It's not so hard to believe. When people can't find any ammo for a month or more and then stumble on freshly stocked shelves, it's a given that they will buy all they can because they're most likely worried about not being able to get any more in the near future. It's really a viscious cycle.
All the ammo in Wal Mart, Academy, etc. is gone.
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It's not so hard to believe. When people can't find any ammo for a month or more and then stumble on freshly stocked shelves, it's a given that they will buy all they can because they're most likely worried about not being able to get any more in the near future. It's really a viscious cycle.
Kreyzhorse
New member
I agree that this is self feeding cycle. I was just hoping that the "I've got 20K rounds in the barn." crowd would have slowed down their buying at some point.
azredhawk44
Moderator
I don't have 20K rounds yet...
I actually bought my first 100 retail rounds of plinking FMJ ammo (45acp) this year, just a month ago. I reload 99% of my ammo.
I'm at the point I don't even bother with WalMart for ammo... even .22. Just not worth the time and disappointment. I hit Big 5 first (most people seem to overlook them), then a local gun shop if Big 5 lets me down. Cabelas if truly desperate.
scorpion_tyr
New member
I think eventually the noobs will lose interest in their Glocks, HK's, AR's, etc and they will get tired of the 20,000+ rounds taking up too much space. They'll try and pay off their high credit card balances by selling off the stuff. Hopefully the market will be flooded and it'll result in cheap hardware, a whole lot of cheap ammo, and people who run gun ranges making a lot of money off people who decide to shoot up their stockpiles.
I have a question.
What is gained, by guessing when the shortage will be over?
Think about it. How will you know when you get the right answer in this thread?
There's no harm in it, I just wonder what we get out of these, "Why is the bus late?" discussions.
I think we need to merge this discussion with the ongoing GIGANTIC ammo shortage thread (Wal Mart, Academy, etc., ...)
What is gained, by guessing when the shortage will be over?
Think about it. How will you know when you get the right answer in this thread?
There's no harm in it, I just wonder what we get out of these, "Why is the bus late?" discussions.
I think we need to merge this discussion with the ongoing GIGANTIC ammo shortage thread (Wal Mart, Academy, etc., ...)
The fact is that there's only so much money that can be chasing these things, be it ammo or guns. If everybody buys guns expecting a ban (and the ability to resell at higher prices), they will likely find that the market has already been saturated- kinda hard to sell a rifle to somebody at $3000 when everybody who wants one already picked one up at well under $1500. At some point we'll reach full market saturation and the speculators will be left holding the bag (this happened when the Playstation 3 launched- people bought them expecting to resell them for double on eBay, the market was saturated quickly, and they had to unload them for a loss).
I agree with this premise. There is a finite amount of discretonary income for anyone, whether it is for entertainment, travel, hobbies, leisure activities and the like. There are probably thousands of 1st time gun owners, as well as the like number of current owners purchasing additional firearms with a fear of congressional legislation. The same mind set has applied to ammunition sales.
With the current economic trends, prospective purchasers will have to eventually justify continuing to purchase at this emotional level as their disposable income possibly declines. Those that are fortunate to receive a tax refund or rebate are also driving these sales. Once those funds are exhausted, that segment of buyers are eliminated.
I look for the trend to peak with the fulfillment of backorders, sometime in the end of the 2nd quarter. If the peak continues beyond summer, then I think you will find many of these buyers having to dump their hoards in order to cover monthly expenses and upcoming Christmas season expenditures.
Just my 2¢
I agree with this premise. There is a finite amount of discretonary income for anyone, whether it is for entertainment, travel, hobbies, leisure activities and the like. There are probably thousands of 1st time gun owners, as well as the like number of current owners purchasing additional firearms with a fear of congressional legislation. The same mind set has applied to ammunition sales.
With the current economic trends, prospective purchasers will have to eventually justify continuing to purchase at this emotional level as their disposable income possibly declines. Those that are fortunate to receive a tax refund or rebate are also driving these sales. Once those funds are exhausted, that segment of buyers are eliminated.
I look for the trend to peak with the fulfillment of backorders, sometime in the end of the 2nd quarter. If the peak continues beyond summer, then I think you will find many of these buyers having to dump their hoards in order to cover monthly expenses and upcoming Christmas season expenditures.
Just my 2¢
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
My understanding is that the current shortage is basically guaranteed to continue until the third quarter just replenishing dealers stock and backorders.
If there is a ban I think prices will not trend upward immediately, but as rifles are destroyed and new shooters come on the scene they will trend up.
I am doubtful we will see any regulation of rifles. Pistols maybe, shotguns maybe, but the empirical evidence following the first AWB was pretty definitive on rifles.
If there is a ban I think prices will not trend upward immediately, but as rifles are destroyed and new shooters come on the scene they will trend up.
I am doubtful we will see any regulation of rifles. Pistols maybe, shotguns maybe, but the empirical evidence following the first AWB was pretty definitive on rifles.
I just left one of the only two Wal-Marts in the area. I picked up something that I hadn't seen in a while. Real 55gr 223, not 5.56 - real 223. They had a total of 400rds of .223, 20rds of 7.72x39, 50rds of 40S&W Blaser Brass - the only pistol ammo on the shelf. The only thing that was plentiful was 12ga bird shot. Between the two stores there are probably 20 boxes of 30-30..
The clerk told me that they had 66 boxes of 9mm the yesterday but one customer bought every box. I suspect that the buyer was the local gun shop. Since the shortage started they've been buying up every round of pistol ammo, and most of the 223 that the two Wal-Marts get in. I used to buy a few guns from them - never again! They've lost me as a customer.
The clerk told me that they had 66 boxes of 9mm the yesterday but one customer bought every box. I suspect that the buyer was the local gun shop. Since the shortage started they've been buying up every round of pistol ammo, and most of the 223 that the two Wal-Marts get in. I used to buy a few guns from them - never again! They've lost me as a customer.
+10 sholling. Not more than an hour ago I was in our local Walmart. Again, no handgun ammo. Just spotty rifle and shotgun. Clerk got his order form out and tonight they`re expecting one box(50rd. ct) each of 9mm and 40 S&W, 4 boxes of 45acp. Are you kidding me! Not a mile up the road Meijers had no 9mm but had around a case of 40 S&W, about 10 or so boxes of 357 and about the same amount of 45acp. All Winchester W/B. This has been the case for about the last month. I`ve stopped in both stores religously as I pass them on the way home from work. I`ve talked to the managers at each store. Walmart man. says ammo is just not avail. Meijers manager says ammo`s harder to get but they still get what they can cause they(Meijer`s) knows it will sell and customers want it . He calls on ammo almost dailey and although shipment amounts are smaller than they used to be he`s usually able to keep ammo coming. He also stated that more than likely either Walmart manager or there corp. office is just not putting enough effort into obtaining ammo. Meijers has the same selection on other items and more when it comes to ammo. I won`t bankrupt WallyWorld but I believe I`m done spending there.
I've been asking/begging my local Walmart to put a limit on the amount of ammo each customer can purchase for the last few weeks. I had noticed a trend with the days ammo came in and how quickly it was selling. The guy behind the counter confirmed agreement with my suspicions that it was resellers buying everything, and the finally requested the right to limit purchases from the home office. They got that granted, and now my Walmart has ammo every time I've been in this week.
They limit me to 2 boxes, per caliber, per day. That's fine with me, it's less ofna pain to go 5 days a month and score everytime than it was to go 5 days a month and find nothing.
And they now manage to keep everything in stock, even pistol calibers.
-SS
They limit me to 2 boxes, per caliber, per day. That's fine with me, it's less ofna pain to go 5 days a month and score everytime than it was to go 5 days a month and find nothing.
And they now manage to keep everything in stock, even pistol calibers.
-SS
Trooper Tyree
New member
It seems much of the problem with Wal-Mart being out of ammo is the Dealers/Gun shop owners keeping them cleared out of ammo and then reselling it at major markups. It took me about two weeks of hitting any Wal-Mart I was near almost every night before I managed to get some .22's, and then it was only because one of the clerks was nice enough to tell me that a case of .22 was listed on the trucks invoice for that night. I waited about 2 hours then he took pity on my and went out to the truck himself and dug out the ammo, by then I wasn't the only one waiting.
I only bought two 550 round packs, that will keep me for a while, I don't get to go shooting that often.
The week before this though, another clerk, an older gent who's been working there for a long time, confided in me that there is a guy that goes around to all the Wal-Marts in that area, there are about four stores about ten minutes apart, around 9mp after the trucks have come in and are being unloaded, and buys up the ammo, then he hops on the highway right there, and runs out into a suburb town and buys up the ammo at those Wal-Marts.
Something occurred to me the other day, and I'm not going to name names, but there's a gun shop with a couple company vehicles that really stand out due to the graphics on them, and I saw them several times at Wal-marts when I was checking for ammo over the past weeks. Also while back at the ammo cabinet at a Wal-Mart once, a empty cabinet, I heard a customer ask the clerk where he thought he might be able to find some ammo, and the clerk named Academy Sports and this particular gun shop. He said the gun shop would most likely have the ammo in stock, but that he charging 2X for it and he wouldn't go there himself. I wonder if he knew the shop would have it in stock perhaps because it's the shop that's going around keeping Wal-mart cleared out??
:barf:Just a guess, I could very well be wrong and I'm not going to name names either way, but I've never seen their company vehicles this far south, their gunshop is downtown about 20 miles north of the Wal-marts I saw them at several times. Disgusting though. It's one thing to go around and buy it up to keep your patrons supplied and another to buy it all up and resell it at major markups.
A local gun shop up north of me has 9mm - all at $25.00. $25.00 for American Eagle? $25.00 Remington UMC Green and White box - $25.00?
His ammo distributors keep rising the price on him but I am sure he is doing the same. The same American Eagle 9mm was $15.00 in our local Farm King store [only 5 of those stores in my area total - local outfit.].
He had cases in the back but who is going to buy Winchester white box, remington UMC and American Eagle at $25.00 per 50? Nope.
His .40 S&W was cheaper - about $20.00 per 50 for decent quality ammo.
This gun shop said that the Walmart Distribution center has NO ammo - they can't get it.
He thought that once the tax refunds dry up - a lot of the demand will stop...
I do think that it is more like 6 months down the line with this craziness - not 2 years. And he had a LOT of 223. As does my local Farm King...
Nothing at the local Walmart in terms of pistol ammo other than .22, one box of .25 and 2 boxes of .44 mag.
His ammo distributors keep rising the price on him but I am sure he is doing the same. The same American Eagle 9mm was $15.00 in our local Farm King store [only 5 of those stores in my area total - local outfit.].
He had cases in the back but who is going to buy Winchester white box, remington UMC and American Eagle at $25.00 per 50? Nope.
His .40 S&W was cheaper - about $20.00 per 50 for decent quality ammo.
This gun shop said that the Walmart Distribution center has NO ammo - they can't get it.
He thought that once the tax refunds dry up - a lot of the demand will stop...
I do think that it is more like 6 months down the line with this craziness - not 2 years. And he had a LOT of 223. As does my local Farm King...
Nothing at the local Walmart in terms of pistol ammo other than .22, one box of .25 and 2 boxes of .44 mag.
Trooper Tyree
New member
Our Wal-Marts are still getting it. Not a whole lot of it, but some. In my time spent hunting for .22's I saw quite a bit of .45, .40, some 357 and 9mm.
It didn't stick around long
but they appear to still be getting some in. The night I got my .22's they were getting 9mm in on the same truck.
lol, just a local hole in the wall, you've probably never heard of them.
I hear dogs barking and bass out front, I hate bass. I'm off to investigate.
It didn't stick around long
but they appear to still be getting some in. The night I got my .22's they were getting 9mm in on the same truck.lol, just a local hole in the wall, you've probably never heard of them.
I hear dogs barking and bass out front, I hate bass. I'm off to investigate.
Hmm...
Again - in talking to the local Gun dealer - he said .45 was the hardest to obtain right now. And he can't get primers nor gunpowder.
All intriguing....
I am out on the road the next couple of days in rural/small town america so I am going to check several Wally Worlds to see what they have...
I might add - I couldn't get .308 for about 2 months and now every one has it - including my local Wally World....
Ammo *gasp*
I know I'm not the first one to complain about the rampant ridiculous and totally not fun rise in ammo prices but I went to my local gunsmith today and I was like
They were totally out of 7.62x54R and a bunch of other calibers including 9mm.
Totally crazy! but strangely they had a bunch of Russian Surplus 8mm Mauser..for $5 a box...and now I want a Yugo Mauser.....
I know I'm not the first one to complain about the rampant ridiculous and totally not fun rise in ammo prices but I went to my local gunsmith today and I was like
They were totally out of 7.62x54R and a bunch of other calibers including 9mm.
Totally crazy! but strangely they had a bunch of Russian Surplus 8mm Mauser..for $5 a box...and now I want a Yugo Mauser.....
ColoradoJay
Inactive
Found .40 S&W in Denver, but no 9mm
I went into Big 5 today in Denver -- they had 9mm ammo advertised for a reasonable price ($16 for 50 rds of PMC Bronze). They were out, but they did have a decent supply of .40 S&W, so I grabbed a few boxes. Man, I've got a new Kel-Tec Sub 2000 with 30 rounds clips, chambered in 9mm....at this rate, I won't be able to fire it until 2010.
I went into Big 5 today in Denver -- they had 9mm ammo advertised for a reasonable price ($16 for 50 rds of PMC Bronze). They were out, but they did have a decent supply of .40 S&W, so I grabbed a few boxes. Man, I've got a new Kel-Tec Sub 2000 with 30 rounds clips, chambered in 9mm....at this rate, I won't be able to fire it until 2010.