Life Post-Ammo Shortage #1 & #2

I don't go to the range as much as I should, so the shortages didn't really hurt me. I had to get some .22 off Gunbroker because it couldn't be had in stores.

It's all back to normal here in Houston, Texas. Cheap and plentiful. I have a stash, but it's not huge.
 
I've always kept several thousand rounds each of .22, 9mm, and .223/5.56 on hand. Before the shortages I would restock when the on hand supply was down to a couple thousand rounds. Since the shortages I'm constantly looking to replace what I just shot at the range, keeping on hand supplies to the level I'm comfortable with.
CCI SV is what I prefer for all competitions, rifle and pistol. Before I would buy whatever .22 I could find. Now I stock up only on CCI SV and eventually that will be all I have on hand.
As for price? I'll buy CCI SV for .08/round (including shipping) so if anyone feels they can make a buck or two I'm happy to oblige. :D
 
I still have not seen 22lr recover neither online or locally,.....
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CCI Blazer and Federal Auto Match is around 5.5 cents per round right now on line. I don't think it's going lower, but could be wrong.

As for shooting during the "shortages" I all but stopped shooting. But I'm making up for it now. At least 200 rounds per week for the past year or so.
 
So I never really got any experience with life prior to the ammo shortages because prior them, I only ever shot .22lr and 16ga. shotgun for plinking and hunting, respectively. Those were the guns my grandfather had and so that's what we got and we didn't really have much choice in the matter, seeing as I was too young to buy ammo myself (I think, either way I always went to the store with an adult because I couldn't drive).

As a short aside that 16ga. was the shotgun I took deer hunting and I missed a doe at some 30yds+. I never knew what the distance was because I was in a real tall tree stand and I never measured it. But I took 3 shots (bolt action mossy from 1970 something) and it's a moment I always think about. Now I shoot 9mm, 12ga., and 7.62x54r and I feel confident if I had that shot back, that deer would be dead. You can't just pick up the gun and kill a deer. It's possible, but you need to be proficient with your chosen firearm.

Needless to say I own several hundred rounds of 9mm, slightly less in 12ga., and though I only have 50 or so rounds of 54r I am still looking for a good deal on brass cased ammo/waiting until I can buy in large bulk because it's just too costly to buy it piecemeal. I've also kept all my brass and I intend to reload for that some day.

Sorry to stray off topic, but it just made me think of that one time I had a shot on a deer. And it made me think of my grandfather.
 
Grumpy old guy

The shortages didn't affect me as much directly as I have a decent inventory built up during the flush years. The price increases got me. Knowing what the replacement costs were going to be caused me to slow down my volume of shooting. I understand the fear factor on increased demand and struggling supply, but now I'd think it would be closer to normal. Some, like the 9mm, are about where 2017 prices should be. But like an earlier poster said, .22 ammo is way too high. I agree that I will not pay 42.00 a brick and be told that's a bargain.
Thankfully I still have 5-6 bricks that cost me $9-10 a decade ago and got into reloading decades back.
 
If you think .22 ammo is way too high, try buying some #11 percussion caps for muzzleloading rifles. The big box stores absolutely scalp on muzzle loading supplies. $7.99 for a tin of 100 percussion caps? Really? It's cheaper to just buy bullets for a modern 9mm than it is to load a cap and ball revolver.
 
Answer: Archery



I would routinely shoot .22 when it was still <$15 for 500 rounds. Now I rarely shoot, period.


$175 got me a recurve bow and some arrows and that's all I've ever needed to spend beyond range fees for the last 3+ years. It's also more challenging for me than shooting static targets with a good rifle and more exercise. (I'm still garbage with a pistol and could use some more practice there)


Probably not the answer you want to read on a firearms forum.
 
Having been through the Clinton Shortages and being a reloader I got worried when I was out of small rifle primers, low on small pistol, and low on large rifle.

But I was lucky and a friend told me which vendor at the upcoming gun show had stock and was not preselling and had limits on certain supplies to share the wealth.

I also already knew which powders had good cross overs even if they weren't optimal. People who poo pooed reloading 9mm in the past couldn't even get dies.

So when one guy was dithering on IMR-4895 I grabbed the last 8 lb.'er and my friend listend when I told him to grab the 4 lb.er of W231. Then by luck later I was offered a sweet deal on 2 lb.s of Red Dot, 2 lb.s of Green Dot, and a lb. of Herco form the Widow of a second tier friend along with 2k CCI 2009 primers.

I knew I could use the Dots even if they weren't the best and Herco is Uniques dirty Cousinbest used in heavy cast loads. Some experimentation found some sweet loads in odd places.

All the last shortages made me change on was using up my supply of rimfire. Those nasty Golden Bullets I had became hold backs until I could replace them. But I found some nice replacements.
 
I started shooting far less often (barely at all). I didn't have a huge stockpile, though I had ammo stocked up, and I didn't want to use too much of what I had. No one knew how long it would last, and I had to think about future replacement costs when what I had dried up. I still haven't fully recovered and shoot like I used to, once you form a new habit or break an old one, it is hard to make a change.

I had been playing with the idea of consolidating to a few calibers, now I'm thinking more of expanding. I have recently bought another .40S&W since I haven't had a working .40 in some time. I'd also like to get a 10mm and a .357SIG before long. That way, if I can't get 9mm and .45, at least I should be able to find .40, .357SIG or 10mm. As I recall, both .357SIG and .40S&W were relatively available even during the worst of it.

I no longer shoot .22lr since it is still hard to find at reasonable prices. I may add an air rifle and pellet pistol (or Airsoft) for occasional cheap practice. I do have a cheap Crossman CO2 revolver that I bought when I was 18 or 19 that I've thought about breaking out, but something better quality may be more fun.
 
The whole concept of the ammo shortage never really phased me. Well other than it put my normal buying of a brick or 2 of .22, or a box or 2 of .45 or 9mm, or 3 or 4 boxes of 7.62x39, in rotation every payday on hold. Honestly other than some JHP .45 I haven't bought any ammo in roughly 3 years and I'm not worried about running out. Sadly part of that is I simply do not have to the time to shoot like I used to. That is why I don't shoot so much right now not the cost of ammo. If I need anything I will buy it. I'm not going to let ammo pricing stop me from shooting.
 
It was always the primers for me. Even at times in the Clinton administration (let alone the last admin's run), it was the primers. Luckily, I always had enough for my shooting needs, but I was always looking for them, too.

B.L.E. mentioned percussion caps... unbelievable price on those, and have been for a long time. That's one I could never figure as to why; supply/demand I guess.
 
After the 90's I've maintained a 3-4 year supply of .22's and the same amount of powder and primers for reloading. rifle and pistol rounds. That enables me to gradually resupply during the lean times instead of running out.
 
Let's see
I bought a 22lr pistol in 2012 thinking it would be sweet too plinck with, I was disapponted by the lack of ammo I could find.. I thought itwould be one the self like in the w bush era
I put in ar($500 vs $1k+ that the same rifle costed) put togather and a few months later the atf trys and ban m885/ss109 ammo. When I used to go to walmart buy 3-5 boxs of zzi for $10, I no longer could. I saw the last 85 boxs sell to the guy in fornt of me in line;(
I payed $45 for a box of 25 357 mags, was the only thing I could find. I didn't know I could shoot 38s in it
Now I know rough prrices on the stuff I use, and handload. I keep a bit of ammo on hand.
 
I seen 22lr for 4.5cents a round the other day.. still aprox twice what it was before the shortages started.. but it's coming down slowly.

Maybe the industry slow down is finally starting to effect ammo sales.. I know other calibers have come down.. 9mm can actually be found for levels I seen when I got into guns in 07.. you have to look and wait but it's out there.

I refuse to buy 22lr at current price levels.
I have not bought 22lr since 08 just as the first shortage was hitting.

Luckily I still have some on hand but less then I'd like so the 22's just stay home nearly always these days.

I know it does not make a lot of sense since 22lr is still say about 3x cheaper then 9mm.. but considering the "dud" rate in bulk 22lr and the fact that I get more enjoyment not to mention more use (practice) out of 1 9mm then I do 3 22lr.
 
I gave up on 22lr and most 22 guns are out of my collection. I have one kids sized 22 single shot, but I have no small kids anymore. It's just a nice handy sized light little rifle.
 
.There is plenty of 22LR and even .22 Magnum sitting on the shelves with decent prices here in SE Texas even at the local WalMart. Slowly stocking back up here.
 
I haven't curtailed my .22 shooting during the ammo drought. My .22 is a single shot and I'm a lot more interested in making long difficult shots than I am in seeing how fast I can dump a magazine of bullets into some point blank range target so I don't really shoot up that much ammo. A range session might consume a box of ammo, not a brick.
Because I don't shoot it up by the brick, I don't mind paying a premium for the good ammo that is accurate and not full of duds.

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Five shots @ 50 yards
 
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