Ammo gone because of Fed...Sierra speaks.

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I have to disagree that it is all our own fault.
I went from buying rounds at the range or from Wally World as needed.
Never felt the need to horde ammo and don't have a closet full of MRE's

I have been reduced to heading to WW first thing in the morning when I know I will be shooting later that week or next week.
If I am not there at 7am, I won't get any period.
I don't even buy their 3 box limit at times, but I see bubba with his wife, cousin and brother all buying the 3 box limit, just hand the credit card down the line.
 
I have been reduced to heading to WW first thing in the morning when I know I will be shooting later that week or next week.
If I am not there at 7am, I won't get any period.
I don't even buy their 3 box limit at times, but I see bubba with his wife, cousin and brother all buying the 3 box limit, just hand the credit card down the line.
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So how is that not "all our fault"? It's not your fault or mine individually but it's "our", the gun community's, fault collectively. No body else is doing it except "us".
 
I do not know about the rest of the country, but the reason ammo is scarce in my area is hoarders and scalpers. The "government buying up all the ammo" conspiracy is what is doing this. It spread like wild fire and there is no controlling it.

Law Enforcement, Military and government agencies in my state have seen a drop in qualifications due to lack of ammunition. Heck I went to do my yearly qualification on my M16. We had a LIMIT put on how much the company could get due to shortage.
 
I'm sure that the GOV has had an impact in some way. However let us be pragmatic in our conclusions. This shortage is primarily created by gun owners panicking over the recent gun control efforts. We are running around scared buying everything we can. Because all the stocked merchandise vanished so fast it further panicked more people. Thus everyone buys every last bullet they can. This has decreased availability while increasing cost. Supply and demand. They have no reason to increase output because they are making more per round. Thus a larger profit margin. Any increase in GOV ammo purchases will only inflame the situation.

One of the local PD's here has had trouble getting 9mm for their officers to qualify. It was on the radio that the training officer had called DHS to procure some and never got answer or call back from the messages her left. Some PD's are paying private citizens who have reloading equipment to make them practice ammo, or so the word of mouth is around here. Of course when people say that they neglect to mention who these depts or individuals are. However the idea has been planted. Even the cops are hurting for ammo in some regions. Some types of ammo are hard to come by here. I'm just lucky I guess that I have been able to find my caliber at somewhat reasonable prices.
 
While I love to blame the government for lots of things, I can't blame the ammo shortage on it.

There are opportunists, "preppers" (caugh caugh hoarders) and simply lots of new shooters that are at the root cause. Some of this isn't bad at all. Opportunists usually provide great opportunities for those who are patient. Hoarders eventually dump their hoard - death, divorce, unemployment, moving on to the next thing - usually catches up to them. I am confident that at some time in the not too distant future, there will be a buyer's market when it comes to ammo. No different than gold, silver, real estate, and stocks.
 
Have to confirm the police hurting for ammo thing. On my last trip to purchase some at walmart I was in line with none other than an on duty sheriffs deputy who was getting his 3 boxes to save for qualifying next month.

The wife and I saw the patrol car sitting next to the entrance running. We both thought he must be there to haul off a shoplifter. We were totally surprised to see him standing in line at the ammo counter.
 
I sure do wish I had a plant capable of making primers, brass (or even steel) casings, powder, bullets and complete cartridges. Why, oh why didn't I see this coming!!! Even better than printing money.
 
It was on the radio that the training officer had called DHS to procure some and never got answer or call back from the messages her left.
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That's because "DHS" (which is actually an umbrella of dozens of agencies) doesn't have the ammo. That's stored at FLETC. Even then, FLETC isn't a warehouse for local departments; they use that ammunition for training. Anybody can be anyone when they call the radio station.

Some PD's are paying private citizens who have reloading equipment to make them practice ammo, or so the word of mouth is around here.
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I can't see that. Departments usually have specific regs regarding what brand and type of ammunition can be purchased. Furthermore, I can't see them risking the liability.

The simplest answer, and the one nobody seems to want to admit, is that it's the gun culture itself causing this.
 
Tom, there are some small towns that just don't bother with such things or simply have no need to. It can be much more laid back in say, Brady, TX. as an example. Towns like Brady are well over a hundred miles from any other sizable city. Sometimes they have a different measure of what is practical.
 
I agree tom most depts would not do that. It is more likely that it got started from one officer buying reloads from a guy he knows and it turned into pd's buying reloads. But it is the word around town.


The radio thing was actually from a report on the local news channel. So take that for what it is worth. And yes I am aware the DHS is a group of agencies. Thats just what the radio report said.
 
Does anyone truly think that the Federal government is buying 12 to 20 BILLION rounds of ammo a year?
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Sadly, yes.
At the last meeting I went to of the American Legion, one member spoke and said this ammo was being purchased for the purpose of killing American citizens. He read that in an e-mail. And, he believes it.
To buy bulk .22 lr ammo at my local Wal-Mart, I was told to be there by 8 a.m. when the truck is unloaded. They have a three box per customer limit per day. But, by 10 a.m. it is sold out.
That ain't the gub'mint doing it. It is us causing the shortage.
I must admit, I am not immune to the paranoia thing. I still have over 4,000 rounds of bulk .22 from the first buying craze over four years ago. And I still want more. Not logical, but the fear is real.
 
My plan: Let the hoarders hoard all they want. Good defensive rounds are easy to find - expensive, but easy to find. Then again, I don't plink with defensive ammo. Other than holding about 500 rounds of good brass .223, 100 rounds of .308, and some good defensive ammo in 9mm, 40, and .45, I'll shoot my Wolf and other crap until it runs out. When it runs out (if it runs out), I'll have fun with another hobby for awhile, until the hoarders realize they can't eat ammo and the massive sell-off is well underway.


Ya gotta ask yourself - how many rounds of .223 or 9mm will one man shoot in one fierce firefight in Afghanistan before the battle's over or he's dead. Any more ammo than that, and you are just hoarding to feed the ammo habits of others around you.
 
lcpiper said:
Tom, there are some small towns that just don't bother with such things or simply have no need to. It can be much more laid back in say, Brady, TX. as an example. Towns like Brady are well over a hundred miles from any other sizable city. Sometimes they have a different measure of what is practical.
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The bigger problem would be that the reloader being paid by the police for his ammo would be at serious risk of violating federal law. It's illegal to sell ammo that you manufactured with intent to make "livelihood and profit" unless you're licensed by ATF.
 
Sadly, yes.
At the last meeting I went to of the American Legion, one member spoke and said this ammo was being purchased for the purpose of killing American citizens. He read that in an e-mail. And, he believes it.
To buy bulk .22 lr ammo at my local Wal-Mart, I was told to be there by 8 a.m. when the truck is unloaded. They have a three box per customer limit per day. But, by 10 a.m. it is sold out.
That ain't the gub'mint doing it. It is us causing the shortage.
I must admit, I am not immune to the paranoia thing. I still have over 4,000 rounds of bulk .22 from the first buying craze over four years ago. And I still want more. Not logical, but the fear is real.
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I can't stand being called a paranoid hoarder just for being self sufficient and storing basic needs.
 
"I can't see that. Departments usually have specific regs regarding what brand and type of ammunition can be purchased. Furthermore, I can't see them risking the liability."

Actually, I CAN see it, because I know of several small departments that do exactly that and have for years.

Smaller police departments in more rural areas are seldom as bureaucratically laden as ones in even small cities.

This is also something of an extraordinary time, where any sort of ammo is sparse, and regular supplies of practice ammo, let alone duty ammo, might otherwise be nonexistent.

Were I the chief of a small town department having to meet state and/or federal training guidelines (you don't meet those and you are openen to HUGE liability in an officer involved shooting) using either duty ammo or practice ammo procured from a local source, I know which one I'd choose.
 
I blame the hoarders and preppers for filling up their bomb shelters with tons of ammo they'll never use. Meanwhile people like me haven't been able to shoot for weeks because we can't find any ammo or reloading supplies.These people have a delusional fantasy of themselves fighting off zombie hoards in a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately for them they'll probably starve to death in such an unlikely scenario since they spent all their money on guns and ammo and didn't bother to stock food and medicine.
 
I blame the hoarders and preppers for filling up their bomb shelters with tons of ammo they'll never use. Meanwhile people like me haven't been able to shoot for weeks because we can't find any ammo or reloading supplies.These people have a delusional fantasy of themselves fighting off zombie hoards in a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately for them they'll probably starve to death in such an unlikely scenario since they spent all their money on guns and ammo and didn't bother to stock food and medicine.
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LOL So true.

However, on the same note. There are preppers who are realistic and smart. They prepare for natural disasters, etc.
 
I blame the hoarders and preppers for filling up their bomb shelters with tons of ammo they'll never use. Meanwhile people like me haven't been able to shoot for weeks because we can't find any ammo or reloading supplies.These people have a delusional fantasy of themselves fighting off zombie hoards in a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately for them they'll probably starve to death in such an unlikely scenario since they spent all their money on guns and ammo and didn't bother to stock food and medicine.
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Ammo is easily found at gun shows. You may not like the price, but there's plenty of it out there.
 
Unfortunately for them they'll probably starve to death in such an unlikely scenario since they spent all their money on guns and ammo and didn't bother to stock food and medicine.
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I know I shouldn't run too far down this tact but I can't help myself.

Be smart then, hoard food and medicine so you and the ammo hoarders can engage in the barter system :cool:
 
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