seemed a bad year for 22lr ammo shortages! It's becoming a big blur, unfortunately.


Was 2009, a primer crisis in that year? I only got started into reloading around 2016/2017 timeline so I only have a very short history for my timeframe of reference.

How bad do you think it's going to get? What are your realistic thoughts about if or when things will recovery?

Some stuff has been in shortage mode since it was launched. Varget, H4350, H4831SC, and H1000 seem to always go through at least seasonal shortfalls. I was working at a Scheels store when Varget launched and I remember that one to be in perennial shortage.

A big part of the problem is that so very little smokeless powder is actually produced in the USA anymore. I think the Winchester plant in FL is the only operational smokeless powder manufacturer within the United States. They make the Winchester powders, crossover Win/H powders, and non "extreme" Hodgdon powders. Everything else is imported. IMR and Enduron is made in Canada for the most part. The "extreme" line of "H" powders all come from Australia. Most of the Alliant and Norma is in Switzerland and Sweden. Much of Ramshot and Accurate is made in Belgium. Shooters World and Vectan are made in Europe as well.

In regards to the OP:

Clinton Primer Scare

'04-'06ish availability was sketchy due to raw materials going up so fast people were buying ahead of QUARTERLY price increases rather than annual increases. Then O/B was elected and the panic buying lasted nearly the entire length of both of his terms as they jumped from one crisis to the next.

The current panic buying and impending shortage started to start when folks went to the grocery stores @ the end of Jan 2020 and couldn't find fresh meat or TP.

All of them. And all of them occurred with a Demo-crap in the White House.

Let's not forget the primers with expiration dates scare in the early 90's.

B I N G O !!

However I began early on in establishing an inventory. ? Whenever ? powders first hit 15-16 $ per pound I began in
earnest buying more than I needed. Consequently I have not had to wait out a 'panic'.

Now on a specific item @ 2015 I started loading for the 284 W and brass was scarce as hen's teeth. I could not find
much or any, anywhere. One of our members here graciously sold 50 new WW brass at a reasonable price to me.
THANK YOU !

That was not because of a political panic but the lack of production for a neglected round. That is the only thing I have
ever had trouble finding. Other than that I have had what I need plus a cushion.

It pays to think ahead. Don't wait till.....

Jerry

Since I’m in my mid 70’s probably all of them since WW2. 😳😂

From memory the Obama shortage was nothing like this. Yes primers were kind of hard to find, 22 shells disappeared. Prices did not skyrocket as bad as this time either.

Agreed, but, the Obama shortage "TAUGHT" the scalpers that scalping was viable and profitable.

I almost wish the gunshops would just say, "F that, we're gonna make the $$". $75-$100/# of powder or brick of primers @ brick and mortar as well as websites like MidWay, Powder Valley and the like and the shelves/websites would be FULL in 60 days.

Yep--mostly because shooters panicked over what they TALKED about doing, rather than what they DID do.

The only "shortage" that resulted from an actual law was the primer/AR-15 panic due to the Clinton "assault rifle ban." Which ended 10 years later when GWB refused to renew the law.

The primer panic back then was caused by rumors that "new" primers were designed to "go dud" within six months. Among other things, this caused a lot of handloaders to put bricks of primers inside PVC pipe and bury them, sometimes in their yard and sometimes in "secret" locations.

So far its been the same sort of panic--based on rumors of what Biden MIGHT do. But this time the shortage has been enhanced by even more "speculative" buying up of ammo and components by people who made mucho $$$ by reselling during the Obama panic.

And the same thing has been happening among manufacturers: They're hiring more people and operating around the clock to produce and ship more ammo and components. Once the panickers have filled their garages (and over-extended their credit-card limit.

There were at least 2 under Clinton and 2 under Obama .. different scales. Plus this one. The earlier ones didn't affect me much. I was lucky earlier .. they hit when I had already worked up loads for the guns I owned and was not in a swapping / experimenting stage. This one caught me working up loads for 2 new rifles which I didn't stock up for 'cause I wasn't far enough along to know what to stock up on. At the same time, it caught me with components for at least 4 cartridges that I currently don't have .. and can't find .. guns for. I'm still in good shape .. enough ammo to hunt the rest of my life, but not enough stuff to keep me from getting bored.

It'll be interesting to see how long things go as they are. I'm not in any hurry, but if they don't improve, eventually I'll give the components for the cartridges I don't have guns for to a buddy who does commercial reloading and sell off the rifles I can't work up loads for. Sure would simplify my life, I'm just not sure I want it that simple.

Tom

I remember my Grandma talking about ammunition shortages during WWII

Jericho,

Yep, there were major shortages, due to ammo and firearms companies converting to military production.

Which is why the "shortages" of today seem comparatively trivial.

Clinton and the assault weapons ban, Y2K, 9/11, Katrina, all produced some temporary shortages. The Obama years were much bigger shortages. Then right after the other along came the Panic Pandemic, the BLM Looters, Biden leading in the polls, Biden winning, and the then the Republicans losing the Senate. Sort of a perfect storm for panic buying and hoarding.

I ran short of a few components towards the end of the Obama Reign, and learned my lesson. This time around I have enough 5.56 ammo/components for several extended fire fights, enough handgun and shotgun ammo/components to hold off a horde of BLM Looters, more 22 LR ammo than two people can carry, and enough Partitions, powder, primers, and brass to keep me in elk meat for several lifetimes.

But I don't think I'll be buying any new firearms in chamberings I'm not set up to load for........

My dad as a teen right before WWII worked in a sporting good store, and somehow started a hoard then that lasted into the 70's. Mostly shotgun shells. He told me some tale about "broken boxes" of shells in the shop basement that the boss let him take home in lieu of a full paycheck. After surviving a hitch in Patton's Third, he came home and spent the next 15 years swinging a hammer, riding the GI bill, and doing a hellavalotta duck hunting. One day I pocketed a bunch of 20 ga paper pre-war shells with no markings left on them, and later knocked the head clean off a rising bird. I shot a tin can later to discover it was buckshot. These days I have the luxery of buying shells when they are abundant and the prices are down, so have plenty.

Yes, I've started to consolidate as well. I've only reload for handguns so far. No longer have 44 mag revolver or my 1911 45acp but use to reload for them as well as my 9mm and 38spec/357mag. Consolidated so as to only to stock small pistol primer and use Unique powder.

I did learn to stock up on 22lr ammo at least. I want to start reloading for my 223rem so some bad timing. I want to see if I can do a 22lr alternative with the 223rem. If I do, not sure I'll continue with the rimfire rifles if the alternative works well.

I've not experience a primer shortage like we are having now.

Nil here.

I’ve never personally experienced a shortage......though, it appears that many others have! 😉. memtb