Life Post-Ammo Shortage #1 & #2

O

Onward Allusion

New member
I've lived thru 2 significant ammo shortages and 1 gun banic. First was '08 that lasted a few years. Ammo shelves barren and just when things finally settled down a bit in 2011, ammo-shortage #2 came along after Sandy hook. That one lasted until mid to late '13 and included guns.

My question is - How has these events impacted your way of thinking? Do you do or think differently now than before when it comes to gun related tasks, collections, beliefs, values . . . ?
 
I shot less during those periods, I still rarely shoot 22lr these days.
I was lucky in 08 I had just gotten into guns in 07 and had stocked up on $10 dollar 550rd boxes of federal 22lr @ walmart

As the prices jumped (out pacing gold for a while)
I stopped buying and started shooting less.

My primary calibers at the time was .22lr and 9mm

I still have not seen 22lr recover neither online or locally, walmart which use to be one of the cheapest places to buy is now one of the most expensive including online, stores have gotten better about shipping charges for ammo now days.

Im planing on getting into reloading at some point as well, although this does not help 22lr.

I try to keep my collection of calibers to a minimum so that when I do buy I can buy in bulk and cover a lot of guns.

These days I just shoot 9mm mostly as that's my favorite handgun caliber and I'd rather spend the money on practice with my carry gun(s)
 
Changes in my way of thinking or preparing: No.

Changes in shooting?... Yes. .22 LR is like gold. :rolleyes:
Can't waste it. Must preserve the stockpile.
I refuse to pay current asking prices. I'll sell EVERY .22 LR firearm that I own, before I pay $40 / brick.


Otherwise... No changes.
I buy in bulk, stack it deep, and only buy when it's cheap.
 
Before '08 I probably never had more than a couple hundred rounds total for all of my guns at any time. I usually bought ammo on the way to the range.

Some time during the ammo shortage around '08, I began to seriously think about getting into reloading. I started collecting brass any time I went shooting. I even began collecting brass for calibers I didn't have guns for yet. This turned out to be a good idea, since during the second ammo shortage, nearly all the components also disappeared nation-wide.

Now, I keep at least a year's worth of ammo for each caliber, as well as two year's worth of components for each caliber.

And, I realized that I needed to have a variety of powders and primers for each caliber, as well as several pet loads tested out before the next shortage.

In other words, I went from being the grasshopper, to being the ant.
 
During the crunches I ratcheted up my reloading and stocked up (somewhat, albeit nowhere near as much as some people) on my supply of bullets, primers, and powder. The biggest problem was .22 LR, and I'm still likely to grab that if/when I see it for a decent price.
 
I was about to buy a Ruger MKII pistol and a single shot .22 rifle (maybe a bolt action?), and then Sandy Hook.

.22 lr is still outrageously priced in all local shops. I don't get it. I'm going to have to order it online to get a fair price. Except, EVERY SINGLE TIME the price approaches reasonability, it sells out.

Unless I see some kind of crazy deal, any rimfire firearm purchase is going to have to wait until the rimfire ammo supply stabilizes. Who even knows when that will be? Maybe another year or two?

At which point, I'll need to evaluate if I even like rimfires anymore. The rimfire shortage honestly has made me very upset, and I'm not sure it's even worth dealing with the silly things anymore.

I've been thinking I might be happier with a 9mm carbine as a rimfire alternative, except I can't seem to find a good deal anywhere.

If I'm not done with rimfire by then, I'll be forced to build up a ridiculous hoard of the stuff. Thinking about that makes me upset too.

I also need to be working on my stockpile of other calibers.

I've also been thinking about getting a .40 or two. I'm really not interested in the caliber, but it was fairly available during the panic, and police trades are so cheap. Might be better off putting that money towards the 9mm hoard, though...
 
Where are you guys shopping for ammo. ?
.6cents/ rd. High for 22 in past but decent in todays world.
Click to expand...

That's about what .22 ammo has historically costed if you adjust for inflation. Penny a bullet .22 ammo has gone the way of 10 cent Cokes and $600 dollar new motorcycles.
The good thing about the 22 shortage is that when I go into Cabelas, I see a lot of new brands of 22 ammo competing with the old standbys. There's actually a larger selection of 22 ammo available today than before the buying panic.

Relax, they are not going to quit making .22 ammo anytime soon.
 
I started reloading for reasons of cost, availability, and consistency.

I am shooting less .22 now, like a lot of others have mentioned. The cost was a good reason to shoot .22, but the gap between it and other rounds has narrowed, especially with the cost of center fire ammo being lowered by reloading. Still a heap of fun, though, as well as a good tool for teaching new shooters.
 
I forgot to chime in my OP.

I never have less than 10K rounds of 9mm and 30K rounds of 22LR these days. I also started reloading and keep enough reloading components on hand for 38/357 and some for 32L, 327 Mag, & 32 ACP. Heck, I used to toss 22LR misfires and those that failed to chamber (scraped up bullet) into the dud container at the club. Now I put them into a plastic 22LR box for plinking later.

Going through the shortages was eye opening. I remember a few folks who actually lived through the Great Depression and they were extremely frugal, saved food, and were pack-rats. I'm not comparing ammo shortages to '29-'39. What I am trying to say is that the ammo shortage had a significant impact on my way of thinking about shooting sports, preparing, and valuing ammo. I think some of the shortage was our own doing. A lot of us bought into the panic, including myself, and picked up extra ammo that wasn't needed.
 
ammo prices

It was/is outrageous. Particularly since I compete with a Ruger MK I with Volquartsen upper that is geared to CCI standard velocity.

I tried off brands and "specials" but function and accuracy suffered. I practiced less and became very aware of how much I shot and the cost of same. I became a CCI hoarder.

I have been reloading for 50+ years and noticed these supplies also were hard to come by; especially powder. I went through a long period of "experimenting” with other powders rather than the ones that I had used for years. Some worked out and others failed as regards accuracy.

In the back of my mind I always had the feeling that there was more to this "shortage" than met the eye. My brother in law in Toronto would needle me as he experienced no shortage or price hike during the lean years.
 
"My brother in law in Toronto would needle me as he experienced no shortage or price hike during the lean years."

That's because you can meet Canada's native ammo and component requirements with everything you can cram into a couple of shoeboxes compared to the US.

Given their laws up there I suspect that it's simply not possible for Canadians to go on an ammo, component, gun, etc., run like what's been experienced here.
 
As one of the younger members of the forum (I'll turn 30 this year), the recent "ammo shortage" and post ammo-shortage are all I've ever known. I've owned guns for the last 9 years.

With that said, here's what it's taught me: be ready to buy. When you see ammo at a good price, buy as much of it as you can. I'm a pretty high volume shooter, so I go through a lot of ammo and hate feeling like I'm about to run out. So I try to buy ammo months before I'm ready to need it.

Incidentally, this is the BEST situation the ammo market has been in since I've been a shooter. The cost for handgun ammo is lower than it's been in the last 10 years ($.15 for 9mm if you look around and buy in bulk).

Life's good.

Ps. I've recently been experimenting with remanufactured ammo and have been pleasantly surprised. For range fodder, it's a good option.
 
I get what I can when I can.

The last two panics caught me with my pants down.

08 was the big one for me, I had none of my favorite ammunition for about two years.

I keep adding a few boxes of ammunition a month and I'll keep doing it until I can no longer shoot.

My shooting opportunitys the last couple of years have been pretty sparse, so my stockpile is getting pretty amazing. Amazing for my standards anyway.
 
After 2 ammo droughts i learned this.
Ammo went first followed by powders and primers and rifle bullets. I branched out to other powders and developed alternate loadings.

I was postponing range days and shooting alternate calibers. Certain components are only made every couple of years, and it seems like 75&87 gr 6 mm bullets were scarce, as well as 6 mm rem brass. Production was centered on non match common high demand items.

Powders such as pistol, and magnum pistol, as well as primers seem to be made at diffrent times than other components,

But lessons were learned as far as balance of factory ammo, reloads, and components, as well as alternate loadings. You could not count on being able to find pistol,magnum pistol,and rifle powder as well as small pistol, large pistol, small rifle and large rifle primers availible at the same time.

I find myself shooting more centerfire pistol ammo now than 22's as it is more readily availible and replaceable. Cost on my reloads of 9&38 is 0.10/rd, or about what a lot of the 22 is.
I'll still buy 22lr, but only cci std, federal automatch, sk standard plus or wolf match target.
I need to get some more anyway,thanks for the sportsman guide link.
 
Last edited:
Ammo and gun shortages have been around as long as there have been wars.
Never mind politics.
Just have to roll with it.
The trouble with hoarding is it becomes a habit.
Don't shoot anything in case the shortages get worse.
Shoot smarter and less and shortages and prices don't mean as much.
And, as some have mentioned, there's always alternatives.
Airguns, archery, heck - slingshots if necessary.
Going to the range and firing off hundreds of rounds was hardly the normal thing not that long ago.
We have become spoiled.
 
My question is - How has these events impacted your way of thinking? Do you do or think differently now than before when it comes to gun related tasks, collections, beliefs, values . . . ?
Click to expand...

Never been caught short. Owned a gun shop during the Clinton Administration so fortunately survived with lessons learned. When I see anything I use on sale if the price is good I buy it. This is especially true of loaded ammunition, powder, primers, bullets and about anything else which may be at any time in short supply including magazines. Components like those mentioned all have a long shelf life, real long. Last summer in addition to loading with new components I used powder and primers I have had since the early 90s. Events long before those mentioned above in the quote left me with lessons learned. I am also fortunate in that being retired I have time to enjoy my hobby and my wife and I can afford to do the things we want and have things we want. The kids are grown with kids of their own so it's not like should I buy ammunition or food. :)

Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top