Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Isn't it odd that the most commonly available rifle rounds

Are the 308 and 223/5.56? In my area those two and 350 Legend are easily available. 30-06, 270 and 243 are very thin on shelves to non existent. 9MM is now well represented along with a small supply of 45acp. $10. a box 22 rimfire is usually on the shelf. It is much better than it was but the focus on Martial cartridges means something.

It just happens to be what everybody was clamoring
for a while back. You don't see many doing magazine
dumps and helluvit blasting with a 30/06 or 270
or any of the weatherby calibers

The last few decades, I've been hearing what I call
the opening day newly acquired Glock field test.
Sure enough, opening general 2021 fell right into line.
9:00 , 9:30, 10 o'clock, BLAM ! BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM !
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM !

JMHO- that's part of the deal

9mm, .223/5.56, and 308 seems to be running over here. Some 270 on occasion. 350 Legend has been so available, that I bought a CVA Scout in 350 Legend. It shoots better than I do. I’ve got plenty of ammo for it, but lots of common rounds just not available yet. I was standing in Academy looking at all the 9mm and .223 and a guy walks up behind me and asks if there is any 30-30. 2 or 3 of us just laughed. He said, “How am I supposed to take my kid hunting if there isn’t any 30-30?” Lots of 30-30 users here that just won’t hunt or will break out their 22LR this year.

LGS in FL had 30-06, 6.5, and 30-30. In VA, we have none if that on shelves. In VA it's 350 Legend and 222 Rem. Same boxes sitting forever.

It means all those first time gun buyers bought tactical style guns in the chamberings they were designed for. It also means non hunters have more pull with ammo manufacturers than hunters.

The hunting fudds are finally stocking up like we all were 7-8yrs ago. They are starting to think something's up!

I've had appointments most of this week in Anchorage, so I hit Cabela's, Bass Pro, and Sportsman's Warehouse there/ I walked into Bass Pro yesterday, and they had Winchester .30-30 ammo. this is the second time in 2 months I have seen it, so I bought some. There's plenty of .223, .308, 9mm ammo, and now .380 ammo here as well. If you like 7x64, there's plenty of that as well, along with 6 mm Creedmoor. Need something else, you may get lucky, but probably not as of late. My wife bought me a 7mm-08 for Christmas I found out, not a box one of it anywhere. Oh well, maybe I will luck out and find some brass for it at least.

.350 Legend is in every Wal-Mart I've been in. 150 grain .308 Hornady AW and some Federal Fusion have been pretty easy to aquire at the local Big R stores. Most of the .223 has actually been 5.56 in 55 and 62 grain ball ammunition locally but in decent supply. I was able to purchase 100 rounds of Rem CoreLok 150 grain 06 about 6 months ago, and in the last two years I've been able to buy three boxes of .30-30 Win PP 150 gr and one box of .270 Win PP 150 grain. 9mm has been $19-25 per box for 115 FMJ, .38 SPC/.357 Mag have been darn near impossible to find.

The one local gun shop that handles my transfers has had .308 Fed Power Shok 180 grain for $80 a box! Most of their other ammo was similarly priced 9mm got almost to $2 a round. Needless to say, I didn't buy much.

The 350 legend thing is funny, because I don't think anyone's buying outside straight wall states, where it solves a very specific problem (meeting hunting regs with an AR). Everywhere else it makes no sense, and I can't see much chance of any sales.

I was told in the local SW that they have no choice as to what they get. It is decided above their pay grade, presumably the bean-counters and purchasing departments at Corporate.

Yeah, what Hudge said, exactly, down here in Soldotna. A fair stock of 25-06 on the shelf. also. (also not that common up here). Lots of fmj. No 30-30 ( I had a friend bring me up 4 boxes from CO, back in August). I bought the lone box of 06 150 gr Corelokts for $34 on Wed. Happens to be what one of my rifles is sighted in with.

I have found lately that in the smaller shops, dont assume because you dont see it on the shelf that they dont have any. Some shops keep the common hunting calibers under the counter until people ask so as to control the hoarders.

The main LGS I visit has most hunting calibers except .243 on the shelves. They do keep some in the back for guys that but a rifle so they can get some ammo to shoot in their new rifle.

Outside the legal reasons that 350 Legend exist I believe that it’s an effect killer of deer sized game at close-to-moderate ranges. Basically the same niche as the 30-30/35rem but fits neatly in todays most popular rifles. I guess I’m saying that it makes sense in that it works, even if other cartridges are better. Doesn’t hurt that it’s more fun to shoot than the 450 bushmaster.

There is no 30-06 anywhere to be found.

When the supply line for “martial” rounds is full, they’ll start making other stuff. When you can sell all the pancakes you can turn out, there’s no reason to start making waffles. Sounds like it might be getting closer.

Rogers Sporting Goods has a good bit of ammo in stock, .223, .308, .270, .25/06, 7mm Mauser, 7mm RM, plus some of the new ones. Priced as expected, but not out of reason for someone who needs it for hunting. While they had some .243 not long ago, that seems to be OOS, along with .30/06

100% agree, they're just following the market.

Been seeing more and more ammo show up around here of late. There for a while it was really thing, but last time I was in the closest LGS to me they had some traditional hunting stuff, 30-06, 308, 30-30, etc, and quite a bit of 9mm and 5.56.

Nearest Walmart has seen some 25-06, 30-06, 270, and 308 in an out of stock the past few months, and has had a bit of 22LR, 12 & 20 birdshot, and 350 Legend in stock pretty regularly.

"Hunters" with 30-06, 30-30, etc...go to the range right before deer season and shoot a couple of rounds to check zero...sometimes. Shoot a few rounds while hunting. Heavy shooting year....3 rounds shot to check zero, 3 rounds shot while hunting. I now this isn't true of all but the majority it probably is.....the most rounds most hunters will shoot in a day is the first time they sight a scope in.

"Shooters" with .223, .308, 9mm, etc....go to the range multiple times throughout the year and shoot 100(+ or ++) rounds.

The hunters won't shoot as many rounds in their life as the shooters will in one range session. That's the focus of ammo companies.....make ammo that a hunter will buy 1 box of every 3 years or make ammo that shooters will buy a 1000 rounds of in a year?

Again, I know that's not true of all, someone can definitely be a shooter and a hunter, but I think it's just supply and demand on what is being produced.

Just like the folks wondering why their favorite gloss 4x scope isn't available any longer.

I agree with the OP, 223, 308, 9mm are available from many manufacturers in quantity. My friend just got 10 boxes of 243; the first he has seen in months and guess what? Foreign made (possibly Russian) with steel cases loaded with some type of Hornady bullets. 30-30 are still AWOL! Others that are available are 30-06 PPU brand but no Remington or Winchester, 7-08 Barnes Vortex brand , and Federal 22LR in bulk packs - 800 loose round Range Packs. No Shotgun ammo other than home defense 12 gauge.

Here in MS, primitive firearm season started earlier this week. Lots of 35 Whelen users in Handi-Rifles and Encores. From what I understand, there is one store about 40 miles away that has any Whelen ammo in stock. The only way you can buy a box is to buy the rifle to go with it. I reload, so it doesn't concern me. I've been collecting supplies for years.