Shortage of guns and ammo

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Fair points but there are plenty of gun owners out there who aren't what I consider avid enthusiasts to the point that they stockpile ammo and have more than 3-4 firearms. I'm a gun enthusiast and 2A supporter, but I also understand supply/demand and the current socio-economic climate. I own 2 firearms and that's it. I don't like the rise in ammo prices but that doesn't stop me from buying what I can when I can. I get your point about the need for preparedness, but 2020 is different than a typical election year, especially with riots and Covid thrown into the mix.
 
I do wish this site had the ability to “like” posts! I echo bill460’s rant, although I haven’t been an enthusiast back as far as him.

There are always market cycles in every commodity, from ammo to stocks, to groceries, to real estate.

Whenever possible:
— Buy low, sell high: over the past 4 months I’ve sold about 10 odd handguns that I never shoot. They’re the only guns I’ve ever sold for more than I paid for them.
— Or buy low, stockpile: toilet paper, dry & canned goods, ammo, etc
— Or make your own: grow a garden, have some fruit trees, reload, etc
— or make do: use cloth towels & dishes and wash them instead of paper towels & plates, eat seasonal vegetables and fruits, shoot black powder or airguns, etc.

I’m not retired military, but “Improvise, adapt, overcome” is a successful attitude.
 
If there was a zombie apocalypse or civil war, I'm not ready and would wish I bought more powder and primers. But, I have my reloading press to switch components like primers if I need to. And, I bought Lee 6 cavity molds. They are really easy to use. After cleaning the mold, cover the cavities with match shoot, warm up the molds, and start casting. As quick as the lead on the sprew plate hardens, open the die and repeat. It's that fast and you get 6 bullets at a time. You'll have to coat the bullet too but go to the casting forum and they'll tell you how to do it. If you want to cast bullets and attach gas checks, you can buy a die set to make them from beer cans. Run out of gas checks? Drink a beer (from a can)!
 
LOL. Most folks here are not hardcore gun enthusiasts. If I had to guess, aside from the regular set of curmudgeons posting, most are either newbies or the typical gun owner who visit the range once or twice a year who haven't been through a G&A panic like this one. I've been shooting for 25+ years with a lot more of it in the last dozen years and I have never seen it this bad.
 
I get that not everyone is a "hard core" gun enthusiast. But even if you only have a couple of guns, you should have plenty of ammunition on hand for all of them, at all times.... Especially now.

I'm not a, "car enthusiast". But I keep my gas tanks full at all times. Because a car with an empty tank is just as useful as a pistol with a empty magazine.
 
I get that not everyone is a "hard core" gun enthusiast. But even if you only have a couple of guns, you should have plenty of ammunition on hand for all of them, at all times.... Especially now.
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This I completely agree with.

Who I feel bad for are all the new people who suddenly realized the need for a defensive firearm and their plight at getting ammo.

As to the rest of us......rodeo<>first. :)
 
I get that not everyone is a "hard core" gun enthusiast. But even if you only have a couple of guns, you should have plenty of ammunition on hand for all of them, at all times.... Especially now.
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One thing to consider is that new gun owners wouldn’t think to stock up on ammo in a time of crisis. I wouldn’t be surprised either if there are those who either can’t afford ammo, especially after jumping up in price, or have access to places that sell ammo. I think I’m pretty well stocked if shtf, but still feel as though I could use a little more. But, I know that what I have is a drop in the bucket compared to what others may have.
 
I usually keep a good stockpile, big enough that neighbors would think I'm a nut (as in, "Why would anyone need 2,000 rounds of ammunition?).

But I scored 1000 of 9mm for $180 last year and let my guard down. Didn't watch my inventory. Now I've got just enough to handle a small zombie attack, but not an antifa visit. My position is: Yes, I can afford today's prices, but I have other hobbies available to me at reasonable prices. So I'll pass on the range for a while.

Yes, it's my own fault. No, I don't want or expect sympathy.
 
I have weapons in the most popular military calibers. Pistol and rifle.
I never touch my reserve.
Out of .45 and 9mm practice ammo.
Using a BB gun on a combat commander sized frame most days off the back deck.
 
I think the big challenge for Henry rifles is simply this ... they are manufactured in New Jersey and Wisconsin which both have Democratic governors shutting the states down.

I’m not sure that it’s prudent or logical to be a gun manufacturer in a democratic state these days.
 
musicmatty said:
I think the big challenge for Henry rifles is simply this ... they are manufactured in New Jersey and Wisconsin which both have Democratic governors shutting the states down.

I’m not sure that it’s prudent or logical to be a gun manufacturer in a democratic state these days.
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Lets keep politics out of the thread shall we.
 
Some would argue 2,000 rounds is just a month of ammo for the range.

The thing is...everyone is different.

The Covid/Civil Unrest/Economic Downturn nightmare had a lot of new gun buyers who bought guns without any ammo! I personally saw this at a couple of the gun store chains. Their shelves were bare except for stuff like 44 Mag, 357 Sig and other less common calibers. Most folks were gobbling up 9mm, 5.45, & 40 S&W along with shotguns. Hell, at one store/range they didn't even have ammo for their range shooters. Yes, folks were buying guns w/o ammo.

So, you can't blame new gun owners for asking questions like where the heck is the ammo. I remember way back in the day, a new gun with a box of ammo was good enough to protect one's bacon.
 
I'd guess there's probably a million gun owners that maybe have one pistol tucked away in the back of the sock drawer that they have shot since [blank] holiday, years ago, and the half-box or so of leftover ammo is all they think they need since they don't actually practice. And that's fine for them if all goes well....
I don't object to those that are trying to find ammo... But what I disagree with is those who blame, "hoarders", that they can't get what they need. There might be a problem with that... If you have just one box of ammo, no one is likely to call that hoarding. But what about a thousand or ten? Perhaps that's simply being prepared and is well understood by those that do likewise. Those who are habitually unprepared are often quick to demonize those who did prepare as hoarders, when their own desires can no longer be fulfilled conveniently. It's an all too common character defect wherein the person is unable to own up to their own faults and they are compelled to blame others....
 
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Deals are out there if you are patient and have a network of like-minded friends. One friend sent me a link for some ammo I needed and was able to pick up .45ACP for $.36/round before tax and shipping. I could use some other calibers, but as has been stated, I should have kept up with my own supply.
 
+1 Eddiejoe
I continue to find at or sub-MSRP ammo.
Yesterday in Academy 520 7.62x39 Winchester for $149.
Walmart had 10 boxes of Federal .308 waiting for the right shooter.
And just bought 40 round of 185 Berger Jugernaut.
 
bill460 in my humble opinion hit this right on the head with his post.

If you are a new gun owner you may never have paid attention to these cyclical trends of shortage and high prices around either gun violence events or presidential elections. So for that reason I will be understanding to their questions about firearms and ammunition. What I fail to understand is all the gun aficionados and shtf preppers that seemingly get caught off guard every time this same thing happens. Honestly in all of 2020 I bought less than 300 rounds of ammunition. Why? Because prior to this I had a purchase plan that was every paycheck I bought 2 to 4 boxes of ammunition for my various guns. No huge bite all at once and no need to pay double or triple when the panics hit. I can pretty much guarantee you I will not purchase any ammunition until the current nonsense settles down because I don't need any.

I do have a question though for those of you with pallets of ammo or hundreds of thousands of rounds in storage. How well set up is your residence to be able to defend it or if you have to bug out, if SHTF for real, how will you move it all? Kind of a different topic but one I wonder about.
 
NobodyJones said:
bill460 in my humble opinion hit this right on the head with his post.

...

I do have a question though for those of you with pallets of ammo or hundreds of thousands of rounds in storage. How well set up is your residence to be able to defend it or if you have to bug out, if SHTF for real, how will you move it all? Kind of a different topic but one I wonder about.
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You mean do we have 1 or 2 layers of claymores after the electrified fences and dobermans, or the fact we don’t talk about it with neighbors or post pictures of it on Facebook?
 
I didn't ask for pictures and if you say you have claymores and electrified fence and Dobermans good for you. Let me just say I'm a bit skeptical on the claymores.

Do you live in a bunker? Or is that too personal a question?

No one knows what I have, other than my wife. Not even my kids and they won't know until the day things go bad and they decide to come home. I surely do not broadcast what I have to family, friends, or neighbors.
 
Made a nice score today. I found four boxes of 30-30 at Walmart 20 miles from where I live as the one close to me never has anything.

I noticed all the guns and ammo were not on the shelves in the glass cases.. and I was told that everything was moved to the back of the store under lock and key and you would have to ask for anything. They said these orders came from the top for fears of election insurrection and rioting.

I also made another great score at a gun shop nearby. He had several cases of 12 gauge double OO buck and was selling a full case for 20% off. Each case consisted of 10 boxes for a total of 250 shot shells. I walked out with a case for $212.

I’m done stocking up. I have enough bird shot to enjoy some clay shooting and enough 30-30 ammo to enjoy a few boxes for target shooting as well.
 
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