So Much For, "Buy a 9mm Cause You Can Always Find Ammo For It"

C

COSteve

New member
Another myth shot down about the superiority of the 9mm over all the other pistol calibers. That being that ammo is always readily available everywhere for it. In times of panic, everything is in short supply so to be prepared, you have to have stock on hand, no matter what caliber you use.

That's why many of us who reload don't bother with the 9mm. We can load any caliber we want, any way we want. With a stock of components on hand, we can decide what type of ammo we will make when we make it. Plinking to powerhouse, the choice is ours. Not some bean counter's in an office deciding what he makes the most profit on.

I'm not knocking 9mm but just reminding all those who promote it as 'the best', that it's not, it's just a choice. There are many other calibers to choose from and each of us is entitled to our own choice.
 
Actually, being a NATO round, 9mm is probably plentiful overseas :D

Reloading does not guarantee availability either. I clearly remember primers and powder being near impossible to find back in 2009 and 2013.
You pretty much have to stay stocked up, be it factory ammo or reloading components.
We all knew there would be a shortage this year because of the elections but nobody was expecting the covid or riots to happen.

Jim
 
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I don't shoot 9mm because it is always available because it is not. I shoot it because it is the cheapest centerfire cartridge you can buy and it is more available than most other calibers. It shoots well in my PCC rifle as well as my handguns ranging from 15 ounces to almost 40.
 
Strawman argument. I've never heard anyone say 9mm will always be available. I've heard it said that since it's so widely used/adopted, it's cheaper. That's how I had to explain to my wife that .380 ammo is smaller & weaker, but not as common as 9mm, so it's more expensive.

As far as stocking up, what's the difference if you stock up on components or loaded cartridges? Sure, I have the choice in how I'm going to use my primers, but at some point, I'll run out. Same with powder. For pistols, I'm all small pistol primers, even on my .45acp. The powder I have is good for 9/380/45 too, but I'm counting my primers and what I have left the same as I do loaded cartridges. I got lucky before everyone ran out of stock and got primers and bullets, but that's not an infinite supply.
 
In times of panic, everything is in short supply (...)
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There's plenty of .32 S&W Long on the shelves here.
Also .25 Auto.
.17 Hornet is well stocked, where carried.
.338 WM sure hasn't flown off the shelves.
.454 Casull is abundant.
.50 BMG is gathering dust in the usual quantities.
Shotgun ammo appears almost untouched, except for slugs and cheap buckshot.

And, in the last couple weeks, I've still been able to obtain .303 Savage and 7.35 Carcano.
Diversify. ;)


Reloading is great, but it still doesn't do you any good unless you stock up on powder and primers. ...Which is just a roundabout way of stocking up on ammo.
Right now, I know quite a few reloaders that are just as screwed as factory ammo guys, because they didn't stock up and can't get primers.
 
.40 S&W is still available. Maybe time to show it some love. I am sitting on a decent amount of ammo. If prices keep going up, I’m going to sell some. I have plenty to shoot and I’ll pick up more when supply catches up.
 
I had been reloading and casting bullets since 1967 .
After 2013 I saw this panic buying thing was going to happen at least every election year and I've watched the panic's happening again and again ...the herd spooks easily on social media !
I stocked up on enough powder , primers and brass to last me a lifetime .
Made sure I had plenty of different styles bullet moulds and reloading tools for every firearm I own , might own or someone might give me .
The ammo shortages , which will be happening every few years now , are not going to catch me with my pants down again .
You might want to think about how often the panics are happening ....see a trend ?
 
Yep, you're honestly better off buying a .40cal with a couple of conversion barrels in 9mm Luger and .357 SIG if you can, that way you have one gun that can shoot 3 different cartridges, and obviously the less popular cartridges will always be more readily available.
 
Yep, you're honestly better off buying a .40cal with a couple of conversion barrels in 9mm Luger and .357 SIG if you can, that way you have one gun that can shoot 3 different cartridges, and obviously the less popular cartridges will always be more readily available.
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For the prices of 2 conversion barrels, if you wait until the prices are good, you can buy 1000-2000 rounds of 9mm.

If the goal is always to have ammo on hand, I think it makes more sense to spend money stocking up on ammo than on buying conversion barrels. Remember, even after you buy the conversion barrels, you still have to buy ammo--why not spend all the money on ammo?
 
I think the notion of availability is more of a SHTF driven scenario where your only way of getting ammo is scrounging. Not so much finding it for sale during a panic buy.
 
if you wait until the prices are good, you can buy 1000-2000 rounds of 9mm.
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I never worry about running out of 9mm--I did exactly this and have a couple of thousand CCI RN on "ready reserve" (yes, not the best defensive ammo but it is still going to hurt) in case I run out of reload components--which is also unlikely since I have thousands of cases and bullets as well, my only real vulnerability might be powder, but even that will take a very long time to run out of. I have to admit the run on 9mm components seems worse this time around than I've ever seen before in other market panic-buying surges.
 
I think my cost average is about $.22 per round for 9mm. This is for decent quality stuff that is reliable reloadable. No steel case or junk ammo. I saw prices as high as $1 per round during the last panic. I could have sold half my reserves and tripled my stockpile when prices came back down. When prices get high enough, I’m selling. In a real life poop hits the fan scenario, I can easily transport all the ammo I have. There are too many other essentials to worry about.
 
Again, I'm not knocking 9mm, just pointing out that the myth that it's always available is false. The fact is that the supply chain of anything can be disrupted for many different reasons.

As far as caliber selection is concerned, each of us will use what we think is best for us. I have no issue with people who decide 9mm or 380 or even 25 cal works for them. That's their choice and their results. However, just because someone picks a caliber, it doesn't automatically mean that it's by definition the best for everyone.

That's what I'm against. The attitude that, "I picked this so it's the best choice for everybody and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it" that's so prevalent on discussion forums. So, once again, for me, calibers other than 9mm are my choice. Further, stocking up on handloading components to make ammo rather than stocking commercial ammo works best for me.

However, as always, YMMV
 
stagpanther:
I have to admit the run on 9mm components seems worse this time around than I've ever seen before in other market panic-buying surges.
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2 weeks ago, I was doing my weekly price/quantity/components checks at SGAmmo, etc. and life was looking good; stocks were filling up again, even if prices weren't coming down just yet. Then 2 days later, I see the 1st "WHERE'S THE AMMO!!!" thread. I'm well stocked (I don't give out quantities, in person or on the internet!) but I like to see what the trend is. Something DEFINATELY changed. This has a whole new feel to it, doesn't it?
 
TX Nimrod said:
Wow, who would have believed this a few years ago...



.
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I you were around when Obama got elected it was the same thing. It hit rifle ammo harder then. I remember paying 60 cents a round for .223/5.56 if you could find it.
That's when I learned to reload & stock up for this crazy gun & ammo market.
 
Always available was never my attitude toward 9mm. Cheaper and more common, most definitely. This is during normal times. This all goes out the window in situations like these. My choices are the best for me and me alone. I shut down pretty quickly when somebody tells me their choice is the absolute best and mine is not. Especially with firearms. I make my own decisions and haven't been disappointed yet.

To each their own.
 
Local gun shop sells Norma tactical for 60 cents which is the cheapest .223 around. OTOH they sell S&B 9MM hardball for 24 cents.
 
But all of that 9mm that's been bought in the past two months is still out there, it's not being shot up, it's being stored. They will make more. Be patient young grasshopper.
 
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